Posts Tagged ‘writing’

Harlequin hosts SYTYCW week!

Monday, November 1st, 2010

Does your imagination run wild with vivid characters? Have you ever dreamed of becoming a USA TODAY bestselling author? Well, our editors want to make those dreams come true. We are hungry to find talented new writers for Harlequin Books. Through podcasts, blogs, and discussions with our expert editors and current authors, we’re going to help you understand the appeal of the romance genre. And there’s a special daily challenge with feedback that will give some great insights into crafting the perfect story. So for the next week, come by to hone your skills and get started on the path to publication. So you think you can write? Here’s your chance to show us!

Nov 1 Nov 2 Nov 3 Nov 4 Nov 5
Why Write a Romance Novel? Starting Your Book Submitting Your Book Revising Your Book Making the Sale
9am Kick-off welcome on the Harlequin Blog and a special hello from all our offices! First Chapters The Editor’s Perspective Stories for the Soul
10am Why Write Romance? Succeeding as a Romance Writer Harlequin Ed Critique Challenge 1 Results Harlequin Ed Critique Challenge 2 Results Fiction Can Be Murder… Harlequin Ed Critique Challenge 3 Results Harlequin Ed Critique Challenge 4 Results Sales from the Past Year
11am Harlequin Editorial Critique Challenge 1 Announcement Harlequin Editorial Critique Challenge 2 Announcement Harlequin Editorial Critique Challenge 3 Announcement Harlequin Editorial Critique Challenge 4 Announcement Harlequin Editorial Critique Challenge 5 Announcement
12pm 200 Books and Counting Choosing Character Names Just What the Doctor Ordered Multicultural Writing the Word on the Street
1pm The Harlequin What’s My First Line Challenge The Best Sex I Ever Had…I Wrote Mailing it Off Writing Visual-If When Harry Met Sally Was a Book Harlequin Has the World Covered
2pm USA TODAY List Here I Come! Counterpoint to Sexy Yes, you should have margins! Paranormal Plots You Can Sink Your Teeth Into It’s a Family Affair
3pm How I Became a Romance Writer What Editors Look For What’s the Difference? Mainstream vs Category The Last Word
4pm Book of Your Heart vs Book You Sell The “Aha” Moment – The End of Predictability in Romance Writing Books on Writing
All Day Writing Around the World What’s Your Routine? Meet 50+ Editors Who Want to Buy Your Book! Change is Good: Why Revisions are Necessary Questions

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Find out more at: http://harlequinblog.com/so-you-think-you-can-write/

Seven Habits of Highly Effective Authors: Habit Seven

Friday, July 9th, 2010

Hello again! Well here we are, the last habit. I hope this series has been helpful to you. It’s the most detailed and time-consuming non-fiction article I’ve written to date. It’s been both fun and an enormous challenge.

A quick review of numbers one through six before we get to the final habit.

Highly Effective Authors…

1. Write every day.

2. Understand the business side of publishing.

3. Learn how to take criticism.

4. Set goals and meet them.

5. Learn how to self edit their work.

6. Read books both in their genre and outside.

And finally, Highly Effective Authors submit their work.

Yes, to some of you this may seem like a no-brainer. You can’t sell a book if you don’t submit it. Of course. But others will understand exactly what I’m saying.

First, some writers get caught up in the trap of trying to make their work perfect before they’ll send it out. They polish. They send it to CP’s, gather a bunch of suggestions on improving it and then dig into edits and revisions. They tweak. Fuss. Tweak some more. They send it to contests for more feedback and then tweak and fuss and change again.

Both of these methods learn from an email user’s behavior to understand which message cialis levitra is spam and which is not. Order VigRx Plus from a certified online pharmacy from the sildenafil online pharmacy luxury of your bedroom. ED can be dealt with 50mg sildenafil generic successfully though there is dust or sand grains inside your eyes; and your eyelashes may even fall out. They neither attain nor sustain firm erections of the penis. levitra 60 mg medications are very effective in helping men treat their erectile problems. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with polishing your manuscript and making sure that what you submit is your very best work. But, Highly Effective Authors know when to say “Enough” and put the work out there.

