Besides being the author of 21 books, best-selling author Tom Bird has devoted himself to delivering the method he designed, which has led to his success, to as many aspiring authors as possible. A combination literary midwife and book whisperer, Tom says that what he shares transforms aspiring writers into published authors. Recently, he has become best known as the architect of his "Write Your Book in 5 Days Retreat" and his "Publish Now" program, which takes an author from finished manuscript to published and internationally distributed book in as little as three days.
WOW: Tom, your programs sound amazing! Tell us about your writing retreat, "Write Your Book in 5 Days." If a writer signs up for one of these retreats, what can she expect?
TOM: In my "Write Your Book in 5 Days Retreat," the results are multifaceted. Here's what an attendee can expect to receive.
1) To have any type or sort of writers' block, which may be inhabiting their efforts--even in the slightest way, cleared immediately. Not only will any writers' block be cleared, but also they will be offered basic, proven skills to make sure they never get it again, or if they do, how to immediately rid themselves of it on their own.
2) Each attendee is schooled in how to self induce, at any time, her own access to the deepest level of her creativity and literary voice.
3) If she follows the methods which are shared, each attendee walks away with a completed manuscript at the end of the five days and with a complete understanding of how to reproduce the same exact experience at home on her own.
4) Each attendee will have literary agents interested in representing her book by no later than a few days after the retreat. In fact, during one retreat last October, those in attendance had over 1500 offers (cumulatively) from literary agents, who sought to potentially represent t
heir first books.WOW: Sounds great--what a method! But, is it really possible to write a book that quickly? How many words are these books, and do retreat members do research work before they arrive?
TOM: In each retreat, everyone walks in with that same exact question in their minds, and everyone leaves with a completed manuscript. The average length of the books written at the retreat are 60,000 words.
WOW: Thanks for the details. You also have a stay-at-home retreat option. Who is this a good option for and how does it work?
TOM: The stay-at-home retreat offers the same exact results as the "Write Your Book in 5 Days" retreat. The big difference is that the attendee is asked to write 2 to 3 hours a day over the course of a month as opposed to the 45 hours spread out over the 5 days.
WOW: Two to three hours a day definitely sounds doable--your retreat is giving writers some discipline! Finding an agent is another task many writers face and want to run away screaming. How do you help your authors with this task? Do you offer classes on finding an agent?
TOM: Finding an agent is not nearly as difficult as so many writers make it out to be. In fact, over the last 25 years, my authors, whom I work with, have over 20 literary agents interested in representing their work within a few weeks. To achieve this level of success, you first have to write a dynamic query letter, which very few people know how to do. Obviously, I recommend using my system for doing so, since it is far and away the one I have seen garner the most success.
Then, after the query letter, it is important to submit it to as many agents as possible. The more agents, who are then interested, the more "market value" you have in their eyes and the better job they obviously do in representing your work. Without some sort of "market value," most writers are doomed to failure.
I do offer online classes on getting published and submitting query letters. To get more information on my next upcoming classes, authors can either check out my website, www.TomBird.com, or e-mail me at TomBird (at) TomBird.com. (Replace the at with @.)
The most dramatic way that I help authors secure the agent of their dreams, though, is through my "Selective Guide to Literary Agents Database," which offers access to the top agents in the world at a click of their mouse. It is updated weekly to keep it void of the frauds that so litter this arena, and it has over 2,200 agents listed on it. If someone is interested in knowing more about it, I would suggest that they visit my website and take a tour of it through the 6-minute introductory video. At present, a year subscription to the guide is $289.00. There are cheaper, much less effective ways to go about getting an agent; but if getting published by a big name, conventional publisher is your goal, then you can't afford to go with anything less than what my database has to offer.
WOW: The database sounds awesome and like a wonderful product for writers. I hear the question all the time: "How do I even know which agent to submit to?" So, there's definitely a need for an agent database. Some of your classes are free. What type of free classes do you offer? What's the format for these classes?
TOM: I offer a wide array of free Internet classes. I suggest that anyone who may be interested in attending them either check out my website for a listing of them on a consistent basis, or better yet, subscribe to my mailing list to get up-to-date notices of what classes I will be offering and when.
WOW: Thanks for all the information about your classes and what you have to offer writers. Please tell us about your latest book, The Call of the Writer's Craft. Who will this book help, and what will it help writers do?
TOM: My latest book, which sells for only $12.95, is for anyone who wants to write or publish for any reason or for anyone who is considering joining one of my retreats. It is the ultimate book on The Tom Bird Method for both writing and publishing and should be read by anyone who seeks to succeed as a published author.
WOW: Tom, thank you so much for sharing this information with us today. Here's to much writing success for all!
interview conducted by Margo L. Dill, http://margodill.com/blog/
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