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Notice: Function _load_textdomain_just_in_time was called incorrectly. Translation loading for the wordpress-seo domain was triggered too early. This is usually an indicator for some code in the plugin or theme running too early. Translations should be loaded at the init action or later. Please see Debugging in WordPress for more information. (This message was added in version 6.7.0.) in /usr/home/wpslab/public_html/wp-quq0zy058j/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6121 All Archives - Page 2 of 50 - The Book Doctors
Author David Henry Sterry and literary agent Arielle Eckstut give you step-by-step instructions to spot if a “publisher” is legitimate or a scam. Don’t let scammers bilk you out of your publishing dreams.
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WHAT WE COVER
Writer beware! Unscrupulous operators prey on writers’ publishing dreams. They might promise to publish your book, but they’re really only interested in getting your money.
A book blurb is an endorsement from a famous author or well-known expert. It’s shocking how a quote from the right person can lure an agent, editor, or reader. Here’s HOW to get blurbs and WHEN you need them.
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Just because an agent hasn’t responded to your query letter doesn’t mean she’s not interested. Arielle (a literary agent) and David (author) explain why agents are silent and what authors can do about it.
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Times are hard. The Book Doctors share how to keep writing while you’re home during the COVID-19 pandemic. How are you handling changes due to coronavirus? Tell us in the comments.
WHAT WE COVER
0:05 Checking in with The Book Doctors during the COVID-19 pandemic
3:32 Put your writing on your calendar so you’re more likely to do it
3:44 Get a writing buddy to hold you accountable for your goals
4:11 Read in your genre to figure out your comparative titles
4:42 Train your brain to be in the moment and stop destructive thoughts quickly
5:45 Switch your anxious thoughts to a productive focus on your book and create a plan
6:30 Learn how to raise the stakes in your writing by observing current events
6:45 Observe reactions to crisis and troubles, study the people around you and in the news, then use those observations to improve your fictional characters or memoir
7:58 Use your cooking time to think about what you’re writing
Ask us any question about publishing in this free one-hour workshop. Make the most of your time at home and get your work ready to get out into the world!
We’re Arielle Eckstut and David Henry Sterry. Between us, we have almost half a century’s worth of experience turning talented writers into published authors. Arielle is an author and agent-at-large at the Levine Greenberg Rostan Literary Agency. David is an author and before writing professionally, he was a comic and actor. We’re dedicated to helping writers get their books published. Successfully!
SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel for tips on how to successfully publish your book.
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We’ve said before that publishers can make BIG mistakes. Then came AMERICAN DIRT. Here’s our take on controversies rocking publishing in 2020. Links mentioned in the video are below.
WHAT WE COVER – REASONS PUBLISHERS ARE STUPID
0:49 An overview of the AMERICAN DIRT controversy.
4:22 There are many books by Latinx authors. So why aren’t Latinx authors being supported? Why is the money going to white authors?
04:54 Lee & Low Books released the Diversity in Publishing 2019 report earlier this year. The survey reveals the alarming lack of diversity in the the publishing industry hasn’t changed significantly in editorial since their 2015 report. The exception to this trend was among interns, who are now more diverse than the rest of publishing.
05:27 What was the fallout for publishers and Oprah after AMERICAN DIRT?
06:10 The defensive reaction from some white writers and why it’s problematic. Instead, write responsibly and learn when it’s better for someone else to tell a story.
7:50 Controversy #2: The Barnes & Noble tried to launch a line of classic novels with new covers featuring people of color. Instead of supporting authors of color, they put blackface on the covers.
08:26 The Barnes & Noble covers were cancelled when their bottom line was impacted.
08:55 What do we do? 1) Support people who write great books by buying their books. 2) Buy a book by someone who doesn’t look like you or share your experiences. 3) Make your voice heard. 4) Share information from other authors. Amplify their voices. 5) Start your own collective. 6) Start your own publishing house to publish, serve, and reach people who are often ignored by New York publishing.
11:52 Controversy #3: The reaction to the 2020 Newbery and Caldecott winners.
We’re Arielle Eckstut and David Henry Sterry. Between us, we have almost half a century’s worth of experience turning talented writers into published authors. Arielle is an author and agent-at-large at the Levine Greenberg Rostan Literary Agency. David is an author and before writing professionally, he was a comic and actor. We’re dedicated to helping writers get their books published. Successfully!
SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel for tips on how to successfully publish your book.
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You wrote your 50,000 words (or got pretty close!). You’re a winner. You felt the high. Now what are you going to do with your precious manuscript? That’s where we, The Book Doctors, come in.
For those of you not familiar with Pitchapalooza, here’s the skinny: You get 250 words to pitch your book. Twenty pitches will be randomly selected from all submissions. We will then critique the pitches during a live webinar on March 14, 12PM PT, so you get to see what makes a great pitch. At the end of the webinar, we will choose one winner from the group.
The winner will receive an introduction to an agent or publisher appropriate for his/her manuscript.
Beginning February 1, 2020, you can email your pitch to nanowrimo@bookdoctors2.pairsite.com. PLEASE DO NOT ATTACH YOUR PITCH, JUST EMBED IT IN THE EMAIL. Include your title and your name at the top of your pitch. All pitches must be received by 11:59PM PT on February 29, 2020.
We will also crown a fan favorite who will receive a free one-hour consult with us (worth $250). On March 15, 2020, the 20 random pitches will be posted on our website, www.thebookdoctors.com. Anyone can vote for a fan favorite, so get your social media engine running as soon as the pitches go up! Connecting with your future readers is a vital part of being a successfully published author today. And this is a great way to get some practice. Voting closes at 11:59PM PT on March 31, 2020. The fan favorite will be announced on April 1, 2020.
