Contest for Writers!

No, it's not a cage match to the death--that's next week. This is a jacket copy contest--the write-up on the back cover that makes a book browser into a book buyer.

Sort of like this, but with up to 248 more words.

And the winner will get a professional red-pen mauling partial critique from yours truly.

This is over at J.L. Spelbring's blog: http://jlspelbring.blogspot.com/2012/04/jacket-copy-contest.html
and it's open through April 14th.

Oh, and you'll want to follow that blog, so that, after her book comes out, you can sound all hipster-pretentious when you say, "I was reading her blog before she was famous."

Query Writing

Good advice: http://fictiongroupie.blogspot.com/2011/12/single-best-piece-of-query-writing.html

Bestsellers

We've all seen them--book covers with "New York Times Bestseller" on them. But what does this really mean?

Alan Rinzler posted a great article about it last week :  http://www.alanrinzler.com/blog/2011/09/12/what-authors-can-learn-from-the-bestseller-lists/

In the end, it's always a good thing for an author to have a book on a bestseller list, and there are a lot of ways to get there. But if it were easy, everyone would do it.

Punctuation

Please, people--follow the rules of punctuation in your queries and manuscripts! I don't want to stifle your creative process, but commas, quotation marks, semicolons and their various friends and relations exist for a reason. They define and support the text.

Think of them as the underwires and SPANX of prose.


So, if you aspire to write, PLEASE learn proper usage. Read Eats, Shoots & Leaves if you'd like an entertaining education on the subject. I'll forgive occasional typos, but constant errors make writers look ignorant and make their work unreadable.

And I give a posthumous "thank you" to Dr. Cole, who used to take 10 points off for every mis-use (by omission or commission) of a semicolon on our papers.

Getting the Reaction You Want

I was thinking about this topic over the weekend, whilst geeking out at Pi-Con in a most pleasant manner. Basically, we writers would love for everyone to connect to our work in the same soul-deep way we do. However, realistically, that just won't happen; even a series that people swoon over like Twilight has a huge number of bashers and haters.

I feel like authors who push their work too hard are kinda like this dog:



The moral of this little video is that you're not going to get the reaction you desire from everyone you meet, and that's okay. Because there are a lot of people out there who WILL throw the stick for you.

Kiersten White is my Hero

Check out her Rules of YA Genre post, but not somewhere people are going to scowl at you for laughing out loud: http://kierstenwrites.blogspot.com/2011/08/rules-of-genre.html

Awesome Excerpt #1:

Dystopian: Must have a main character with the letter X or Z in their name. If you have no characters with Xs or Zs, you are doing it wrong and you have not written a dystopian.

Awesome Excerpt #2:

Paranormal Romance: Must describe the love interest boy as well-muscled at least once per chapter. Also the words "brooding" "mysterious" and "agony" have to feature prominently. Type of creature that the boy is does not matter, so long as he mysteriously broods in well-muscled agony.

Writing Tidbit #2: Adverbs

Kate cautiously typed the first sentence. Perhaps I should tell people about adverbs, she thought ponderingly. Should I simply tell people absolutely not to use them, or to use them sparingly? Hmm... perhaps I should tell them why editors view them cringingly. 

Adverbs used excessively make a story read amateurishly. They are a very, very good example of "telling, not showing," which is something that writers should avoid religiously. While there are some places for adverbs to be used appropriately, those isolated instances should be chosen consciously. Too many will almost certainly result in agents and editors blithely passing on your submission.

Note from DB: Ugh--that was painful to write and proof. If you or some writer you know has a problem saying no to adverbs, consider joining AA (no, not that one). I'm sure you can stop overusing adverbs; the only question is... how? 


And you know this post wouldn't be complete without:

Writing Tidbit #1: Dialogue Tags

     Kate turned the chair backwards before sitting and leaning forward against the rails. "Okay, guys. The thing is, dialogue tags slow things down."
      Jill frowned. "What do you mean?"
     "I mean, if you can use action to indicate the speaker, you don't need a lot of 'she saids' or 'he askeds' in your writing."
     Bob raised his hand. "What about 'exclaimed,' 'responded,' or 'replied?'"
     Kate shook her head. "Avoid them. Seriously. They really don't read well. 'Said' and 'asked' are okay, but it's better to streamline everything. It's one more aspect of 'show, don't tell.' The occasional 'screamed' or 'hissed' is acceptable, too, but don't overuse them."
     Jill snorted. "What about writing your own dialogue in the third person? Isn't that a little pretentious?"
     The sword flashed across the space between them, and Jill's hand flashed up to the thin cut that welled blood across her cheek.
     Kate shrugged. "I don't take criticism well... even implied criticism."

