There Are No Rules - GettingPublished

It's not a natural thing for most creative people to sell their work, but when it comes time to publish, you have to know something about how to sell.

You have to put in the effort, make the calls, not get beat down by rejection. (It's why I love this Alec Baldwin video, and my advice based on it.)

I'm definitely not a salesperson by nature. But it didn't take long to learn some basic skills, since my first editorial job depended on convincing salespeople my ideas were worthwhile.

Most writers need a little help in understanding how to pitch their work effectively, and I love being the one to help craft and rework that pitch.

This week I'm teaching an online course that offers an extreme makeover on query letters. You get to submit your 1-page query ahead of time, then you'll see me (in a live session) dissect all the queries into good, OK, and needs revamped.

It's a fun and illuminating process, and you learn the essential principles of selling the story (fiction) or selling an idea (nonfiction).

My goal is that every writer leave this session with a little salesperson inside who can kick into high gear when it's query-writing time.

Go register here if you have a query letter that needs professional attention. The session is this Thurday, November 5, at 1p EDT.

Also:

Read my previous post: 5 Elements of Query Letters
If my online class isn't for you, try our excellent guide by Wendy Burt-Thomas, The Writer's Digest Guide to Query Letters (with specific tips by genre).
Check Chuck's agent blog for his Successful Queries series.

Conferences/Events | General | Getting Published

Monday, November 02, 2009 6:16:59 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

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Wednesday, October 28, 2009

The Age-Old Battle Between Author & Publisher
Posted by Jane

To write what is worth publishing, to find honest people to publish it, and get sensible people to read it, are the three great difficulties in being an author.
—Charles Caleb Colton

Almost anyone can be an author; the business is to collect money and fame from this state of being.
—A. A. Milne

Publishing is no longer simply a matter of picking worthy manuscripts and putting them on offer. It is now as important to market books properly, to work with the bookstore chains to get terms, co-op advertising, and the like. The difficulty is that publishers who can market are most often not the publishers with worthy lists.
—Olivia Goldsmith

One of the signs of Napoleon's greatness is the fact that he once had a publisher shot.
—Siegfried Unseld

Publishers are all cohorts of the devil; there must be a special hell for them somewhere.
—Goethe

As difficult as it is for a writer to find a publisher - admittedly a daunting task - it is twice as difficult for a publisher to sort through the chaff, select the wheat, and profitably publish a worthy list.
—Olivia Goldsmith

One should fight like the devil the temptation to think well of editors. They are all, without exception - at least some of the time, incompetent or crazy.
—John Gardner

If you've been following industry chatter, you may have seen some conversations lately about whether authors need publishers (or vice versa). Plus there's now a Twitter tag for the discussion, #publishersmatter

To catch up, you can read these 3 pieces:

Do Authors Still Need Publishers?
by Mark Coker of Smashwords (e-publishing service)

What Do Authors Need?
by Kate Eltham at Queensland Writers Centre (Australia)

Do Publishers Still Need Authors?
by Guy Gonzalez, my colleague and audience development director for Digital Book World (My views align closely with Guy's.)

Aspiring writers and authors can be extremely mistrustful and suspicious of publishers— creating a group only too eager to join the revolution where writers/authors have power and publishers become obsolete.

Those who can never get inside the pearly publishing gates feel marginalized and like they never got the attention they deserve, while those who do break in feel exactly the same way. As Daniel Menaker has said:

Many of the most important decisions made in publishing are made outside the author's and agent's specific knowledge. … [Publishing] silently colludes in trying to ignore the obvious … that the first printing of your book will be three thousand copies, that it will not have full-color galleys, that no advertising or tour is planned, and that it has been assigned to a publicist who up until yesterday worked in the Xerox department. Why the collusion? Because this is a business fueled largely by writers' need for attention, and no one wants to crush any writer's dreams before a book is even published. Especially since every now and then they actually come true.

Today, many authors are left out to sea as soon as the book hits store shelves, a critical moment in the life of many books. By the time the author realizes what's happening, the window of opportunity has vanished—that moment when you can ensure stores/retailers see the book as a quality and profitable item, leading to a good model (number of copies per store).

Other authors get turned out by their publishers when their books don't sell, even if they could've been a quality midlist author with more time and investment. (Most publishers don't have the luxury of waiting.)

Obviously neither of these phenomenon help the author OR the publisher.

I wonder if successful publishers of the future will attract quality authors mostly by …

the deep reach of their distribution (especially if to a particular audience)
their editorial/curation prowess and stable of quality authors
the support and service they provide authors

Publishers have done a poor job, at best, in the support and service role.

How many publishers actively support their authors when it comes to teaching them online marketing and promotion practices? How many will analyze their authors' efforts at platform and branding? How many will give them the education, tools, or resources they need to be true partners with the publisher? How many will—at the very least—provide clarity on what the publisher will and will not do for the author, or explicitly convey their own strengths and weaknesses, so the author goes in eyes wide open?

While publishers of the future need to distinguish themselves by the quality of their partnerships, the quality of their audience reach (community), and the quality of their curation, I bet there will be publishers who become known for support and service, and attract quality authors like bees to honey—and be more successful because of it.

What do you say?

Wednesday, October 28, 2009 3:23:18 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

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Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Writing & Publishing: More Than a Patience Game
Posted by Jane

My partner in crime, The Conductor, recently forwarded me the following, from an interview with Lost Producer Damon Lindelof:

In today's film and television industries it seems like there are far fewer writers willing to take risks for originality's sake. What advice do you have for aspiring writers who are passionate about a particular story, even if it risks not being given a chance by today's audiences? -- Josh G.