Something to consider: Most often, a manuscript is rejected because there is something wrong with the story, not with the writing. Lack of conflict. A subgenre that is over-bought. A plot full of clichés. The biggest challenge of writing is learning to craft a compelling, marketable story, not learning to produce clean writing. A compelling page-turner will sell, even if the writing isn’t the world’s most well-crafted. Don’t believe me? Take a look at some of today’s best sellers.

Second, Highly Effective Authors know the proper etiquette for submitting work.

They understand and follow industry standards. White paper. Black ink. Clear, readable font (Times New Roman or Courier New). 12 point. Double spaced. One inch margins. One page query letter, professionally written (which is a whole ‘nother subject), a synopsis that details the goals, motivation, and conflict of the main characters and includes the resolution of all main threads. No binding on sample pages. No glitter. No chocolate bribery…or any bribery. They understand agents/editors aren’t out to “steal” their work, and don’t include warnings or withhold pages to protect their stories from possible theft.

Third, Highly Effective Authors follow publishers’/agents’ submission guidelines very carefully.

Many houses and agencies have submission guidelines posted on their web sites. Before submitting anything, a Highly Effective Author will do his/her homework, checking the agency/publisher’s site to make sure he/she is submitting the correct material in the correct format. Many publishers and agents have moved to electronic submissions. Some want writers to fill out detailed forms and then paste sample pages into it. Others want an email, with a specific form of attachment. And yet others want hard copies via snail mail. It is vital a writer check for submission guidelines and follow them to the letter.

Finally, Highly Effective Authors know that selling isn’t easy. That rejections are going to come. And that they’re going to hear a lot of no’s before they’ll hear a yes.

Publishing is a competitive, sometimes harsh world that is shaped and influenced by subjective editors, analytical bean counters, and publishers’ marketing departments. Not to mention the book buyers, who are heavily influenced by other media–movies, TV, the internet. Publishers are always trying to guess what the next big thing will be–vampires, warriors from outer space, reality television, erotic romance. When something hits, they all jump in. When the market becomes saturated and sales fall off, they all get out. A Highly Effective Author realizes that sometimes it’s simply a matter of having the right story at the right time.

But all these challenges and frustrations don’t stop the Highly Effective Author from sending out those submissions and collecting those rejections. Dozens. Hundreds. They may be at it for one year before they get their first request for a full, let alone a contract. Or it could take five years. Twenty. They always keep that goal in sight, whether it’s their first, fifth or tenth contract. And nothing will stop them from reaching it.

Good luck! And may you all be Highly Effective Authors.

Seven Habits of Highly Effective Authors: Habit Six

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

Hello again!

Only two more habits left to talk about. A quick review of numbers one through five first.

Highly Effective Authors…

1. 1. Write every day.

2. Understand the business side of publishing.

3. Learn how to take criticism.

4. Set goals and meet them.

5. Learn how to self edit their work.

And now, on to habit 6.

6. Highly Effective Authors read. A lot. And not only do they read a lot, but they read books both in their genre and outside.

Why is this habit so important?

A. Because authors who read tend to have a better handle on the market, and are therefore better able to find their niche. It’s extremely difficult for a writer to know what work is being published if they aren’t readers. And without that knowledge, it’s impossible for them to consider how they might fit into the market.

B. If you write category romance, it’s particularly important for you to read the lines and get a feel for each one. Lines change. Evolve. It’s virtually impossible to “get” them if you haven’t read several recent titles.

C. Writers gain inspiration from other authors’ work. Reading, among other activities, gets the creative juices flowing.

D. Writers learn about plotting and storytelling from published stories. I’m not suggesting a writer “steal” a plot from a published book. But what I am suggesting is that writers learn about plot arcs and storytelling from published books.

E. By exposing him/herself to other genres, an author can bring a fresh spin on a tired subgenre. Take a look at the huge number of genre-blending books that are being published today. Yes, editors need to be able to fit a book into their current lists, and so a book that completely breaks all rules and fits nowhere is likely to be rejected. But injecting a fresh spin inspired from an outside genre can (and has!) lead to a breakout novel for some authors.
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Now that I’ve listed all the reasons why it’s so important to continue reading when you’re writing, I’ll address the primary reason why writers (especially new ones) stop reading.