And... scene.

Check back tomorrow for a book giveaway!

How do you write?

When I'm doing a first draft, I make sure I write at least 1000 words a day, every day, until it's done. I'm a huge plotter, rather than a pantster, so I have a detailed idea of where each scene is going before I start it, and I almost always write scenes in order. How about you? Do you have a writing schedule, and how do you do it?

Good Day Sunshine

Alan Rinzler has a fantastic article in Forbes about what it means to be a successful writer in today's market. Check it out here: http://blogs.forbes.com/booked/2011/06/06/good-day-sunshine-for-writers/

Thanks to Carol for the link.

Sales and Print Run Size

Jennifer said...
Here is something I've seen people asking about: Print runs and what's considered a success. Like, how do you determine a print run and what makes a book a success.

Well, here are the numbers:
Somewhere in the neighborhood of 300,000-400,000 books come out each year in the US. And 95% of books that are released will sell fewer than 5000 copies.

Here's the deal: publishers estimate the number of sales (more on how to do this later) that they will make from a title and try to get close when they do a print run. If they have too many, the books will cost them money to store and will eventually be pulped. If they underestimate the demand, they will have to do a second print run, which costs more than having all the copies printed when the machines are set up the first time.

However, if there's a higher demand for a book, the publisher is usually happy to do another print run. It's also WONDERFUL for the author's professional reputation. If an author's first book has an initial print run of 5000 and sells out, that's better than having a 10,000 unit print run and only selling 6000 copies.

So, selling out your initial print run is one measure of success.

Another measure is getting onto a bestseller list. There are a bunch, but the most famous is probably the New York Times's. These are usually compiled weekly (Amazon updates every hour or so), and getting on one usually feeds into increased visibility and therefore increased sales, so it can be a feedback loop of awesomeness.

So, how does a publisher decide how many copies to print? Well, we rely on several things, such as information on perceived demand from our distributors and from advance orders. We can also make rough estimates based on online buzz on sites like Goodreads and pre-orders on Amazon, knowing what the numbers were like for similar titles in previous years and how well they sold when they were released.

Happy Weekend!

Book Promotion

MRomero said...
I was wondering what you have found to be the most effective ways of promoting an upcoming book?

Authors need to promote their own work; it's not enough to simply write the book anymore. Many publishers or distributors have people whose job it is to promote the books to major booksellers, but that's only part of the process. Authors should do what they can to build their own followings. Publishers usually have people who handle marketing (paid promos) and publicity (free promos). You can also hire a professional publicist or marketer; I've worked with a wonderful one and I'd be happy to give a referral.

Much of my readership has come from good reviews of the Ganzfield books. Follow the book blogs and find bloggers whose interests match your book. Check their review policies and ask them if they'd like to review an advance copy. Also let them know if you would be up for an interview and/or giveaway. DON'T spam the comments of bloggers!

Write articles on the topic of your book. List the book in the "about the author" blurb at the end. This is especially helpful for non-fiction authors. There are online sites where authors can post articles on their areas of expertise so journalists can find experts to interview.

Give talks on your book topic through local libraries, schools, clubs, etc. Many local bookstores will host author events for you if you ask.

Blog, but only if you're committed to doing it well. A poorly written blog is like the overgrown front yard of a foreclosed house.

Build up a following through Twitter and/or Facebook. I'm kinda lazy about Twitter; I just set it up so the posts from the Ganzfield fan site on Facebook become my tweets.

Give readers a taste of your work, either through a short story or novella prequel, or by releasing the first chapters of the book as a free download. Make sure that what you're offering as a giveaway makes the reader hungry for more. Also make sure that you have the right to make this available; check with your publisher first!

Make a book trailer, or pay someone who knows how to make one for you. Again, the idea is to create something that makes people want to go out and find your book. Don't put something out that's cheesy or amateurish.