As clichéd as it sounds, if you have an original voice and an original idea, then no matter what anybody says, you have to find a way to tell that story. My only advice would be you have to exercise patience. I think the freshman mistake is you feel such passion for something that you need to tell it now, as opposed to saying, "Let me establish myself, and five years from now when I'm a little bit older, a little bit wiser, a little bit more experienced, maybe that's the time to tell that story."

Sometimes you get a present for somebody a month before their birthday and you just want to give it to them immediately. But timing is everything. So I would say it might feel like your idea is a hard sell now, but maybe in a couple years the timing will be right. Whatever you do, don't give up.

Whenever someone asks for my autograph in my book, I usually add my 2 biggest pieces of advice:

Be passionate. Be persistent.

Perhaps persistence is a type of patience. Persistence adds a level of push, of proactiveness, of energy. The wrong kind of patience will lull you right into complacency and inactivity (and waiting to be "discovered").

Yet: Some people are so pig-headed in their persistence that they can't discern when it's time to change course or adapt to changing times.

I recently read about the importance of context, which applies to writing and publishing more than ever. Some writers remain blind to issues of context and can't grow.

Passion & persistence best serve people who know how to grow, which Lindelof advises: get wiser and more experienced. I couldn't agree more.

AND—it crushes my heart to witness: A person with unlimited passion who lacks the focus or discipline to do the hard work of realizing the Big Dream she has.

Sometimes, it's all about who is working hardest, and can devote the most time and energy to their endeavor, and knock on more doors. Not who's most talented.

For those who are talented and never gain appropriate recognition, you can blame it on bad luck, bad timing, and unfairness, but I'd ask myself: Am I working harder than everyone else?

Photo credit: The Rocketeer

General | Getting Published

Tuesday, October 27, 2009 12:53:13 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

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Friday, October 23, 2009

Your Simple Checklist for Getting Known & Getting Readers
Posted by Jane

There's such a wonderful comment on yesterday's post that I wanted to bring attention to it (slightly modified to apply to all genres). Thank you, Banana the Poet (aka Michele Breton)! Follow her on Twitter or visit her site.

Simple Checklist for Getting Known, Getting Readers, Building Platform

Blog your work and gather readers (Michele blogged for three years)

Join Twitter (and/or Facebook) and make friends with like minded people

Contribute & comment regularly on blogs and sites (like Writer's Digest Poetic Asides prompt challenges)

Start publishing company (optional, but great route for poets)

Release poetry book (possible to accomplish for free and with little or no technical expertise, through services like Smashwords, Lulu, Scribd)

Format for Kindle and release

Get onto the Barnes & Noble Nook system

Ask hubby to turn my book into an iPhone application

Friday, October 23, 2009 11:38:24 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Thursday, October 22, 2009

Turn Your Book Into an iPhone App
Posted by Jane

This is a story about an energetic author who deserves an award for truly living by the adage, "There Are No Rules." In fact, I shall start an honorable group, "There Are No Rules Crown Club," for people who live up to this moniker, starting with Al Katkowsky.

Al e-mailed me over the summer and suggested that he might be a valuable speaker at our annual conference in NYC. I agreed, and he spoke about his success in transforming his book, Question of the Day (self-published), into an iPhone App that now ranks as one of the Top 25 book apps and has been downloaded more than 80,000 times.

I asked him to answer some questions that would give you an idea of how you can accomplish something like this too. You might also want to read this other article he penned for Teleread.

So at first you were initially skeptical if turning your book into an iPhone app was a good use of your time and energy. But ultimately you decided to go for it. What did that process look like, e.g., how long did it take, what resources did you need, and how much did it cost?

The process of building the first version of the App occurred over a six-week period. This was with Daniel, who was simultaneously working a 60-plus hour work week, and had previously committed to other outside work. It needn't take that long. The work came in between $500 and $1,000 total, but there is more work to be done [for another version].

For authors, I would say keep in mind that the improvements I am about to take on fall further and further away from the presentation of a book, and don't necessarily reflect the amount of work that any author needs to take on. However, your App must "do tricks." This is iPhone, not Kindle—you're competing with Tetris for attention. That's why I wisely got into the Books category [for iPhone apps], and left Entertainment!

What are some practical steps that an author can take to launch their book as a successful iPhone App?

We've been studying this for a long time, listening to experts in the field and watching what authors and publishers are bold enough to do, and what they are afraid to do. I recommend putting out two thirds of your content for free, perhaps more.

The publishing world is currently focused on how to move into the digital domain while minimizing the threat of piracy. They do need to be addressing this. So the idea of increasing the release of free content is, well, freaking them out. Yet, it is exactly what they need to be dealing with.

Free content is part of the glue of "tribes", as Seth Godin might say. Understanding the true ratio between free content and paid ensures a healthy, continuous relationship with customers.

Thinking about preparing for the future when it's already here is like preparing for a flood when you're already drowning. They're doing too little, and it may already be too late. They've begun to release one free book of an author, or of a series, to promote interest in the rest. What if you're a first-time author, with only one book?

Lite versions of apps fall into a great literary tradition: generating enough interest to facilitate purchasing the next installment. The classic example is "A Tale Of Two Cities", which was originally published as part of a literary journal, in installments. Pick it up and pay attention to the end of each chapter, the way things are summed up.

