Every writer, on some level, struggles with rejection. Often you're left with no rhyme or reason as to why your book is being rejected by publishers and agents. It’s crickets. The worst is when you start receiving contradictory rejections. One person likes this part of the book idea; another doesn’t.

Have you ever wondered why your book is getting rejected?

It’s a little bit like Goldilocks and the Three Bears, right? This porridge is too cold, this one too hot.... Every writer wants to find that sweet spot, the one that is just right.

Can we offer some advice as to why you’re getting rejected?

If you’ve done your homework - honed your query letter and polished your book proposal - then maybe the problem isn’t the things you’ve done, it’s this one small thing you didn’t do.

As literary agents, we look for the smooth handle for your book idea. It’s the secret sauce that elevates your book idea to the next level: Create a...

There’s this funny thing writers do and it’s a big mistake.

During a recent conversation with a potential author client, he said he had a book idea that he was really excited about, but he was saving it for his second book because he believed there was a different book he had to write first. What?!

This is a huge mistake. 

Don’t delay your big idea. 

If you’ve got a great book idea that you are excited about, write that book! There are no rules that say which order books should be written in; unless it's a series, obviously. This might seem straightforward, but the writer's brain is constantly creating hurdles and rules. You should always question the rules. It helps to say them out loud or ask yourself, "Would I share this rule as advice with a fellow writer?"

Here’s what we like to tell our clients: Go where the wind is at your back. Whether that’s a book idea or a chapter in your book proposal. Use...

Many aspiring authors wonder - do I really need to have an author website? Well, consider this: as literary agents, one of the very first things we do when we get a book proposal, or someone refers an author to us, is to Google them. This is what publishers often do when they receive a book proposal as well. Do you know what comes up when someone Googles you? Ideally, they land on your author website!

That means that, yes, you do need to have an author website. And, it also means that you need one before you even submit your book proposal. 

So now you know you need an author website. But what exactly should you include on your author website so it will serve you effectively?

To answer that question, we’re giving you free access to a teaching video on that exact topic from our course Grow Your Author Platform: How to Get Noticed and Sell More Books.

Watch: A Winning Website

In this module, we’ll explain the utility of your...

Your word count matters.

Should you be concerned with your book’s word count? Absolutely. Knowing and understanding why word count matters is an important indicator for your project. Let’s make sense of these numbers.


One of the scariest requests a writer can get is to add words to a manuscript she thinks is complete. Suddenly, what you thought was done or close to it, needs an extra chapter or (and this happens) an extra 5,000 or 10,000 words. That’s a lot of words to add to something you thought was done. But why does word count matter? Wouldn’t coming in with a low word count just mean the book will be shorter?

It’s not quite that simple.

There are two reasons why word count is important.

The first reason is that word count helps a reader determine if your book will be a good fit for him. Every reader has an expectation for how long a book will be based on the genre they want to read. For example, if you write a novel and it is long,...

Ah yes, the query letter. Feared and dreaded by every writer, it’s the magical key to unlocking the door that leads you to a literary agent. There’s a lot of information available on how to query a literary agent, and most of it is useful. Today, we’re going to look at a few pro tips for how to query an agent and unlock that door. 

First, only submit a query letter to an agent you’ve done some research on. Know their name and use it in your letter. Mention a previous book that the agent worked on that you enjoyed, too. Here’s an example: “I enjoyed Jon Acuff's Soundtracks. I saw your name in the acknowledgments section at the back of the book.” Mentioning past projects is a small thing that goes a long way with agents, and it lets us know you’ve done your homework. 

A query letter should do two things really well: be brief and specific. It needs to be no more than a page long. You’ve only got a couple of...

Literary agents want to discover you. It’s true. You may not believe it, you may be jaded from the umpteenth unanswered query, but we really ARE looking for you.  

As we’ve said before, your success is our success. That's why we want to tell you how NOT to connect with an agent. 

If you don’t want to connect with an agent, send us a query to read your manuscript that’s outside of the genre we work in. That means you haven’t researched what we, as literary agents, are looking for. It’s okay to do a little stalking or research, whichever word you prefer. Every agent has a specific taste for a genre of books.  Sending a literary agent something they aren’t looking for is a great way NOT to connect. 

Here’s another way to NOT connect with a literary agent: Send us an “I’d love to pick your brain” email. Literary agents are busy. We’ve got a full inbox of requests. When it...

"No" is a one-word sentence. The time-management and relationship gurus of the world often lean on this sentence to convey the power you have in the choices you make. But as writers, we are often on the receiving end of that sentence. 

"No, we are not interested in publishing you."

"No, we are not interested in representing you."

"No, we are not interested in working with you."

One of the biggest differences between amateurs and pros is their relationship with the word NO. A pro knows that a NO isn’t the end of the road - it’s a simple detour in another direction. For the amateur, they let those NOs hold them back from their publishing dreams. 

Writers fear that two-letter word. And with good reason: Rejection plays a big part in publishing. Fear of rejection often keeps us from writing the books we dream of. It’s never submitting our work because we don’t want to receive that NO. 

But what if the problem isn’t the answer, ...

Ernest Hemingway lied to you.

Well, sort of. If you’ve been in the writing game long enough you’ve probably read this quote by Hemingway: “Write drunk – edit sober.” And while one can appreciate the spirit (pun intended) behind this quote, it’s bad advice.

Today, let’s unpack three simple techniques for revising and editing your manuscript that don’t involve Tylenol.

A really sloppy manuscript, one that maybe took Hemingway’s advice a bit too far, is like giving yourself the freedom to show up unprepared for a job interview. You’re not taking this seriously enough. A lot of writers use this as permission to grant themselves the freedom to leave the manuscript wrinkled and untucked, creating more work down the road when you begin revising and editing your manuscript.

When you begin revising your writing, you want to give yourself the gift of starting the edits running downhill - not uphill. A clean manuscript that...

What would it be like to finally realize your dream of being a successful author?

The path to publication can be lonely. Often the only resource writers have is to Google their publishing questions. Have you ever used Google to help you solve a publishing mystery? It’s okay, everyone has. Where would we be without Google? It’s a great tool, but a lousy partner. You have questions, you want answers. What would it be like if you could sit down with a publishing professional and get all of your questions answered? No more going it alone. No more searching for answers. 

What if we told you you don’t have to go it alone on your publishing journey?

That’s why we created the Author Audit.

We wanted to give you real, personal advice from experienced publishing experts during a one-on-one consultation. We’ll send you a questionnaire to fill out beforehand to ensure our time is highly productive and informative. By the end, you’ll know exactly...

Have you ever wondered what agents actually do to help you?


Agents are a little like unicorns: surrounded by myth and difficult to find. We are being a little tongue and cheek here, but if you’ve ever searched for a literary agent, you know how daunting a task it is. Let’s talk about what exactly agents do and why finding the right one is so important.

What is the role of a literary agent?

Literary agents work for you, the author. They represent your writing by pitching your book proposal to editors, negotiating book deals, and acting as a translator between authors and publishers. They focus on the business side of publishing.

Advocacy plays a huge part in an agent's role for you. They promote your proposal to editors, cheer you on when you write the book, and help you during the promotional period after the book has been released. It is a literary agent’s job to find publishers for the writers they represent. They negotiate contracts on the writer’s behalf...