Latest posts from Chip MacGregor
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Why Publishing Articles and Short Stories is Still a Good Marketing Idea
Guest blog by BETH JUSINO, a marketing consultant, editor, writer, and former literary agent.
“Writers are like farmers: The harvest comes, but only after you toil for a few seasons.” – Cheryl Strayed
Back in the day—that is, before Amazon—we …
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Should I hire an outside marketing specialist?
I’ve had a number of write to me and ask when I’ll get back to writing about marketing books, and several have wanted to know, “When should I consider spending my own money on having an outside marketing person work …
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And… we have a winner!
This year’s Bad Poetry contest brought to light some truly terrible talent. Writers who spend their time creating thoughtful, sensitive novels can suddenly go all dark when trying to create something awful. So it’s tough to pick a winner when …
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The Bad Poetry Contest heads into the final days…
So here we are on a Friday, and we’re going to wrap up our annual Bad Poetry Contest tomorrow. (In case you’re not part of the in-crowd, we do a Bad Poetry Contest the first week of May every year …
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Who's bad? We bad. Bad poetry, that is.
So I got some great news today — I don’t have cancer. Yay! I’ve been waiting (semi) patiently while the labs were running their tests, but I got the news this evening — a nice phone call to get during …
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In the midst of news and controversy, Bad Poetry marches on…
So HarperCollins is buying Harlequin, a couple people are claiming Barnes & Noble is going belly up soon, F+W Media is getting totally remade, the royalty reports for everyone are giving us hard news on publishing numbers, my friend Amanda …
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Our annual BAD POETRY CONTEST starts today!
Okay, everyone, set your questions for agents aside for a week, because THE MOST IMPORTANT WEEK IN THE PUBLISHING YEAR IS HERE AGAIN. I’m speaking, of course, about our annual Bad Poetry Contest — the time when writers, editors, agents, …
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What would you ask a literary agent? (the wrap up)
A handful of leftover questions from our month of “sitting down with a literary agent” series…
Can a person who does not aspire to fame be a successful writer?
Of course. Some writers are looking for fame, but in my … -
Wrapping up our visit with a literary agent…
All month I’ve been inviting writers to send in questions about what they would ask a literary agent if they could just sit down for a face-to-face chat. Here’s the latest bunch of questions as I try to wrap up …
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Having a Nite-cap with a Literary Agent
We’ve been taking the month of April and inviting writers to send in the questions they’d like to ask a literary agent. So if you could sit down one night, over a nite-cap, and ask a literary agent anything at …
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If you could sit down for an after-dinner drink with an agent…
Okay, so all month I’ve been having readers send in questions they would ask if they could just sit down and be face to face with a literary agent. Here’s the most recent batch of questions I’ve received…
Is it …
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Hiring a Professional Editor
A guest blog from Holly Lorincz –
Many of you know me as the newest agent at MacGregor Literary but I’m writing today from behind my Editor Desk. I was originally hired by the agency as an editing and publishing … -
If you could sit down to dinner with a literary agent…
Imagine this: You get to sit down to have dinner with the literary agent of your choosing. You can ask anything you want? So… what would you ask? I’ve been taking the entire month of April to let people send …
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Sitting down for a martini with a literary agent…
Okay, so this month I’ve invited writers to send in the question they’d love to ask a literary agent, if only they could sit down over, say, a martini. Pretend the two of you are face to face. Relax. Take …
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If you could sit and have a beer with a literary agent…
I’m taking the month of April and letting people send in ANY question they have about writing and publishing. If you could sit down for an hour over a beer with a literary agent, and ask him anything you wanted, …
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If I could sit down with a literary agent and ask ANYTHING…
This month I’m trying to get to all the questions people say they’d like to ask an agent, if they could just sit down with him or her for a few minutes and talk privately. Here are questions that people …
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A DAY IN THE LIFE OF AN AGENT
By Sandra Bishop
Agent and Vice-President of MacGregor LiteraryJust what DOES an agent do all day?
It’s no great mystery that good agents work hard. But what we do EXACTLY is obviously not well known. I’m sure most people, …
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Sitting down with a literary agent over a cappuccino…
So I happen to be sitting at Cafe Greco in North Beach (the Italian section of downtown San Francisco), and thought this was the perfect place to suggest authors sit down to have a cappuccino and talk. This month we’re …
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What's the best writing advice you've ever received?
So it’s spring break for most people. You might be heading out of town, or driving to the beach, or trying to find a place to relax and dive into that new book you bought. I’m going the same thing …
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And the biggest successes of 2013 were…
In this week’s issue of Publisher’s Weekly, they have their annual report on the bestsellers of the previous year. I always enjoy reading about it and discussing it with authors, because nothing gives perspective more than a number. You see, …