I want to recommend three operable models here for the first time, for fiction writers:

1. Release a lite (free) version chapter by chapter. Every four to six weeks, update your App with a new chapter. There will be a push notification through the App Store that your book has added a new chapter; iPhone users love updates of their favorite Apps. Whether your App was pay or not, updates are always free.

Some people don't update right away. But you can track the amount of updates on a daily basis to see how many people are actively keep up with your new additions.

After updating the app to Chapter Seven of your ten-chapter book, that's it. Game over. Now, at the same time, release your full pay app version for purchase. They can pay now.

2. Release a lite (free) version with somewhere between 60% to 80% of the content. Less than that may engage them, but that amount will really seal the deal. If they like what they've seen, they will pay for the rest. If you give away too much, they may pick up your book somewhere and check the last five pages for the ending.

3. Have you begun podcasting? I've spoken to best-selling authors whose hands are tied; they are not permitted by their publishers to put out iPhone versions of their books. One of these is a very well known podcaster.

You can create first-time integrated experiences for your readers. This author should have been the first to do this, but instead, it could be you. At the top of the page, a choice in media:
"Chapter 4: Would you like to read, or would you like to be read to?"
We've all had to discontinue reading before we've felt like it. In this format, you could offer your reader the option of plugging their iPhone into the car stereo and reading to them at the point where they had to stop reading on their own.

What's been most surprising about the experience?
That major publishing houses are nowhere near me [in the iPhone app rankings]. One James Patterson book came close for a while. I'm at number 23 today, he's at 53. We're both free. I'm also surprised by the fact that the other apps that are near me are compendiums, reading apps, etc ... no actual print books.

It surprises me that people are impressed that I got the Apple Store event dates. Again, is anyone even trying?

The acceleration of Books within the App Store is surprising and even a little shocking. When I got in in April, there were 3,000 book apps. Check this out: on September 7, the books category hit the 10,000 mark. On October 7, it hit 12,000, a full 20% growth in only one month. That's staggering, and you can't tell me that people aren't paying attention to the potential of books within the iPhone format.

When you spoke at our conference, you said that you weren't quite ready to be looking for an agent on the print edition, even though QotD has been downloaded more than 80,000 times, and currently in the Top 25 out of over 12,000 titles in the Book App category. What benchmark are you waiting for? OR, are you waiting to be approached?

I walked into the conference thinking that I had something going for myself, but that there were a lot of people in the business who either think nothing of it, aren't aware of it, or don't understand the value of it. These feelings were confirmed and magnified at the conference. Several respected industry people told me that I have a huge platform now. I did, in fact, meet up with an agent who was enthused about what I'm doing. She sees "huge" potential, and doesn't think that others in the biz see it that way. We'll stay in touch, and that's a good thing.

Industries won't change until they see money flowing into someone else's pockets. If industries can't create money flow, they will certainly follow it. They are forcing me to grow. And that is a good thing.

The next time I update, it will be like tapping over 80,000 people on the shoulder. They love their apps. They are going to listen. And here's the kicker: I asked about a hundred people to download my app. The rest found me. It's a marketer’s dream. How can you not see the value in that?

You've had some tremendous success without any mainstream or “traditional” assistance (or that's my impression?). What advice do you have for others who may be pursuing an indie path?

The main thing I had to do was to get right with myself, and my answers are based on that.

First of all, if you need to write and be read, and selling thousands of books is not a major concern, don't let anyone tell you you aren't serious.

For the rest of us:

People often do things like self-publishing without fully realizing why they did it. It serves to make them feel good about themselves, temporarily. It is exactly like when someone you work with or go to school with loses weight. They needed to do it, it was a lot of work, they feel a feeling of satisfaction and they get a lot of compliments. After a while, they don't get compliments and they still have to give up the Twinkies. Are you kidding? What kind of rip-off is that? A total rip-off! A few weeks later, the Nordic Track gets parked in the garage. They quit as soon as it stops feeling good.

I always say, "Know what's driving you." Why are you doing this, and is that driver enough to get you through rejections, confusion, boredom and that lost in the woods "what do I do next" feeling? You need to know, but there will be tough moments when even the drivers leave the room, and you'll really want the Twinkies. Starting at that moment, every little thing you do for your self is a huge victory. The down feeling will go away, something will turn in your favor, and then "perseverance" is not just a word anymore.

So, know your drivers, know that you will change course many times, and be ready to divorce your naysayer friends in a split second. Some people keep them around as motivation, but to me, they are poison. You can't afford the time it will take to figure out why they give with one hand, and slap with the other. You don't know why, and they don't know why. And they're not going to stop. They don't need to change, but your environment needs to change. You're doing something much riskier and more difficult than most of the people people you know. Distance, immediately!

Every day that you recognize that something is off course, and you don't initiate work on a solution, you're blowing it. You may as well quit and start to like working for somebody else, because you are not being true to yourself, and your babies are dying. You are killing them with inattention.

I'm fairly easy going, but I have a pretty big ego. As a creative person, I know that my ideas are my life blood. I did create Question Of The Day, but making it into a book was not my idea, and neither was the iPhone App. My indebtedness to others teaches me a lot.

There will always be a right time to jump from "indie", whether it means hiring staff and becoming a startup, or going with a publishing house. Your ideas will always be your own, but you can never achieve as much by yourself as you can with other people.

What are your next steps, let's say in the next year? Do you have any longer range plans or goals?

