By Jennifer S. Wilkov, host of the “Your Book Is Your Hook!” Show on WomensRadio

The Literary Agent Matchmaker™

www.yourbookisyourhook.com

As authors and writers, we’re always learning about resources and industry tools that we can use to improve our book project performance and the enjoyment of our writing and marketing experiences.  Today let’s talk about memoirs and why we write them.

As a new friend of mine likes to say, “It is all about me, isn’t it?”

When it comes to memoirs, the response I give to writers is…No, not exactly. It’s also about the reader.

I really enjoy working with memoir writers as a consultant. The biggest disconnect I often have to address for the writer is:

1) WHO are you writing your memoir for?

and…

2) WHY are you writing it?

Oftentimes, the answers to these two questions will also determine whether your memoir will sell.

See, as a memoir writer, you must write it for you – to document, clear, understand and process what has happened to you. A memoir by its very nature is cathartic.

If you want to do this for your own health and well-being, then go for it! I cheer you on and I applaud you for it.

If you want it to be a wildly successful book for others to invest 8 hours or so of their lives to read and benefit from yours, you may want to give it a bit more thought.

How you write your memoir and who you write it for will make a difference in whether a literary agent will want to represent your book and whether a publisher sees the value in publishing it.

Here are some guidelines to help you:

1)      Memoirs that are incident-based are more interesting to most people and most industry professionals. Books by business people like Sir Richard Branson or even some celebrities such as Jenny McCarthy’s book, Louder Than Words: A Mother’s Journey to Healing Autism or your favorite musician are not about their whole entire life from the moment they took their first breath. They are about the particular part of their lives they want to highlight and share.

The focus is on their career or a particular topic or time in their lives. The book and story serves the reader in some enlightening or entertaining way and has a clear beginning, middle and end.

2)      Be honest. No one wants to invest their emotions, time and money into reading a book and connecting with a story that is supposed to be true only to discover that it’s not. It’s not only disappointing for the reader, it creates a lot of disgust too. Just look at the reactions to what happened when questions were raised about Greg Mortenson’s book, Three Cups of Tea, James Frey’s A Million Little Pieces, and books from other writers that weren’t true.

3)      Determine if there is something more you can offer than just your story such as insights into what you learned and how the readers might practically apply this to their own lives.

4)      Decide if you want to share more than just your story. Do you intend to write more books? Books that take off from your story? A memoir is also a great start to a career or a compliment to boost your career as a speaker.

If you intend to do more with your story than just tell it, write it in a way that it can be leveraged. Think twice about your title, subtitle and chapter titles.

5)      Be responsible with family members and friends, especially if you want to take your memoir to film or television. If your memoir includes anecdotes about members of your family, close friends or co-workers, or if it reveals family secrets that others may want to keep hidden from the public, think twice about making your book a memoir. You may want to discuss that you are writing the book with the folks you intend to mention to at least make them aware of it and, if plausible, gain their support.

If you intend to pitch your book to the film or television industries, keep in mind that the producers may want a release signed by each person you name in the book to avoid legal issues or delays with the film later on.

6)      Invest in a great editor before you attempt to get published. Many writers make the mistake of not having their memoir reviewed by an editor prior to seeking a literary agent or publisher. Although you may want to “say it the way you say it,” if your grammar, spelling, punctuation and line of thought are off or distracting in your manuscript, no one is going to enjoy reading it.

If you value your story and your work, take the time and invest the money in a solid round of editing by a professional. This is not the area to cut corners or ask a favor from someone you know who teaches English during the school year to high school kids.

A memoir can be written in such a way that it benefits both you and the reader.

Your book can also be your hook to bigger opportunities and career growth.

The truth about memoirs is, like any bestseller, first you need to write a great book. Begin with the end in mind. Consider how your tale benefits others. Evaluate what you want to do with it and how you intend to contribute to the Greater Good with it.

Whether your story educates, enlightens or entertains the reader, when you write your story, there is no doubt you will leave a legacy for yourself, your family, and the human race.

How you choose to leave that legacy via the publishing world is entirely up to you.

If you want to be published with your memoir and have a literary agent represent you, use these simple guidelines to help you get a leg up with your book.

By Jennifer S. Wilkov, host of the “Your Book Is Your Hook!” Show on WomensRadio

www.yourbookisyourhook.com

Click Here to listen this interview any time after 9:00 am EST Tuesday August 2nd, 2011 on the WomensRadio Network

Robert Reid, Lonely Planet’s US Travel Editor and spokesperson, and Tom Wilson, the author of the cartoon strip Ziggy, will appear as guests on the Your Book Is Your Hook! Show on WomensRadio.com.

