Something you may not know about me is that I double majored in English and marketing in college. Beyond the countless group projects and hours using Excel and PowerPoint, being a marketing major also meant creating theoretical advertising campaigns for real products and businesses. It was in one of these classes that I realized that […]
Preaching to the Choir: On Advertising, AI, and Paper Towels Read Post »
On a recent episode of Top Chef, judge Gail Simmons commented that one of the contestants was cooking good food, but that the judges still didn’t know who he was as a chef. Gail’s observation came after this contestant had made multiple impressive dishes, many of which featured recipes he’d learned while working under other
Why Formula and Structure Can Only Take You So Far Read Post »
I have a love-hate relationship with word counts. (Just look at the word count of this post!) On one hand, word count guidelines offer a concrete metric in an industry that often seems to rely solely on personal taste, timing, and luck. It’s helpful for authors to know that most traditionally published picture books are
Word Count Worries Read Post »
“You’re too old to read books from this section.” “These are for little kids!” “You should be choosing longer books by now.” “Haven’t you outgrown those?” Whether or not you’ve heard these statements from well-meaning adults (or rule-following kids), you probably already know the books they’re referring to: picture books, graphic novels, comics, and other
Want Kids To Love Reading? Stop Disparaging Their Choices. Read Post »
A week ago, I came across a quote by Louise Glück on social media: “We look at the world once, in childhood. The rest is memory.” These are the last two lines of her poem, “Nostos.” As with many quotations I read online, I inwardly nodded and thought, “Sounds right,” before scrolling on. I’m pretty
Look at the World: On Writing and Reading Read Post »
Today’s letter answers an author-submitted question about social media. And elsewhere on the internet, the excellent Sara Zarr invited me to contribute to one of her equally excellent This Creative Life newsletters. Check out How to Read an Editorial Letter for Sara’s approach to editorial letters as an author, as well as my thoughts from
Ask Your Editor Friend: Social Media Read Post »
Since the first two posts on January 5th, 2022, this marks 52 straight weeks (and over 40,000 words!) of Your Editor Friend letters. I’ve touched on a broad range of writing and publishing topics over the past year, from evaluating feedback to approaching goals with curiosity to the submissions process to the different types of editing. No matter how long you’ve been reading, I hope that
A Year with Your Editor Friend Read Post »
Sometimes it can feel as if you are languishing in the submissions trenches while everyone else finds an agent, gets a book deal, receives a starred review, and becomes an instant bestseller. If you’re feeling this way, you’re in good company! There’s a reason that this tweet went viral in the publishing corners of social
The Submissions Process: Dealing with Rejection Read Post »
Like last week’s letter, this week’s letter answers some frequently asked questions. Next week, I’ll be closing this series with a letter about one of the most challenging aspects of the submissions process: rejection. Question: Should I try to write a book that fits current trends? Answer: It’s fine to be aware of trends, but I don’t encourage
The Submissions Process: Frequently Asked Questions (Part Two) Read Post »
In this week’s and next week’s letters, I’ll be answering some frequently asked questions to wrap up this submissions series. Question: Most literary agents ask that authors submit only a handful of sample pages alongside a query letter. How can agents make a decision based on so little material? What if those pages aren’t the
The Submissions Process: Frequently Asked Questions (Part One) Read Post »