Question Of The Day will remain a free app. Not a "lite" version, but a full version that is free. We are now putting together a companion pay app, built from suggestions of QotD downloaders. This version will have twice as many videos, and I am also weighing the possibility of adding half of the questions from the next book, which is already written.

We are planning a social networking version, where people who are playing with the app can locate and communicate with others playing with the app, and play together. At their option, they will be able to see each other's location in the world on a map.

Ultimately, I'd like this to do well enough so that I can put it behind me and focus entirely on music. In one way or another, I'll always have something to do with Question Of The Day, but I have to get back to what I was doing before I got here. Not that I'm not working on it, but it really needs my full attention. I need to be doing it all the time, like I was.

--

My indebtedness to Al for sharing these thoughtful, thorough answers (and also thanks for his enduring patience). And to all iPhone users: Go download that app! (I did, and it's wonderful.)

So, for readers, does this raise more questions for you? What do you think the big surprise is? Let's hear it in the comments!

Building Readership | Digitization & New Technology | Getting Published | Industry News & Trends | Marketing & Self-Promotion | Self-Publishing

Thursday, October 22, 2009 8:39:38 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Monday, October 19, 2009

How to Get Your Book Published
Posted by Jane

The No. 1 question we get asked at Writer's Digest is "How do I get my book published?" As the Brazen Careerist has noted, sometimes people don't ask the best or most focused questions if they want a meaningful answer (or if they want to respect the person they're requesting information from).

In my online class this Thursday, I'll be attempting to answer this big-picture question of how one gets a book published. I hope to provide the fundamentals on what it takes, and discuss concrete steps to score a book deal. You can register here for $49.

(Special offer for readers of this blog: If you take this Thursday's class, I'll give you a coupon for $50 off any other online class in November/December, which is a 50% discount.)

One of the first steps in your journey is identifying where exactly you are on the publishing path. At the September event in New York City, I categorized writers into 3 broad areas:

I AM GOD. You think-know-believe you have what it takes to become the next Stephen King. This takes quite a bit of ego—enough to sustain you across years of rejection—and it also usually takes enthusiasm and energy to keep you going when all other lights have gone out. For novelists, having this goal (bestsellerdom) usually means that you're at the top of your game when it comes to storytelling or information.
I AM GROWING. Most writers who I meet fall into some version of this. They have manuscripts in progress, may not be sure of what they should write, and seek some kind of validation that they should continue in their efforts. Rejections can be detrimental if not categorized for what they are—part of the business of getting published.
I AM AN AUTHORITY. This category is especially relevant for authors in nonfiction genres who may be recognized experts in a subject matter, or have successful businesses or careers that can be successfully expressed in book form.

In my class on Thursday, I'll talk about next steps no matter what kind of writer you are, and how to get agents/editors to approach YOU, rather than you begging for their attention.

Conferences/Events | Getting Published

Monday, October 19, 2009 3:13:27 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Wednesday, October 14, 2009

3 Sure-Fire Ways to Insult Someone in Publishing
Posted by Jane

1. Design your own book cover, or better yet, have a loved one do so for you. Bonus points if that loved one is a child (either young of full-grown), and creates abstract art.

1.5. Draw your own illustrations or have a loved one do so because they're really good with Microsoft Paint.

Books are products that require an industry professional's attention and marketing consideration, just like any other consumer product—from Coke to Draino.

2. Tell your editor that you've had your family member (who has a really sharp eye), read your work for errors, and you're certain it's good to go. Bonus points if that family member is a retired high school English teacher.

Editing is about much more than correcting comma placement. Furthermore, all publishers have their own style guidelines that aren't known or understood outside the publishing industry.

3. Tell your publisher that your book is a perfect fit for Starbucks [or any major retailer], and that it should be sold there.

More than anyone, your publisher wants your book stocked in every possible retail outlet, and will exploit every single distribution connection it has. It will place it in any outlet that will make space for books, and even pay money for placement. Your publisher isn't lazy or unimaginative; there's just immense competition.

And a sure-fire way to make an editor cringe:
Remark in an envious way, "So you must read a lot." No, we don't read. Mostly, we look for ways to make money and get your book placed at Starbucks, while gently informing you that your first-born cannot design your cover. Most editors have completely left pleasure reading behind. (That includes me, except when I'm on vacation.)

To end on a positive note:

6 sure-fire ways to make an editor love you

Ask questions about the business.
Ask what you can do to make your book or project or idea more successful.
Ask about the publisher's strengths and weaknesses, and where your help can really make a difference.
Share your action plan for marketing and promotion, and ask the publisher for specific things where they can meaningfully and realistically help you (usually things you know they've done to assist other authors).
Ask for examples or models of what other authors have done that have led to success.
Communicate, communicate, communicate. (Do not hide out, do not point fingers, do not blame.)

General | Getting Published | Marketing & Self-Promotion

Wednesday, October 14, 2009 9:07:50 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Remove These Phrases From Your Writing Life
Posted by Jane

I'm on an inspirational kick this week.

I recently connected on LinkedIn with my very first boss at F+W.

I always remember the advice he repeated to me that went something like: "Imagine you're 80, looking back on the fulfilling, beautiful life you've led. Now go do that."

I come across too many people who append a condition to their writing or creative life. Do you say these things?