Mr. Reid will discuss his role in the publishing process, how he finds the authors who research and write the travel guides at Lonely Planet, and he’ll share his perspective of the future of the book publishing industry. Mr. Wilson will talk about celebrating 40 years of Ziggy and his memoir book, Zig-Zagging: Loving Madly, Losing Badly… How Ziggy Saved My Life. He’ll also share how he got published and how he’s using his books as his hook. He’ll also discuss what it’s been like to work on Ziggy with his father for 40 years. He’ll also share advice for cartoonists about today’s publishing world and for owners of a well-known entity like Ziggy who want to write and publish a memoir book.

NEW YORK, NY (August 2nd – August 8th, 2011): Robert Reid, Lonely Planet’s US Travel Editor and spokesperson, will talk with radio personality and host Jennifer S. Wilkov about his role in the publishing process, tips for travel writing and just who writes and researches the Lonely Planet guidebooks.

He’ll also share his perspective of digital books, freelance travel writing and the future of the book publishing industry.

Tom Wilson, the author of the cartoon strip Ziggy, will discuss with radio personality and host Jennifer S. Wilkov celebrating 40 years of Ziggy and his memoir book, Zig-Zagging: Loving Madly, Losing Badly… How Ziggy Saved My Life. He’ll also share how he got published and how he’s using his books as his hook. He’ll also discuss what it’s been like to work on Ziggy with his father for 40 years. He’ll also share advice for cartoonists about today’s publishing world and for owners of a well-known entity like Ziggy who want to write and publish a memoir book.

Host Jennifer S. Wilkov will discuss why we write memoirs and how you can make them sell during her Education Corner segment during the show.

Click Here to Listen Now: http://bit.ly/oXHUqK

If you have questions about any of these interviews or the education corner topic included in the show, please put them here in this discussion thread and I’d be happy to answer them.

By Jennifer S. Wilkov, host of the “Your Book Is Your Hook!” Show on WomensRadio

www.yourbookisyourhook.com

Click Here to listen this interview any time after 9:00 am EST Tuesday July 26th, 2011 on the WomensRadio Network

Michaela Hamilton, Editor In Chief at Citadel Press and Executive Editor of Kensington Publishing, and thriller author and award-winning poet & playwright C.E. Lawrence, will appear as guests on the Your Book Is Your Hook! Show on WomensRadio.com.

Ms. Hamilton will discuss her role in the publishing process, how she finds the authors she publishes, and what constitutes a good pitch for a book. She’ll also share her perspective of the future of the book publishing industry. Ms. Lawrence will talk about her new thriller book, SILENT VICTIM, and share how she got published with Kensington and how she’s using her book as her hook. She’ll also discuss her use of a pen name, how she researches her books, and the distinctions between play writing and book writing. She’ll also share advice for writers who want to write and publish a thriller book in today’s publishing world.

NEW YORK, NY (July 26th – August 1st, 2011): Michaela Hamilton, Editor In Chief of Citadel Press and Executive Editor of Kensington Publishing, will talk with radio personality and host Jennifer S. Wilkov about her role in the publishing process, the types of books she publishes at Kensington, and how she finds her authors.

As a guest speaker at writers conferences and pitch sessions, Ms. Hamilton will reveal what comprises a great pitch and advice about what writers need to know about getting published. She’ll also share her perspective of digital books and the future of the book publishing industry.

Thriller writer and award-winning poet and playwright, C.E. Lawrence, will discuss with radio personality and host Jennifer S. Wilkov how and why she wrote her latest book, SILENT VICTIM. She’ll also talk about how she got published with Kensington and how she’s using her books as her hook. She’ll also reveal how she does the research for her books and plot twists, why she uses a pen name, and the distinctions between play writing and book writing. She’ll also share advice with writers who want to write and publish a thriller book in today’s publishing world.

Host Jennifer S. Wilkov will discuss why some writers use a pen name during her Education Corner segment during the show.

Click Here to Listen Now: http://bit.ly/qxINxd

If you have questions about any of these interviews or the education corner topic included in the show, please put them here in this discussion thread and I’d be happy to answer them.

