Author newsletters, no matter what they contain, enjoy some of the highest open rates and best subscriber loyalty in the marketing business.

No one avoids writing like writers.

writers like you or that are related to your genre, category, community, or topic. If you can’t find anything that strikes your interest, search for “publishing” instead and browse the newsletters related to writing and book publishing. A couple to start: Counter Craft by Lincoln Michel and Publishing Confidential by Kathleen Schmidt.

When you receive positive responses, they will tend to be something like, “Yes, send the first three chapters,” or “Yes, send the full manuscript.” If someone asks for an exclusive, that means they want to be the only one considering the project, and you must promise not to send the work to anyone else during the exclusivity period. I would only

A good rule of thumb for picking a comparable title: Does your book belong next to this book on a reader’s shelf? In a library display? In a bookstore? Is the author someone you could be matched with at a book festival panel?

If you end up at a real-life event that presents a networking opportunity, and you find yourself tongue-tied, here are a couple of questions (proposed by author Michael Ellsberg) to help you start a meaningful conversation:1 • What’s the most exciting thing for you right now? • What’s your biggest challenge right now?

If you are emailing the query directly to the agent rather than using an online submittal form, copy and paste it from your word processing document into the email message as plain text, block format, without any colors, unusual fonts, or images. Make sure it can be read with minimal scrolling. Don’t include your mailing address, special headers,

Genre writers are often in a better position to realize the full-time writing dream simply because they produce more work in a shorter amount of time.

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