They can’t turn off the internal editor and enjoy a book the way they used to.

I’ve been writing professionally since 2001. I was published in 2004, under my other pseudonym. I’d say it was in the last year that I was finally able to sit down and read books in my genre and enjoy them, without the internal editor nitpicking them to pieces. It takes time to shut that obnoxious voice up. But that’s okay. You still need to read. Outside of writing, reading is the most important thing you can do to develop your craft.

So head to the library or the bookstore. Grab a book and settle in for some great reading. Don’t worry about the little voice in your head screaming about punctuation or adverbs. Just keep turning pages, absorbing the story.

Here are some questions to ask yourself as you read (and hopefully distract you from the little stuff):

1. What kind of character is the protagonist (hero and heroine in a romance novel)? Do you care about the character? Why or why not?

2. How does the author use conflict to keep the reader turning pages?

3. How does the plot progress? Do you see some kind of framework or structure?

4. (Romance) What scenes does the author use to develop the romance? And how are they balanced/blended with the external plot?

5. What sorts of tools does the author use to maintain the pace in the middle of the book?

6. How does the author tie up each thread of the story?

7. Is the ending satisfying? Why or why not?

8. If you had written this story, how might you have told it differently?

There you go, the sixth habit. The final habit seems like a no-brainer, but it’s not as obvious as you think.

Submission Call: springtime “Just Romance” anthology

Monday, June 28th, 2010

Forwarded with permission

Samhain is dialing down the heat and focusing on the romance for a Springtime “Just Romance” Anthology.

I’m excited to announce an open call for submissions for a new anthology for Spring 2011. The theme is Springtime, and in keeping with that theme, I’m looking for stories that focus on blossoming romance rather than full-blown sexual relationships, chemistry rather than combustion, the spark of attraction rather than the blaze of passion.
The stories can have closed-door sex scenes, glossed-over sex scenes, or characters who are waiting until after the book is over. There can be as much romantic and sexual tension as the book can handle, but no explicit language, and all stories must end with a happily ever after or happy for now.
I’m open to all sub-genres of romance, and all types of sexuality: m/f, m/m, f/f and combinations thereof.

The anthology will include novellas from 20,000 to 25,000 words in length and will be released individually as separate ebooks in May 2011 and will be combined as one print title for mid 2012 print release.

Submissions are open to all authors, published with Samhain or aspiring to be published with Samhain. All submissions must be new material—previously published submissions will not be considered. Additionally, manuscripts previously submitted, whether individually or for past anthologies, will not be considered either. Please be aware that manuscripts submitted to this anthology cannot be resubmitted at a later date unless by invitation from an editor. However, submissions with merit for possible publication at Samhain will be passed to interested Samhain editors even if not chosen for the Springtime Just Romance Anthology.
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To submit a manuscript for consideration please include:
The full manuscript (of 20,000 to 25,000 words) with a comprehensive 2-5 page synopsis. Please include a letter of introduction/query letter in the body of your email, and attach the manuscript and synopsis as two separate MS Word or rich text files. Full manuscripts are required for this as it’s a special project.

Also, when you send your files, please be sure to use the naming convention Springtime_Title and Springtime_Title_Synopsis.

Submissions are open until November 1st, 2010 and the final decisions will be made by November 30th, 2010. Please send your submission to editor@samhainpublishing.com and include Springtime Anthology in the subject line.

Questions can be addressed to Imogen Howson at imogen@samhainpublishing.com. Also, if you would like fuller details of the heat level we’re seeking for this anthology, please contact Imogen.

Please note, we are not accepting multiple submissions for this anthology. However, if you already have a manuscript under consideration as a general submission with Samhain and would also like to send in a submission to this anthology, please do so.

Seven Habits of Highly Effective Authors: Habit Five

Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010

Wow! We’re at Habit 5 already! Let’s summarize quickly before we move on.

Highly Effective Authors…

1. Write every day.

2. Understand the business side of publishing.

3. Learn how to take criticism.

4. Set goals and meet them.

And now Number 5: Highly Effective Authors learn how to edit (there’s that four-letter word) their own work.

