Tag Archives: Book Contract

When a Book Contract Goes South

Posted on July 12, 2012 by Jennifer Jensen

Agent finds blog.  Agent likes writer.  Writer likes agent.  Editor likes writer.  Writer, liking the size of the paycheck, agrees to work-for-hire contract. Writer wears her butt, fingers and brain out researching and writing.   Editor can’t quite articulate the balance or tone desired in proposed book.   After three tries and much beating head against wall, editor and writer decide to call it quits. Sigh.  Repeat sigh. What’s left to do after two months of intense work?  Get on with life, I suppose.  To say I was disappointed is an understatement, and I gave up quite a lot to work on this project, but in the end we basically fired each other.  And I was so burned out the last week that I wasn’t sorry to see it go. But . . . (there’s always a “but” isn’t there?) . . . somewhere along the way I had a revelation, one … Continue reading →

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Can a Writer’s Blog Really Help You Get an Agent?

Posted on April 25, 2012 by Jennifer Jensen

You know the stories.  Julie Powell blogged about tackling Julia Child’s recipes each day, and ended up with Julie & Julia in a book and in the theaters.  Stuff White People Like got a book deal three months after it was launched.  And then there’s the parody blog & book, Options: the Secret Life of Steve Jobs, by “fake Steve Jobs.” But those deals were all turning the actual blog into a book.  Anything we hear about agents trolling blogs for promising writers seems like rumors and dreams. Until it happens to you. I got this message in my email a week and a half ago: Hi Jennifer:       I am a literary agent scouting on behalf of a major publisher for someone to write a book on a young adult topic. I found your blogs and wonder if you might have interest in hearing more. What’s that?  Someone found … Continue reading →

Posted in Blogging, ROW80, WRITING | Tagged , , , , , , , | 35 Comments