Chip MacGregor


Latest posts from Chip MacGregor


  • July 7, 2014

    If you're new to the world of publishing…

    by

    I’m a big supporter of authors trying to self-publish their out-of-print works (and sometimes their new works, depending on the author and situation), and I’ve had a number of authors write to ask questions about publishing terms and traditions. I …

  • July 4, 2014

    Happy 4th of July! (a rant)

    by

    So I had a post I was going to share today, even though it’s a holiday. I was checking some news online, when my phone rang. It was 9 in the morning.

    Old guy’s voice: “Hello, I sent you a …

  • June 25, 2014

    As a working writer, how do I create a budget?

    by

    Several people read my Monday blog and asked me, “What does a writing budget look like?”

    Here’s the basic idea…

    1. The author sets a financial goal for the year. It’s got to be something that is livable (if the …

  • June 23, 2014

    How can a writer create a career plan?

    by

    I have a background in organizational development — my graduate degree focused on how an organization grows and changes over time. In my job as a literary agent, I’ve found it’s proven helpful when talking to writers about their careers. …

  • June 16, 2014

    Can a novelist market herself?

    by

    A woman I met at a conference wrote and asked, “Is it really possible to market yourself as a novelist?”

    I definitely think it’s possible for a novelist to market himself or herself. Over the past couple years, I’ve tried …

  • June 9, 2014

    Why I love Amazon

    by

    After some recent blog posts, it was pretty clear some readers thought I was bashing Amazon. A word about that… I love Amazon. They are the single largest seller of the books I get to represent. The are fast, inexpensive, …

  • June 6, 2014

    The latest on the Amazon/Hachette Fight

    by

    Since my blog post on Wednesday, there have been several new developments in the battle between Amazon and Hachette…

    1. After delaying orders on Hachette titles, refusing to discount them as they have other publishers’ titles, and sometimes not even …

  • June 3, 2014

    The Biggest News at BEA?

    by

    Just got back from a week in New York, seeing all the books and publishers and figuring out what direction the industry is moving. There was a great spirit at Book Expo this year — none of the angst and …

  • June 2, 2014

    What should I ask a prospective agent?

    by

    A friend wrote to say, “You’ve said several times that an author should ask a prospective agent some questions in order to get to know him (or her). I’m going to a conference in a couple months — what sort

  • May 30, 2014

    Editing: It Takes a Village (A guest blog)

    by

    I recently had someone say to me, “My novel needs an edit — but I don’t have the strength to listen to someone bash it.”

    Ack! An editor’s job is to help authors readjust, smooth and polish but never to …

  • May 28, 2014

    What comes first, the platform or the contract?

    by

    I had several people send in marketing questions recently…

    “In publishing, which comes first — the chicken or the egg? Do we need to have a book published before we start building a platform? Or do we start building a

  • May 23, 2014

    Seven Things I'm Thinking About on a Friday

    by

    First, big news about an author we represent: thriller Maegan Beaumont’s Carved in Darkness won the IPPY Award Gold Medal in the Suspense/Thriller category. If you haven’t read it, you owe it to yourself to read her gripping, moody novel …

  • May 21, 2014

    FINDING, AND TRUSTING, AN AGENT

    by

    BY CHIP MACGREGOR

    Someone wrote to say, “I heard an agent speak at our writing group. He sounded interesting, so I went to his website, which is interesting but I wasn’t sure I could trust it. You have to

  • May 20, 2014

    HOW I SOLD OVER 150,000 COPIES IN TWO YEARS

    by

    By Guest Writer CYNTHIA HICKEY, bestselling author of mystery and romance

    155126_508450599182497_734971298_n copy

     

    HOW I SOLD OVER 150,000 COPIES OF MY TOTAL WORKS IN TWO YEARS
    Or: Why I Love Being a Hybrid Author

    When I started writing seriously, I had the …