I'll write when … (waiting for perfect conditions)
I'll write if … (waiting for some thing or someone else to act/decide/validate)

Or maybe something like:

I'll never be as good as … (denying the fact each person is unique and has something to offer -- and ignoring the hard work of self-knowledge and writing practice to help identify what makes you unique as a writer)
I don't have the patience … (for those who know the time it takes and the difficulties involved—but this forgets the preciousness of the journey and only considers the goal)

And most evil of all:

When I have enough time (we're all given the same amount of time in a day, but also we don't know how much time we're given overall)

Lately, I've come across two quotes from famous folks, echoing my former boss's sentiment. Nothing earth-shattering, but still …

Here's what Steve Jobs said when he addressed Stanford's graduating class a few years ago:

... for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

And Seth Godin wrote (around the same timeframe):

The thing is, we still live in a world that's filled with opportunity. In fact, we have more than an opportunity -- we have an obligation. An obligation to spend our time doing great things. To find ideas that matter and to share them. To push ourselves and the people around us to demonstrate gratitude, insight, and inspiration. To take risks and to make the world better by being amazing. ... You get to make a choice. You can remake that choice every day, in fact. It's never too late to choose optimism, to choose action, to choose excellence. The best thing is that it only takes a moment -- just one second -- to decide.

Photo credit: Let Ideas Compete

Craft & Technique | General | Getting Published

Tuesday, October 13, 2009 5:39:34 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Monday, October 12, 2009

It's Not Business As Usual--Stop Acting Like It
Posted by Jane

In my role at Writer's Digest I balance two key objectives that's an odd, meta-publishing endeavor:

Help aspiring writers succeed in the publishing arena
Keep the Writer's Digest business—as a publishing and/or content business—viable

Because of my position within the publishing industry, I see up-close the effects of hard economic times, transformational technology, and increased pressure to produce more with less. Friends lose jobs, businesses fold, we try to follow the cliche "work smarter, not harder," and remind ourselves of the heartfelt reasons we're in the business in the first place.

Here are some recent thoughts from others, from a variety of perspectives:

Daniel Menaker (former Executive Editor-in-Chief of Random House)

I believe that this impending Gutenberg-level shift in reading culture, along with the economic disasters of the last two years, render the challenges of present-day hard-copy publishing all the more agonizing, immediate, and dramatic. At least in the abstract, and especially in this economic climate, most other professions pose some of the same problems for those who pursue them, no doubt. But the tectonically opposing demands on publishing -- that it simultaneously make money and serve the tradition of literature -- and its highly unpredictable outcomes and its prominence in the attention of the media have made it a kind of poster adult for capitalism and the arts in crisis. [click here for full article]

Guy Gonzalez (F+W community leader behind Digital Book World)

For all the talk of publishing’s supposedly imminent demise, there are far too many passionate people working in and around the industry, at every level, to let that happen. And whether they realize it or not, it doesn’t matter if they’re working for one of the major publishers or an independent press, in senior management or as an editor, author or bookseller — there’s a wide and fertile common ground we all share and it’s best represented by the community we all serve: the readers.

Ultimately, it’s readers’ changing habits that are driving the fundamental changes in the publishing industry – everything from the types of books they’re reading to the formats they prefer reading them in – and as a result, it’s the current business model of most publishers that’s under stress, not the community service of publishing itself.
[click here for full post]

From Mark Barrett at DitchWalk.com

Everyone in the new content pipeline must demonstrate added value in order to be embraced by both authors and readers. As an author, if you are not helping me monetize my content in some way, I have no valid business reason for partnering with you or hiring you. As a reader, if you are not providing me a service I need at a competitive price I will simply go elsewhere.

… As a writer, questions of cost and profit and revenue are of interest to me because I now have a direct pipeline to readers. I know I can reduce my costs to something approaching zero, so the question of most concern to me is how to generate revenue. I know I need help to monetize my content. I need sites that will host it and promote it, readers that will recommend it, and publishers who will do the same if I want to reach the widest possible audience.

I want to make deals with business partners in order to accomplish these goals. I want to have the money to hire professionals like editors and designers to help me produce the best work I can. And I want publishers to help me reach the widest market if that makes sense to both of us. [click here for full post]

***

I frequently encounter these two groups:

The writers/authors who read all of this, who do comprehend what's going on, but seem unwilling or unable to adjust their expectations of a publisher or their own responsibility for success
The agents, editors, and other publishing insiders who also comprehend what's going on, yet expect or demand business as usual when it comes to book deals, contracts, and other partnerships

There are also the people who say, quite rightly, that writing and publishing a "real" book is still the big dream, and people will keep chasing that dream no matter how much we all argue that the book is dead, that times have changed, that no one reads any more, etc.

Yes, the dream will always remain. As far as I can tell, it has been a dream for more than a century (The Writer, a competitor to Writer's Digest, has been in business for more than 120 years).

But achieving that dream is going to take many more shapes, and look a lot different, than it did even 5 or 10 years ago.

Most of all, I want YOU to see, really see, what's possible (now & in the future—see The Art of Possibility), identify what you can achieve, and understand tactics to get things done.

I'm trying to do these things, too—along with care for the morale of the people I work with at Writer's Digest and F+W.

I am reminded of Kenny Moore's words:

Morale continues to remain dismal in most companies and employee surveys reveal three disturbing trends: nobody trusts, workers don’t believe senior management and employees are too stressed out to care. Problems with trust, belief and caring. When I lived behind the cloistered walls, we referred to these dynamics as a crisis of Faith, Hope and Charity. As the Recession continues to take its toll, the business world is facing a spiritual problem as much as a fiscal one. Napoleon once said that leaders are dealers in hope. That sounds like a sacred quality to me.

