Many writers ask me if I can "find them an agent." But I'm not a matchmaker and it's really best to undertake this research yourself. It's about more than just who represents work like yours. It's about personality, fit, and what you're looking for in the relationship. IMHO, the best agents are akin to career managers and often take on the role of informal therapist as well, helping you through the highs and lows of your book's lifespan. This is someone you should be able to trust—they are a fiduciary.

As long as I've been in publishing, there's been an ongoing "self-pub vs. traditional pub" argument and divide among authors. One side tends to see the other as "lesser than," and there's a continual game of one-upmanship. [a long thread] This is human and understandable; who publishes you and what you earn is wrapped up in your status and prestige in the literary world. Still, I've been hoping to see this divide fade with time, esp. now that most authors don't have to choose. You can do both.

Currently attending a query critique panel with agents at @MarylandWriters annual conference. Two out of the three agents do not like rhetorical questions in queries. They prefer direct, strong story statements. #braintobookshelf21 Re: comp titles, agents agree it's OK to use TV/movies to show what your book is like and who it is for.

For cozy mystery: (1) Identify your sleuth and her intriguing profession to unlock the door to your story. What unique setting and secondary characters come to mind? says @ajthenovelist Develop a character problem the sleuth will need to overcome to eventually see the solution to the crime. How can this problem help or hinder her while investigating?

Let's talk about the NYT bestseller list (a thread): People *care* about this list + according to a 2004 study, it increases book sales. Even if it doesn't, I think it's fair to say that authors dream of hitting that list and it matters to marketing. The list has often been criticized (for sooo many things), and it's a pretty open secret that it's not really a straight/factual accounting of bestsellers if you were to go strictly by the numbers or volume of sales.

Thread: You'll see many headlines this week about declining author incomes b/c there's a new study out from the US-based Authors Guild. I have great respect for the Guild, which does essential work on behalf authors. However, I have continuing skepticism about all such studies. These studies are based on a self-selecting sample. Surveyed authors may not be representative of the population of books recently published. That doesn’t mean the study is devoid of value, but the data isn’t verifiable. I'm not convinced incomes are on the decline on the whole.