GrubWrites

ARCHIVE FOR Katrin Schumann

Do Authors Really Need to be a "Brand"?

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When I teach workshops on writing and/or publishing, I often start out by asking writers to work on the "one-liner" for their projects, whether fiction, nonfiction, or collections. I encourage them to try winnowing it down to just one line — and no, that single line can't comprise 200 words.

Usually someone will ask, sometimes a little aggressively, "Why?" The subtext is perfectly reasonable: their book or collection is too complex to be expressed in one line

September 8, 2021 | Katrin Schumann

When Being a Writer Means Playing the Waiting Game

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By Katrin Schumann

You may have heard, these days many writers are waiting. Waiting to hear back from their overwhelmed agents. Waiting to hear from busy publishers. Waiting for Covid to really be OVER so they can do live book events again. Waiting for inspiration becuase they're exhausted by the last year and a half. Waiting because their release dates have been moved (again).

August 4, 2021 | Katrin Schumann

Books & Reading The Writing Life

What to Do After Attending a Writing Conference

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Writers attending conferences - like last week's The Muse & The Marketplace 2021 - tend to react to the experience in one of two ways: despair or elation.

 

Camp #1 is overwhelmed with information. Too much of the advice they absorbed seemed contradictory or overly complicated. They’re not sure they even like agents and editors anymore. And dammit, if all those other attendees are trying to get published, how do they stand a chance? 

Katrin Schumann

Books & Reading Craft Advice Grub News The Writing Life

Words of Wisdom for Weary Writers

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By Katrin Schumann

We're all weary. At least I am. I hear that agents are overwhelmed and editors are inundated with submissions. 

One of the most surprising things I learned once I got an agent and started publishing was that navigating the writing world does indeed get easier, but writing itself does not. Call me naive, but I kind of thought that by now I'd be cranking out the books.

April 7, 2021 | Katrin Schumann

Time to Snag an Agent: Perfecting Your Pitch

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Author and GrubStreet instructor Katrin Schumann shares some tips and practical insight into how to present your work in the most compelling way possible for agents. You can learn more about this subject in Katrin's upcoming class "Time to Find an Agent: Perfecting Your Pitch" starting March 11th.

February 3, 2021 | Katrin Schumann

Books & Reading Craft Advice The Writing Life