Working Titlez

Do you need a literary agent? If you write fiction and dream of lunching with your editor in New York, you may well.

Literary agents are absolutely required if you expect to sell fiction to one of the big New York publishing houses. These publishers won’t even open unsolicited or unagented submissions.

Smaller and regional presses will vary in their acceptance of agented vs. unagented work. Some only accept manuscripts from agents, while others perfer to work with authors directly. Non-fiction authors usually find a warmer welcome, sans agent, especially if they are a recognized expert in their field. Again, the bigger the house, the more critical the agent’s role.

Las Vegas attorney and author Tami Cowden recently addressed the Las Vegas Writers Group on the subject of agents and how to acquire representation. LVWG “scribe” Megan Edwards provides a useful summary. The LVWG is a warm and welcoming organization to authors in all stages of their writing careers, from unpublished beginners to multi-book veterans.

The summary can be downloaded here.

And for the record . . . Stephens Press does not require agent representation for submissions.

How cool! Legal Tender made Reuters — one of the top international news services — and the 44th most recognized global brand. The book review appears in the Business & Finance section. Fitting, as Laraine Russo Harper’s memoir shares plenty of business sense, applicable to any business, but specific to the brothel she “madamed” for six years.

In times of economic challenge, turn to a professional marketer of legendary success for back-to-basics advice.

Guest Blogger Kristofer S. Kringle, CEO, North Pole Enterprises

Since I’ve been advertising my message of glad tidings and good cheer to my loyal worldwide customer base for some time now, I have a few proven techniques and tips you may wish to consider for the coming year.

1. Once you’ve got a solid positioning statement like my “Merry Christmas and Happy New Year:, stick with it as long as it works — a few centuries or so.
2. Select a snazzy color combination like red and green and use it liberally. Remember, repetitiveness builds retention.
3. A creative concept unique to your organization can fly a long, long time — just look at my reindeer and sleigh.
4. Home delivery is essential for service-based businesses. My chimney techniques are part of my claim-to-fame and unmatched by others (just ask the Tooth Fairy).
5. Dynamic packaging is everything. Everyone identifies my swell red stocking cap with me.
6. We live in a global economy. A multi-lingual jingle like my “Ho! Ho! Ho!” is understood everywhere.
7. Know your target audience and create appeals for each segment. Oldies relate to my wise bearded visage, while the young-uns know they can sit on my lap and share their dreams of things to come on Christmas morning.

There’s a competition for everything, right? Right! In both the design and book worlds, there are plenty, but none quite like this one from Before & After, a magazine for graphic designers.

To win, the most boring book cover possible, something to put the most ardent insomniac to sleep, must be created — including a fictional title, sub-title and author’s name. The entries are still arriving, but early contenders include the cover pictured at left.

Now you might think this cover is about as sleep-inducing as counting sheep, but according to the judges, it has some qualities that may wake you up.

To wit: Midnight. Pillow. Bedside. Slumberous words. Soft, comfy linen in calm, neutral colors. What could be more sleep inducing? Even the author’s name is, well, gray. But there are some culprits here that mess up the somnolent mood. One is the word “tales,” which suggests intrigue, mystery, suspense, especially since it involves a bed — at midnight. Another is the pillow’s rakish angle, which is extremely active and suggestive, too, in a Hitchcock kind of way. And Mr. Graye? His bland countenance is betrayed by that rogue, ending e, which suggests, if not an exotic lineage, at least a British one, á la Sherlock Holmes.

To see the rest of the entries and judge’s commentary, go to Before & After. Nighty-nite!