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query
Mistakes Writers Can Avoid
by, Jill Swenson
March 6, 2018

Recently I finished teaching a six week workshop where one participant asked a tough question that has haunted me. “What shouldn’t I do as a writer? What mistakes can you help me avoid making?” I stumbled through an answer. I like to focus on the positive things writers can do to improve their writing and yet the question was a legitimate one. And in my… [Read More]

Filed Under: constructive criticism, genre, mistakes to avoid, query
2 Comments
How to use Twitter for research and writing
by, Jill Swenson
December 9, 2014

Nearly a billion people have registered accounts on Twitter and 100 million of them use it every day. Three quarters of them on a mobile device. As a writer, it’s easy to dismiss Twitter. If you’re an author, it’s a mistake to do so. If your readers are over 50 years old or under 10, you won’t find them on Twitter, right? Wrong question. If… [Read More]

Filed Under: Cathryn Prince, Death in the Baltic, hashtags, marketing plan, query, reviews, search, Twitter
4 Comments
What an agent and publisher need to know about you, the author
by, Jill Swenson
July 28, 2012

Authors may be surprised to learn that before an agent or publisher reads a word of their manuscript, they make judgments based on the query letter or proposal. They read your materials to assess the potential for successful publication based on the information they gather about the book, about the audience, and yes, about the author. In the last two posts, I focused on questions… [Read More]

Filed Under: About the Author, acquisition editiors, agents, Audience platform, Biographical profile, book proposal, Publishing, query, social media metrics
No Comments
About Your Book: What an agent or publisher wants to know
by, Jill Swenson
July 24, 2012

Before you send out your query or a book proposal, take a second look. Have you answered these questions? What is the “genre” of the book? (humor, history, memoir, travel, how-to, etc) What is the main subject of your book? (what subject headings would a library give your book?) What topics will be covered? (what keywords could describe your book?) Describe your approach to the… [Read More]

Filed Under: blurbs, book proposal, bookstores, genre, query, Subject headings
1 Comment
Listen to Blog Talk Radio Books
by, Danielle Sherwood
June 23, 2011

If you are an author who wants to get published, you need a website, blog, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, and other social media platforms. Publishers expect the author to play the primary role in social media marketing. You can hem and haw, but most book professionals are going to insist you build your author brand online. Luckily, Swenson Book Development, LLC assists authors with their… [Read More]

Filed Under: Acquisition Editors, Arielle Ford, audience, author self-sabotage, Authors, Blog Talk Radio, Books, branding, Listen, Publishing Insiders, query, radio, review, selling more books, SEO, Seth Godin, shows, social media platforms
No Comments
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