Latest posts from Chip MacGregor
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Pitching: Are You Prepared?
Guest writer HOLLY LORINCZ is a novelist as well as a publishing consultant at MacGregor Literary, and Chip’s assistant. Before Mac Lit, Holly was the editor of a literary magazine and then an award winning instructor, teaching journalism, speech and …
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WHAT AN AGENT LOOKS FOR AT A CONFERENCE
By CHIP MACGREGOR
Someone wrote to say, “I know you’re going to the big RWA conference this month. Of the appointments you have at a conference like that, how many actually result in your asking for more material? How many …
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On Contracts: What’s New With Rights
Guest writer Marie Prys is Contract Administrator at MacGregor Literary. A former editor and co-author, she now spends her working hours reading each and every contract MacGregor Literary facilitates while working closely with our agents and trading emails with, …
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Giving the Beginner a Chance
GUEST WRITER Carmen Berry, New York Times bestselling author, is a full-time book coach working from Southern California. She specializes in developing projects from first-time author who want to write and publish high quality self-help books. She offers …
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The “b” word …
School is out, summertime is upon us all, and I’m sure I’m not the only person who has heard the “b” word from their kids more than once recently. I’ll confess, I used to hate it and get …
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Refining Our Fiction
GUEST WRITER Tina Bustamante lives in Temuco, Chile with her husband and two children. Her first novel, As Waters Gone By, releases in September with Leap Books. You can follow her on Facebook, Twitter, or at www.tinabustamante.com where she …
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Message Versus Craft
BY CHIP MACGREGOR
Someone wrote and asked a question that is related to my earlier criticism of the movie Fireproof and some of the other religious art I saw at ICRS this year. They noted, “You said that good messages …
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What is a standard fee to charge when speaking?
Someone wrote to say, “I’ve been asked to speak several times since my book came out — some large venues, some very small. My problem is that I don’t know what to charge when I speak? A flat fee? A …
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The MacGregor Literary staff writes books…
I thought you’d find it interesting to know that the staff here at MacGregor Literary have a bunch of books on the market. I’ve long said that one of the best things about our agency is that we’re a group …
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Should I try to pre-sell my book on Amazon?
Someone wrote to say, “While perusing Amazon yesterday, I filtered my search by ‘date published’ and noticed several pages of books listed for pre-orders due out in late ’13 or early ’14. Is this a sales strategy? Is it common? …
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Here's to one of the good guys in the business
A dozen years ago, I was working as a literary agent with Alive Communications in Colorado Springs, and we had a great group of people all pitching in. Rick Christian (the boss, and the guy who basically began the notion …
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150 Resources to Help You Write Better, Faster, and More Persuasively
Today we have a guest blog, from Claire Morgan at OEDB…
It doesn’t matter if you’re a student or a professional writer: there’s always something new to learn and ways to make your writing more refined, better researched, and more … -
What is values fiction?
Related to the recent posts about CBA and the general market, someone sent this: “I’m a writer who hasn’t been able to find success in the traditional CBA markets. I was told my book is ‘too message oriented for most …
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Why would I need an agent in CBA?
In light of the last couple posts, some wrote this: “For the uneducated among us, what exactly does a literary agent do in CBA, and why is one even necessary in Christian publishing?”
A good literary agent will help an …
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What are the differences between CBA and the general market?
Our discussion yesterday about CBA and the general market lead to several questions, including someone asking, “So what are the differences between CBA and ABA books?”
There are many similarities between the religious market and the general market. Both markets …
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Is crossing over from CBA to the general market possible?
Just back from a fabulous BEA convention, where the mood was upbeat, nobody was whining about the future of books, and everyone involved (authors, publishers, agents, sales people, marketing folks) seemed excited about the future of the industry. Loved being …
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How to Thrive Through Rejection: A Guest Post by Tina Bustamante
While our hardworking agents are winding down from BEA this past weekend in New York, another author is filling in with a guest post. Enjoy!
Tina Bustamante is a writer, passionate reader, wife, mom, friend, and traveler. A world …
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A Newbie Writer's First Trip Around the Marketing Block: A Guest Post by Rajdeep Paulus
While our hardworking agents are attending BEA in New York this week, several authors are filling in with guest posts. Enjoy!
Rajdeep Paulus decided to be a writer during her junior year in high school after her English teacher gave …
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A Room of Her Own: A Guest Post by Keri Wyatt Kent
While our hardworking agents are attending BEA in New York this week, several authors are filling in with guest posts. Enjoy!
Keri Wyatt Kent writes and speaks on slowing down to listen to God, and occasionally tries to …
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How to Build a Blog that Markets for You: a Guest Post by Stephanie Morrill
Stephanie Morrill writes young adult contemporary novels and is the creator of GoTeenWriters.com. Her novels include The Reinvention of Skylar Hoyt series (Revell) and the newly released The Revised Life of Ellie Sweet (Playlist). You can …