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Lauren Kay Writes
United States
เข้าร่วมเมื่อ 13 ก.ค. 2020
Hi, I'm Lauren! I'm a Young Adult author and guide to aspiring authors. I offer resources, courses, and editing services to make landing a literary agent and book deal accessible for all.
The Top 3 Ways to Find Beta Readers & Critique Partners in 2024
Beta readers and critique partners are critical for any writer - my critique partners are a big reason behind how I was able to get a 6-figure book deal.
These are my top 3 suggestions for how to find these elusive creatures.
And make sure to join the Critique Partner Database - it *just* launched and has 500+ active writers, eager to connect!
www.laurenkaywrites.com/critique-partner
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NICE TO MEET YOU!
I'm just getting started on TH-cam (so excited to be here!) - but if you're looking for more writing advice and insider tea, check out my videos on:
⟡ TikTok (38k): www.tiktok.com/@laurenkaywrites
⟡ Instagram (18k): laurenkaywrites
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WATCH MY FREE MASTERCLASS
The Insider's Guide to Literary Agents: The Top 3 Ways To Stand Out (+ The Top 3 Mistakes To Avoid!):
www.laurenkaywrites.com/insiders-guide-to-publishing
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FREE RESOURCES
Writer Toolkit: (Includes my favorite craft books and links to my Miro outlining template template and an amazing writer Discord community)
www.laurenkaywrites.com/writer-toolkit
Looking for Writing Friends & Critique Partners?:
www.laurenkaywrites.com/critique-partner
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HOW TO LAND AN AGENT
Want to learn the exact strategies I used to land 8 agent offers and a 6-figure 2-book deal? Join the waiting list for the second cohort of Query Bootcamp, launching in February 2024!
www.laurenkaywrites.com/query-bootcamp
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LOOKING TO HIRE A DEVELOPMENTAL EDITOR OR BOOK COACH?
Get paired with an industry expert who will help to transform your story and increase your odds of getting a traditional publishing deal. Our editors specialize in all age ranges and genres, from memoir to romance to epic fantasy!
www.laurenkaywrites.com/developmental-editing
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MORE WRITING TIPS!
⟡ TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@laurenkaywrites
⟡ Instagram: laurenkaywrites
⟡ Website: www.laurenkaywrites.com
⟡ Email: lauren@laurenkaywrites.com
DISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you! Thank you for supporting my channel so I can continue to provide you with free writing advice!
These are my top 3 suggestions for how to find these elusive creatures.
And make sure to join the Critique Partner Database - it *just* launched and has 500+ active writers, eager to connect!
www.laurenkaywrites.com/critique-partner
◽️◽️◽️◽️◽️◽️
NICE TO MEET YOU!
I'm just getting started on TH-cam (so excited to be here!) - but if you're looking for more writing advice and insider tea, check out my videos on:
⟡ TikTok (38k): www.tiktok.com/@laurenkaywrites
⟡ Instagram (18k): laurenkaywrites
◽️◽️◽️◽️◽️◽️
WATCH MY FREE MASTERCLASS
The Insider's Guide to Literary Agents: The Top 3 Ways To Stand Out (+ The Top 3 Mistakes To Avoid!):
www.laurenkaywrites.com/insiders-guide-to-publishing
◽️◽️◽️◽️◽️◽️
FREE RESOURCES
Writer Toolkit: (Includes my favorite craft books and links to my Miro outlining template template and an amazing writer Discord community)
www.laurenkaywrites.com/writer-toolkit
Looking for Writing Friends & Critique Partners?:
www.laurenkaywrites.com/critique-partner
◽️◽️◽️◽️◽️◽️
HOW TO LAND AN AGENT
Want to learn the exact strategies I used to land 8 agent offers and a 6-figure 2-book deal? Join the waiting list for the second cohort of Query Bootcamp, launching in February 2024!
www.laurenkaywrites.com/query-bootcamp
◽️◽️◽️◽️◽️◽️
LOOKING TO HIRE A DEVELOPMENTAL EDITOR OR BOOK COACH?
Get paired with an industry expert who will help to transform your story and increase your odds of getting a traditional publishing deal. Our editors specialize in all age ranges and genres, from memoir to romance to epic fantasy!
www.laurenkaywrites.com/developmental-editing
◽️◽️◽️◽️◽️◽️
MORE WRITING TIPS!
