Should I Self-Publish? In 2013, I self-published The Gospel According to Breaking Bad. At the time, I was thoroughly onboard with self-publishing as the only “smart” way to publish. The inevitable publishing path of the future seemed the wisest choice. Why would I want to give away so much control of my final product, along with …
In “Why Your Memoir Won’t Sell,” Jane Friedman offers seven reasons why a memoir won’t move copies. To paraphrase: It’s the first “legit” writing you’ve ever attempted. It’s an act of catharsis (a. k. a. emotional vomit). It’s a glorified diary. It’s a chronological autobiography. It’s a series of unrelated anecdotes from your life. It’s …
“My memoir is 270,000 words long.” I heard these words during a breakout session I led at a local writers conference. An editor friend of mine, Shayla Eaton with Curiouser Editing, was sitting in on the breakout. We gave each other knowing glances, and because I didn’t want to break this poor memoirist’s literary heart, …
“Start with the actual and build a bridge to the potential.” That’s lit agent Sharon Pelletier during her session, “The 10 Best Secrets for a Winning Nonfiction Book Proposal,” at DFWCon 2017. But before we get to what she’s talking about, let’s discuss the elephant in the publishing house: PLATFORM. Michael Hyatt didn’t coin the …
“Match the tone of your proposal to the tone of your book.” That’s lit agent Sharon Pelletier during her session, “The 10 Best Secrets for a Winning Nonfiction Book Proposal,” at DFWCon 2017. This piece of advice fell under her fourth point, that everything an author writes should display their ability to write. What did she …