I don’t know if you realize this or not, but self-editing is harder than you think. For one thing, it means the author must realize that every word she’s bled and sweated onto those pages are not golden. No one’s work is perfect. And I’ve found that each writer has both his/her own unique set of strengths and weaknesses.

Sometimes it takes a while for you to learn what your personal strengths and weaknesses are. But take my word for it–If your book gets published but isn’t thoroughly edited, you’ll find out pretty quickly. Reviewers can be harsh critics.

So, if you don’t know what you should be looking for, how can you possibly fix it?

A few suggestions:

You could find a critique group or partner.

If you’re brand new to writing, I highly recommend you find yourself a critique group or partner. For a number of reasons. You’ll learn to take criticism. You’ll polish your craft by critiquing other people’s work. And you’ll take advantage of your partner’s strengths. Ideally their strengths will complement yours.

But I will warn you, not all critique groups/partners are created equal. You still need to have some idea of what kind of help you need before you pick a partner. Do you need help with grammar? Finding redundant words? Tightening writing? Finding your voice? Closing up Swiss-cheesy plots? You need to find a partner with skills in those areas.

You could use a reference book.

There are several nonfiction books out there about how to edit fiction. Most of them concentrate on basic grammar and the technical aspects of writing. So, if you don’t use verbs properly or write loose, twisty-turny sentences, you might get some help. If your weakness is inconsistencies in plotting, they may not do you a bit of good.

You could enter some writing contests to get anonymous feedback.

Contests are a whole ‘nother topic. In fact, I’ve done some blogging about them. Some authors fall into the habit of writing and polishing three chapters, entering hundreds of contests, and never finishing a book. There’s also the problem of conflicting (or downright useless) feedback. At least in RWA chapter-sponsored contests, the judges are often unpublished writers. And these people can get *really* hung up on nitpicky things while missing more important issues (like the fact that the heroine is totally TSTL and should never leap into an erupting volcano). However, if you hear the same thing from every judge who reads your chapter, you can assume there’s a problem.

Conversely, you could volunteer to judge a writing contest.

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* * * * *

Here are a few suggestions on how to read your work with a more critical eye:

1. Let the book sit for a few weeks and start working on something else. Then go back and read it, cover-to-cover in a single day. Look for dropped threads in your plot.

2. Read it again. This time look for inconsistencies. Is your heroine wearing a blue top in the beginning of a chapter and a red one later? Do your characters undress twice in a scene?

3. Read the book backward, last chapter first, and so on, looking for inconsistencies, dropped threads and holes in your plot.

4. Read it (beginning to end) again, concentrating just on dialogue. Do your characters each have a unique voice? Does the dialogue serve a purpose? Are you using action beats to break up long-winded soliloquies and attribute the dialogue to your characters (versus “he said/she said”/dialogue tags after every line)?

5. Now, read the scenes in each character’s pov’s, skipping the ones in the others’. Make sure each character’s journey is consistent and complete.

6. Read it again, slowly, this time looking for smaller issues, long blocks of narrative (telling), POV abuse, unclear sentences, loose writing, repetitive sentence structure (always starting with “he” or “she” for example) and misused words (who’s/whose, they’re/their/there, it’s/its).

7. Finally, use Word’s Find and Replace feature to highlight weasel words (as, there, then, etc), -ing verbs, adverbs (-ly), and forms of To Be to see what kind of concentration you have of them in your book. Rewrite sentences if you can without making them clunky and awkward (I once went too far with this, and ended up with a huge mess. Some “was’s” are necessary).

I hope these suggestions help! Editing can be painful, but it’s a necessary evil. And the results are definitely worth it.

For more information on editing:

Self Editing by Lori Handeland http://www.eclectics.com/articles/selfediting.html

Self Editing Checklist
http://home.earthlink.net/~jdc24/selfEdit.htm

Elements of Style
http://www.amazon.com/Elements-Style-Fourth-William-Strunk

Self Editing for Fiction Writers
http://www.amazon.com/Self-Editing-Fiction-Writers-Renni-Browne

Q&A with editor Angela James

Thursday, June 17th, 2010

For those who don’t recognize the name, Angela James is the Executive Editor at Carina Press, Harlequin’s new digital romance imprint. She is taking questions on the eharlequin forum.

