Latest posts from Chip MacGregor
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How can I make a living as a collaborative writer?
Someone asked, “What advice can you give those of us who want to make a living as collaborative writers?”
You may not know this, but I made my living as a collaborative writer for years. I was successful at it, …
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Are writer conferences a worthwhile investment?
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 …
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Should I start with a small publisher to get the attention of a large one?
Someone wrote to ask, “Do you think it’s a good idea to start with a smaller publisher and try to have some success, as a way of getting the attention of a larger publisher?”
That’s not only a good idea,
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Does winning a contest help a prospective author?
Someone wrote to ask, “Do you think it helps a beginning novelist to enter a contest or win an award?”
It’s hard to say. Certainly it can’t hurt that an author wins a Faulkner Award, or a short story writer …
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How are literary agent's roles changing in the new world of publishing?
I’ve had a number of people write to me in response to my recent post about 2013 publishing predictions, asking how I felt the role of literary agents is changing. It used to be that an agent basically offered four …
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How did you get started in your writing career?
Someone wrote and asked, “How did you go about the business of becoming a writer?” Since it’s a holiday and the start of new year, I thought this would be a good time to re-tell that story.
For years I …
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My Publishing Predictions for 2013
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… -
Is it legal to strangle my publisher?
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 …
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What do agents look for (and why won't they take on my screenplay or poetry)?
Someone asked, “What’s the first thing you look for in a proposal?”
Voice. I’m a sucker for great voice in a writer. If I see great voice, I’m almost always willing to take the next step with an author.
Another
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An agent won't talk to me unless I have a deal?
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
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Is it worth approaching a literary agent?
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 …
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Will being young keep me from getting published?
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. …
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Memorable Words
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 …
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Why don't publishers want to fast track most books?
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. …
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Brilliant Predictions from 2009
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 …
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What if my agent and editor disagree on my manuscript?
Continuing with questions people have about agents, someone wrote to say this: “I received different advice about my manuscript from my agent than I received from an editing service I hired. What’s the best approach to take when you get …
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Why does it take so long to hear from an agent?
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 …
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Can I meet good agents at a writing conference?
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
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Can I make a living with freelance writing and editing?
Lately I’ve been besieged with questions about writing and editing for a living. Let me tackle a handful of them…
One person wrote and said, “I’ve been writing for six years, and I’m trying to establish myself as a paid …
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Can I re-submit to an agent who turned me down?
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 …