Latest posts from Amanda Luedeke
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From Small Press to Major Book Deal — An Interview with Wesley Chu
A few years ago, Wesley Chu answered an open submission call from a small publisher. His book was chosen for publication and quickly became a steady seller.
In the years following, Wes has grown a successful career, book by book, …
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How I Got 150,000 Followers in Two Years—An Interview with Heather Thompson Day
For years, Heather Thompson Day‘s author platform hovered around 5,000 followers. Despite numerous book releases with a small denominational press and a steady speaking schedule, she just couldn’t seem to grow her tribe. She felt stuck.
And then all …
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How New Authors Break Through
It’s hard to get that first book deal. Really hard.
Yet every year, numerous debut novels get publishing deals—and some for big advance amounts.
So what causes a publisher to say “yes” to one debut novel and “no” to another?…
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How to Deal with Writer’s Block
If you or someone you love suffers from writer’s block, then this is the podcast episode for you!
Writer’s block can take on many forms. It can be a lack of motivation, a sudden disinterest in your book, an …
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Let’s Talk Children’s Publishing
What’s your idea for a children’s book? Most authors have one. Whether you typically write adult romance or business nonfiction, chances are you have an idea for a picture book, chapter reader, or kids novel. Chances are, you’ve even written …
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Part 2! Talking with Your Unsupportive Spouse
“Why do you spend so much time writing?”
“You’re never going to get published.”
“You want to spend HOW MUCH on a writer’s conference?!”
If these complaints sound familiar, then you might be facing an unsupportive spouse (or parent, loved …
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Help! I Have An Unsupportive Spouse!
“My spouse doesn’t support my writing career!”
This is a common complaint among writers. Parents, family, friends, partners—it can sometimes seem as though the people we love the most are the least supportive of our writing dreams and goals.
In …
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How I Became a Literary Agent
I had no previous book publishing experience.
In fact, when I first started working with Chip MacGregor, I wasn’t fully sure what an agent did.
So how did I get to become a book agent? We …
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How Authors Can Use Social Media Analytics
Authors are told to write what they’re passionate about, but many times this leaves them confused. “I have so many book ideas!” many of my authors have told me. “How do I determine which one to write?”
I’ve known authors …
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An Update on How COVID-19 Is Affecting Book Publishing
It continues to be an interesting time for book publishing.
In this update we share information that was provided by Penguin Random House, looking at at the book categories that have taken the biggest hits along with the ones that …
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When to Trash Your Book Idea
Every writer has doubts about his or her book idea. Is this marketable? Is this unique enough? Is this engaging? Does it hold attention?
These doubts are normal! They’re part of the process.
But sometimes those doubts point to more …
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Cover Art and What You Should Know
I’ve worked with many authors who have said that the whole “publishing thing” didn’t feel real until they received their cover art. Maybe it was finally being able to visualize the book as it would be in stores. Maybe it …
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Let’s Talk About Books and Hollywood
Most authors dream of getting a movie deal for their book. For years, that dream was near-impossible. Sure, the project may get picked up by a production company, but the chances of it making it to screen were small.
And …
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How COVID-19 Is Affecting Book Publishing
Some publishers are laying people off.
Some bookstores are launching GoFundMe campaigns to stay afloat.
And many authors have seen massive income hits.
In this week’s episode of our Gatecrasher’s Podcast, Amanda Luedeke and her cohost Charis Crowe discuss a …
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Here’s Where to Get Your Industry Fix — The Gatecrashers Podcast
For quite awhile on this blog I had a weekly column entitled Thursdays with Amanda. I’d talk primarily about marketing, since that was my background, and try to help authors navigate what can oftentimes seem like a mystery. It led …
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8 Common Usage Errors, or: How to Make Me Judge You, part 2.
Erin again, just trying to confuse you by posting my picture right under Amanda’s name. Last time, I started to share some of the common mistakes I see in manuscripts and why such seemingly minor usage errors can incur such …
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8 Common Usage Errors, or: How to Make Me Judge You, part 1.
Erin here again today, while Chip is sunning himself in Hawaii (and I’m still working on getting my own blog credentials so I can stop using Amanda’s.) Okay, listen: I have a superpower. Most agents do, actually. It’s not terribly …
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Thinking about writing: What makes a great first line?
If you’re not familiar with me from my previous blog posts here (I stopped months ago) or my wildly popular Twitter account (where I’ve tweeted exactly six times in the past two years), my name is Erin Buterbaugh and I …
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Thursdays with Amanda / Ask the Agent: Using Wattpad as an Author
Does sharing your work through Wattpad count as self-publishing? Does it affect how traditional publishers see you?
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Thursdays with Amanda: John Steinbeck and the Art of Writing What You Know
His grave site wasn’t even under the Steinbeck name—that’s the first thing I noticed.
The stone obelisk that loomed over John Steinbeck’s final resting place read Hamilton.
And rightly so. Hamilton was his mother’s name. A name that, I …