I’m probably the only writer in the world to think developing comp titles is a fun prospect. When else do you get to read a bunch of books that are just like yours and call it “for work?” Lounging on the couch for hours reading space battle salvager books? I’m totally in! It might feel a little strange when you’re done with your book to have to compare it to…
“So tedious is this dayAs is the night before some festivalTo an impatient child that hath new robesAnd may not wear them”–Juliet, Romeo and Juliet So tomorrow’s the day. I’ve wanted to be a novelist since I was 11. I’ve been working on this book for six and a half years. And tomorrow, it becomes real. Really, truly real. Is it okay to admit I sort of don’t know what…
You’re a writer who dreams of publishing a book. You write and write and write, until you think perhaps you have something that someone, somewhere, would like to read. You research agents and devour every blog post, Facebook post, and twitter announcement, trying to glean the secret, trying to figure out how you can move from form rejections to personal rejections to R & R’s to an email saying…
Back when I was engaged in the humbling process of querying, I held a keen interest in other people’s publication stories, especially if they were full of initial angst and failure. I wanted to know this: how long did it take, and how hard was it? Because for me, it took forever, and it was hard as hell. I can state with confidence that all debut writers are intensely…
Congratulations to Jennifer, winner of our #DebBallGiveaway of THE DISTANCE HOME by Orly Konig. We were thrilled to have former Deb Aya De Leon as our guest yesterday. If you haven’t already, pick up a copy of THE BOSS or enter to win a copy by sharing our post on Facebook and/or retweeting the following tweet: RT to Enter! Interview w/ @AyadeLeon and #DebBallGiveaway of #TheBoss! https://t.co/tkxD1rhggG — The Debutante Ball (@DebutanteBall) June 3, 2017 News…
Who run the world? Girls (girls) Who run the world? Girls (girls) -Beyoncé Knowles To preface this post, let me tell you a little about my home life: My family is made up of four large men, my husband and my three sons (ages 17, 20, and 23). And I have a boy dog. My apartment is buzzing with male energy and male smells. Boxers fill the laundry baskets and oversized…
I could never, ever discount the role that luck played in the publication of my book, SMALL ADMISSIONS. Of course, I believe in hard work (meaning writing, writing, writing, and then revising, revising, revising) above all else. The hours of editing are certainly, in my opinion, the single most important part of getting a book to the level of being publishable. But at the end of the day, certain things…
This week we’re asking industry experts to answer the many questions that we debut writers have as we get started in the publishing industry. So, I’d like to introduce you all to Bess Cozby, editor for Tor Books, an imprint of Macmillan, and more importantly (to me at least), I’d like to introduce you to my amazing editor. I’m extremely fortunate to be working with this gal, folks, and today she’ll be…
This week the Debs are writing about our experience of time: time writing books and the publishing timeline. After Thanksgiving and the inevitable book-related questions, it became even more clear to me that my non-publishing friends and family know very little about my journey to publication. That’s no fault to them. Why should they know the ins and outs of my industry? I’ll be honest that I knew very little before beginning my…
A funny thing happens when you finish your manuscript and you are ready to begin your search for representation. Suddenly you are required to make the giant leap from artist to businessperson–someone who can write a sharp query letter and pitch their work with ease. When I entered this phase of my writing career, I did what I always do when I’m faced with a new writing task, and spent…