If you purchase a new copy of our book, The Essential Guide To Getting Your Book Published, by April 2, 2020, we’re offering an exclusive one-hour webinar where you’ll get the chance to pitch your book. Just attach a copy of your sales receipt to your email and we’ll send the link to the webinar dates.
In 2016, May Cobb ran away with NaNoWriMo Pitchapalooza. She’s been capturing attention ever since. This time it was a “heated six-publisher auction” that ended with Berkley winning the rights to publish her latest thriller The Hunting Wives, which was pitched as In a Dark, Dark Wood meets Mean Girls. Berkley plans an early 2021 release. Read May’s winning pitch.
“Having my pitch selected as the 2016 winner for Pitchapalooza was such a boost! Of course it was wonderful to win, but even more than that, having the Book Doctor’s feedback on my pitch was instrumental.”
Stacy McAnulty has been on fire since she won our third NaNoWriMo Pitchapalooza. Her latest middle grade novel, The World Ends in April, is out now from Random House Books for Young Readers. Shelf Awareness gave it a starred review and called it “a smart, funny and emotionally candid book.” Stacy also signed a deal with Random House to publish another middle grade novel, A Penny Doubled, pitched as How to Steal a Dog meets Brewster’s Millions. Look for it in spring 2021. Read Stacy’s winning pitch.
Stacy McAnulty
Cari Noga was one of our first NaNoWriMo Pitchapalooza winners. Her winning novel, Sparrow Migrations, went on to be a semi-finalist in the 2011 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest, then she received an acquisition offer from Lake Union Publishing. Her latest novel, The Orphan Daughter (Lake Union Publishing), released last year. Read Cari’s winning pitch.
Are you feeling a little unsure about exactly how to craft your pitch? We’ve got you covered.
10 tips for pitching your novel
A great pitch is like a poem. Every word counts.
Make us fall in love with your hero. Whether you’re writing a novel or memoir, you have to make us root for your flawed but lovable hero.
Make us hate your villain. Show us someone unique and dastardly whom we can’t wait to hiss at.
Just because your kids love to hear your story at bedtime doesn’t mean you’re automatically qualified to get a publishing deal. So make sure not to include this information in your pitch.
If you have any particular expertise that relates to your novel, tell us. Establishing your credentials will help us trust you.
Your pitch is your audition to show us what a brilliant writer you are, so it has to be the very best of your writing.
Don’t make your pitch a book report. Make it sing and soar and amaze.
A pitch is like a movie trailer. You start with an incredibly exciting/funny/sexy/romantic/etc. close-up with intense specificity, then you pull back to show the big picture and tell us the themes and broad strokes that build to a climax.
Leave us with a cliffhanger. The ideal reaction to a pitch is, “Oh my God, what happens next?”
Show us what’s unique, exciting, valuable, awesome, unexpected, about your project, and why it’s comfortable, familiar and proven.
A: Yes, you may submit multiple pitches. Please include your book’s title and your name at the top of each pitch.
Q: How are the 20 pitches selected?
A: The 20 pitches are randomly selected; however, we read all the pitches.
Q: Are the choices for fan favorite also randomly selected?
A: Yes. They are the same 20 pitches that we read during the webinar.
Q: If I buy a copy of The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published, how does the one-hour webinar work?
A: We limit each webinar to 20 people, which gives everyone the chance to pitch and get feedback. To be eligible, purchase of a new copy of The Essential Guide is required.
Are you, a relative, or a loved one dreaming of a White Christmas, a Kool Kwanza, a Happy Hanukkah or a Festivus Miracle that involves getting a book successfully published? Luckily for you, the Book Doctors have put together a stocking stuffer for the naughty and the nice.
The Book Doctors Holiday Gift Packages come in three sizes depending on your budget and how much you like the person you’re buying it for.
Elf Special: A signed copy of our book, The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published, and a pitch critique webinar: $20.
Yuletide Delight: Signed copy of our book, half-hour consultation: $150
Mistletoe Magic: Signed copy of our book, read first 25 pages, one hour consultation: $300 (A $525 value!)
Offer good through January 1st but if you want it before the holidays, ORDER NOW! The holiday packages are only available here at our website.
UPDATE: Our winner is Michelle Reynoso! Thank you to everyone who participated. Keep watching to learn how to write your book, sell it, and market it successfully. We look forward to chatting with you in the YouTube comments.
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After months of tutorials and interviews, vlogs and voice-overs, we’ve reached a milestone on The Book Doctors’ YouTube channel:
We shared our 100th video!
To celebrate, we’re running a giveaway, and one lucky winner will get a free 30-minute consultation with us (a $150 value). Here’s how to enter:
You have until December 1, 2019 at 11:59 PM PST to enter. We’ll randomly select one winner, and we’ll announce that winner on our YouTube channel on December 2, 2019.
What could we cover during a 30-minute consultation?
Between us, we have almost half a century’s worth of experience turning talented writers into published authors. Whether your book suffers from Titleitis, has no spine or needs a chapterectomy, we will help you fix it so that you can write it, sell it, and market it. Not to mention have fun while doing it.
Here are a few of the topics we could discuss during your call:
Choosing the right idea
Coming up with a great title
Formulating and perfecting your pitch
Deciding if you need an agent or if you should go directly to a publisher or explore self-publishing
Constructing a query letter that will actually get read
Finding an agent/publisher that’s right for you
Figuring out the best way to self-publish
Making and selling an ebook
Understanding and assessing contract issues and questions
Creating a social media plan
Creating an online marketing strategy
Creating a publicity and marketing plan
Becoming TV and radio friendly via media training
Formulating your event-planning strategy
Setting up a schedule
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