Author Archive: Sandra Herner
I help writers with professional editing that helps them turn their stories (particularly: mysteries, SF/F and series) into published books that engage readers.
Tricks to Killer Query Letters
Need a killer query letter for agents or publishers? Queries can be tough! Try these tricks so you can connect with publishing professionals to get a “Send more now!” response. First, realize that the statistics on queries are dreadful for most writers—rejection after rejection is…
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Is This the Definitive Way to Find YOUR Agent?
In my last post I offered the first rung of tried-and-true methods to find an agent. Here are two alternative (and opposite) ways to land an agent–one may be the perfect to get one step closer to your book deal! Agents have…
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Can Writers Really Trust An Agent?
Are you about to take the “finding an agent” path? Are there any drawbacks to getting an agent to represent your book? Sure there are! Every opportunity involves potential problems. There are good reasons to seek an agent: A good agent can open…
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Alert: The Gamble AFTER Readers Buy Your Book—and How to Be a Winner
What happens to your book AFTER it’s purchased? Huh? Why should you care? Publishers now DO care—and make decisions on marketing based on how readers read books! Too many writers concentrate only on: a colorful cover clever title and hot action on…
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Your Writer’s Blog to Book Ecosystem
Take a lesson from Harvard Business—without attending classes—and you can have a leg up on your writing competition. Writers need to know what to do BEFORE they write. Becoming a writer is more than just learning the steps to writing…
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When Do Weak Characters Spell Publishing Success?
Is your protagonist charming? Uh-oh! That may seem good, but then why is it many successful protagonists are weak, sad or, at least to a degree, miserable characters? How come? Many books and movies focus on the little kid who needs…
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Dealing with the Tough Part of Writing
How is a writer to get from that initial glut of ideas to the exact wording publishers demand? There IS a way! And I discovered it on a recent trip to the Oregon coast. I work with writers who struggle…
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The Writing Demon – and How to Kill It
I recently received two emails from writer clients plagued with the same problem. One is a new author, writing her first book. The other writer has several books published by commercial publishers, an agent from a top New York firm,…
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Writing “50 Shades of Plot”
Want to learn how to plot your book “Fifty Shades of Grey” style? I’m not talking erotic mysteries, mind you (let’s save that for a slightly different forum, hmm?), but there is a secret hidden in this title that writers can…
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How to Velcro Your Readers in Place
Some writers enjoy meandering into their stories, with scenics and details and moods that carry the story through for pages, or chapters, before anything really “happens.” We’ve all read at least a few books whose openings are slow but that…
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