The winner of the query books, selected by Random.org, is Barbara Horter.

Thank you all for your words of encouragement!

Best,

Sarah P.

The Adventures of a Query Queen

By Sarah Pinneo

Today it is finally true. After years of work, two manuscripts, and who knows how many queries, my novel hits bookstore shelves, published by Plume, an imprint of Penguin USA.

Julia's Child is a Cinderella story about a mom who wants very much to see…

SheWriters, I bring you an incredible success story by New York Times bestselling author Jenna Blum.  She helped march her novels Those Who Save Us and The Stormchasers up the charts in the most amazing way.  I get shivers reading this.  Jenna, take it away! —Sarah P.

Sarah: Wow, Carolyn Parkhurst!  Everyone is talking about your hysterical new book trailer / video.  How did you come up with such a wonderful mockery of authors overdoing it?

Carolyn: This idea—like so many things related to book promotion--grew out of a sense of futility.  It seems like authors have such a brief window of time to make people aware of their books and hope that they buy them, and I was trying to figure out if there was anything I could do…

Liz Michalski’s novel Evenfall is beautiful and moving.  I’ve read it.  Even that scene.  (Especially that scene.)  In chatting with Liz, I discovered an…

Tanya Eby writes romantic comedy, including a book which has the most awesome title I’ve ever heard: Blunder Woman.  She’s also the only person I know who has…

Television is a powerful promotional tool. If you’ve ever idly wondered what a little TV promotion would be worth to your writing, I give you this story by SheWriter Deborah Lee Luskin.  She was made to consider this very question last year, just after the publication of her award-winning novel Into the Wilderness.  This incident made my jaw drop, which probably only proves that I'm naïve.

—Sarah  P.

Enticement & Integrity, By…

I was fresh out of college.

The year before, as a senior, I’d had the pleasure to edit an edition of a college guide. With the book coming out, I was asked by the publisher to do a radio tour for the book.

(Hang on. I'm dating myself by describing the publicity that this book received. This happened during the early '90s.  It now seems stunning…

A great advantage of blogging about book publicity is that I get to ask booksellers questions from a vantage point other than that of desperate author. 

Jenn Northington has the kind of job that book nerds everywhere find glamorous.  She is the events manager at WORD, a truly wonderful indie bookstore in Brooklyn.  (Motto: EAT SLEEP READ)  Author readings, signings and…

They do if you're Pioneer Woman.  Superstar mom blogger Rhee Drummond shows us how it's done.

Ms. Drummond posted Twenty Steps to Writing a Children's Book on her ever popular blogsite The Pioneer Woman.  Never shy of lengthy photo essays, Drummond shows in intricate detail the creation of her new picture book.  Post gives the full blow-by-blow: there are photos of the real dog…