⟡ TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@laurenkaywrites
⟡ Instagram: laurenkaywrites
⟡ Website: www.laurenkaywrites.com
⟡ Email: lauren@laurenkaywrites.com
DISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you! Thank you for supporting my channel so I can continue to provide you with free writing advice!
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Social Media for Authors - I Grew to 50k By Avoiding These 4 Mistakes!
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If you are a writer looking to grow your social media platforms on TikTok and Instagram, today I'm sharing the top 4 mistakes that prevent authors from growing on social media - and how I grew to 35k on TikTok and 20k on Instagram by fixing these! Make sure to grab a free copy of my Instagram TikTok growth cheat sheet: www.laurenkaywrites.com/tiktok-cheat-sheet ◽️◽️◽️◽️◽️◽️ NICE TO MEET YOU! I'...
How to Build Your Author Website with Squarespace - in 5 Minutes!
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You can grab my free Squarespace author website template here: www.laurenkaywrites.com/squarespace-template and create the website I'm showing you in under 5 minutes! And if you want a slower print version, here's a full blog post with photos: medium.com/swlh/why-you-need-a-writer-website-and-how-to-build-one-in-15-minutes-865af54fa35d Many writers asked me how I created my website, so I create...
Exposing the Secret Tactic That Got Me 8 Literary Agent Offers
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If you are searching for a literary agent for your book, this is the tactic that helped me get 8 offers from literary agents in one month - and it goes *against* the conventional advice given to writers. ◽️◽️◽️◽️◽️◽️ NICE TO MEET YOU! I'm just getting started on TH-cam (so excited to be here!) - but if you're looking for more writing advice and insider tea, check out my videos on: ⟡ TikTok (38k...
Is Developmental Editing Really Worth It? | Advice From a 6-Figure Author Who Hired One
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Does your book really need developmental editing? Do you need to pay an editor if your publisher will just give you one for free? How much does an editor cost? Where do you find a good developmental editor? What does an editor even do? I cover all of these and more-and share why I think my editor / book coach played such a crucial role in how I ended up with 8 offers from literary agents and a ...
If You Want a Literary Agent - Stop Doing These 5 Things in Your Query Letter!
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Landing a literary agent can seem like an impossible feat - but it doesn't have to be. Make sure you're not making one of these mistakes with your query letter! I have worked with so many writers with absolutely amazing books - who haven't had any luck with landing a literary agent. Literary agents have limited time, and any one of these mistakes could land your query letter in their trash bin....
The 4 Best Books on Writing Every Fiction Writer Must Read
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I read pretty much every writing book out there - these are the 4 best books that completely transformed my writing and landed me a 6-figure 2-book deal with HarperCollins! Grab a copy of my free Writer Toolkit, which has links to all of these writin craft books more of my favorite free resources (a critique partner database, Discord community, visual outlining template, and more!): www.laurenk...
Self vs Traditional Publishing: Which *Really* Leads to More Sales + Profit (from a 6-Figure Author)
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If you are wondering whether to self-publish or traditionally publish your book - these are the top 5 factors you should consider. Want to read through some of the facts & figures I reviewed while creating this video?: * bookriot.com/how-much-do-authors-make-per-book/ * janefriedman.com/how-much-do-authors-earn/ * maryadkinswriter.com/blog/how-much-do-authors-make * www.tonerbuzz.com/blog/how-m...
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I’m going to teach you exactly how to write a query letter - and I’ll break down the format of the query letter that landed me a 6-figure 2-book deal with a Big 5 publisher. We’ll go over the entire structure - from subject line down to sign-off - and the secret sauce I used in my hook to land 8 offers from literary agents. ◽️◽️◽️◽️◽️◽️ NICE TO MEET YOU! I'm just getting started on TH-cam (so e...
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Hook me up baby sugar puppy honey burger.
I agree with what you say , and its very good advice you are giving i'm only a new author myself i started writing because of a traumatic event happened to me , and to get the anger and hurt i was feeling , my therapist suggested writting and it helped me a lot so my books reflect love and loss i write mainly romance novels and ive had a good response so far but its hard work my book covers on tik tok get around 40,000 to 60,000 views , my current book on tik tok has 24,000 views in 4 days
Thank you so, SO much Lauren! You're a complete life savior ! Kudos to you
You're so welcome!
