A new Denver Conference Shines the Light on Diverse Voices
It’s rare to have a guest interview here at Pub Rants. I am delighted to welcome Viniyanka Prasad to the blog. I’ve known her for years. She has something awesome cookin’ here in the Mile-Hi city, so...
View ArticleFinancial Literacy for Authors
Money, so they say, is a taboo subject, so don’t expect fellow writers to spill financial details. Until now. Hats off to Heather Demetrios for pulling back the curtain and being brave enough to share...
View ArticleEvery Writer is Equal When Facing the Blank Page
(Just a note, this article was a feature in our newsletter from a few months ago. If you would like to receive our articles first, you can subscribe to our newsletter here.) Tis the season for eggnog...
View ArticleThe Thing That Makes You Special
I’ve been preparing for a conference where I’ll be presenting on plot structure and voice, among other things, and, in getting ready, I’ve been thinking a lot about what makes an author a cut above the...
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From NLA Literary Assistant to Author: An Interview with Rebecca Taylor
This month, Nelson Literary Agency honors one of our own. Rebecca Taylor, our former literary assistant, recently celebrated the release of her debut women’s fiction title, HER PERFECT LIFE...
View ArticleWhat to Consider When Looking for an Agent
Many of you are probably querying or preparing to query. Maybe you’re between agents. Whatever the case, I wanted to give a bit of an overview of the things you should keep in mind as your writing...
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Observe Juneteenth: Buy Books by Black Authors
For us here at NLA, it was paramount to get June’s newsletter right. We are living in a civil rights moment in history; we simply couldn’t do a business-as-usual publishing article. We embraced and...
View ArticleAre We Ready for Pandemic Stories Yet?
Here, in my neck of the woods, we’re heading into our eighth week of lockdown. The longer I’m in this new reality, trying to balance work with homeschool and family life, the more I’ve been pondering...
View ArticleWhy an Evolved Query System Is a Good Thing
Back in 2004, NLA was one of the first agencies to go entirely electronic by accepting query letters solely by email. I remember chatting with some agent friends about it, and you would have thought...
View ArticleInternal vs. External Conflict
(Just a note, this article was featured in our April 2020 Newsletter. Some references may not correspond with recent events. To receive our articles first, you can subscribe to our newsletter here.) I...
View ArticlePerfect Time To Be a Content Creator
(Just a note, this article was featured in our November 2019 Newsletter. Some references may not correspond with recent events. To receive our articles first, you can subscribe to our newsletter here.)...
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Interview with NYT-Bestselling Author Roseanne A. Brown
This month, NLA’s Omar Medina sat down with Quressa’s client Roseanne A. Brown, whose debut novel, A Song of Wraiths and Ruin, became an instant New York Times bestseller when it was published June 2...
View ArticleCOVID Leads to New Normal
As we head into August, we are officially settled into a new, semi-permanent state of Covid. What does that mean for publishing in 2020, and what does it mean for authors? For publishing: Editors will...
View ArticleYour Protagonist Must Fail
Throughout your story but especially in Act II—that yawning abyss between your story’s beginning and end sometimes referred to as “the swamp” or “the mushy middle”—your protagonist must fail. They...
View ArticleReferrals: A Powerful Tool When Used Wisely
A referral to an agent is like the holy grail of introductions for a writer. It lets you skip ahead to the front of the line. It’s a get-out-of-query-jail free card. What writer wouldn’t want that? As...
View ArticleOnline Writing Events: What’s Working? What’s Not?
This week, the New York Times started publishing a series of articles under the heading “Six Months In,” looking at what we know now (and are still waiting to learn) after half a year of confronting...
View ArticleA Brand-New Website & Recent Query Trends
(Just a note, this article was featured in our September 2020 Newsletter. To receive our articles first, you can subscribe to our newsletter here.) Hello to all the PubRants readers sheltering at...
View ArticleSo You Want To Use That Song Lyric in Your Novel
(Just a note, this article was featured in our May 2019 Newsletter. Some references may not correspond with recent events. To receive our articles first, you can subscribe to our newsletter here.) I...
View ArticleThe Thing That Makes You Special
(Just a note, this article was featured in our September 2019 Newsletter. Some references may not correspond with recent events. To receive our articles first, you can subscribe to our newsletter...
View ArticleBooks That Go Bump in the Night
(Just a note, this article was featured in our October 2019 Newsletter. Some references may not correspond with recent events. To receive our articles first, you can subscribe to our newsletter here.)...
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