Latest posts from Chip MacGregor
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Ask the Agent: What else does a writer need to make a living?
We’ve been talking about “making a living at writing,” and I had several people ask what essential tools are needed if someone is going to do more than just type up a manuscript at home. A fair question…
I suggest …
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Ask the Agent: What’s the one piece of advice you’d give a career writer?
We’ve been exploring the idea of “how to make a living at writing,” and I’ve saved up a handful of questions from people who have written to ask about becoming a career writer. Someone wrote several months ago to ask, …
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Ask the Agent: What do I need to know if I want to be a professional writer?
The other day we were talking about making a living at writing, and I had a couple of people suggest good ideas (check the comments section) and ask a couple great questions. I’ve talked about the importance of having a …
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Ask the Agent: Is it realistic to think of making my living at writing?
I’ve been talking about authors trying to make a living at writing recently, and a couple people have written to ask me, “Is it realistic to think of actually making a living with my words?”
To me, the answer is …
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Ask the Agent: What’s your advice for making a living at writing?
Over the past few weeks we’ve been answering questions about writing and agents, and while reading over the questions, I’ve heard from several people who asked, “What advice would you give to someone who wants to make a living at …
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Ask the Agent: How long should an agent take with my submission?
I’ve been receiving a number of questions about authors and agents, so I wanted to take a few weeks to explore agenting. Someone wrote to ask, “How long does it usually take for an agent to respond after receiving a …
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Ask the Agent: Is social media effective for selling books?
Someone wrote to say, “I notice there are a lot of authors who seem to spend every waking minute on Facebook and Pinterest and Twitter. From your perspective as an agent, is social media an effective tool for selling books?”…
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Ask the Agent: How can I make my book successful?
Recently I had someone write to ask me about a couple novels I represented that did well in the market. Specifically, she asked, “What did the publisher do to help make each book a success? And are there lessons I …
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Ask the Agent: What do I need to know about literary agents?
Someone wrote to ask, “With all the changes in publishing these days, what do I really need to know about agents?” Let me offer ten thoughts…
1. Do your homework before selecting an agent. DON’T sign up with somebody just …
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Ask the Agent: What do I do with my finished novel manuscript?
Someone wrote to ask, “If a writer has never published before, but has a completed novel manuscript ready to go, what would you recommend he/she do with it?”
I like this question, since it’s a situation I see frequently. If …
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Ask the Agent: How can we create a book launch party?
Some wrote to ask, “I’ve been told we should have a launch party when my book comes out. Is that a good idea? And what what makes a good launch party?”
I think a book launch party is a great …
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Ask the Agent: How do I read a royalty report?
Someone wrote and said, “I get a royalty report twice a year from my publisher, but I don’t really understand it. What tips can you give me for reading a royalty report?”
I swear some companies hire Obfuscation Technicians, just …
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Ask the Agent: How do I get the most out of a writers’ conference?
I had someone write in to say they were attending three writing conferences this summer, and asked me, “What advice would you have for me to get the most out of the conferences?”
I love writing conferences, since it gives …
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Ask the Agent: How many authors do you sign at a writing conference?
Someone wrote to say, “I know you’re going to the Thrillerfest conference next month. Of the appointments you have at a conference like that, how many actually result in your asking for more material? How many result in you giving …
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Ask the Agent: How much should I charge for speaking?
This question came in: “Ever since my book released, I’ve been asked to speak several times — sometimes at large venues, sometimes at very small places. My problem is that I don’t know what to charge when I speak. A …
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And the wiener is… The Tenth Annual Bad Poetry Contest Comes to an End
Like watching a kid you don’t like fall down a set of stairs, all good things must come to an end. And we here at your Bad Poetry Contest Headquarters are facing the end of the line — our time …
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The Tenth Annual Bad Poetry Contest continues…
It’s your last chance… If you’re a Bad Poet, you can achieve some small measure of fame by entering our tenth annual Bad Poetry Contest. But it ends this week!
A bit of history: Every year, on the week of …
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The Tenth Annual BAD POETRY CONTEST!
I know you’ve been waiting all year for me to host my 10th annual BAD POETRY CONTEST at the blog — so here is another reason to go on living. One week from today is my birthday, and I always …
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Ask the Agent: How can I create great memoir?
For a month now I’ve been doing “Ask the Agent” — your chance to ask anything you want of a literary agent. We had one person write in to say, “A memoir is a deeply personal story covering many avenues …
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Ask the agent: What if i don’t want to talk about money?
We’ve been doing our “Ask the Agent” series for a month now, and I still have a handful of questions to get to. Someone sent this: “I hate talking money when it comes to my writing. I wanted to do …