EVERYTHING YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT LITERARY AGENTS

EVERYTHING YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT LITERARY AGENTS

Part 1

Reasons Why and How to Find & Hire the Right Agent for YOU.

A SlantedK Presentation

By Rita Emmett

Rita's Resource Center

"A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit." ~Richard Bach slantedk.blogspot.com
— David M Karder (@slantedk) July 31, 2012

Whether you dream of, or have started, or have completed a book, have you been wondering about this mysterious thing called "Literary Agent"? The purpose of this article is to help you understand what an agent does (and does not do), how to find a good one, and how to approach them.

If you decide to find an agent who will represent you to a publisher who will take on your book, you have to accept something you may have fought all your life. Especially if you ever heard yourself say (or even think), "Well, you know me. I just can't take rejection."

It's time to change that belief.

Searching for an agent or publisher is an adventure in being rejected. Ignore rejections, don’t take them personally and move on.

Do you need a Literary agent? Not necessarily, and I've heard a lot of people say they don't need one. But I'm a big fan of them and here's why.


WHY WOULD ANYONE 
WANT TO HIRE A LITERARY AGENT ANYWAY??

1. Yes, Literary Agents take 15% of what the book makes. BUT they will probably negotiate a better deal than you would, so even after giving away that 15%, you will probably be in a better spot than if you negotiated on your own.

2. Agents have connections with publishers and know how to play the game. If you already HAVE those connections and KNOW all about publishing, then you are one of the few who does not need an agent.

3. Many major publishers want only "agented" manuscripts. Most publishers will not even look at unsolicited manuscripts. They just toss them into what they call "the slush pile” to be read sometime by an intern.

4. "I have used the same agent for all four of my books and never regretted it. My agent claims that her main job it to talk authors down off the ledge".  Rita Emmett

5. Without an agent you would need to search for and hire a literary lawyer to check the publisher's contract. The lawyer's fee would likely be as much as the agent's 15% anyway.

6. Even if you have a publisher already interested in your manuscript, a good agent will probably show it to other publishers and have them bid against each other. The result of this kind of bidding is usually a higher advance and a better "deal"

7. An agent might place chapters of your book in magazines before it is released. I had no connections with agents or publishers and the agent I found (& who I like a lot) placed chapters of my book in Family Circle and The National Enquirer. A month later, when it was released, people had heard of it and they bought it.

8. A good agent offers advice, guidance and coaching during the writing, editing and publishing process --- that is priceless.

EMMETT'S LAW: "The dread of doing a task uses up more time and energy than doing the task itself." Rita Emmett kickstartcart.com/app/?af=1476620
— David M Karder (@slantedk) July 31, 2012

"Enjoy the easy stuff. It's about to get hard." DMK 

Thanks for stoppin' in.

Keep an eye out for part 2, eh.

Now for something stupid.

Presented By

Oh yeah, Keleigh, my Grand Baby Stopped in Sunday.

SlantedK Insane Book Feature-Rama

Welcome

Sorry, Yall, I have been gone a while. 

The publisher sent my book to edit and I just completed the first round. 

Busy, busy, busy with the world of writing, eh. 

Hey, writers don't miss Rita's Resource Center

"A dream doesn't become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work." Colin Powell slantedk.blogspot.com
— David M Karder (@slantedk) July 29, 2012

Presents

SlantedK Insane Book Feature-Rama!

Paranormal on tap today from

Add to cart

“What do you mean my parents are dead?” Jack Foster yelled at the phone.

With those few words Jack Foster’s world forever changed. His much-loved parents were dead in an apparent double suicide. Left to pick up the pieces with his somewhat estranged brother, Jack soon discovers that there may have been more to their parents’ death than meets the eye and he immediately suspects the cold-hearted sibling, Ripley.

But when a series of bizarre letters start arriving at Jack’s home, apparently sent from beyond the grave signed by his dead parents, a terrified Jack realizes he’s dealing with much more than sibling rivalry and seeks to uncover the shocking truth of his parents’ demise, and their link to the legendary Dead City.

Add to Cart

Josie Grace leaves behind her isolated childhood, very unusual and unconventional family to escape the prophecies that have been hanging over her head since birth, determined to live an ordinary life. College is everything she hoped it would be and quickly re-connects with old friends, forms new friendships and makes a plan to seduce her enigmatic history professor. But Josie is no ordinary girl and the secret she's keeping could have devastating consequences for her family and all those she loves. 