Monday, October 12, 2009 5:31:45 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Friday, October 09, 2009

15 Worthy Blogs I Just Discovered
Posted by Jane

I recently received the "One Lovely Blog Award" from Jillian Livingston (go check out isdisnormal—and you must if you are a mom). My thanks to her for introducing me to this concept.

As a result of being honored, I've been asked to note 15 blogs I recently discovered that I find worthy of the award.

(Photo above: A sign at a Buddhist temple advises that those with good eyes are inclined to fall into deep wells—which is how I feel when I discover a great new blog!)

So: here are blogs I've added lately to my Google Reader. (You can see my shared items from Google Reader here, and I accept sharing requests too if you use Google Reader.)

(1) Digital Book World
This is the newest blog launch from F+W, but it's backed by the inimitable Guy Gonzalez. A good read for savvy writers who want a larger understanding of publishing industry challenges. (Note: Digital Book World is offering a free webinar on "The Truth About eBooks" on October 21.)

(2) When Fridays Were Fridays
Written by someone who started working for a large company right out of college and stayed 30 years. I feel a cosmic connection to this person, because in 17 years, I wonder if my "About Me" will look exactly the same. I particularly like her post Have You Ever Faked It?

(3) What Consumes Me by Bud Caddell
You'll love it at first sight.

(4) Kenny Moore
Kenny is the co-author of The CEO and the Monk. I love how compassionate and human his advice is, while still being practical and appropriate for a corporate setting.

(5) Start Up Blog
I feel like I'm getting a better business training here than I would at a university.

(6) Self-Publishing Review
A site that benefits from a multitude of contributors. Professional and quality information, with a bit of magazine style to it (lead stories, resources, features).

(7) Fiction Matters
And it's not here just because they complimented me lately (or because of a bourbon affinity discovered on Twitter … well, maybe a little). Check out their guidebook, then peruse tips.

(8) My Name Is Not Bob
By the charming Robert Brewer, editor of WritersMarket.com. He is also blogger at Poetic Asides, but this is his personal blog, just launched on August 14. He's been a little quiet lately, but I know he'll be active again.

(9) The Sound and Furry
And this one is by the customer service rep behind WritersMarket.com, who is herself an aspiring children's writer. Great tips here for writers, plus cats (a great accent for every blog).

(10) Information Is Beautiful
Always amazing and share-worthy posts.

(11) Clay Shirky
Very infrequent posts, but outstanding quality when it comes to contemplating the future of media.

(12) The Book Oven
Something for everyone—especially writers—to keep an eye on.

(13) Publishing Trends
Their best content will cost you, but they still post really wonderful insider information for free.

(14) Bad Pitch Blog
While not directly tied to writing/publishing, read this long enough and you'll become a better salesperson and promoter of your ideas. A totally new find and I love it.

OK, I purposely stopped at 14. You tell me what No. 15 should be—based on the best last blog that's been added to your RSS reader or bookmark list. (Wondering about RSS readers? Read my tip on how to save time with an RSS reader.)

Friday, October 09, 2009 1:10:37 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Tuesday, October 06, 2009

The Secrets to Publishing Success (Jane's 2009 Tough Love Guide)
Posted by Jane

Above: Jane looks at you expectantly with the tough-love stare. Don't disappoint her.

--

This past year, I've posted a ton of information on how you can

(1) ensure your work is the best it can possibly be
(2) build an audience and create demand for your work
(3) take advantage of technology to push your career forward

At the Editor Intensive last weekend, I found myself referencing numerous blog posts I'd made, and thought it was time to compile what I'd consider the "guide" for 2009 on how to succeed in the new publishing landscape (because the industry ain't what it used to be).

This is a perfect reference guide for anyone who's attended the Intensive and wants a refresher—or an excellent accelerated course for anyone who hasn't.

I would love your feedback on what topics you'd like covered in more detail in the coming months!

P.S. Reviewing these, I clearly like the number 5.

--

THE SECRETS TO PUBLISHING SUCCESS: Jane's 2009 Tough Love Guide

Editing and Revising

The First Five Minutes: How Editors Evaluate Your Manuscript

Avoiding Red-Flag Mistakes on Your First Page

Secrets of Great Storytelling (Particularly for Memoirists)

5 Common Flaws in Memoir Projects

Not All Books Need to Be Well-Written to Sell

Your Protagonist Must Have a Goal (by guest Jim Adam)

Hiring a Professional Editor vs. Getting Amateur Critiques

The Golden Rule About Nonfiction Books

Querying / Submitting

Persistence Doesn't Matter If You Make This Common Mistake

5 Questions to Ask Yourself After Hearing: We Can't Sell Enough to Justify Publishing It

5 Elements of Query Letters

The Art of Live Pitching: 3 Rules

Audience Development / Platform Building

The Hardest Part About Developing Platform

The Four Stages of Marketing & Promotion

5 Questions for Those Who Don't Have Time to Market/Promote

Hard-Core Tactics for Authors Developing Audience

Fiction Writers Need Platforms, Too

Online Audience Building

Hey, Writers: What's Your Online Strategy? What Are You Waiting For?

Make Waves Online to Create a Path to Print Publication

Should Your Book Really Be a Book? How About a Website First?

What Does It Take for a Blog to Become a Book?

Should You Blog? And If So, What Are Best Practices?

