Rick Frishman’s Blog

To write a nonfiction book, it’s crucial to set achievable goals and create workable plans to achieve them. Unless you’re into experimentation or just want to meander along for the ride, you need a road map; you need to know where you’re going. You must be clear about your objective, what you want to achieve. So, the first step is to clarify your goals.

The best way to determine your actual goals is to ask yourself nonjudgmentally why you want to write a book. Be honest. Dig deep to find the actual reasons why you want to write your book, because they can influence the choices you make and the direction you chart. Do you have a point to make, a story to tell, or a feat to accomplish? Admit if you want fame, fortune, and recognition, but understand that they may be difficult to attain.

Before you begin to write, after you are clear on why you want to write, create a step-by-step plan. Think about the best way to get information and understand your topic, how you can find out what you should read and whom you should interview. Assess the competition, learn how you differ, and identify your niche.

Author 101: Bestselling Book Proposals The Insider’s Guide to Selling Your Work
by Rick Frishman and Robyn Freedman Spizman
http://www.author101.com
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The Agenting Process Explained - Part 2

Specialties — Literary agents specialize in many kinds of books. Usually, their areas of interest are listed in the guidebooks and on their Web sites. You can also pick up books with topics that are similar to yours and look for the names of agents in the acknowledgment sections, where authors generally thank their agents. Even if you find an agent with the same specialty as your book, that agent might not be right for you–or you might not be right for him or her. How can you tell?

When an agent could be right for you: When you approach the agent who just sold the hottest diet book with your time-tested diet book that is based on your long-running newspaper column called “Eating Right.” It also doesn’t hurt that you’re a certified nutritionist who lectures frequently. Since the agent has experience with diet books plus the connections and knowledge of what diet books editors and publishers are buying, you just might have contacted the right agent.

Why that agent might not be right: When you contact that agent about your diet book, the bar might be set so high that you don’t have a chance. Since his or her recent success, that agent may have ascended to another level, representing only high-profile chefs and foodies with the most established national platforms.

Different Types of Agents — Some agents represent a variety of authors who write about many different fields. Some literary agencies have agents who specialize in different areas. If an agent or an agency doesn’t handle your type of book, he or she usually can refer you to someone who does. And their recommendations can make a difference. Start thinking of yourself in terms of your specialty areas. Are you a parenting writer, a memoir writer, a true-crime writer, a business writer, or a gardening writer? The more precisely you describe what you do, the more effectively you will be able to communicate with agents or people who can connect you with agents. Agents who specialize usually have terrific contacts with editors and publishers in their areas of interest. They are familiar with all of their books, the competition, their current lists, and their wish lists.

An excerpt from the National Bestseller Author 101: Bestelling Secrets from Top Agents by Rick Frishman and Robyn Freedman Spizman with Mark Steisel
http://www.author101.com

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It is Planned TV Arts 45th Anniversary and it all started with my Mentor Mike Levine

You need great mentors in your life.

 Feb 5 Podcast [4:58m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

check it out below

This is a 4 part series on how to become an Author and on book publicity

http://www.sellingpower.com/video/index.asp?date=2/1/2007

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also check out http://www.sellingpower.com

Also- Hold a date- May 31 in New York City

I will be putting on a seminar before BEA with Mark Victor Hansen

More details to follow

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Rick