Author Heather McCorkle

If you're in search of an agent or plan to be soon then you don't want to miss these tweets! Writer's Digest starts us off with an introduction to a new agent at Writers House: @WritersDigest New lit agent seeks kids books, adult fiction, memoir and more: Stephen Barr of Writers House http://tinyurl.com/66kx2oe If you're confident that your novel is polished to a high sheen and is ready for a publisher then you don't want to miss this list of publishers who accept unagented submissions that Jolina Joy put together for us: @Jolina_Joy Publishers That Accept #Writers Without #Agents: http://ow.ly/3RIgI (via @BubbleCow) #publishing #pubtip #writing #amwriting #authors #books Super agent Deirdre Knight of The Knight Agency gives us a rare opportunity for a critique: @DeidreKnight I'm excited to be on board with Brenda Novak's auction later this year! I'll be auctioning off a couple of critiques. http://bit.ly/dSAjbT Writer's Digest points o...

I'm back in the trenches battling to land a new agent and things are different this time. Why? For one, I didn't bring a knife to a gun fight this time. In fact, not only am I wearing my armor~see Slaying a Titan  ~I'm armed with a weapon that is not only polished to a high shine, but is top of the line. And I know how to break through the defenses. Querying is a battle where only the best are left standing. Anyone who's been at it for a while or has done it and been successful knows that it is one of the hardest challenges an aspiring author faces. So how can I have such a positive outlook? Read on and I shall share my secrets with you. First you must write the best possible book you can, then you have to make it even better. Hone your skills until that novel is absolutely top of the line, not just good enough. Then write a great query letter. The second part is often harder than the first for some mysterious reason, yet many people rush through that part as if it ...

Since many of my writer friends are at the agent querying stage I wanted to share some tips that helped me not only land an agent, but find the right one. The first and most important thing you must do it make sure your work is the very best it can be. Don't submit after writing only one draft. My rule of thumb is four edits. I do a mini-edit right away because I hand write everything first then do a little edit as I put it into the computer. Then when the entire manuscript is done I do a read through edit on the computer. After that I print it out and take a red pen to it. I put all my edits in the computer, then do another read through edit. After my workshop in Tulsa I've decided I'll be adding a fifth edit where I read it aloud to myself (you'll be amazed at what you catch!). Once the editing is finished you need to decide who you're going to submit to. Treat this as carefully as you would the selection of a job you plan to retire from. You need to be able to ...

Today is a link salad from agents about query letters, the cost of publishing, and what to ask an agent. Finishing your book and deciding you want to get it published is only the first hurdle in a long marathon. Unfortunately there isn't a nice track either. There are side roads, many that lead into nowhere. So what is an aspiring writer to do? Here is a great link from Writer's Digest on 10 things to do before you even send your query letter out to agents: http://writersdigest.com/article/Ten_Things_You_Should_Do_Before_Trying_to_Find_an_Agent With querying comes a lot of rejection so be prepared. Be sure to check out great agencies like the Waxman agency. I love what they say about rejection: http://waxmanagency.wordpress.com/ And read up on other great blogs like Chuck Sambuchino's editors blog. Here he gives advice on what to say and what not to say in a query letter: http://www.guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog/20+Tips+On+Query+Letters+As+Told+By+Agent+Janet+Rei...