In Defense Of…

With RWA Nationals almost upon us, and this topic still a hot one behind the scenes and elsewhere, I think it’s worth saying the following:
From this side of the desk, it is very easy to tell which authors have been part of professional organizations like RWA. Those authors tend to have a better understanding of [...]

eHouston, We’ve Got A Problem

ETA: This has been sitting in my drafts folder for almost a week, and I had every intention of letting it languish there indefinitely because it read too much like a rant, and I’ve been doing too much ranting lately.
But then I saw this DA post and changed my mind, because the crux of it has [...]

A New Pet-Peeve

Egregiously busy around here, as ever.
And of course I surface to gripe about something that used to annoy me, but now makes me downright mad.
Secondary characters in romances: You know the ones — the mother, the sister, brother, partner, gay BFF who says the right thing at just the right time. The “heartfelt talk” that [...]

Adventures in Publishing

We (Lyrical) had something happen this week I think it’s worth sharing with authors, a sort of “please never do this” caveat.
First, let me repeat for the umpteenth time that publishing is a business. A contract for publication is a legal document that holds both the publishing house AND THE AUTHOR to very specific obligations.
Once you [...]

We Need To Talk

At our editorial staff meeting earlier tonight, we had a question come up that raised quite a few hackles. It concerns a response we hear too often from authors during edits and, when paired with a related problem, strikes at the heart of why some writers click and others struggle.
Here’s the refrain we hear too [...]

New Stuff

Check the lefthand sidebar for new pages — author info, most of it, and bits of it rehashed from the LPI support forums. 
Since we often wish authors planning to submit had access to the info beforehand, here it is.
The pages support comments like any other blog post, so if you have questions, post them there, [...]

Call for Subs: Lyrical Elite Imprints

Lyrical Elite Imprints
Lyrical Press, Inc. is now accepting submissions for three new imprints: Allure, Elements and Vintage. 
Imprinted title payouts: $100 advance (50% upon receipt of signed contract, 50% upon remittance of approved final) + 40% of earned digital royalties.
We will not review queries, partials or proposals. Only completed manuscripts will be considered. Required length for [...]

Stop Right There

This post is directed to writers who turn to small press when a manuscript has been rejected by the big houses. It is not a rant, it’s simply a plea from someone who reads a lot of submissions (and hangs out too much with writers).
Especially in romance but often in other genres as well, manuscripts/stories [...]

Could You Repeat That?

 
 
 
Here are the 32 finalists for 2009’s WTS Pageant. Vote for your favorite!

That
So
Well
Just
Really
Little
Then
As
While
Which
About
Very
All
But
Was
Were
Had
And
The
Her
His
He
She
They
To
By
For
In
From
Into
Of
Out

Man, I can’t wait to see the talent portion ideas…
World peace!

Chuckle At Own Risk

New rule:
The words chuckle, grin and nod (or any conjugation thereof) may not be used more than once per book. Less than once, if possible.
Why, you ask? Well, writers, please open your ms file and use the find feature to show how many times you’ve used those words. Add them up to get the actual [...]