Offer copies of your book in giveaways. We have some up on Goodreads now. --->

If your book has specific appeal to a geographic region or subculture, concentrate on that, rather than casting a wider net.

I hope this helps!

How the Publishing Process Works

Tasnim said...
I'd also like to know how long the publishing process process takes once you've finished writing the book. My last question is who reads your unfinished drafts?

Publishing moves slowly--tectonic-plate-speed. Here's how everything breaks down:

You write a book. That can take months or even years. I tend to average 2-3 months for a first draft.

Once you've revised it a few times, you should have other people read it. No one reads my unfinished drafts--for me, it would be like modeling an outfit for someone while only half-dressed... and not in an attractive way. Most of us have close friends or family who read our books first; my husband is always my first reader. Most writers also have beta readers. Betas are other writers or people in publishing who know enough to see the weaknesses in a manuscript and hopefully suggest ways to fix them. Depending on how many readers you have, how quickly they read, and how many revisions you need to make, this can be weeks or months.

Don't query until you're gone through several revisions and really polished your book up. Many first-time authors query too early and when agents request pages, they don't find the writing strong enough to want to read more. This query process also can take months, and that's a whole other post.

Once an agent signs you, he or she will put you through another round of revisions. Don't count on agents and editors to get your book up to professional levels; it should be there before you query. Agents and editors have many, many other manuscripts to choose from and will take on the projects that will sell with less effort on their part; it's a simple cost-benefit analysis.

The agent then submits the manuscript to publishers. This can last months, as well, and I've heard of examples that took years. Use this time to write another book. Or two.

After signing with a publisher, your book is put into the production schedule. If your manuscript was the only project, it could be out in a month or two, but there are a lot of other projects on the schedule, as well. Typical time from signing to release is about 18 months. During this time, cover art and jacket copy will be created. The editor will spend quality time with every word, phrase, and punctuation mark, and he or she may suggest a bunch of revisions.

Once it's ready, it goes into galleys, in which the pages are formatted in book layout and will look like the inside of the book. It will be proofread by several people (both on screen and printed), and then either turned into an "Uncorrected Proof" (some publishers skip this stage) or an ARC (Advance Reading Copy). Printing ARCs and getting them shipped back can take another month or two, and its done with enough lead time to fix any mistakes before they are supposed to go out. We try to get our ARCs into the hands of reviewers at least three months before the release date, and many distributors need information about the book at least six months before it's released.

So, if it takes six months to write and revise a manuscript and another six to query agents and sign with one, a further six months to put the manuscript out on submission to publishers before it sells, then another 18 months before it is released, then the total time would be...

three years, start to finish. 

Scarily, that's actually an optimistic guestimate.

Thanks for asking, Tasnim!

Questions about Publishing

Hi folks,

It's true what they say: it's a lot easier to get things done when you don't have a hideous stomach bug forged in the hellscape of a preschool snack room.

Okay, maybe people aren't saying it. Yet.

Anyhoo, this week I thought I'd throw open the blog to questions about publishing. Feel free to ask anything you've ever wanted to know, such as:

How much do authors make per book? 


Why does it take years for a book to come out once an author signs with a publisher? 


I've written a book. How do I get someone to publish it? 


How does a bill become a law?* 


Is BEA really just a cover event so supernatural beings can walk amongst us?** 

Seriously, if I know, I'll tell you. If I don't know, I'll try to find out. Ask away!

*It sings a cartoon song until a fat guy puts a ribbon on it. 

**No, that's Arisia.  

Hey, Jealousy

Maggie Stiefvater makes some great points:

http://m-stiefvater.livejournal.com/204460.html?view=10217388#t10217388

Happy weekend!

Writing a novel is like...

Check this out:

Monogamy by Sarah R. Callender


Writing a novel is a lot like staying married. Not getting married, but staying married.


At some point, you wake up and you realize that writing is light years from glamorous. You notice your novel has morning breath. Your novel farts a whole lot more than it ever did when you were dating. Your novel leaves its underwear on the bathroom floor or takes two sets of car keys to work, leaving you stranded at home, or washes your brand new silk sweater in the washing machine.

Read more... 

