First Word

If you're wondering what I secretly wish I could say sometimes but cannot because it wouldn't exactly uphold my standards for customer service, I thought I would instead share some the absurdities on the blog. Then perhaps many of you will avoid the common pitfalls when you get me on the phone or in person. So, let's have some fun. "My mother loves the book" aka peanut gallery focus groups . I completely love this one. Authors often try to sell me on how good their books are based on what I call "peanut gallery focus groups". They take their projects to family and close friends for feedback. You know your family and friends typically want to encourage and support you, right? When I hear this method as a benchmark for how great a book is, I shudder and have to refrain from making remarks. Focus groups are great. You should absolutely do a focus group for critiques, but your focus group should consist of unbiased associates who have no stake or vested in...

One my associates made the comment about how hard it is to sell unique story ideas. It seems like Hollywood, publishers like to stick to tried-and-true subjects that have sold in the past. You know like Hang Over 2 . Problem for the writers is that it forces them to stick to retread topics or form a highly persuasive marketing proposals within their book proposal to persuade publishers to take a leap of faith. When you're already working in a highly competitive area, asking a publisher to leap and possibly fall isn't always a persuasive argument. When I decide on a book, I always base it on a little bit of gut and a little bit of knowledge about the marketplace. For example, when the Fertile Kitchen Cookbook authors approached me, I considered my own experience with infertility. I remembered the hunger for knowledge and solutions -- and the library I accumulated. Knowing that couples experiencing this sort of crisis would also be just as hungry for knowledge, I knew that boo...