Biz

POD and Self-Publishing

ECPA Bestsellers

Randy Rooney

Why Aren't You Famous?

I was sitting in my office typing a novel when Sam the Plumber knocked on the front door. When Sam knocks, it’s a good idea to answer, if you value your door.

I answered.

“Here’s yer bill for that new irrigation system.” Sam walked right past me and straight into my office. “Hey, this place is slick!”

“This place” is home to about three billion books, five hundred electronic gizmos, two filing cabinets, and an untidy stack of awards. I suspect it also houses a couple of my cat’s hairballs, but I’m not sure, because the filing cabinets are just too heavy to make...

Bookclubs

Avoid Book Club Mishaps

The week before my online book club meeting, I meant to review the copies I had of previous author chats. You know the saying “best laid plans . . .”? Well, it was book club week for me; I’d run three of them that week.

I have long hours at work. Hilary, my oldest, had to be picked up from drama practice then dropped off at work; Isaac, my...

ECPA Bestseller Lists

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Agent Column

The Changing World Of Publishing

Everyone seems to be talking about the economy. The most common question among the writing community is how this downturn is going to affect publishing. I have a couple pennies to contribute to the conversation—two cents’ worth from a literary agent’s perspective.

First, concerning new acquisitions, publishers are deciding on books that won’t be released until 2010 and beyond; therefore, today’s gloomy headlines have little bearing on those future books. If Christmas sales are down in 2008, that doesn’t mean they will be down in 2010.

Fiction Fixit Shop

The Trusty Stand-In

Meredith stares at me in my kitchen. If she were a cartoon character, she’d have spirals churning in her eyes.

“I need to write my column. It was due at the beginning of the month.”

I pop a chunk of havarti in my mouth. “It’s only three weeks late. You’re good.” I’ve become cavalier about deadlines of late, namely because I’m not on any—a fact that makes me want to jump up and down and shout, “Neener neener!” at the world.

POD And Self-Publishing

Self-Publishing

Self-publishing is not for everyone, but for me, it was the beginning of a wonderful introduction into the writing world. My story is probably not that much different from other aspiring writers, yet in some ways it is unique to me.

After seventeen years of marriage to a minister that ended in divorce, I was devastated and angry. I began writing God a letter, every day, telling Him of my disappointment and feelings of...