By Jennifer S. Wilkov, host of the “Your Book Is Your Hook!” Show on WomensRadio

The Literary Agent Matchmaker™

www.yourbookisyourhook.com

As authors and writers, we’re always learning about resources and industry tools that we can use to improve our book project performance and the enjoyment of our writing and marketing experiences.  Today let’s talk about why some writers use pen names.

A pen name or “nom de plume” is a pseudonym adopted by an author for their written work. As Wikipedia explains, “A pen name may be used to make the author’s name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her writings, or for any of a number of reasons related to the marketing or aesthetic presentation of the work. The author’s name may be known only to the publisher, or may come to be common knowledge.”

Sometimes authors use a pen name to avoid being confused with another writer with the same name. Other writers may write in more than one genre and may choose to use a pen name for each type of story or book.

Some pen names you may know and recognize include:

Samuel Langhorne Clemens – who wrote under the aliases “Mark Twain” and “Sieur Louis de Conte.”

Charles Dodgson – the mathematician and fantasy writer who wrote nonfiction under his own name and who wrote fiction with the alias “Lewis Carroll.”

Stephen King – published four novels under the name “Richard Bachman” because publishers didn’t feel the public would buy more than one novel per year from a single author.

C.S. Lewis – the famous author of The Chronicles of Narnia used two different pseudonyms: “Clive Hamilton” for his poems and “N. W. Clerk” for his book about grief and bereavement.

Eric Blair – used the pseudonym “George Orwell” for most of his books because he felt he wasn’t established enough in his writing career to publish under his real name.

Some famous female writers have used pen names for a variety of reasons too:

Mary Ann Evans – wrote as “George Eliot” in the 19^th century to be perceived as a male writer to ensure that her work would be accepted by publishers and/or the public.

Charlotte Bronte – published Jane Eyre under the pseudonym “Currer Bell.”

Emily Bronte – published Wuthering Heights under the pseudonym “Ellis Bell.”

Jane Austen – used the pseudonym “A Lady” as the author of her first novel, Sense and Sensibility.

Karen Blixen – Baroness Karen von Blixen-Finecke originally published the popular story of Out of Africa under the pseudonym “Isak Dinesen.”

Nora Roberts – who writes romance under her own name writes erotic thrillers using the alias “J.D. Robb.”

There are also series of books that you may have grown up with that are published using a pseudonym to represent several authors such as:

Nancy Drew – these mystery books are published as though they were written by Carolyn Keene

The Hardy Boys – these books are published as the work of Franklin W. Dixon

The Bobbsey Twins – this series is credited to Laura Lee Hope

Even the moniker “nom de plume,” while appearing as French, did not originate in France. H. W. Fowler and F. G. Fowler, in The King’s English state that the term nom de plume “evolved” in Britain, where people wanting a “literary” phrase, failed to understand the term nom de guerre, which already existed in French. Since guerre means war in French, nom de guerre did not make sense to the British, who did not understand the French metaphor. The term “nom de plume” was later exported to France.

Some authors like this week’s author guest, C.E. Lawrence, choose to use initials in their pen names for their work. Others use initials to abbreviate and disguise their real names (which are not considered pseudonyms) such as:

S. E. Hinton – Susan Eloise Hinton, the author of The Outsiders

J. K. Rowling – Joanne “Jo” Rowling, the author of Harry Potter, who incidentally had no middle name. She chose the “K” as the second initial of her pen name from her paternal grandmother Kathleen Ada Bulgen Rowling. She used the two initials because her publishers demanded it, fearing that the target audience of young boys might not want to read a book written by a woman,

Other authors have used pen names for other reasons such as:

Joseph Conrad – the British author of Heart of Darkness whose given Polish name was Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski, too hard to pronounce, spell or remember and too long to print.

Silence DoGood – the pseudonym of Benjamin Franklin that he used to write letters to The New England Courant newspaper owned by his brother. Franklin created Silence DoGood as the persona of a middle-aged widow and the letters he wrote poked fun at the various aspects of life in colonial America.

O. Henry – William Sydney Porter’s pseudonym under which he wrote famous short stories like The Gift of the Magi. His moniker was applied to other writers’ works and became referred to as an “O. Henry ending,” pointing to his gift for the surprise endings to his stories.

Pseudonyms extend to children’s books and the comic book world too through:

Stan Lee – Stanley Martin Lieber, the comic book pioneer. He was the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics. In collaboration with several artists, he created Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, the X-men, the Avengers, Iron Man, the Hulk, Thor, Daredevil, Doctor Strange and many others.