Click HERE to follow the thread.

Click HERE for Carina Press’ submission guidelines.
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Click HERE for Carina Press FAQ’s.

Q&A with Editor Wanda Ottewell

Tuesday, June 15th, 2010

The Ruby Slippered Sisterhood (a group of 2009 Golden Heart finalists) is hosting a Q&A with Harlequin editor Wanda Ottewell.

The Deets:

From today until Tuesday, June 15th, the Ruby Sisters will be asking you to submit questions for our Q & A with Harlequin Superromance Senior Editor Wanda Ottewell which will take place on Monday, June 21st. So here’s your chance to ask an editor all those questions you’ve been bottling up forever. And this is not just about category, this is about craft, industry, heck, ask her about Canada! She’s knowledgeble, friendly and has been in the business for a while. So….jump in and give her your questions.

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Seven Habits of Highly Effective Authors: Habit Four

Monday, June 14th, 2010

Hello again! I hope you’re enjoying this series. Please, if you have questions or comments, don’t be afraid to post them.

Ready to move on to habit number 4?

Highly Effective Authors set realistic goals and know how to reach them.

When I was just starting out, I was clueless about publishing. I’m not ashamed of that fact. I think I’m in the majority, at least that’s my opinion, based on the comments I’ve heard from new writers. How many times have I heard, “If they’ll publish this crap, anyone can get published.” Or “This is garbage. I should write a book. At least mine’ll be great.” I’m not saying I thought the published books I read were crap. Quite the opposite. But I did think that it would be fairly easy to get a book published. After all, everyone who’d read everything I’d written loooooved it, including my high school creative writing teacher (Hey, don’t laugh. Those nuns were tough!)

I was going to be an overnight success.

Heh. Righttttt.

So, my first goal (selling to a major house in one year and making the NY Times list) wasn’t exactly realistic. Anyone want to tell me what’s wrong with that goal, besides the fact that it was close to impossible to achieve?

Going back to day two, Highly Effective Authors know the business side of publishing. They realize the submission process usually involves months and months of waiting. And because of their knowledge, they are able to set themselves up with daily, weekly, monthly and annual goals that are both achievable, aggressive…but most importantly, under their personal control (and yes, this is what was wrong with that first goal).

Highly Effective Authors treat their writing career as a business. As entrepreneurs, they appreciate the need for long and short term goals, realizing those small, well-planned steps will lead them in the right direction a lot more quickly than huge leaps this way and that. And they also understand the smaller successes make it easier to weather the rejection storm that’s very likely coming their way.

Highly Effective Authors also possess a certain single-minded determination to reach those goals, no matter what hellish situation real life throws their way. Not that I’m saying anyone should neglect their kids, their sick grandma, or their day jobs–but it’s true. The ones that really want it bad, seem to somehow juggle a lot of obligations.

Okay, so now that we’ve covered the general gist of today’s habit, how does one apply it to him/herself?
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A. Begin by sitting down and thinking realistically about what aspects of your writing career you can control. Helpful hint: response times to submissions and acceptance/rejections are outside of your control. Bribery doesn’t work.

B. Decide where you want to be by next year at this time (For instance, “I’ll have three books completed and submitted to ten editors/agents by the start of September” or “I’ll have one book completed and submitted to my A-list agents by December”). Be as specific as possible.

C. Determine what steps you need to reach that goal. (Three books equals 1200 pages. That’s 100 pages a month, plus time for editing/polishing. First book edited by December and submitted to the first five editors by January 1.).

D. Break down those steps into manageable daily goals, taking into account some down time–days you won’t be writing, like holidays, weekends, whatever. (30 pages written per week, six days a week, five pages a day)

E. (This one’s the most important) Make the commitment to meeting those goals every day.

F. Finally, celebrate every time you meet those goals. Did you meet your daily page count? Have some chocolate. Or enjoy some time playing on the Divas. Did you finish a book? Treat yourself to a pedicure or a dinner out with someone special. Select whatever rewards that’ll keep you going when the temptation to let a goal slip hits you. Believe me, it will.

