Chip MacGregor


Latest posts from Chip MacGregor


  • January 9, 2013

    Are writer conferences a worthwhile investment?

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    Someone asked, “Are writers conferences worthwhile for a beginning novelist? If so, how can I get the most out of a conference?”

    I think a writing conference is one of the best investments a newer writer can make. (The best

  • December 31, 2012

    My Publishing Predictions for 2013

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    Okay, time for my big publishing predictions for 2013…

    1. Some of the large publishers will buy up the smaller micro-publishers who have succeeded in niche markets. (This only makes sense. Penguin/Random House are merging, and want to expand their

  • December 21, 2012

    Is it legal to strangle my publisher?

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    Someone just wrote to say, “I can’t believe it! I spent an entire week writing a piece for a digital magazine that insisted they needed it on a tight deadline, skipped my daughter’s play, ignored family meals, then stayed up

  • December 18, 2012

    An agent won't talk to me unless I have a deal?

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    An author wrote me to say, “Many publishing houses will not accept manuscripts from un-agented authors, but many good agents will not accept manuscripts from unpublished authors. How then do I solicit an agent?”

    This is the common conundrum faced

  • December 17, 2012

    Is it worth approaching a literary agent?

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    Someone wrote to ask this: “I read that new authors should not bother submitting to agents. One famous author’s blog claims that a beginning writer doesn’t really want an agent, since most (if not all) of the money paid

  • December 15, 2012

    Will being young keep me from getting published?

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    One writer wrote to say, “I’m only twenty. How much, if at all, does my young age affect how seriously agents and editors will consider my fiction manuscript?”

    When I look at a manuscript, I generally review the words first. …

  • December 12, 2012

    Memorable Words

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    Kate wrote and asked, “How can I make my nonfiction memorable?”

    I can think of a handful of tips…

    1. Rely on “story.” How many times have you sat through a church service, listened to a good sermon, and …

  • December 10, 2012

    Why don't publishers want to fast track most books?

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    Someone wrote and asked, “Do publishers have a ‘fast track’ for an idea that is time sensitive? Do they leave room for hot topics in their publishing pipeline?”

    Sure, publishers have a fast track, but they use it very carefully.

  • December 8, 2012

    Brilliant Predictions from 2009

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    So a few years ago, I posted “predictions” for the future of publishing. I clearly don’t have the gift of prophecy, but thought it would be fun to go back and look at what I had to say, and how …

  • December 4, 2012

    Why does it take so long to hear from an agent?

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    I’ve had several questions about literary agents recently, including…

    Some wrote and asked, “I just waited four-and-a-half months for an agent to give me a response to my proposal. Why does this take so long?”

    Well, any good agent is

  • December 3, 2012

    Can I meet good agents at a writing conference?

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    Someone wrote to say, “Authors spend big bucks to attend writers’ conferences and meet agents. Are most agents checked out and invited to participate because they have good reputations?”

    I think every conference director wants to offer the best faculty

  • November 29, 2012

    Can I re-submit to an agent who turned me down?

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    Several questions have come in lately regarding relationships with agents…

    One person asked, “Is it okay to take a proposal that you previously submitted to an agent, rework it to resolve the problems, then resubmit to them, explaining that you