Dr. Seuss – Theodor Seuss Geisel, the beloved writer and cartoonist who published 46 children’s books which were often characterized by imaginative characters and rhymes. He began using his pen name long before his books though when an incident in college had the dean force him to resign from all extracurricular activities including writing for the college humor magazine. At that time, he continued writing for the magazine and signed his work under his first pen name, “Seuss.”

There are many reasons why you may want to use a pen name for your work. As you can see, you won’t be the first, and you certainly won’t be the last.

As history has shown, even with a pen name, you can still use your book as your hook – and become a beloved writer.

Jennifer’s show can be heard every week on Tuesday mornings at 9am when it is broadcast on WomensRadio.com and syndicated on Google News and Live365.com. Each show is archived for replay listeners in different time zones and countries.

For more information on this Education Corner topic and others, please refer to www.YourBookIsYourHook.com/blog for more articles and resources to help you with your books.

By Jennifer S. Wilkov, host of the “Your Book Is Your Hook!” Show on WomensRadio

The Literary Agent Matchmaker™

www.yourbookisyourhook.com

As authors and writers, we’re always learning about resources and industry tools that we can use to improve our book project performance and the enjoyment of our writing and marketing experiences.  Today let’s talk about how your book or film may serve a greater purpose.

It is our nature to care about ourselves and others. We write this into the plots of books and films. We hook the reader by engaging them in the lives of our characters and memoirs and what other nonfiction how-to books might do for them. We serve the readers with our souls while finding fulfillment ourselves.

Books and films have a wonderful way of extending themselves into greater efforts to help others. There is a natural segue that evolves when a book or film is affiliated with a charitable effort or organization. It doesn’t have to be directly in the book, but the book can become a hook for so much more and help others.

There are some books that are set up as a donation vehicle to a particular organization such as the way the Chicken Soup for the Soul® books are crafted, where money is donated to a chosen charity for each book based on its theme. Other books are deemed an affiliated effort with a charity by the publisher such as books published by Morgan James Publishing which offers a donation form at the back of their books for Habitat for Humanity or at the discretion of the author such as Brendon Burchard’s Life’s Golden Ticket where a portion of the proceeds from the book are donated to Kiwanis International, Junior Achievement, and the YMCA.

There are lots of other ways writers, authors, screenwriters and filmmakers can have a greater purpose and make a bigger difference with books and films today. Here are some more great examples of how others are doing just this:

Karin Slaughter, a New York Times and #1 internationally best-selling author, is spearheading the SaveTheLibraries.com campaign and events all over the United States. She was recognized for her efforts in conjunction with this campaign and Reading Is Fundamental by the International Thriller Writers organization with their 2011 Silver Bullet Award earlier this month during their ThrillerFest Writers Conference in New York.

This week’s show guests Jonathan and Deborah Flora, the co-producers of the film Lt. Dan Band: For the Common Good, saw what actor Gary Sinise was doing with a band he formed after the name of his character in the movie Forrest Gump and how he was entertaining our troops to support them. Jonathan is a veteran of the U.S. Army’s 82d Airborne Division and served 12 years in the military. He and Deborah thought Gary’s efforts were something worth documenting so they made a film about his tour. Then they went one step further and turned it into a vehicle for donations to support the troops so viewers can contribute to these noble worldwide efforts.

This week’s author guest, Darryl Strawberry, wrote his memoir, Straw: Finding My Way, in which he shares his life’s transformations, struggles, tragedies and triumphs. Then he and his wife were so moved by what they saw one day after a visit to a school for autistic kids that they felt compelled to find a way to help them. So he set up a foundation so he could raise money and bring attention to the fight for autism.

After Hurricane Katrina hit, New York Times best-selling author Heather Graham created the Writers for New Orleans workshop weekend which she holds on Labor Day weekend every year to bring people back to New Orleans and to help stimulate the economy there.

In East Hampton every year there is the famous and this year the 63^rd Annual Artists and Writers Charity Softball Game featuring Ken Auletta, Mike Lupica, Mort Zuckerman, Alec Baldwin and others to benefit local East Hampton charities.

Many writers like to get involved particularly with children and making sure they have access to books such as James Patterson’s ReadKiddoRead.com site which is dedicated to making kids readers for life.

I personally enjoy donating a portion of my sales of Boys Before Business: The Single Girl’s Guide to Having It All to the Sojourner Center in Arizona, which is the largest women’s shelter for domestic violence in the U.S.

