Mentor Book Club - The Faithful

It's been a frightful while since I've been here on the blog. I've missed it. I think Facebook has taken over for some bloggers, including me. You can find me on Facebook every day. Both on my personal page and book page.

Personal page: https://www.facebook.com/pam.cable.5
Book page: https://wwwfacebook.com/southernfriedwomen

But I've been blogging since 2005 and I don't think I'm ready to give it up entirely. Facebook does not fulfill a writer's need of expression. So I'm giving my blog another chance, even though I'm not sure how many of us are faithful at reading blogs every day. I know I'm not. I do good to keep my own online.

My life is filled with many distractions at the moment. The biggest being yet one more edit on The Sanctum. I started writing this second novel over five years ago, and I think God is trying to teach me the virtue of patience, no matter how hard my head tends to be.

Even with all this work, including my frustration with the publishing industry, I'm hoping to sign with a great editor and publishing company in the very near future who will take my work to new levels. Someone I can work with a long time, believes in me, and loves what I write. The good news is that I really like my new Literary Agent. Sarah Joy Freese with WordServe. I did not anticipate such a nice working relationship, but shocker, it's been great.

In the meantime, below are a few pictures of a recent visit to the Mentor Book Club, near Cleveland, Ohio. What a hoot! One of the best book clubs I've ever come across, these ladies have read more than 98 books since they started the club! My novel, Televenge, was their March pick. I wasn't surprised by their questions, and there were A LOT of them. Wonderful, beautiful ladies who I hope will have me back with The Sanctum is published. Thank you all, for your faithfulness.

Writers! What Are You Willing To Do, And Where Do You Draw The Line?

It’s no secret. Vast changes occur daily in the publishing industry and award writers with options. Or do you look at it that way? I’m taking a survey, and asking writers:


Should you continue to jump through fiery hoops while submitting to agents, who may or may not read or answer your query for weeks or months, if at all?


Should writers spend chunks of writing time putting together the items listed below (or something like it) when the market is already saturated?


If editors were open to unsolicited manuscripts, are you confident you could obtain publication with a major house on your own?


If you are an un-agented writer, what are you willing to do to get noticed by a literary agent?


Is self-publishing your first choice, or your last resort?


Be honest. When it comes to literary agents, where do you draw the line?


Proposal Cover letter
One-page sell sheet, summarizing your manuscript
Bio
Story Synopsis
Market analysis
Competitive analysis
Marketing strategies
History of the manuscript
The first fifty pages