How Writers Can Start Blogging in a Meaningful Way

The Benefits of Blogging (Especially for Unpublished Writers)

The Essential Components of an (Unpublished) Author's Website

How Twitter Is Helpful for Aspiring Writers

Figuring Out Your Facebook Strategy: 3 Essential Tips

Indie Publishing

Everything You Need to Know About Self-Publishing (Sort of)

My Big Rant on Self-Publishing

Big Picture

5 Ways Writers & Book Publishers Need to Embrace Change NOW

Are You Ready to Be a Bestselling Author? Then Listen to Alec Baldwin

That Unquantifiable Factor That Helps You Get Published and Succeed

Read My Writing and Tell Me What to Do

Tuesday, October 06, 2009 1:35:25 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Tuesday, September 29, 2009

The Distribution Barrier for Self-Publishers: Less of an Issue?
Posted by Jane

When I started at Writer's Digest in 2001, my first assigned beat was the self-publishing scene. I was given Dan Poynter's Self-Publishing Manual and The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing by Marilyn & Tom Ross, as primers on the topic.

I edited the magazine's column on self-publishing (discontinued), the newsstand-only special issues on self-publishing (also discontinued), and helped coordinate the judging for the Self-Published Book Awards (still going strong).

Back then, one of the biggest hurdles for any self-published author was securing bookstore distribution for a printed book—a near impossibility unless you could strike a deal with a wholesaler or distributor (also nearly impossible).

Much of the advice we gave in the magazine, and elsewhere, focused on how you could distribute and sell your book directly to readers, or through specialty sales channels. (Fortunately, 50% of books sold in this country are through specialty and mass-merchant accounts. A few examples of a specialty account: Michael's craft store, salons, gift shops.)

The indie scene is much different now for a few reasons:

(1) It is easier to take a risk on self-publishing your work electronically since there is usually very little upfront investment.

(2) You can e-publish your work for a variety of channels
(including the free-to-use Amazon DTP program), without securing an ISBN, and without granting exclusivity to any one channel or retailer.

(3) Avid readers are beginning to buy and even prefer books in electronic format, whether through Kindle, Sony Reader, or mobile devices.

That said, don't take this as a sign that it's easy to realize overnight success through self-publishing options, whether electronically based or not. I really love Christina Katz's "back to reality" advice, Good-bye, Cinderella: Self-Publishing Isn't the Only or Always the Best Choice for Writers.

There are many viewpoints, and there are just as many changes taking place daily in the industry. Just take the latest announcement today from Smashwords, Sony Reader, and AuthorSolutions. People who use Smashwords or AuthorSolutions to publish their work can have their e-book made available on the Sony Reader.

I spoke to Smashwords founder Mark Coker yesterday about the news, and it's impressive to see what his service can now offer an indie author (for free!):

Your e-book available for sale (or you can make it free to readers) in nine different formats, including HTML, JavaScript, Kindle (.mobi), Epub, PDF, RTF, LRF (for Sony), Palm Doc, and plain text (download or online view). This conversion process is totally automated, very fast (minutes), and based on a Word document that you submit to Smashwords.
Automatic distribution to people who use iPhones or Android-based phones.
Distribution to BarnesandNoble.com, including Fictionwise and their eReader app (distribution to B&N is contingent upon your files meeting format requirements, e.g., having a proper cover image and copyright page)
And, as of today, distribution to people using Sony Reader.

Mark says that he's in talks with other major online retailers for even more distribution opportunities. (I bet you can think of at least one major book retailer not listed above.)

I see physical distribution becoming less of a meaningful barrier as authors can distribute e-books in all the same places that traditional books are sold.

It doesn't equate to instant or even easy success, but authors who are able to create demand for their work, and aren't afraid of sweat-equity, have the potential for success if happy readers (fans!) help spread the good word.

Do you have an e-publishing experience to share? Or what questions does this raise for people who are wondering if this path is worth the time and energy?

For more:

My previous blog post: Do Writers' Futures Lie in Indie E-Publishing Platforms? (includes interview with Mark Coker)
Feature package on self-publishing from March/April issue of Writer's Digest magazine
My previous rant on self-publishing
How to publish on Smashwords (at their site)

Digitization & New Technology | Getting Published | Industry News & Trends | Self-Publishing

Tuesday, September 29, 2009 8:04:41 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Monday, September 28, 2009

Excellent (and Free) Presentation on Self-Publishing
Posted by Jane

At our conference last week, April Hamilton gave an in-depth presentation on the basics of getting started in self-publishing—or as an indie author.

Click here to download her presentation as a PDF file.

I blogged some tips from her session on the Writer's Digest Conference blog, which I'm reposting below.

April's definition of an indie author
An indie author is not someone who is using self-publishing as a desperation move, but as a carefully considered and conscious decision to self-publish. An indie author is a businessperson and an entrepreneur.

Some easy ways to create e-books

Easy-easy (one-click publishing): Scribd
Easy-easy (one-click publishing): Smashwords
A little more complicated: Amazon DTP (Kindle)
Add-on option with POD services like Lulu

Choosing a POD or self-pub service
April gets down to brass tacks when it comes to choosing a publishing/POD service based on the upfront costs and back-loaded fees—plus how you want (or they want!) to price your book. Lots of useful charts and graphs in her presentation showing how to do the math.

You can get a taste of this by looking at her blog post that compares Lulu and CreateSpace.

If you're considering self-publishing, be sure to check out April's community site devoted to your indie-author options: Publetariat.

(I also recommend Self-Publishing Review.)