I’m also a spokesperson for Project Night Night which hand delivers books into the hands of children in homeless shelters across the U.S. and I’m a proud supporter of Heifer International’s Read to Feed Program where kids in our schools are encouraged to read more books by getting pledges for each book they promise to read and then providing that money to Heifer’s worldwide efforts to end hunger while caring for the Earth. I’m also involved now with starting a new chapter of First Book in Brooklyn, NY, which is a charity dedicated to putting new books into the hands of children in need in my community. You can find out if your community has a First Book chapter and get involved too.

And that is the question for you: as a writer, author, screenwriter or filmmaker: how do you give back and give more with your books and films?

Provide a local book signing for a charity of your choice or a free screening with a donation of your film.

Done with some of the books you’ve been reading? Donate them to a local library or charity who can provide them to someone else or that can charge a small fee for purchase as a donation to the charity such as the Housing Works Bookstore Café in New York City which supports those with AIDS and HIV.

Donate the books you’ve written or the DVD for a film you’ve made to a good cause such as a local shelter or school.

Want to support our troops too like Jonathan and Deborah Flora and Gary Sinise and his band? Donate books to Books for Soldiers, Operation Paperback or share your used Kindle with a soldier through E-Books for Troops.

There is so much you can do as an author, writer, screenwriter or filmmaker to make an even greater difference with your book and film. I encourage you to find ways to use your book as your hook for the greater good too.

Jennifer’s show can be heard every week on Tuesday mornings at 9am when it is broadcast on WomensRadio.com and syndicated on Google News and Live365.com. Each show is archived for replay listeners in different time zones and countries.

For more information on this Education Corner topic and others, please refer to www.YourBookIsYourHook.com/blog for more articles and resources to help you with your books.

By Jennifer S. Wilkov, host of the “Your Book Is Your Hook!” Show on WomensRadio

www.yourbookisyourhook.com

Click Here to listen this interview any time after 9:00 am EST Tuesday July 19th, 2011 on the WomensRadio Network

Jonathan and Deborah Flora, the founders of Lamplight Productions and the co-producers of the award-winning film out this summer entitled, Lt. Dan Band: For The Common Good which Jonathan directed, and NY Times best-selling author Darryl Strawberry, the four time World Series Champion former Major League Baseball star, will appear as guests on the Your Book Is Your Hook! Show on WomensRadio.com.

Mr. & Mrs. Flora will discuss their attraction to the story of Lt. Dan Band, why storytelling and a penchant for giving back is essential, and what constitutes a good pitch for a book or film. They’ll also share their perspectives of the future of the book publishing and film industries. Mr. Strawberry will talk about his best-selling book, STRAW: FINDING MY WAY, and share how he got published and how he’s using his book as his hook to inspire others. He’ll also discuss The Darryl Strawberry Foundation – Fight for Autism and why it’s important to make a difference for others. He’ll also share advice for athletes who want to write and publish a book in today’s publishing world and use it as a hook for other activities they get involved with like their own foundation.

NEW YORK, NY (July 19th – July 25th, 2011): Jonathan and Deborah Flora, the founders of Lamplight Productions and the co-producers of the award-winning film out this summer entitled, Lt. Dan Band: For The Common Good which Jonathan directed, will talk with radio personality and host Jennifer S. Wilkov about why Gary Sinise and the Lt. Dan Band tour caught their eye as a great story for a film, the unique way they’ve chosen to distribute this movie, and why storytelling is the key to your writing and filmmaking success.
Mr. & Mrs. Flora will also discuss what comprises a great pitch for a book or film that would engage them. They’ll also share their perspective of the future of the book publishing and film industries.

New York Times best-selling author, Darryl Strawberry, the four time World Series Champion former Major League Baseball star, will discuss with radio personality and host Jennifer S. Wilkov how and why he wrote his book, STRAW: FINDING MY WAY. He’ll also talk about how he got published and how he’s using his book as his hook to inspire others. Mr. Strawberry will also talk about The Darryl Strawberry Foundation – Fight for Autism, what inspired him to give back to those affected by autism, and the upcoming celebrity golf tournament in New York to benefit his foundation. He’ll also share advice with athletes who want to write and publish a book in today’s publishing world and use it as a hook for other activities they get involved with like their own foundation.

Host Jennifer S. Wilkov will discuss how your book or film may serve a greater purpose by giving back during her Education Corner segment during the show.

Click Here to Listen Now: http://bit.ly/oHfLIl

If you have questions about any of these interviews or the education corner topic included in the show, please put them here in this discussion thread and I’d be happy to answer them.

