Author Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD, publishes books about business, customer service, the call center industry, and business and writing.
I’d love a literary agent who would handle shorter pieces, such as articles, short stories, or poems. Unfortunately, they don’t. Literary agents handle books. They only deal with book-length projects. Agents earn commission on projects sold. The payoff for shorter pieces is too small for them to spend time pitching them. They need to invest […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD Several years ago, there was a time when I lost my Internet connection. Although I had a lot of work to do, I couldn’t think of anything I could accomplish without Internet access. It was about a quarter to twelve, so I took an early lunch. An hour later it […]
A publisher is interested in some devotionals a friend wrote. They pay an honorarium of $35 per item, and then they want full rights forever. My friend wonders if this is typical and fair to sell full rights for a piece? First, I don’t think anyone can make decent money writing devotionals. They do it […]
Balance the Need to Protect Your Client List with Your Desire to Close Sales By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD When telephone answering services overhaul their websites or seek to tweak its content, many services wonder if they should post a partial list of some of their major accounts. Some answering services do this, and I […]
For too many years my goal in writing was simply to write faster, but I did nothing to learn about writing or how to write better. That was a huge writing mistake. Yes, the experience of writing so much was good, but I wasted a lot of time by not studying the craft. It’s only […]
To write a novel, first, start with short stories. Many of the elements required for short stories carry over to longer works. In addition, it’s better to experiment on a 1,000-word short story than an 80,000-word novel. Once you’re comfortable with short stories then you can move on to longer works. Short Story Tips Writing […]
Take Steps to Meet the Healthcare Needs of Your Healthcare Call Center Staff By Peter Lyle DeHaan, Ph.D. I enjoy going to the zoo with family. We go several times each year. A special bonus are those opportunities to interact with the zookeepers and learn more about the animals under their care. During a recent […]
When working with beta readers, it’s important to set expectations with them or the feedback you get may not be helpful. To guide this effort, ask the same beta reader questions of each person. Three Key Beta Reader Questions 1. What parts did you like? Your first question will let you know what parts not […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD My cousins taught me how to play chess when I was in third grade. My parents, doubting I could grasp the complexities of the game, urged caution and tried to lower my expectations. Yet I forged ahead. My oldest cousin patiently taught me the names of the pieces and how […]
Finding an agent is easy. Just do an online search for “literary agents.” However, getting an agent to agree to represent you is hard, very hard. Unlike hiring an accountant or attorney to represent us where we can vet them and pick the best one to meet our needs, agents vet their clients so they […]