Do you want to be published so bad it burns in your gut? If so, you’re half way there. Set those goals and work, work, work.

See you next time. I’ll give you a little hint of what’s next. Habit 5’s a four-letter word.

Writing Contest: Brava’s Writing with the Stars

Tuesday, June 8th, 2010

Aspiring authors, get ready for your moment in the spotlight as the author of your own Brava novel! RT Book Reviews and Brava books, a division of Kensington Publishing Corp., are launching an all-new writing competition, Writing With the Stars.
The Details:

* Ten lucky aspiring writers will have a chance to work with Brava authors in the hopes of being the one lucky winner who lands a publishing contract with Brava! * There will be five rounds of competition, in which aspiring authors will work with their mentors to make sure their entries are the strongest they can be.
* Each round will include comments from celebrity judges from the romance blogosphere.
* Entrants must have a completed 80,000 – 90,000-word manuscript in any
romance genre (including historical, contemporary, romantic suspense and paranormal)
* The manuscript must have a sensuality tone that matches the Brava line.
* Those picked to compete as the top 10 contestants will have their own webpage on the Brava Authors blog and the RT website.

The Rules:

1. Entries will be accepted July 1st , 12am EST, through July 15th ,11:59 EST.
2. Only the first 500 entries will be eligible. 3. This contest is open to unpublished authors. For the purposes of the contest, “unpublished” means authors who have not been published in print. Authors who have only been published in e-format are eligible.
4. This contest is open to authors worldwide, however, entries must be in English.
5. Entries must be Brava-level heat. Inspirational or “sweet” romances will be disqualified.
6. Entries can be contemporary, paranormal, historical, or romantic suspense.
7. Entries must be single-title length—at least 80,000 words. Please use the Word Count feature in your document program to calculate this. 8. You must send THE FULL MANUSCRIPT as your entry. We are not interested in seeing partials of manuscripts that are incomplete.
9. Your entry must be sent to us exclusively. Manuscripts that have won previous contests are fine, but please do not send projects that are currently out with other publishers. If your manuscript is out with agents, please let them know they cannot submit it to other publishers until finalists are announced.
10. Your entry must have your name, address, phone number, and email address. Please also include the genre you are targeting.
11. Your entry must be submitted via email to marketing@kensingtonbooks.com with “Brava contest” in the subject line. Snail mail entries will not be considered. Manuscripts sent directly to Brava editors will not be considered.
12. Only the top 10 finalists will be notified. Finalists will be announced Sept 1st. If you have not heard from us by Sept 1st, you are not a finalist, and are free to submit your manuscript elsewhere.

To Enter:

E-mail the following:

* a Word document attachment of your complete manuscript
* a two-to-seven page synopsis
* a cover letter

To: Marketing@KensingtonBooks.com

* Put “Brava contest” in the subject line.

Some of the Brava authors who will participate in Writing With the Stars will include Mary Wine, HelenKay Dimon, Terri Brisbin, Diane Whiteside, Cynthia Eden, Emma Lang, Bianca D’Arc, Rebecca Zanetti, Lucy Monroe, and Bronwen Evans.

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25 Ways to Not Get Published: Post 3

Thursday, June 3rd, 2010

Happy Thursday!  Are you ready for the third way to not get published today?

To remind you, the first was: Demand no less than a six-figure advance in your query letter. Your book is brilliant and if Big Publishing House isn’t willing to pay, then there’s no need to submit a single page.

The second way was: Ask friends/critique partners or fellow authors for feedback on your project, and then dismiss their concerns. Everyone is wrong! Head-hopping is okay. Plenty of authors do it. And who cares if you start every paragraph with the same word (“Then…”)? That’s the way you want it. Your baby is perfect and if they can’t see that, then they’re blind.

Now, the third:

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There are no such things as Pity-Contracts. Making an editor feel sorry for you or guilty isn’t going to make her buy your book. It’s just going to peeve her. Editors contract books they are convinced will make their employer–the publishing house–money. Period. They may like a book–even, love a book–and still choose not to contract it. An editor may like you and still choose not to contract your book. It’s nothing personal, and to make it personal is a big mistake.

Repeat after me: writing is an art; publishing is a business.