SlantedK Insane Book Feature-Rama j.mp/T02olY Paranormal and Da Bears!
— David M Karder (@slantedk) July 29, 2012

~*~

Hope everyone is on pace for a great day, eh!

Football is so close, so very close.

Yes DMK is a football freak!

Da Bears!

It is a short clip followed with the whole deal, eh.

Overcoming Obstacles - Writing

Overcoming Obstacles and Fear 

So That You CAN Write Your Book©

By Rita Emmett
Rita's Resource Center

Guest Author @ SlantedK
Follow @slantedk

Have you wanted to write a book forever but just cannot get started? Is it possible that fear is holding you back? (Fear of failure? Fear of success? Sounds crazy but you actually might experience BOTH those fears at the same time).

Fear is too broad a subject to tackle in this article. If you suspect that fear is holding you back, get a copy of my book, The Procrastinator’s Handbook, from the library
(or buy it if you prefer).


Read Chapter 4, “The Fears That Stop You Cold.”
It will help.  Sometimes you just have to do something scared. If you push through the fear, and set the timer, you’ll find the fear melting away eventually.

Fears, Doubts & Friends

A few final words about fear… Sometimes, people who love you (and also those who don’t) want to keep you from getting your heart broken or your dreams dashed (or maybe from succeeding), so they give you all kinds of advice why you shouldn’t write your book or even have any hopes of getting it published, or ever selling a copy or of anyone ever reading it. Every time someone gave me this kind of advice, I would get a knot in my stomach and had to fight fear all over again.

When you combine this bad advice with all the people grabbing at you shouting “Fix my life” or “Do my stuff. It’s more important than your silly dreams” or “Take care of me first, THEN you”, you’ll feel yourself sabotaged and undermined. And you’ll start to second-guess yourself and wonder if you really should ever think of writing a book.

Sometimes the solution instead of a “To-do List” is a “Do-Not-Do-List”. You might need to make up a list reminding you that a certain relative is very manipulative and that you don’t always have to stop your life to take care of her. Or maybe a reminder that you sometimes go overboard in doing a volunteer job, and take a one hour task and expand it beyond what anyone every expected you to do --- where it takes up days or weeks of your time.
Everyone would have different examples of things they should remember not to do, but here are a few ideas:

Do Not Do List

To help you stop doing what you DON’T need to do. 
<Tweet this.

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

DO NOT let writing a whole book scare you. Just think of one chapter or one section at a time.
DO NOT believe you have to work to the point of exhaustion to be considered a capable person
DO NOT try to please everybody you know
DO NOT spend your time doing everybody else’s priorities
DO NOT say “yes” to every request
DO NOT think that being busy is a standard of success
DO NOT consider it necessary to take care of every single person you know in order to be liked
DO NOT believe that you never have time for your priorities or to write your book
DO NOT let fear of failure or fear of success keep you from writing your book
DO NOT try to live up to the expectations of everyone in the world (including you)
DO NOT strive to be so independent you never need (or are able) to ask for help from others
DO NOT spend time on busy work that’s not important to you

"When others aren’t sabotaging our writing goals, 

we are doing it to ourselves." 

Rita
 Tweet Quote

Every time you find yourself “bogged down” and can’t find time to work on your book and you KNOW it’s not possible to devote a whole day or evening to it, grab a kitchen timer, set it for one hour and devote one hour to writing your dream-come-true book.
Not only is it possible to give yourself one hour every so often, it’s energizing. Remember times in the past that you’ve put off something forever, then finally completed it? Remember how relieved and joyful you felt? How the energy bubbled up in you? Once you start writing, you might be stumped at first. Things will go slowly. You’ll stumble along, but then a rhythm sets in and your enthusiasm for your project will give you energy beyond belief. The words will flow.
You'll feel great and you deserve it.
Now get going.
 

If you could tap the mind of a Successful, Speaker and Author, would ya?kickstartcart.com/app/?af=1476620
— David M Karder (@slantedk) July 21, 2012

       Rita Emmett is a "Recovering Procrastinator", a Professional Speaker, and best-selling author of The Procrastinator’s Handbook;  and The Clutter-Busting Handbook.
For more articles on this subject, go to www.RitaEmmett.com 
      To subscribe to her free monthly “Anticrastination Tip Sheet” with quick short tips & ideas to help break the procrastination habit, go to the first page of her website  www.RitaEmmett.com

~*~

5 Tips To Make Your Blog Posts More Social

Thanks so much for stopping in.

