You might be the writer who doesn't need summaries. You're probably not, since you're not the Almighty. Only the Great Maker could skip the step of telling people what the creation was promising. The stories that started the world were formed when there was nothing else to watch or read or hear. You and I […]

You might have a reason to write a query letter, because you’d like a book contract instead of publishing yourself. To assemble a query, look to the four Cs. Those are the basic parts of a query: Connect, Context, Compel, Credentials. Connection is the place where you make it clear to an agent or editor […]

The richest writing for a book is rarely published, but everyone needs it. The synopsis, or a very detailed outline, is the hardest stuff to create, too. A synopsis tells the essentials of a story so you can see themes and arcs. Without one, you’re writing to discover your book’s story. That’s fun. It also […]

Contests can pay off, even if you don’t win. Each February, the deadline shows up for the Writer’s League of Texas Manuscript Contest. It can be a difficult contest to win: it expects authors to present their books in just 2,750 words. That includes a synopsis. The goodness of your full book has to be […]

The life of an author always points toward publishing. You’re making a book, which is what makes you more than a writer. Publishing always looks to the future, even when the book’s subject is historical. We estimate how much we will sell, plan for when the book is ready, take a measure of the calendar, […]

While you’re trying to get your revision cleaner, a half-hour’s work on your book blurb can help you focus. This can be easier when you’re explaining the book to a friend or ally in an email. I told a new colleague that my novel Sins of Liberty posed this premise. What does the secret wife […]