THINGS THAT MAKE EDITORS CRINGE

Nobody wants to make an editor (or anyone) cringe when they read your manuscript. Inspired by a post from Jamie K. Schmidt, we’re covering 10 things that make editors cringe with tips to avoid them. Be sure to head to writingforchildren.com/231 to download the show notes because many of these tips will be easier to see in writing.

Everybody knows to use spellcheck or Grammarly when going over their writing. However, the following mistakes aren’t generally caught by these two programs. And if you want to stop an editor’s eyes from rolling to the back of her head, you should check your writing for the errors we're talking about today.

INTERVIEW WITH AGENT ADRIA GOETZ

Adria Goetz is a Literary Manager with Seattle-based Martin Literary & Media Management. She primarily represents picture books, middle grade, young adult, Lifestyle books, quirky gift books, as well as everything under the Christian umbrella.

WE TALK ABOUT:

• What’s the secret to getting an agent?
• What is a nightmare client and what is a perfect client?
• How should a writer “shop” for an agent to impress?
• How does one pitch a wordless picture book to an agent?
• Are agents reluctant to work with new writers that are 60+ years old?
• What is the most common mistake new writers make in a query letter?

Get a one-on-one mentor to help you write publishable work that agents and publishers are looking for! Get started here!

SUBMISSIONS

It’s the beginning of a new year. A time that we as writers like to set goals for our writing success and dream about what our writing career will look like next year at this time. Maybe one of your goals this year is to submit your work to agents or editors. It can seem like a Herculean task, but like the old joke goes, how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. In this episode, based on an article from our own Jan Fields, we’re going to talk about what you should worry about most in your submissions and when it’s okay to press the send button.