Thank you so much for sharing this story!! I am on my second book now and the first was definitely just a very drawn-out learning experience. I literally cried when you talked about writing your second book so quickly and getting such an amazing book deal! Congrats!! I'm going to read your book now haha
Awww, thank you so much! Writing is always such an emotional journey. A drawn-out learning experience may not feel like a gift in the moment, but I really think it can be a HUGE gift to your writing career overall. Keep going!
All very sound advice in this video. I look forward to applying it for the story I'm writing ☺️
Awesome video and advice. Thank you so much for this candid video because we all need to know that rejection is part of the process, but we only fail as authors when we stop writing. Fun Fact: Even world renowned author John Grisham didn't initially get a deal on his first book either 😮. It was his second book, The Firm, that launched him to success, then he eventually got a deal on his first book, A Time to Kill, after his subsequent books. All of this is to say, your video is on point and please keep making them! Liked and subscribed 😉👍
Thanks so much! And yes!!! So many writers didn't get a deal the first time :)
You say you are jealous. REALLY? Envy is when you want what someone else has, but jealousy is when you're worried someone's trying to take what you have. YOU ARE CONFUSED. I DO WISH people who spend their time writing would learn the language they write in. Grrrr But thanks for the main purpose of this video.
Thank you so much! Your video was very helpful. Grateful!
Glad it helped!
£17.33 for a hardcover version of your first novel. Kudos.
Omg thank you for providing these tips so openly
Of course!!
Keep writing, pretty soon you'll be a bestseller. I'm rubbish at writing. I can't even put a coherent sentence together, I'm too rubbish to sell my books.
The only way to get better at writing is to keep learning and trying :) And also: ALL writers think this at some point. Literally all of them.
Thank you it was very helpful, maybe I can start my fantasy writing now more easily while doing my phd :)
This will be an amazing combination! Will Scriver help write your PhD? Are there support videos for Scrivener for Academic writing?
Young Adult...... ah, so basically your book was absolute dog shit, that purely got chosen coz we live in a time that mental retardation is celebrated and even pushed. Particularly in the YA novel genre, that typically involves authors that have no clue what storytelling is and don't even know how to structure one.
Thank you for the section on compile. It is always easier to understand something when someone shows you the ropes, rather than reading the same instructions from the manual. I absolutely love Scrivener. Whenever I tried to write in Word, my mind would explode in trying to keep all the various elements, the half-written & re-written bits, organised. I particularly like the Key Word function. I can add key words detailing not just the point of view, forex, but also the various narrative threads (I have too many of them; they need to be thinned out) & input a key word as search criteria to bring up those scenes. You do have to be disciplined about ensuring you add them, but it is a very useful tool.
Thanks so much! I'm so glad was helpful :) I (obviously) love Scrivener, too.
That is a really generous tip from you! I hope I can follow all this enough to get started and persist! Thanks again! 💐
You are a generous beautiful person to share your valuable experience ma'am. Thanks.
So nice of you!
Thank you so much for this. I'm brand new to the world of writing and just finished my first manuscript. Coming across your channel I had no idea how the process of getting a book deal worked at all. Now I have a pretty solid understanding though, so thank you for that. Best of luck in your future endevours!
I'm so glad to hear this! Happy writing :)
Such a valuable perspective for those interested in querying! ❤
Thanks so much!
Binge watching your videos! While ive got some really great feedback from agented beta readers and a former agent, im still having a tough time getting up the nerve to take the plunge and query (i think its a combination of worrying about the actual query letter + worrying that my 95k lgbtq+ YA urban fantasy novel isnt 'trendy' enough). Slowly bolstering my confidence w/ these vids!
That is awesome! Keep going :) Also I teach an entire master course about querying. If you want to learn more about that: laurenkaywrites.com/query-bootcamp
Not to be mean or anything. But doesn’t your throat hurt speaking like that? Couldn’t hear all the way through, sorry ! Just constructive feedback.
Thanks for the feedback. Sorry to read that you couldn't hear me.
