While the work proceeds more slowly than I want it to, which happens, akin to shit happens, I want you to think about the truth. Truth is subjective, up to a point. There are dozens of truths by confirmed practitioners, published sources, and the ever popular trade journals. Publisher’s Weekly can tell you all about what is happening right now, and can help you penetrate possible trends. If you can’t break in with something hot, hot, hot, chances are you’re not. Art for art’s sake vanished thirty years ago, was found again briefly by selective, legitimate small publishers, only to die this last year along with the economy. I dressed myself up, and as I pull together my next few novels, I’m proudly prostituting myself. I’m a literary whore. I’m targeting what will give me and my talent the best chance there is at breaking in. The art (for me) is in the storytelling, and I can tell a good story. I’m aiming for what’s hot, hot, hot! That’s my truth, and I earned it.

　

Most of what I read on the Web is the same shit warmed over, served as truth. Only you can decide what is what and why. Agent blogs are good for the truth, but I suggest you boil down a whole lot of them, and most of their posts into a few very simple truths. Because there are only a few simple truths to be found.

　

Know the mechanics.

　

They want hot, hot, hot!

　

Don’t be boring. Get into your phrases and verb strong. New ways to say the same old things, so express yourself. That there is the art, and your voice.

　

Query with strength, making your synopsis count.

　

Follow their guidelines.

　

Concentrate on one genre, and make the big idea behind everything easy to serialize.

Most authors have between five and fifteen books under their belts before they get offers of representation. I expect that to become ten to twenty books, if not more. You might get lucky the first time out, but don’t count on it. However, once you make it you can cash in on all that hard work.

　

The seven above truths are better than gold. They are all that counts, agent and publisher alike. All there is. Put a few years under your belt, continue to read all you can get your hands on, and you will know that these simple to understand seven truths are the literary alpha and omega. See you next week.