Get the Support You Need
How do you get the support you need as a writer? Well, here’s how to know when it’s not the support you need.
Get the Support You Need: A Little Horror Story
When I was an acquisitions editor, I heard from an author who wanted to pull her book from publication because her friends had found a bunch of errors in the ARC (that’s the Advanced Reading Copy of a book, which is sent out to reviewers before the book is published).
Of course, I was concerned, as I had seen nothing but a handful of typos typical of an ARC and asked if the friends could provide further information about what they’d seen.
They couldn’t because it was just a joke—a little prank they were playing on the author, who was absolutely devastated by what they did.
This story still haunts me years later.
If you can’t be happy for your friend’s success, then just STFU.
If your friends can’t be happy for your success, and they can’t STFU, then you need new friends.
Tips for Editors & Writers
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Novels Aren’t Movies
I encounter a lot of novelists and fiction editors who use movies as examples of various storytelling techniques they want to discuss. I understand this impulse: it is easier to assume that everyone has seen The Matrix or can easily find the two hours to sit through it than it is to assume that everyone…
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Work Effectively, Not Excessively
The other day I came across a social media post from an email marketer who said you would outwork 90 percent of your competition just by showing up every day! I nearly sprained my eyeballs from rolling them so hard. If you can outwork your competition just by showing up, you are dealing with very…
