Developing Your Author Brand

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Greetings from Jackie M. Johnson! Most people are familiar with “brands” for products and services. For instance, a can of Campbell’s soup (the original line) is always red and white with the name in a unique cursive font. It’s instantly recognizable on a grocery store shelf crammed with different brands of soup. As an author, your brand is essential too. First, you need to know who you are and how you want to be perceived. Then, get your message to your readers—and do so consistently. By being immediately recognizable, you are in a better position for readers to find you,…

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Finding a Literary Agent

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Greetings from Jackie M. Johnson!  In today’s market, finding a literary agent is no longer an option, it’s an essential. A good agent is your advocate, the person who represents your book ideas to potential publishers and aims to get you the best book deal possible. He or she negotiates the deal in terms of advance, rights and royalties. So, how do you find an agent? First, know what you are looking for in a potential agent. Some agents specialize while others are more generic in the types of manuscripts they are looking for. For instance, an agent may work…

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Writing More Effective Book Proposals

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  Greetings from Jackie M. Johnson! When I worked at Alive Communications, “the world’s leading literary agency devoted exclusively to the representation of faith-based and inspirational authors,” I read thousands of book queries and submissions. Some were good; most were lacking, both in storyline and presentation. Many writers who can craft a well-written book often forget—or don’t know—that they need to take the same care and effort to create a successful book proposal. Whether you write fiction or nonfiction it is essential to write a book proposal that captures the agent’s attention so he or she will enthusiastically shop it…

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Writing Better Query Letters

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  Greetings from Jackie M. Johnson! How do you get your new book idea across to a literary agent so he or she gets it, loves it and sells it to a publisher? It all starts with a well-crafted query letter.    What is a query letter? A query letter is a brief (one page) cover letter that you send to a literary agent to introduce yourself and your book idea. It’s short and to the point. But, it must also be well-written so an agent will not only read it, but also be moved to action.    Why do I need…

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How Effective Is Your Author Website?

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Greetings from Jackie! One of the most effective ways to communicate with your readers is through your author/speaker website. How can you make your site better? Your author website is your online “storefront.” It represents you and your writing to your readers. It gives you credibility. It builds your brand. It gives you the opportunity to showcase your books—and sell them. In addition to social media, your website is a place to connect and build community. Jane Friedman, a media industry expert, calls the author website “the No. 1 calling card for a digital-age author.”  Today, there are many options for…

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Tips from the Pros: Jackie M. Johnson

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Greetings from Sarah Sundin in California, where we’re actually praying for rain for a change. Whether we’re enduring ice storms or drought, medical issues or family drama, we all need to pray. Today’s featured author, Jackie M. Johnson, has made a name for herself with books on prayer and comfort. In addition, Jackie uses her experience in working for a literary agency and for a publishing house to coach aspiring authors. Jackie, how did you get into writing? I knew I wanted to be a writer since I was in junior high. I loved to read and enjoyed spelling class…

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Getting Agent Ready: 7 Steps to Prepare for Success

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Greetings from Jackie!  ___________________________________________________________________________________ Do you want to get published—or get published again? If your goal is to get a book deal from a traditional publisher, it’s important to know what literary agents are looking for. Why? Because in today’s publishing environment writers can no longer send unsolicited manuscripts directly to publishers (at least, about 99% of the time), so it is essential to have a literary agent to represent your ideas to publishers. 

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