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2 days ago | 
agentsandbooks.com | Kate McKean
Hi Friends, I bought swag for my book. I bought about 100 pencils and 50 custom sticky note pads and it cost about $165. I’m going to give some to my publisher to give out in mailings and I’m going to give out some at events coming up. I might buy more pencils depending on what events look like. Honestly, I had a lot of fun ordering this stuff! I don’t have any special hook-up for it—I used VistaPrint—and I am not blazing trails in the areas of swag innovation, book marketing, or whatever.
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1 week ago | 
agentsandbooks.com | Kate McKean
Hey friends, It’s been a hectic few weeks. I’ve been to Florida and back to help a family member make a big move. We’ve had house guests (always wonderful, always a little stressful). Some incredible things are happening with my clients. It’s my kid’s Spring Break, so childcare is disrupted. Next week I’m RECORDING MY AUDIO BOOK!!! My piles of reading and queries and emails are not getting smaller. In helping my family member move, I suddenly want to GET RID OF EVERYTHING IN MY HOUSE.
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2 weeks ago | 
agentsandbooks.com | Kate McKean
Hey friends, Let’s answer some questions!H asks: My first book didn't sell, womp womp. However, my Terrific Agent is still my agent, and I'm working on my next one.
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2 weeks ago | 
agentsandbooks.com | Kate McKean
Hey friends, Excellent writer and podcaster Doree Shafrir posted the other day that she got a scam email from a “publisher” and unfortunately, I was not surprised. If you follow Writer Beware (see our interview with Victoria Strauss here!), you know publishing scam emails are all over the place. There are scammers out there impersonating literary agents, publishers, and more. Fun! If you haven’t been on the receiving end of one of these scam emails, you may wonder what they look like.
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3 weeks ago | 
agentsandbooks.com | Kate McKean
Hi Friends!Do you know what a Cold Call is? Is this a thing most people know about? When we used to call people on the phone, calling someone you’d never had contact with before—in a business way, not a personal way—was a cold call. It was nerve wracking! You just dialed and said Hello! I’d love to tell you about this thing! Or Hello! I’m selling something. Would you like to buy it? Up until about ten years ago, I would call every. single. editor. I was pitching a project to on the phone.
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3 weeks ago | 
agentsandbooks.com | Kate McKean
Hi friends, I’m working my way through a crochet stitch dictionary. For a few weeks I’ve felt the itch to make something with my hands. I have tons of craft supplies, but lately I’ve been crocheting and knitting. I can do both, mostly resulting in things shaped like squares. Scarves, etc. I thought I’d try some more complex patterns but by the end of the day, my brain is mush.
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4 weeks ago | 
agentsandbooks.com | Kate McKean
Hey Friends, Shocking everyone, including me, I met a Q&A Thursday question I wasn’t sure how to answer. Come with me on a journey of discovery. L asks: When an agent says they want “grounded sci-fi only,” do they usually mean “grounded” as in “on-planet-Earth/near-present” (no spaceships, no year 4000 AD)? Or do they mean “grounded” as in “realistic/not-fantastical” (no dogfights in space, no space magicians, no aliens that look and talk like humans)?
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1 month ago | 
agentsandbooks.com | Kate McKean
Hey Friends, I have a confession. I looked at Goodreads. For my own book. I KNOW! I tell all authors who’ve published a book not to look at Goodreads because the reviews there can be completely unhinged. Things like, I didn’t like the font, two stars and AHEM, there is no way a woman in this time period wore that dress to a ball. That kind of dress wasn’t popular until TWO WEEKS after this ball supposedly takes place, one star. Am I exaggerating? Only a little.
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1 month ago | 
agentsandbooks.com | Kate McKean
Hey friends, Well! That was a long weekend, wasn’t it? I’m going to do my best to talk about writing here, because that’s all I’m really qualified to talk about and everything else is a dumpster fire. If you happen to take solace or find motivation in these words in other parts of your life, I’m happy to have helped. Oh, and if you don’t think trans people exist, you can GTFO. I, like many, bought a planner this month and filled it out with glee. I love a worksheet and always have.
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1 month ago | 
agentsandbooks.com | Kate McKean
Hi friends, My book comes out June 10th, 2025. There will be formal announcements and such coming soon, but right now, I’m gearing up for all the marketing stuff I want to do, and what I want my publisher to do. There are many, many lists and spreadsheets. We’re having a meeting soon, and I want to tell you what I’m doing to prepare for it. I know my situation is unique. I have a lot of experience with book marketing, directly and indirectly, and I have been in many, many marketing meetings.
