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4 weeks ago | 
atc-network.com | Brian Francis
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4 weeks ago | 
atc-network.com | Brian Francis
Create your free account
To join as a Company, look at our
* create and share your own profile
* join the discussions
* publish your own items on atc-network.commanage news, jobs, tenders, companies, events, showcases, educations, associations and literature. * subscribe to our weekly eNewsletter
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1 month ago | 
quillandquire.com | Brian Francis
Dear Agony Editor,I’ve written three novels and I’m considering quitting writing. I’ve watched my advances decrease, along with book sales, and I get little to no return on my time as well as my emotional and mental effort. I have a career outside of writing, so I’ll be fine financially. But there’s a part of me that doesn’t want my dream to die. How can I be certain that walking away is right for me? Signed,Throwing in the TowelDear Throwing in the Towel,I’m sorry you’re grappling with this.
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Mar 5, 2025 | 
quillandquire.com | Brian Francis
Dear Agony Editor,Recently, I began receiving regular email updates from an author who is an acquaintance. As a fellow author, I understand the need for self-promotion, but I’m annoyed whenever I get his emails. My hunch is that he’s simply emailing everyone in his contact list. I want to tell him to kindly stop emailing me, but I’m suffering from a writers-supporting-writers guilt complex. Should I just suck it up and continue to receive the emails? Signed,SpammyDear Spammy,Oh, the joys of email.
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Feb 13, 2025 | 
uschamber.com | Jay Sapsford |Jordan Crenshaw |Jordan G. Heiber |Brian Francis
President/CEO, Lumin StrategiesFebruary 12, 2025 I am tempted to let AI write this blog and be done, but content creation is one of the least useful purposes of the large language models (LLM) right now. While these LLMs can save you time, they can also make you better through research, review, and refinement. Here is how professionals can best practically use LLMs.Google’s Notebook LM (free with a Google Account) should be every professional’s research assistant.
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May 8, 2024 | 
quillandquire.com | Brian Francis
Dear Agony Editor,Recently, a new friend invited me to her place for dinner. I was horrified to see she placed her books page-side out. When I asked why, she said she “liked the aesthetic of it,” and that she hasn’t read the books, anyway. As a writer, I was horrified. Have books become merely decor? Does anyone read anymore? What is going on in this world? Signed,Spine Side OutDear Spine Side Out,Books can inspire us, challenge us, open up new worlds, and create empathy.
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Mar 13, 2024 | 
quillandquire.com | Brian Francis
Dear Agony Editor,I have a middle-grade novel coming out and would love to raise awareness about the book, as well as my profile as an author, among school librarians. Do you have any suggestions for how I should go about doing that? Signed,SchooledDear Schooled,It’s smart that you’re thinking about your potential audience in advance. Having said that, cracking into the education system can be complicated. I connected with a public-school teacher librarian for her thoughts.
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Feb 21, 2024 | 
quillandquire.com | Brian Francis
Dear Agony Editor,The other day, I experienced what many writers might consider the Holy Grail: I spotted someone reading my novel on the subway. I thought about introducing myself, but my nerves got the better of me. Also, I wasn’t sure it would be welcomed. Since then, I’ve had regrets. Do you think it’s appropriate for a writer to approach someone reading their book?
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Jan 22, 2024 | 
brian-francis.com | Brian Francis
When it comes to soups, none are as reviled as cream of mushroom. It’s not comforting like chicken noodle, not sophisticated like squash, and not hearty like vegetable. Let’s face it – cream of mushroom soup is the colour of despair, and those little bits of grey mushrooms are reminiscent of rotten teeth. When I was growing up, cream of mushroom wasn’t even considered a soup; it was glue for casseroles. But have we judged cream of mushroom soup too harshly?
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Jan 17, 2024 | 
quillandquire.com | Brian Francis
Dear Agony Editor,I just received my second round of edits from my editor. It was full of mark-ups as well as some deleted scenes. She’s also suggesting changes that I don’t agree with. This is my first time working with an editor. The experience has left me feeling deflated and doubting her vision for my novel. How do I handle this?
