We bought Max a brand new bed of his very own (not a hand-me-down) last week. We went ahead and bought him a queen, thinking he’ll be able to take it with him someday when he moves out. And, I wasn’t too keen on having a bed that looks like a car or a spaceship (ug!) in our house.
This Week:
The more thought you put into your book-signing the greater the chance of profitable results. At my last signing, I sold all 100 copies I’d arrived with. Angela asked me to share my hints with WritersWeekly.com readers. Here are quick tips for turning your next book-signing into a successful event.
I found out something upsetting today. Amazon is selling an article of mine, How Busy Parents Squeeze in Fitness, that I never gave them permission to sell. I was never contacted at all.
I am a wise woman. It is not because I have all the answers that I consider myself wise. It is because I prefer learning from others than making all my own mistakes. I developed my philosophy from an accountant I knew when I opened my first business. She said, “People will tell you that everything you do for your business is tax deductible. They are right. It is tax deductible but it is deductible from YOUR PROFITS.” She was a wise woman and I have conducted several successful businesses with those words echoing in my brain.
We had a very exciting Friday night here! Just before bed, I heard water running through the pipes upstairs and thought one of the children was showering. (My brain didn’t register that I’d never heard that water running upstairs before.) A few minutes later, Ali screamed, “Mom! There’s something wrong with the basement!”
When someone hires you to do a special writing job, they give you the assignment and you do the job. Sounds pretty simple, right? Well, not really. Here are examples of complaints I’ve received over the years…
This Week:
Seeing my name in print gives me a boost to keep writing and to keep pitching. On a whim, several months ago, I Googled my own name along with the words “Rome” and “Italy” to see if anything I had written was still online. I lived in Rome for two years and most of my published work has come from that experience. When two unsold entries popped up in two different publications, I was shocked, then furious. My work had been stolen!
A literary agent wants to represent a children’s picture book that I have written. However, I am required to get it professionally edited at my expense plus have an illustrator draw up some sample pictures, also at my expense. They will provide me with an acceptable list of editors and illustrators. From there, the agency will try and place my work with a publisher.
Something doesn’t sound right here. It’s my understanding that a reputable agent shouldn’t charge a reading fee but what about a professional edit and sample illustrations?