What if I don't want the book to be a commercial success? What if I'm not planning on a career as a writer? I have one book in me, at least for the time being. I want it to reach an audience, and be significant to people, but I don't care about publishing deals (indy is fine), and don't plan on making any money on it anyway (if it somehow still sells well, there's a charity I want all the proceeds to go to). What I do want and care about is making the most of the book's potential as a literary work, to get the closest to making it a literary masterpiece as I possibly can. Old school, I know. Are there editors out there who care about these things, and can really help with achieving this goal?
Hi! Most "literary masterpieces" begins with either a big book deal or a lot of revenue later on :) In other words: your goals sound like most writer's goals. They want to be great writers. To share great stories. And, yes, I absolutely think there are editors who also care about these things! But editors and agents all have their livelihoods tied to their work, so they will also care about marketability and sales.
@@laurenkaywrites For agents and publishing house editors, I see your point. But freelance developmental editors don't get paid based on book sales. They're paid by authors. So how and where can I find one who'd be willing to thoroughly set marketting considerations aside? I'm not saying a high-quality book can't also sell well, or have features that would potentially make it popular, but in places where there is a clash, my priority would be quality, not sales, and I'm wondering if I can find an editor who'd share the same order of priorities.
Is the “pitching a series” issue different for fantasy novels?
Generally I advise not to put the cart before the horse in terms of pitching a series in any genre. Make sure your book has a satisfying conclusion, even if there is series potential, and frame it as a standalone with series potential.
Hi Lauren! New anticipated author here. Would you recommend copyrighting your work before sending it to a beta reader or critique partner? Or do you have them sign an NDA? Thanks in advance! Francesca
Hi! If it makes you feel more comfortable to copyright it beforehand, you absolutely can, but it is so rare that this happens.
Found you through this video. Read first few pages of We Ship It. You're awesome and I don't even like teen comedy. I will buy it asap.
Aw, thank you! Hope you enjoy it :)
Uhhhg! I know your video is amazing but I’m lacking so much in tech skills that I still need more help. At the part at 5:20 or so you refer to the ‘About me’ section. Are the pages you’re referring to somewhere else and you attach or is it created within this program?
Squarespace lets you make different pages - like an About Me - within your website on their platform!
This was the most honest and helpful information I’ve seen. Thank you for being so transparent! I am supposed to do a live pitch in September and now I’m feeling like I don’t know enough about this world of agenting or publishing. Where did you find the most helpful resources? Did you use Publisher’s Marketplace? I am a debut author and the more I learn it feels like the less I know. 🤷♀️
Hi! It can be really, really overwhelming, for sure. I went by a lot of trail and error, honestly, and worked with a book coach who helped with a lot of questions that came up. I created an entire course about the querying process, called Query Bootcamp, in order to put all I learned, and have learned since, in one place. You can learn more about that here: laurenkaywrites.com/query-bootcamp
@@laurenkaywrites thank you! I just found your channel yesterday, so I’m trying to learn everything I can as quickly as possible. 😅
Thank you so much for sharing your story. I'm still working on my first manuscript but hearing the real deal stories from published writers is super motivating. Thank you thank you thank you.
You are so welcome!
Thank you so much for this video. How many agencies did you submit to before you settled with an agent?
I queried 50 agents, and had 26 full reuqests, before I chose my agent.
Lauren, I just signed up to be a critique partner! What an amazing way to not only connect authors, but give back to people so they don't have to struggle in the shadows. Thank you so much for providing this free resource, and I look forward to reading, critiquing, and seeing what avenues this can help open up!
Absolutely! So glad you're signed up.
I’ve been spending years trying to write a memoir and used scrivener. It wasn’t until I went to a video like this did I realize I was doing scrivener completely wrong. I wasn’t using section types or anything like that. I got confused about the separate folders and just used one text page per chapter. I ended to putting a mountain of notes in the note sections being clueless the bookmarks page can have media dropped into it. Then I realized the best way to write is to write each scene out as a text page and organize it that way. Then you can see the outline, write directly into it. It’s made the process so much clearer. Especially I can use a folder as chapter and look at the entirety of it if I wish.
So glad to help!!
