Latest posts from Chip MacGregor
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Getting To Know Us
We've had a bunch of "get to know you" questions lately, so I thought I'd group several of them together…
Andrew wrote to say, "You used to be a publisher with Time-Warner — why did you go back to …
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Newsday Tuesday …
Some quick notes and random stuff…
Well-known writer Alton Gansky has put together a strong faculty for his intimate, new-style writing conference, coming up October 18-22 in New Mexico. If you’d like to meet people in the industry, but are …
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Will E-books Kill the Printed Page?
Benjamin wrote to ask, "What's your perspective on all the new e-readers?"History has taught us that as new technologies are developed, the culture adapts to them. We used to walk across the room to change TV channels. We used… -
Developing the Craft & Art of Writing – a guest blog
…When I was growing up, my parents decided to sign me up for piano lessons. They hired my second grade schoolteacher to also be my piano teacher—I think I was her only piano student. She probably didn’t charge much and -
The Importance of a Polished Manuscript – A Guest Blog
…Awhile ago, I asked an author to send me the first chapter of a manuscript they had queried. The author was unpublished, but they had an ok platform, which made me think that if the writing was fabulous I could
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And some follow-up to ACFW questions…
Jan wrote to say, "When you were asked at the ACFW conference what you're looking for, you said 'high-concept literary fiction for the Christian or general market.' I don't even know what that means. Can you help?"
I can try. …
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Some ACFW Notes…
There has been a ton of buzz in the media about the just-completed American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) conference. It was big (more than 600 writers, about 700 people attending), it was fun (Susan May Warren teaching a line …
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Home from ACFW … (where Sandra won Agent of the Year!)
Chip, Amanda, and I are all just coming off a six
day road trip to ACFW conference, followed by visits to several publishers. It’s
always good to get home.The conference was great. We had a lot of fun
connecting … -
Still talking books and authors…
Okay, so on Monday I spent some time answering questions from people about which books I’ve been reading and what I like. On Tuesday I got this response from someone: “Well, there’s really only ONE BOOK – the Bible. It’s …
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Talking Books
People have been asking me about books…
Vicki wrote to ask, “With all the new books coming out this fall, is there one that really stands out? Something you can’t wait to read?”
Sure. I’m a huge Mark Twain fan, …
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Talking Agents and Authors
Suzanne wrote to ask, “How do agents feel about being ‘talked about’ by their clients? I rarely see published authors mention their agents in conversations, or hear them say, ‘My agent told me…’ Is there a protocol for mentioning your …
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NEWSDAY TUESDAY …
A NEW SEASON, A NEW PICTURE (and more updated website pics to come soon …)
AND LOTS OF RECENT MACGREGOR LITERARY DEALS DONE :
Ginger Garrett is collaborating with celebrity stylist and life coach
Michelle Phillips on a beauty and … -
On Relationships in Publishing
Donna wrote to ask, "Is it possible to have two agents, one for fiction and one for nonfiction, or one for ABA and one for CBA?"
It's possible, I guess. I'm not a fan of this plan, since I think …
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When Good Titles Go Bad – from Amanda Luedeke
Going Nude: How I Kicked an Addiction, Gained a Dress Size, and Discovered the Real Me
The above title is a fictional example of a writer being too clever for her own good. Sure, it has everything. It’s perfectly-structured, in …
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A Mixed Bag
A mixed bag of questions today. Donna sent this to me recently: "Nonfiction seems to be struggling in bookstores, but fiction has been on a growth track. I heard you say one time that this disparity is due to the …
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A Mixed Bag
A mixed bag of questions today. Donna sent this to me recently: "Nonfiction seems to be struggling in bookstores, but fiction has been on a growth track. I heard you say one time that this disparity is due to the …
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12 Deep Thoughts from my Mailbox
So I went to check my mailbox today. In it was….
1. A proposal with a cover letter that starts with the words, "Firstly and most importantly…"
2. An incoherent sci-fi book proposal (even though it says clearly on my …
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Metaphors, Collaborations…and a Story
Daniel asked, “Is the ability to craft great similes and metaphors a gift, or can it be learned?”
My guess is that it's a gift. I've watched some people in the industry and been amazed at their ability to "see" …
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NEWSDAY TUESDAY …
Okay, so it's nearly Wednesday. We brought our new puppy (as opposed to "old puppy?") home today, so I've been writing this between other things as well as helping with trips to the appointed piddle spot and throwing treat …