Publishing in 2021: Top Literary Agent Shares Trends
For the publishing industry, 2020’s unprecedented restrictions and challenges due to the COVID-19 global pandemic brought unexpected gains. In all, there were 751 million print books and 191 million e-books sold last year, representing an 8 percent growth in sales in 2020 compared with 2019 sales.
Paula Munier’s “Writing with Quiet Hands” Delves Deep Into Effective Writing Practice
Writing is many things to many people—a job, a career, a calling, or perhaps a hobby or a fantasy. Paula Munier says writing is so much more. “Writing is nothing less than a path to enlightenment,” she says in this ruminative and inspiring book. And the best writers are those who write with quiet hands, she adds.
Paula Munier’s Advice: Don’t Say These Things When Querying a Literary Agent
Looking for a literary agent is like applying for a job, but a thousand times harder. The process of querying agents or pitching to them in conferences is full of pitfalls. So it’s great when an experienced literary agent like Paula Munier rounds up the common mistakes writers make and shares them on her blog.
Paula Munier’s “Plot Perfect” is a Treasure Trove of Tools for Writers
In keeping with the book’s title, Paula Munier doesn’t flinch when she states, “If you want to write commercial fiction, you need to be about plot.”
New York Pitch Conference: The Art of Selling Your First Book
Do you have a manuscript you want to pitch? Perhaps you want to test the waters for a book idea? If you're nodding as you read this, you should check out the New York Pitch Conference. I belong to the first camp, and I’m glad I attended.
Can Your Story Have Too Much Tension? A Literary Agent Says No
There are two things about the 2012 Backspace writer-agent seminar in New York City that I won’t forget. First, I survived the chaotic aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. Second, I learned some critical lessons from Donald Maas’s workshop that helped me tremendously.
A Top Literary Agent Shares Valuable Insights
I recently participated in an online discussion forum featuring a top literary agent, who shared her insights on a wide range of topics: from author’s platform to book contracts and more.