A Publisher's Conversation with Authors: Attributes of Successful Authors and Their Books
(photo by Frank Perez) It is Tuesday. Time to tall turkey. Monday's madness is over, and Wednesday will take us over the hump, so Tuesday it is--for some serious discussion with authors. Tuesday talks mean to address authors in waiting and self-published authors who would like to go a more traditional route or who would at least like to take their steps with a publisher by their side. Today's topic questions the assumptions about book success. What makes a successful author? What makes a successful book? What results in being able to earn an income as an author? That last question is usually why the first two questions are asked. So, let's wrap these three together as "attributes of successful authors and their books." Attributes of a successful author:. Good writing Check out Elements of Style (Strunk & White); this is the minimum for good writing, and many authors do not pass this test. Clarity. Making complicated topics understandable takes talent, skill...