Comments on: Guest Author: Jenna Petersen

By: Jenna Petersen

Jenna Petersen — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 14:03:21 +0000

Actually SweetNSour Girl, there really aren’t any perks (aside from having books on shelves and real life READERS, which are pretty good). I think I covered the agent thing above pretty well, but probably my best actual “publishing” advice is at http://www.passionatepen.com

I have lots of articles about craft and industry, links to publishers and agents, etc.

JennaP

By: SweetNSourGirl

SweetNSourGirl — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 03:51:36 +0000

Wow, congrats! 10 books is quite the milestone.

Besides the secret handshake, what are some of the other published author perks? And maybe more importantly, how does one become a published author? Is an agent totally necessary? How can I tell if it’s a good publisher?

By: Jenna Petersen

Jenna Petersen — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 02:34:02 +0000

Sure! I’m happy to help!

Thanks for having me here today.

JennaP

By: LeaF

LeaF — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 00:38:51 +0000

Thank you so much JennaP. I have bookmarked your site.

LeaF

By: Jenna Petersen

Jenna Petersen — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 23:37:50 +0000

I would say that if you are pursuing a single title market that you’ll do better with an agent. They’ll be able to submit and get an answer quicker, as well as negotiate the best contract you can get and help you build a career. But you’ll want to do your research and make sure you hire the right one. I have a lot of advice regarding that at my site for writers, http://www.passionatepen.com

One big thing… you should NEVER pay to get your book published. EVER. Not a penny at any part in the process. And the only time your agent should get money is when YOU sell a book (and then it comes to them directly from the publisher either as a split check or as a full check and then they pay out our portion, YOU never write them a check).

JennaP

By: LeaF

LeaF — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 23:31:37 +0000

Hi Jenna;

Thank you for offering such great words with respect to what it is like being a published author. Congratulations on the publication of your 10th novel!!!

I am working on my first book (slogging is more the word, having re-written the first, second and third chapters numerous times), and was curious to know, when I do get it finished, if its necessary to have an agent? This may seem like a very dumb question, but is a writer able to just send in a synopsis of their work with two or three chapters and see if a publisher shows interest?

I have a couple of friends who have been encouraging me to do this for years and have kindly offered to be first readers. They have promised to be honest and tell me if it sucks lemons or not – lol. However, producing something palatable is one thing, and I know publishers get thousands of manuscripts every year to look at, so….

By the way, “Crazy Author Syndrome”, can’t be any worse than, “Scared of Rejection Author Syndrome”.

Regards
LeaF

By: Jenna Petersen

Jenna Petersen — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 22:29:48 +0000

LOL Leigh and Limecello.

And Jill, seriously you can find 10,000 ways to obsess. The funny thing is that we authors can only find such a small percentage of information. I told a friend that it’s just enough to drive you crazy and not enough for you to have any idea how you’re doing in reality. LOL

JennaP

By: Jill Sorenson

Jill Sorenson — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 22:22:11 +0000

You’ve given me a lot of obsessing to look forward to! I check my Amazon ratings sometimes. I even found out I could see where I rank compared to other Silhouette Intimate Moments authors. Nora Roberts is always kicking my ass with a couple dozen books she wrote in 1982.

By: limecello

limecello — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 21:39:39 +0000

Congratulations on the 10th book! That’s exciting news, and good for you! As for the crazy author syndrome… well, haha – good thing your husband is a saint, no?
You are one busy lady – good luck with all of that and have fun!

By: Leigh Royals

Leigh Royals — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 15:35:57 +0000

Secret handshake, wow. Is the club shrouded in as much mystery and intrigue as *gasp* the Masons?