Last week of the Accused ARC giveaway:
http://thedisgruntledbear.blogspot.com/2011/05/contest.html

Here There Be Dragons

If you write speculative speculative fiction--sci-fi, fantasy, paranormal--or even about a sub-culture of society--the Amish, college marching bands, etc.--you need to introduce the reader to your world. How do you do it?

I haven't done a comparative study, but it seems that the most common method is to bring in a new character, often the MC, and have the world unfold as he or she discovers it.

For example, one could send a New York doctor to live in a small town in Alaska (Northern Exposure).

So, if you're a writer with your own world or sub-culture, how do YOU bring the reader in?

Don't forget to vote for your favorite awesome line in the Spring Writing Contest! We've gotten over 160 votes so far and some clear favorites are emerging. But it's the internet, and, like Ivy-League football, anything can happen.

Authors and Self-Promotion

Laura Miller over at Salon.com wrote an article a couple of weeks ago about how some self-pubbed authors (namely, Amanda Hocking) are signing deals with traditional presses while traditionally published authors like Barry Eisler are leaving the big six and going to self-pub in the future.

I'm assuming that none of the readers of this blog are best-selling authors yet (although I'm hoping Jennifer Armentrout will still stop by after she becomes one), but the main point of this article is that all authors MUST promote their books in order to sell them.

Author events like tours and book signings aren't cost-effective unless the author is well-known enough to attract a crowd. Most writers at the start of the careers need to focus on building a readership in other ways. Fortunately, thanks to the series of tubes known as the interwebs,* this can be done from anywhere on Earth. And probably from the International Space Station, too (I kinda want to read a blog from the ISS).

*double-bonus points if you recognize the origin of this term 

So, new writers, start with a blog, website, or Facebook fan site. Give your readers a good reason to stop by--either by offering contests, giveaways, useful tips... or content so entertaining that it's a reward in itself. It does take time, but it's an effective way to build interest in your book, and it's cheaper than advertising. It also builds "buzz," which is true interest, rather than "hype," which is paid for. Most people these days have spent their entire lives bombarded by advertising, so we've built up a tolerance to it. Either we're suspicious of it 'cuz, yeah, like Sea Monkeys really turn into little Caucasian nuclear families in that plastic container with the magnifying bubbles:

Or we tune it out so it won't overwhelm us:

If you want people to care, you need to connect on a personal level, whether you're a wicked famous author or a newbie with a self-pubbed debut. The only difference is, if you have a 7-figure advance from St. Martin's, you can hire a personal assistant to help you with it.

Speaking of self-promotion, you only have one more day to post your awesome line to the Spring Writing Contest!

Great Advice

Last week, Roni over at Fiction Groupie shared the Ten Commandments of the Successful Author.

Check it out. Learn it. Live it.

Speaking of writing advice, I'll have a new writing contest up here by the end of the week. The winner will get a query and first pages critique.

Characters

Brenda said...
I've just started my 4th MS and, for me, it's trying to be true to my voice but not create the same characters, but in different situations, if that makes any sense. I don't want my characters to be the novel equivalents of Hugh Grant and Jennifer Aniston, but it's harder than you think. Or maybe it's exactly as hard as you think. :)

First off, I've had the good fortune to read some of your work, Brenda, so I know that you have an AMAZING talent. And I do know what you mean about creating different voices for characters. I think it's one of the reasons so many published "sophomore" novels aren't as good as the debut.

BTW, I write character sheets for every person in my books. I got the idea years ago when I read Orson Scott Card's book on the subject. IMO, It's up there with Stephen King's book on writing as required reading for aspiring fiction writers.

Oh heck, here's the link for that one, too.

As for distinct voices, I rely on something from my psychology background: Elias Porter's Motivational Values System (MVS), which is sort of like Myers-Briggs but much more intuitive--pretty much the Mac to their Windows.  Basically, people have different levels of motivations like helping others, being right, or the desire to win. These not only direct their choices, but influence their word choice, body language, levels of extroversion, etc. I've been thinking about doing an online course on character development based on this system, since there's a lot of detail involved.

So, using this, I can create a unique voice for each character, as well as a distinct narrative voice. I read through it every time I bring the character into a scene to remind me how that person thinks, speaks, and acts.