By Jennifer S. Wilkov, host of the “Your Book Is Your Hook!” Show on WomensRadio

www.yourbookisyourhook.com

Click Here to listen this interview any time after 9:00 am EST Tuesday July 12th, 2011 on the WomensRadio Network

Jane von Mehren, Senior Vice President, Publisher, Trade Paperbacks for the Random House Publishing Group, and Ellen Sussman, the San Francisco Chronicle best-selling author, will appear as guests on the Your Book Is Your Hook! Show on WomensRadio.com.

Ms. von Mehren will discuss the types of books she publishes, how she finds her authors, and what constitutes a good pitch for a book. She’ll also share her perspective of digital books and the future of the book publishing industry. Ms. Sussman will talk about her latest book, FRENCH LESSSONS, and share how she got published and how she’s using her book as her hook. She’ll also discuss how she did her research for the story which takes place in Paris and share advice for writers who want to write and publish a fiction story that parallels their own lives in today’s publishing world.

NEW YORK, NY (July 12th – July 18th, 2011): Jane von Mehren, Senior Vice President, Publisher, Trade Paperbacks for the Random House Publishing Group, will talk with radio personality and host Jennifer S. Wilkov about the types of books she publishes, how she finds her authors, and advice for a new writer who wants to get published in today’s publishing industry.

Ms. von Mehren will also discuss what comprises a great pitch for a book that would engage her. She’ll also share her perspective of digital books and the future of the book publishing industry.

Ellen Sussman, the San Francisco Chronicle best-selling author, will discuss with radio personality and host Jennifer S. Wilkov how and why she wrote her latest book, FRENCH LESSONS. She’ll also talk about how she got published and how she’s using her book as her hook. Ms. Sussman will also talk about how her relationship with her agent supports her writing career, how she did her research for this book which takes place in Paris, and how writing stories similar to her personal experiences affect her and her marriage. She’ll also share advice with writers who want to write and publish a fiction story that parallels their own lives in today’s publishing world.

Host Jennifer S. Wilkov will discuss why research is the key to your writing and publishing career during her Education Corner segment during the show.

Click Here to Listen Now: http://bit.ly/pO5jXp

If you have questions about any of these interviews or the education corner topic included in the show, please put them here in this discussion thread and I’d be happy to answer them.

By Jennifer S. Wilkov, host of the “Your Book Is Your Hook!” Show on WomensRadio

The Literary Agent Matchmaker™

www.yourbookisyourhook.com

As authors and writers, we’re always learning about resources and industry tools that we can use to improve our book project performance and the enjoyment of our writing and marketing experiences.  Today let’s talk about research and why it is the key to your writing and publishing career.

Research. Research. Research. We’ve all heard this term and the phrase, “Do your research,” for years. From back when we were in school to today, this catch phrase always seems to play a role in what we want to do.

It’s no different in the book publishing industry. Here’s why research has such a big role in your writing and publishing career.

Writing

In order to write about anything, it’s best to get more familiar with it. Some say you should write about what you know. Others say that’s not true – you can go research something or someone that interests you and learn more about it. Then write about it. Both methods work.

However, even when you know about something or someone, it still helps to do more research on it because, after all, it’s hard to know everything. It’s also a chance to open up more opportunities and storylines as you get more and more enmeshed in the information.

For example, today’s author guest, Ellen Sussman, lived in Paris for a number of years prior to writing her new novel, French Lessons. When she did write this book, she went back to Paris to research the places she had written about to confirm they were appropriate for the story. What she found was that a few places needed to be changed because they were not as she had remembered them or they were not at all what she had expected.

In a recent conversation I had with David Morrell at ThrillerFest last week, he said he got his pilot’s license when he was writing about one of his characters who was flying a plane in one of his books so he could accurately account for the flying experience as a pilot, not just as a passenger guessing at what it’s like to fly.

Heather Graham has a great time researching locations all over the world that claim to have great ghosts in their midsts. She writes about her adventures on her website, http://theoriginalheathergraham.com, and she uses her experiences to fuel the stories in her wildly popular paranormal books.

Katharine Sands, a literary agent at the Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency, refers to herself as the agent provocateur as opposed to the author of her book, Making The Perfect Pitch: How to Catch a Literary Agent’s Eye. She interviewed other literary agents and added their insights and perspectives to her book as opposed to just writing it herself.

