Screenshot of my guest interview at http://www.karenhollands.com.au There are many blog series which feature published authors and how they managed to scale the publishing heights, but few focus on writers in the midst of the struggle. Many of us fear being labelled failures or no-talent wannabes if we open up about rejections, and we suffer…… Continue reading Guest interview on thriving in the ‘liminal space’ between submission and publication
Tag: Querying
What if you never get that book published?
Photo by Felipe Cespedes on Pexels.com When Kate Mildenhall asked Tony Birch what he’d change about the publishing industry on the always fabulous First Time Podcast recently, he responded with the wish that publishers would take more chances on debut writers, making the observation that it can be soul-destroying to write a novel that never…… Continue reading What if you never get that book published?
Pitch perfection: finding the spark to hook an agent or publisher
Photo by Matheus Bertelli on Pexels.com Pitching a passion project should be easy, shouldn’t it? After all, you’ve dedicated years of your life to writing a book, to polishing your precious words until they gleam. Surely everyone will appreciate your efforts and clamour to read your story, won’t they? Unfortunately, the answer is often ‘no’,…… Continue reading Pitch perfection: finding the spark to hook an agent or publisher
Should you use American English for submissions to US agents and publishers?
Photo by Brett Sayles on Pexels. Over the years, I’ve submitted many short stories to international literary journals. Most of the work I’ve had published overseas, though, has been in the UK and Ireland. As I contemplate approaching overseas agents for representation of my psychological suspense novel, I’ve been wondering about expectations for manuscripts submitted…… Continue reading Should you use American English for submissions to US agents and publishers?
How to write a new novel when you can’t remember where to begin
My writing desk. New year, new notebook. For the last two years or so, I’ve been writing, rewriting, editing and polishing my latest manuscript. My baby is finally ready to pitch—exciting times—and I’ve tentatively started to send it out. Now that the manuscript is out of my hands, though, I need to decide on the…… Continue reading How to write a new novel when you can’t remember where to begin
Books on writing that are actually worth reading
A few months ago I reached out to the wonderful writing community on Twitter. I had just finished the messy first draft of a novel and wanted to learn more about narrative structure before tackling an edit. Unsurprisingly, I was inundated with recommendations of books about the craft of writing. The response was so helpful,…… Continue reading Books on writing that are actually worth reading
Tips for preparing a verbal pitch
Last month, I blogged about attending this year’s ASA literary speed dating event in Sydney. As a follow-up, I thought I’d cover my preparation for the event, the questions I was asked, and what I’d do differently with the benefit of hindsight. And offer a few tips for anyone keen to take on a similar…… Continue reading Tips for preparing a verbal pitch
The pros and cons of literary speed dating
A couple of weeks ago I attended my first face-to-face pitching event: ASA literary speed dating, in Sydney. These events are generally held in Sydney and Melbourne every year, and are a rare opportunity for writers to pitch work directly to agents and publishers. This year the ASA also offered a similar opportunity for regional writers to…… Continue reading The pros and cons of literary speed dating
Can you learn to pitch your novel via online courses?
I am a walking bundle of contradictions: a strident feminist who still does the whole family’s ironing, a creative working in a non-creative field and, like many writers, an introvert who doesn’t feel at all comfortable about the idea of spruiking myself to agents and publishers, yet desperately wants to be noticed. At some point,…… Continue reading Can you learn to pitch your novel via online courses?
Lisa Kenway 