What Self-Help Experts Know: Lead with Need

Self-help books exist to solve readers’ needs. Here’s a vital strategy to ensure yours is irresistible.

Writing Advice, How to Write a BookPatrick PriceJuly 17, 2024Ask an Editor, How to Write Better, Book Coach, Freelance Book Editor, Patrick Price, Self-Help

Train for Writing like an Athlete

Athletes expect to practice to sharpen and grow their gifts. Here's why writers need to adapt the same mindset.

Ask a Book Editor, Writing Advice, Writing InspirationPatrick PriceMarch 29, 2023Ask an Editor, How to Write Better, Book Coach, Writing Advice, Patrick Price, Freelance Book Editor

How to Find Your Perfect Literary Agent

Finding an agent who is excited to work with you is more like dating than choosing a skilled doctor to visit. It’s personal. It’s subjective. It’s about first impressions, common interests, and establishing mutual excitement to build a bright future together. Ideally, it’s a committed, long haul relationship, prepared to weather any bumps. It’s no wonder that there can be frustrating rejections of “I like but just don’t love enough to pursue.”

BUT there are smarter ways to vet and curate your wishlist—to tip the scales a little closer in your favor. And it boils down to doing your homework. Sometimes lots of homework to tailor your search, so it seems like “fate” has landed your query in said agent’s in-box.

Ask a Book Editor, Patrick Price, Publishing Resources, How to Get PublishedPatrick PriceOctober 26, 2020Ask an Editor, how to find an agent, query letter, How to Get Published, literary agent

Why Do Literary Agents Take So Long?

It’s every aspiring writer’s least favorite scenario: waiting to hear back from a literary agent.

But it’s possible—hardly even uncommon—to never get a response from your queries, or even after an invite was extended. What gives? Is your work that bad or wrong for them to justify query amnesia? Are agents so inundated that even a form letter rejection is too much to ask? Because, like in dating, getting “ghosted” is by far THE WORST.

Well, I’m going to let you in on some secrets. Or rather,

12 Hard Truths About Getting Rejected (Or Receiving “the Silent Treatment”) from Agents

How to Get Published, Ask a Book Editor, Book PublishingPatrick PriceJuly 8, 2020Ask an Editor, how to find an agent, query letter, How to Get Published, literary agent, Publishing Advice, Patrick Price

Patrick Price as Featured Guest on the Startup Hustle Podcast

I recently had a lot of fun being a guest on the Startup Hustle Podcast to talk about the process of publishing a book and the business behind it. There’s loads of practical advice regarding making the leap from idea to manuscript. Plus we give plenty of attention to the rise of indie authors.

Ask a Book Editor, How to Write a Book, Patrick Price, Book Publishing, Media InterviewPatrick PriceJune 3, 2020Ask a Book Editor, Patrick Price, How to Get Published, Start Up Hustle Podcast, Publishing Service, Freelance Editor, Ask an Editor

Grammar Made Easy: Should I Capitalize "Mom" and "Dad"?

Everyone knows to capitalize names. I mean “patrick” looks so weird that spellcheck tried to automatically fix it. But it’s very common to get tripped up when we’re talking about Mom and Dad.

Or is it mom and dad? My Mom? Our dad?

What should be simple can leave you second-guessing or using inconsistently.

Ask a Book Editor, Writing Advice, Grammar Made EasyPatrick PriceJuly 24, 2019Patrick Price, How to Write Better, Creative Wrting, Freelance Editor, Grammar, Ask an Editor

Blog

12 Hard Truths About Getting Rejected (Or Receiving “the Silent Treatment”) from Agents

I recently had a lot of fun being a guest on the Startup Hustle Podcast to talk about the process of publishing a book and the business behind it. There’s loads of practical advice regarding making the leap from idea to manuscript. Plus we give plenty of attention to the rise of indie authors.

Everyone knows to capitalize names. I mean “patrick” looks so weird that spellcheck tried to automatically fix it. But it’s very common to get tripped up when we’re talking about Mom and Dad.

Ask a Book Editor