The Chopping Blog

Book Broker: an interview with Kesia Lupo

November 16, 2024

"It is definitely worth interrogating your prologue to ensure it really works for the reader’s experience and not against it!"

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Book Broker: an interview with Lisa Erbach Vance

August 20, 2024

"I have no issue with prologues, though to succeed they need to serve a purpose and pack a punch."

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Book Broker: an interview with Christopher Combemale

July 22, 2024

"Make us care, and everything will follow."

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Book Broker: an interview with Suzy Evans

July 18, 2024

"Editors and agents are VERY busy and swamped with submissions so we need to focus on the very best of the best."

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Book Broker: an interview with Laura Strachan

April 03, 2024

"I’m always looking for anything that's interesting and beautifully written."

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Book Broker: an interview with Melissa Edwards

March 21, 2024

"So many things are well written, but very few things keep me turning pages with speed and dedication."

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Book Broker: an interview with Eva Scalzo

March 18, 2024

"Manuscripts don't need to start with the inciting incident, but they need to draw you in. An opening stuck in mundanity or incessant description or relentless backstory is a sign the story isn't starting in the right place."

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Book Broker: an interview with Mark Gottlieb

November 04, 2023

I would suggest researching a literary agent's social media pages. For instance, writers can read about me and some of the books I represent on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. That will lend a good sense for the type of books I have worked with and what I am currently looking to represent.

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Book Broker—an interview with Sera Rivers

July 05, 2023

"I can tell a manuscript isn't ready for submission when the opening pages are full of backstory or exposition that doesn't set up the plot or move the story forward."