Yes, yes, I did not forget, here it is,

Something Different, eh!

Why Not Laugh?

We all know how SlantedK likes to laugh.

Came across this one @ dailyjokes.com, thought I'd Share.

Working people frequently ask retired people what they do to make their days interesting.

Well, for example, the other day, my wife and I went into town and went into a shop. We were only in there for about 5 minutes. When we came out, there was a cop writing out a parking ticket. We went up to him and I said, 'Come on man, how about giving a senior citizen a break?' He ignored us and continued writing the ticket.. I called him a Dumb ass. He glared at me and started writing another ticket for having worn tires. So Mary called him a moron. He finished the second ticket and put it on the windshield with the first. Then he started writing a third ticket. This went on for about 20 minutes. The more we abused him, the more tickets he wrote.
Just then our bus arrived and we got on it and went home.

We try to have a little fun each day now that we're retired. It's important at our age.


more jokes at dailyjokes.com

SlantedK Wild West Book Feature-Rama

Again this week SlantedK is sticking with Westerns.

Follow @slantedk

New York Times & USA Today Best Selling Authors!

 Johnstone @ LinkedIn

Take a look at our August Special! woobox.com/v5d3op fb.me/2fwFcw9AX
— William W. Johnstone (@wwjajohnstone) August 14, 2012

The Texas Savage Series is on Tap.

 Website

Click to Purchase, eh!

For renegades and pioneers, there is no place like Texas—as long as you have a gun and the guts to use it. Now, the Civil War is over. Carpetbaggers and scalawags rule Austin. Soldiers return to pillaged homes. Longhorns roam the wilds and the state is in chaos. Especially in a town called Hangtree.

Sam Heller and Johnny Cross are Hangtree’s newest citizens: Heller is a former Yankee soldier, a deadly shot, and a believer in right from wrong. Cross is a gun for hire with dark dreams of wealth and power—at any cost. Hangtree, with its rich grazing land and nearby mineral deposits, soon erupts in murderous violence. By fate and by choice, these two strangers will find themselves on opposite sides of the law. And Hangtree will soon erupt in murderous violence. 
Read a Chapter 

In Hangtree, Texas, any day could be your last. For on the heels of the Civil War, Hangtree is drawing gamblers, fast women and faster gunmen. Amidst the brawls and shooting, the land-grabbing and card-sharking, two men barely hold the boomtown together: Yankee Sam Heller and Texan Johnny Cross. Heller and Cross can’t stand the sight of each other. And Hangtree needs them more than ever.

A Comanche named Red Hand leads a horde of warriors on a horrific path of bloodshed and destruction, with Hangtree sitting right in Red Hand’s path. For a town bitterly divided, for Heller and Cross, the time has come to unite and stand shoulder to shoulder—and fight, live or die for their little slice of heaven called Hangtree. 

Read a Chapter

Click to Purchase, eh!

The Western Online - A Webzine Dedicated to the Old West: thewesternonline.com/#.UByEIwtAUeU.…
— David M Karder (@slantedk) August 4, 2012

And now for something different, not so much.

Have A Great Day, & Thanks for Stoppin' in.

DMK

&

Then and Now - Are We at a Disadvantage?

In our strength in advanced technology, 

have we actually become complacent?

BY DMK 

&

SlantedK

Follow @slantedk

Civilization advances by extending the number of important operations which we can perform without thinking of them.

Alfred North Whitehead

Recent weather events have exposed such; dependency on technology left many scared and lost. 

It seems inconceivable that this country, founded, fought for, expanded, and survived without any assistance of current technology. Shall we take a look at the history of a few items and consider that human nature is the strongest technology available.

Life without a SIM card:

Originally, telegraph machines, connected utilizing a series of wires in order to exchange messages. The operator would key a message in the Morse alphabet, and the receiving telegraph machine on the other side would register the message in the form of clicks made by a bar, which struck another bar. By listening to the pattern of clicks, the receiving operator could hear the message and transcribe it before passing it on to the recipient.

In the late 1800s, wireless telegraphy began to emerge, and telegraph messages transmitted over the radio waves. This marked a drastic change in the system, allowing people to rapidly transmit messages in areas without telegraph cables, and enabling things like ship-to-ship communication. Wireless telegraphy or radiotelegraphy also laid the groundwork for later methods of communication.

