Even the most famous novelists had to start somewhere. Now you can make your start?successfully?with this book.Literary agent Oscar Collier and successful freelance writer Frances Spatz Leighton team up to give you practical, specific advice on how to write your first novel and get it published. You'll find 100 expert tips, including:Solid Writing Instructionchoose the kind of novel you want to writemake characters, dialogue and plot work together to keep your reader (and prospective editor) turning the pagesdetermine how many characters your story needsestablish a daily writing routine that works for you?and gets your novel finishedrevise, edit and prepare your manuscript for submissionExpert Marketing Advicethe pros and cons of using an agent?and how to represent yourself if you so choosecontract negotiationspublicity and self-promotion basicsActual Case HistoriesConversations with Five New Novelists, a chapter dedicated to enlightening and inspiring interviews with newly published authorsvaluable insight into the working methods, attitudes and specific strategies superstar novelists used to get published?to help you start building your own success "This book should inspire many yearners to start writing and stop talking about doing so. It is rich with tactical, down-to-earth information on how to write novels and content with agents and publishers."?Howard Cady, former editor-in-chief of Little, Brown; Putnam's; and Holt, Rhinehart & Winston Read Less