Unsolicited Advice for Authors, Agents, and Editors
You’re more likely to get a “Yes” with a request than with a command.
Don’t return a call when you know the person won’t be there to answer it.
Don’t try to pretend a book is a category that it isn’t. Zero in on the core audience like a laser.
A book’s copyright date is the year of first publication, not the year the work was written.
If an editor brings an author or project idea to an agent, that editor gets an exclusive for a time to be determined.
If the book has chapter titles and/or part titles, there must be a Contents page.
Don’t rush to publication a book that is dependent on the read. Make sure there is time to gather blurbs and establish buzz.
Titles aren’t protected by copyright law (in 99% of cases).
See Protection of Literary Titles at PubLaw.com
A heated auction is not a predictor of a book’s success.
Take a printout of the cover to the bookstore and hold it next to the competition. Compare.