The first cell phones, eh!

Try to spend a day leaving your cell, tablet and so on sitting at home nowhere near your fingertips.

Could we do it?

Do you realize if it weren't for Edison we'd be watching TV by candlelight? Al Boliska goo.gl/2vQM5
— David M Karder (@slantedk) July 31, 2012

How did anyone survive without next day delivery, 

texting and email?

Before the amazing technology of the teletype machine, 

there was the Pony Express.

c/o http://www.ponyexpress.org/history

The Pony Express founders:

William H. Russell, William B. Waddell, and Alexander Majors.

Plans for the Pony Express, spurred by the threat of the Civil War and the need for faster communication with the West. The Pony Express consisted of relays of men riding horses carrying saddlebags of mail across a 2000-mile trail. The service opened officially on April 3, 1860, when riders left simultaneously from St. Joseph, Missouri, and Sacramento, California. The first westbound trip took 9 days and 23 hours and the eastbound journey in 11 days and 12 hours. The pony riders covered 250 miles in a 24-hour day.

Eventually, the Pony Express had more than 100 stations, 80 riders, and between 400 and 500 horses. The express route was extremely hazardous, but only one mail delivery was ever lost. The service lasted only 19 months until October 24, 1861, when the completion of the Pacific Telegraph line ended the need for its existence. Although California relied upon news from the Pony Express during the early days of the Civil War, the horse line was never a financial success, leading its founders to bankruptcy. However, the romantic drama surrounding the Pony Express has made it a part of the legend of the American West.

That was just mail, could one imagine? 

“I’m going to town for supplies, boys, you help mother with the chores and I will return by week’s end.”

A trip to home depot was very different.

Who experienced stress because more than two cars were in the drive through and American Idol was about to begin?

It is a legitimate question, in our strength have we become weaker?

I live in the desert, three continuous months of 100+ days, for those of you experiencing your streak of 100-degree days this may come as a shock.

Technology in beverages has not out done simplicity. Coffee, 5-hour shots, Frappuccinos, monsters, and 48 oz. Coke, though they taste great going down and we feel satisfied, it will not sustain you and even accelerate your break down. Water guys, at least a gallon a day.

We are strong; we just need a reminder, eh.

It is only when they go wrong that machines remind you how powerful they are.

Clive James

Thanks for stopping in!

And now for something totally different!

Ever Wonder What 0-220+mph is Like?

First Time Eye-Level Camera Formula 1 - Lucas di Grassi | Real Driver Point Of View

The second time ya watch it take note of the speed indicator on the steering wheel. Sweet!

SlantedK Wild West Book Feature-Rama

This week I bring in Westerns.

2010 Peacemaker Award Winning Short Story.

In Mr. Dundee's words: "This is a gritty, suspenseful, bittersweet tale of good men having to make hard choices between right and wrong on the Western frontier. It's one of my favorites, I think you'll enjoy it."

Also from Wayne D. Dundee, reviewed by Matthew Pizzolato  @ The Western Online

Hard Trail to Socorro is one of the best Western novels that I've read in the past few years and one that I thoroughly enjoyed. It is a pleasure to read. There is conflict at every turn and it will keep you guessing until the end.

Bounty hunter Bodie Kendrick is able to apprehend his target without any trouble. Yet trouble shows its pretty face in the form of Veronica Fairburn, who demands to accompany Kendrick and his prisoner on the trail to Socorro. And what man can refuse a beautiful woman? The trail is fraught with danger, including some hard cases looking to take his prisoner from him as well as some renegade Apaches. Read more

Sure I have a soft spot for Westerns, no worries.

Find Wayne's Blog @ From Dundee's Desk

~*~

Now, for something different, well sort of.

This is my kinda family!

Have a Great Day.

News concerning my own book, 

From the Ashes @ Solstice Publishing.

Editor has been assigned, close to the finish line, eh!

Think I will feature it?

Oh Hell Yeah, it's my Blog, lol.

Thanks for stopping in.

SlantedK 4th of July Cookout.

Dave's July 4th Mandatory Meal Preparation.

Follow @slantedk

Start by roasting some fresh garlic, and pouring your favorite beverage.
Pull out the NY Strip Steak, cut small slits and in each slit push in a small chunk of roasted garlic.
(If roasted with a touch of olive oil the finished clove will have the consistency of butter).


