So at the GLAWS meeting (Greater LA Writers Society) yesterday they had 4 agents who specialize in different genre’s and\u00a0 one of them was a small press that does my genre.\u00a0 Shocking!\u00a0 Erotic Romance..she said it to the whole room.\u00a0 I almost danced.\u00a0 But I should have known as Tony (the GLAWS President) told me he new a small publisher who specialized in my genre.<\/p>\n
I paid very close attention to reasons she’d refuse\u00a0novels for submission\u00a0and her suggestions on how to make sure the agent you’re submitting to would be an appropriate match.\u00a0\u00a0 Its a little bit like the\u00a0 online dating.\u00a0 Who have they published already (who’re their “friends”), What are their guidelines (what are they “into”).\u00a0 Then you start the process with an email or letter depending on their guidelines and wait to hear.\u00a0 Lucky for the men emailing me I usually get to them pretty quickly… most publishers or agent can take up to 3-4 weeks to get back to you!<\/p>\n
Most of the stuff I learned at the meeting I’d already read about when I was doing my research on how to find an agent.\u00a0 (I took a newbie with me and she was just amazed and almost overwhelmed with the amount of information she got…and there was an agent who specialized in her genre!)<\/p>\n
The interesting and worrisome bit of news I got was the opinions the agents had of the author’s platform.\u00a0 They all agreed every writer should have a website but varied in what should be on it.\u00a0 The consensus was if you’re going to blog, do it regularly, don’t do it for a month or two and then abandon the project AND keep it positive, no ranting.\u00a0\u00a0 They commented they hated to read an author’s personal angst and stress on their blog… it made for a bad platform.<\/p>\n
So now I’m worried that I use the blog as a “dear diary” format.\u00a0 I try to make every entry funny and entertaining because you guys are my “readers” in a way… my blog readers.\u00a0 And most of you have read (or at least have in you’re possession!) my first book Cat.\u00a0 And I’ve never been someone to keep excessively private what’s happening in my life… I\u00a0 just change the names to protect the naughty… but I’m not ashamed of the things I choose to do and never really understood the motivation to hide a persons choices.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now I completely understand the “don’t ask, don’t tell” philosophy and don’t try to mix my personal life with work (TOO much!) but if someone finds me interesting enough to want to read my blog and read my book I don’t see a reason to pretend I’m not who I am.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But you tell me, friends on the Internet, do I spill too much in this public forum?\u00a0 Am I damaging my future hope of getting published by being so open about myself?\u00a0 Should I tone it all down and just do cute, plain funny stories?\u00a0 No more “naughty stuff”?<\/p>\n
Ah.. but aren’t you dying to know… just dying to know, about my current “adventures”?\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Hee hee hee.\u00a0\u00a0Then again, I suppose I could just email you.\u00a0 So if you’re reading this, give me your opinion in a comment.\u00a0 I won’t post them if you ask me not to in the comment.\u00a0 But I would like to know.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Of course, if no one’s reading this I suppose it just doesn’t matter!!!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
So at the GLAWS meeting (Greater LA Writers Society) yesterday they had 4 agents who specialize in different genre’s and\u00a0 one of them was a small press that does my genre.\u00a0 Shocking!\u00a0 Erotic Romance..she said it to the whole room.\u00a0 … Continue reading