New Review Site

Hi Everyone,

I recently discovered a great new review site, Working Girl Reviews. Not only will they review your book, but they also accept requests for an interview.

Feel free to stop by and take a look:

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Congratulations on a fantastic and informative interview, Brenda.

Very informative Brenda. For a new writer it may appear discouraging, but it will certainly separate the wishful thinkers from those who want to write and do it successfully.

Brenda, that's an excellent interview... very informative.

Every signing I go to, I have someone say 'I am going to write a book when I have the time,' as though they'll eventually take a month off work and turn out a bestseller. So many people talk about wanting to find a publisher, and they haven't even written a book yet... or a chapter for that matter. It's good to dream, and I like floating around in the clouds as much as the next person, but at some point you have to come down and get stuck in... actually write. I think a lot of people don't get that.

Thanks, Y'all.

The mistake I made in the interview was in not differentiating between the smaller indie publishers who take more chances on manuscripts and the big NY pubs. But for most of my writing and editing career, I’ve worked with writers whose goal was the biggies, so that’s my mindset.

As far as the time involved, yes. Talent is a big part of the equation, but so is determination and the willingness to learn.

I worked with a writer whose only desire was to write in a certain genre, and when she started out, her manuscripts were so horrible that I truly thought she had no chance. But I tore them apart, recommended certain classes to learn technique, how-to books, and suggested basic English and grammar classes, thinking I’d never hear from her again. To my surprise, even with small children and working part-time, she took class after class, spent time in the evenings studying English and grammar, kept writing, and when, after several years of writing several manuscripts, she received her first offer of representation from an agent and consequently her first offer from a major publisher, we both celebrated.

And hers is not the only story I could tell about determination and the time it took to learn.

So a big yes to never giving up if it’s something you truly want, even if your writing is atrocious. But it takes work and not everyone is willing to put in the time.

On the other hand, not every writer wants to go for the biggies. With all the smaller indies now, it's truly the writer's choice where to publish.