John Grisham researched the life and court transcripts for Ron Williamson for his book, The Innocent Man. He expresses gratitude for those who were willing to talk with him so he could conduct his research for his first nonfiction tale.

There are so many ways to do research for your book including unique opportunities like Lee Lofland’s Writer’s Police Academy, a truly original undertaking.. The Writers’ Police Academy offers the most hands-on, interactive and educational experience writers can find to enhance their understanding of all aspects of law enforcement and forensics.

Research is what’s behind the authenticity of your story. Even though you have so-called poetic license when writing, when you do your research well, the readers appreciate what you’ve written that much more and are not distracted by your lack of accuracy and knowledge.

Marketing

The platform for marketing your book runs the gamut from simple and sweet to large, expansive and complex. In order to determine what’s best for you, your book and platform, it’s best to do your research to find out what is involved in each component activity so you can understand what you are willing to do and what you might want someone else to do for you – or not do it at all.

So many new things are developing in the field of book marketing for your platform that your research is never really done here. A bit cliché but true. For example, while I was at ThrillerFest last week, I saw demonstrations of iDoLVine and Autography, two new products and services that are revolutionizing the virtual book signing experience. The presentation for these was truly eye-opening and the possibilities were endless. There will be more and more developments in the area of ideas for marketing your book. Not every one is for every book and author so research is the best way to manage your time, efforts, energy and money.

Getting published

The publishing process is a friendlier journey when you know more about it and do your research. Don’t just self, e- or traditionally publish your book because someone else did.  Identify your goals for your book, understand your options and then choose the appropriate method that can best support you with achieving these goals.

Agents

If you want to begin a long lasting relationship with an agent, start it before you meet them by doing your research and getting to know all about them. Look, if you’re interested in someone, it’s best to find out what you can before you approach them or meet them. Your efforts to research them shows when that moment to meet finally them comes. This is especially true when it comes to finding an agent. Don’t just research the submission guidelines so you can slam them with your stuff. Research each agent you want to submit to or the ones you’re going to pitch at a writers conference or pitchfest. Understand who they are, what they want in the authors they represent, and then craft your pitch to answer their submission guidelines appropriately.

Literary agent Scott Eagan of Greyhaus Literary Agency recently wrote a great article about this very mistake he saw made during the recent Romantic Writers of America annual conference in New York. The title of Scott’s post was “Pitching at Conferences: My Point Was Proven!” and in it he says that at writers conferences “…most writers just grab any appointment slot they can get their hands on to sell their story. There is no ounce of research done. There is not thought to why they would pitch their story to a given agent or editor. They just grab. Needless to say, because there isn’t that careful thought, writers will more than likely see a rejection later on.”

If you want to win in the game of getting an agent, do your research and you’ll find you’ll have much greater success.

One word of caution here: In the agent search, also be aware of getting too caught up in the “finding an agent” process that you stop writing. It’s best to look for an agent while continuing to write your next book. In a recent article on writer Nina Badzin’s blog entitled, “Are You Addicted to Finding a Literary Agent?” Nina writes, “…instead of working with the new characters and plot you’ve imagined—you’re researching agents again. You haven’t written anything new in six months. Rejection is demoralizing, but starting over is terrifying. You’re sending out query letters to every new agent on the scene. You’re out of control. My friend, you’re addicted to finding a literary agent. You need help.”

Publishers

Publishers are like agents who become a business partner of yours for the life of your book. Before you jump into any business relationship, be smart and research each publisher you and, if you have one, your agent are approaching. Understand what imprints they have and why your book would be a good fit for them.

Don’t just leap at an offer. Be sure you’ve connected with the right agent and publisher for your book by doing your research to confirm it.

Research is a term that may seem overused in the book publishing industry, but it’s true in this case that you can never do enough of it. On the flip side, be aware of analysis paralysis when researching, as there is a point where you’ll need to stop researching and start writing or submitting to an agent or publisher.
In order to use your book as your hook more effectively, do your research to identify and connect with the right readers, the right agents, editors and industry professionals, and most of all with your great story and hook.

In the end, the time you invest in your research will pay off ten fold and more in appreciation of your efforts by others.

Jennifer’s show can be heard every week on Tuesday mornings at 9am when it is broadcast on WomensRadio.com and syndicated on Google News and Live365.com. Each show is archived for replay listeners in different time zones and countries.

For more information on this Education Corner topic and others, please refer to www.YourBookIsYourHook.com/blog for more articles and resources to help you with your books.