Dry rub the steak to your hearts desire, set in the fridge to marinate in it's own juices.


Red Potatoes, cut to quarters, coat in olive oil, basil, minced garlic, chopped onion, mix and cover.
Slam the remainder of the drink and refresh.


Fire up the grill.
Corn on the Cob and the potatoes go on at the same time.
50 minutes and a few more beverages later, put the steaks on.
Once complete cover the potatoes with Parmesan cheese.
Husk the corn.
Make sure to let the steak stay for a hand-full of minutes. (Want the juice in it not under it, eh).
Pour a fresh drink, plate the meal, enjoy!
Happy 4th!

The Birth of American Independence

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

~ The Declaration of Independence July 4, 1776

“In the truest sense, freedom cannot be bestowed; it must be achieved.”  

~Franklin D. Roosevelt

"Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and success of liberty."

John F. Kennedy

The Birth of American Independence

http://www.history.com/topics/july-4th

When the initial battles in the Revolutionary War broke out in April 1775, few colonists desired complete independence from Great Britain, and those who did were considered radical. By the middle of the following year, however, many more colonists had come to favor independence, thanks to growing hostility against Britain and the spread of revolutionary sentiments such as those expressed in Thomas Paine's bestselling pamphlet "Common Sense," published in early 1776.  On June 7, when the Continental Congress met at the Pennsylvania State House (later Independence Hall) in Philadelphia, the Virginia delegate Richard Henry Lee introduced a motion calling for the colonies' independence. Amid heated debate, Congress postponed the vote on Lee's resolution, but appointed a five-man committee--including Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, John Adams of Massachusetts, Roger Sherman of Connecticut, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania and Robert R. Livingston of New York--to draft a formal statement justifying the break with Great Britain.

On July 2nd, the Continental Congress voted in favor of Lee's resolution for independence in a near-unanimous vote (the New York delegation abstained, but later voted affirmatively). On that day, John Adams wrote to his wife Abigail that July 2 "will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival" and that the celebration should include "Pomp and Parade...Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other." On July 4th, the Congress formally adopted the Declaration of Independence, which had been written largely by Jefferson. Though the vote for actual independence took place on July 2nd, from then on the 4th became the day that was celebrated as the birth of American independence.

“We on this continent should never forget that men first crossed the Atlantic not to find soil for their ploughs but to secure liberty for their souls.”  

~Robert J. McCracken

Early Fourth of July Celebrations

In the pre-Revolutionary years, colonists had held annual celebrations of the king's birthday, which traditionally included the ringing of bells, bonfires, processions and speechmaking. By contrast, during the summer of 1776 some colonists celebrated the birth of independence by holding mock funerals for King George III, as a way of symbolizing the end of the monarchy's hold on America and the triumph of liberty. Festivities including concerts, bonfires, parades and the firing of cannons and muskets usually accompanied the first public readings of the Declaration of Independence, beginning immediately after its adoption. Philadelphia held the first annual commemoration of independence on July 4, 1777, while Congress was still occupied with the ongoing war. George Washington issued double rations of rum to all his soldiers to mark the anniversary of independence in 1778, and in 1781, several months before the key American victory at Yorktown, Massachusetts became the first state to make July 4th an official state holiday.

After the Revolutionary War, Americans continued to commemorate Independence Day every year, in celebrations that allowed the new nation's emerging political leaders to address citizens and create a feeling of unity. By the last decade of the 18th century, the two major political parties--Federalists and Democratic-Republicans--that had arisen began holding separate Independence Day celebrations in many large cities.

And I'm proud to be an American,

where at least I know I'm free.

And I won't forget the men who died,

who gave that right to me.

~Lee Greenwood

July 4th Becomes A National Holiday

The tradition of patriotic celebration became even more widespread after the War of 1812, in which the United States again faced Great Britain. In 1870, the U.S. Congress made July 4th a federal holiday; in 1941, the provision was expanded to grant a paid holiday to all federal employees. Over the years, the political importance of the holiday would decline, but Independence Day remained an important national holiday and a symbol of patriotism.

“I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward for evermore.”

~ John Adams

From DMK

& 

Follow @slantedk

This was my entry for 4th of July. I think we need to see it again. The times are trying. slantedk.blogspot.com/2012/07/birth-…
— David M Karder (@slantedk) August 8, 2012