You hit on something I think critical. Is the you wrote you second book fast. I think the let down is harder when years are spent writing a book, instead of months. Thank you for sharing.
Do you know how to back it up to the cloud?
This was great. I believe in transparency as well - which overall publishing is not known for ;) I respect you for telling your true experience good, bad & ugly. Continued success!
<3!
Thank you for your honesty and listening to your gut. You took a risk. I thank you for that. I'm sixty-two years old and am a rookie in this business. And I knew I was facing a monumental challenge. Now I know precisely what challenges I am actually facing. Anyway, you are a fantastic person. Again, I thank you.
You are so welcome <3
Thank you very much, Lauren. Your video was exceptionally helpful. I have one question: Did you have a large following either here or on social media or your authors website, before landing that six-figure contract? Thanks again, Lauren.
It came after! I had a moderate twitter following before I got the book deal, but most of my following came after the book came out.
Wow, thank you for this amazing tutorial! I found this by googling Scrivener, as there's a character in my game who's title is that, and they do the work of a scribe, so I assumed a scrivener is the same thing, but wanted a definition, and found the app first before scrolling down to a definition. I got curious and checked it out, but was hesitant to get it as I'm at least familiar with my process for the last several years. Then I scrolled a bit and saw your tutorial vid on the results page. I think I'm leaning far more towards trying this program out. So, thanks again. I'm saving this guide for later reference.
Scrivener is a life saver
Thank you so much for sharing your story. Hearing all of the details of your journey is so incredibly helpful as I work through my own process. Amazing video -- love the candor!
You are so welcome!
Thanks for the peak of rejections we may face before we find an agent to champion our stories.
Absolutely! Rejection is a huge part of all of it.
That was SO helpful, thank you! I'll definitely have to re-watch this several times to absorb all that info, but you've made it way less intimidating, haha!
I'm so glad!! <3
Very good short tutorial. Only just started to look at using the software. I use an iMac/iPad combo, so I personally save to a folder on iCloud. Then I can open it on my iPad from the same iCloud Drive. A side effect of this is that it renumbers the project name <proj>-1 <proj>-2 which might be good or bad I guess.
Hi, Im a teenage author that hopes to get traditionally published one day, and I've been binge watching your videos, they are so so helpfull! Honestly, what Im really scared about is writing a manuscript that I love and having it rejected. Sometimes it discourages me when I try to finish my book, but Im really hoping I get an agent one day :). Thanks for this! <3
I'm so glad you're here! And you've got lots of time to write a manuscript that you really love and feel good about <3 Keep going!!!
I love scrivener, but when it comes to formating, its not at all easy, especially if the format you want is Chapter > Scene > Part rather than Part > Chapter > Scene. It's easy enough to drag everything into the right place, but then you basically have to change every configuration and do a custom compiler format to get it printed. Compared to Google docs though is awesome. I basically use scrivener to keep everything organized. If you have any advice for where to keep outlines, that would be appreciated.
Thank you so much for this helpful vid! Now I feel like I can go into the program more confidently!
Hi Lauren, Thank you so much for your video. Does this structure of querying work for children picture books?
It does! But always make sure to carefully read individual agents' requirements for querying as they may have specific things they want for your particular genre.
I can't believe more people don't talk about Story Genius. Great video
This is kind of a random question, but is there a way to have Scrivener put in specific chapter numbers? I'm part of a writing workshop, and so I submit a few chapters at a time, rather than all at once... and I was hoping to have it start the count from 43 to an epilogue, for example. Does anyone know if there's a way to do that?
I think I saw something on Literature and Latte
Got to the part about the bio and my heart sank. I don't have much of anything to put on there that would really be positive in any way, just a life of failure, fear and anxiety.
Bios can be so overwhelming to write, for sure! But I don't believe for a second that your whole life is failures <3 I bet there is something you've done, or some interest you have, or some place you've been, that is relevant to what you're writing about and can be tied in to create a bio that explains why you're the best person to write your particular book.
Why doesn't this have more views and likes? BRILLIANT content and to the point thank you so much!
Thank YOU so much <3
When you were talking about Bird by Bird I started crying. Gonna read that for sure
It's really great!!
I'm writing my first book and appreciate this video. Thanks!
so glad! hope it's going well!!