By Jennifer S. Wilkov, host of the “Your Book Is Your Hook!” Show on WomensRadio

The Literary Agent Matchmaker™

www.yourbookisyourhook.com

As authors and writers, we’re always learning about resources and industry tools that we can use to improve our book project performance and the enjoyment of our writing and marketing experiences.  Today let’s talk about why libraries need authors and why authors need libraries.

These days, books are available everywhere – online, on digital gadgets, in booksellers with cafes filled with fancy coffee, in airports and in many other venues.

Gone are the days when we headed off to the library to search the shelves for a great new book in our favorite category and genre.

Are these days really gone?

For many, the library was once a haven – a place to escape from every day life by connecting with stories and worlds beyond our own. For many, it still is.

Libraries don’t only need support from the states and cities they are in, they need to constantly present new reasons for local members of the community to come in and spend time there.

Libraries serve to bring people together around our favorite topic…books!

Although they’ve expanded to now offer videos and audio books to keep up with the times, they still are the home of many books that wouldn’t be read otherwise.

Libraries need authors to help bring in more people so they can experience the joy housed in this sanctuary filled with the outcomes of our efforts as writers and publishers.

As authors, writers and publishers, you may think you don’t need libraries or that they maybe on the endangered species list or on the verge of being extinct.

Think about this: there are many in your community who would never get to read your book if it wasn’t in the library. Without authors, libraries would lose the very reason they were created so long ago: to make books available to the general population.

Authors need libraries to reach more readers, to make a contribution and to have a place in the hearts of each community.

If just one person has the chance to read your book because they had access to it through the library, you as an author have benefited and made a difference in that one life. But who knows how many other lives will be touched as a result of what that one person read in your book that they found in the library?

Whether you entertain, educate or enlighten people with yours, your book is still your hook—even when it’s in the library.

Jennifer’s show can be heard every week on Tuesday mornings at 9am when it is broadcast on WomensRadio.com and syndicated on Google News and Live365.com. Each show is archived for replay listeners in different time zones and countries.

For more information on this Education Corner topic and others, please refer to www.YourBookIsYourHook.com/blog for more articles and resources to help you with your books.

By Jennifer S. Wilkov, host of the “Your Book Is Your Hook!” Show on WomensRadio

www.yourbookisyourhook.com

Click Here to listen this interview any time after 9:00 am EST Tuesday July 5th, 2011 on the WomensRadio Network

Heather McCormack, Book Review Editor of Library Journal, and Karin Slaughter, the New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling author of eleven thrillers and who is spearheading SaveTheLibraries.com events around the U.S., will appear as guests on the Your Book Is Your Hook! Show on WomensRadio.com.

Ms. McCormack will discuss how book reviews support an author’s platform and why it’s important for writers to get their books out to librarians. She’ll also share her perspective of the future of libraries and the book publishing industry. Ms. Slaughter will talk about her latest book, FALLEN, and share how she originally got published with her first book. She’ll also discuss how she writes her thrillers and how she’s using her books as her hook. As the 2011 Silver Bullet Award winner during this week’s ThrillerFest Conference, she’ll also share advice for writers that she wishes she had known when she wrote her first book.

NEW YORK, NY (July 5th – July 11th, 2011): Heather McCormack, Book Review Editor of Library Journal, will talk with radio personality and host Jennifer S. Wilkov about how book reviews support an author’s platform. She’ll also discuss why it’s important for writers to get their books out to librarians.

Ms. McCormack will also discuss how writers can get a book review from Library Journal and some do’s and don’ts to help them catch a book reviewer’s eye. She’ll also share her perspective of the future of libraries and the book publishing industry.

Karin Slaughter, the New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling author of eleven thrillers and who is spearheading the SaveTheLibraries.com events around the U.S., will discuss with radio personality and host Jennifer S. Wilkov how and why she wrote her latest book, FALLEN. She’ll also talk about how she first got published and how she’s using her books as her hook. Ms. Slaughter will also talk about the SaveTheLibraries.com events and how she has enrolled other authors to join her in her efforts. As this week’s 2011 Silver Bullet Award winner at the ThrillerFest Conference in New York City, she’ll also share advice she wishes she had known when she wrote her first thriller book.

Host Jennifer S. Wilkov will discuss why libraries need authors and why authors need libraries during her Education Corner segment during the show.

Click Here to Listen Now: http://bit.ly/lJEppk

If you have questions about any of these interviews or the education corner topic included in the show, please put them here in this discussion thread and I’d be happy to answer them.