Last winter I attended a symposium called Life, The Universe and Everything. Here are the notes from one of the panels.

–        Make manuscript stand out to concept. Concept is important as it offers something unusual. Have a clean manuscript.

–        Have ready to tell your story in one zinger line.

–        Do research on your market.

–        Sent story to critique partners.

–        The better paste the story, the more the editor will read it.

–        Doesn’t start story your story with a lot of background. Spread out the background throughout the manuscript and only when is relevant to the scene that is featured in.

–        The most important thing to remember when work with the publisher is to always be professional. Sometimes you have to wait and sometimes you have to rush and be ready to rush the Chinese.

–        You also need to be able to meet a deadline.

–        Know how to set realistic goals.

–        Don’t take things to personal.

–        Editors know what they are doing trust the recommendations. Editors make books stronger.

–        Publishers are buying your audience.

–        Your website is for you. Share information that people are interested in.

–        For each book. You get one diva moment spend it wisely. The better you are to work with the more likely the publisher will buy your next book.

–        How do you know if you have the right agent? Do a lot of research. Where an agent is good for one person that same age. It may be bad for another. See what the agent has published before. Check for ages that excited about your work. You may not necessarily accept the first offer of an agent. You want to make sure their good match. If you have an agent. The stresses you out. Instead of calling you in a stressful situation that can influence if you want to keep them.

–        If you self-publish a book. Make sure the work is perfect before you put it up online. Some people go to 10 revisions. You want to put your best foot forward. Bad quality e-books make a bad name for all the other writers.

–        In self-publishing determine in advance what you want to do and then follow through. Lightning source.com isn’t even a need for business.

–        If you do your own work and in ISBN number, and need to hire out a typesetter.

–        Self-publishers do not give you a workout for free. It lessens the work of those writers who sell their manuscripts also, it’s not valued.

–        Light source center manuscript in a PDF file and it will help distribute your book to retailers.

–        balker is a site where you can buy ISBN numbers.

–        How you leave an aging. I happy with? Is not as emotional for the agent as it is for the author. Before you sign up with an agent. Find out what their criteria is to leave them. If it’s a must. Notice how the notice is given, etc. You need to call the rules.

–        Don’t look for new agent and tell you’ve given termination notice for the old. The agents talk to one another.

–        Publishers can do more marketing. Besides, you do not by itself. They also have certain connections that you may not have access to.

–        Work on getting the next book out and be professional.

–        Publishers provide a second voice talk about your writing. Besides yourself.

–        Market your books. By being cool. Be kind to everyone and listen to them.

–        Your blog should share as much useful information to others as possible. It shouldn’t just be debarred try to sell your books.

–        Submit short stories are short articles if doing nonfiction to magazines and sites certain get your name out.

–        Do audio presentations of your stories via podcast. Some authors will get dramatizations of some of their work and post them and that can encourage readers to want to read the story. ITunes offer free podcast room.

–        Social media is useful. Think of your name as a brand. It is your image. Build and preserve that image.

–        Pitch is good to have when you’re at a book signing, so you can give a brief but interesting one line synopsis of your story. It will need to give people a hook to want to read it.

–        Contracts: it’s good to have agents to help interpret the contract and to give you as much privileges as you can get. Some publishers will require first turn down rights.

–        Contracts: learn some legal terminology see what is saying.

–        Publisher to check out: inquisitive.

If you have some ideas to share with this topic, please feel free to share them.