Conferences/Events | Digitization & New Technology | Getting Published | Self-Publishing

Monday, September 28, 2009 3:14:38 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Glimmer Train Monthly News
Posted by Jane

Glimmer Train has just chosen the winning stories for their July Very Short Fiction Award. This twice yearly competition is open to all writers for stories on any theme, with a word count not exceeding 3000. Their monthly submission calendar may be viewed here.

First place: J.P. Lacrampe (pictured above, photo by Ashley Ording) of San Francisco, CA, wins $1200 for “Farmers’ Market.” His story will be published in the Winter 2011 issue of Glimmer Train Stories, out in November 2010. [Photo attached.]

Second place: Stephanie Reents of Providence, RI, wins $500 for “The Indefinite Article Is a Different Story.”

Third place: James Scoles of Carbondale, IL, wins $300 for “To Cook an Egg Gently.”

A PDF of the Top 25 winners can be found here.

Deadlines soon approaching!

Best Start: September 30
This competition is held quarterly and is open only to writers whose fiction has not appeared in a print publication with a circulation over 3000. Each submission should be an engaging, coherent narrative, but does not need to be a complete story, just an important part of a story in progress. Word count: under 1000. Click here for complete guidelines.

Fiction Open: September 30
This competition is held quarterly and is open to all writers for stories with a word count range between 2000-20,000. No theme restrictions. Click here for complete guidelines.

--

If you didn't know, Writer's Digest partnered with Glimmer Train to publish two compilation volumes of the best stuff from their Writers Ask newsletter. Be sure to check them out.

General | Getting Published

Wednesday, September 23, 2009 8:54:35 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Tuesday, September 22, 2009

How to Succeed in Today's Publishing Industry (Takeaways from Conference)
Posted by Jane

By noon on Saturday, attendees were commenting that they'd already gotten their money's worth. I consider that a big win!

If you missed the event, you can still get some valuable takeaways:

Meryl Evans has compiled Tweets from the event, which I've made available for printing and download on Scribd.
You can also read this fabulous recap from an attendee: 8 Gatejumper Tips Heard at the Writer's Digest Conference.

And most remarkably, Meryl Evans sent me a note to help attendees make sense of what to do next! See below. My big thanks to her generosity.

—

So You Went to the Writer's Digest Conference. What Are You Going to Do Now?
by Meryl Evans

In the Writer's Digest Conference blog, Robert Lee Brewer reported on something he overheard:

So, earlier today, in the hallway, I overheard one writer speaking to another. She said, "I don't have the time to handle all this."

I was not surprised to hear this kind of statement at a conference on publishing and marketing and communicating and podcasting and basically everything we've been going over since Friday. But, of course, I started thinking about how successful writers should be, at least, trying.

Well, after a long pause, she continued speaking to the other (very good listener) writer, "But I have to make the time if I'm serious about making this work."

The writer caught on. Not all of us think about how we're going to make the most of a conference. Or we feel overwhelmed that it paralyzes us preventing us from taking action. We bring home all the notes we took filing them away only to never see them again. Then the least we can hope for is that our brains remembered a few key points while we wrote or typed them and apply them.

Review Your Notes
Take five or ten minutes to look over your notes. You can handle that, right? As you review your notes, pick one to three things you want to use. Post them in your to do list or whatever you use on a regular basis so you can remember and practice. Give yourself a deadline—you're a writer, you can handle it. Check off each item as you do them.

Got 'em all done? Great. Now, go back to your notes to cross them off. Pick one to three more things to try. Repeat.

That wasn't so bad, was it? Turning loads of notes into a couple of doable tasks makes a difference.

Write One Article
You probably walked away from the conference with a few article ideas. Rather than trying to do it all, I pick one topic and write the article within a couple of days after returning home. You can make it a blog entry, an article for your publication, whatever. In writing the article, those ideas will stick with you. Plus, you gain a bonus of sharing that with others.

When you finish the article, revisit the other article ideas and what you can do with them. Rather than feeling spread thin with all your article ideas, you focus on one article at a time while putting the rest away for later. You've captured the ideas on paper or on your laptop. They won't disappear. Well, unless you delete them, lose them or trash them.

Key Points from WD Conference
You can find great tweets from the conference by searching Twitter for WDC09. Here are some highlights worth remembering, captured from tweets and the blog so you don't have to read it all:

Christina Katz: Platform is everything you do with your expertise. So many tools are available; must prioritize, maximize your time. Do you see yourself as the producer of your writing career and take 100% responsibility for your success?
Jane Friedman: Platform comes first! Book second. Without a strong platform and topic—creating demand—your book will have a difficult time finding its place in the market. Any changes publishers want to make to the book is what they believe will help increase book sales. They basically want what's economically best for your book—and that's ultimately a good thing.
Scott Sigler and Seth Harwood: Once you show you can move (sell) books, publishers will take notice. That's why giving away your first book online for free and building up an audience is essential to getting publishers—who have ignored you for years—to wake up and realize your talent and value. "You are the best person to sell your book," says Hardwood.
Alice Rosengard: Sees organization as a common problem with nonfiction proposals.
David Mathison (Be the Media) keys: Have a direct relationship with your audience. Control your rights. Repurpose your content.
Chris Brogan: The best way to get a book published is to not try to get a book published. The whole trick about promoting is to not talk about yourself. Learn to talk about other people. Twitter is not about talking; it's about listening.
Agent Miriam Kriss: A lot of "overnight successes" are 10 years in the making.
Agent Panel (Jessica Sinsheimer, Regina Brooks and Michelle Humphrey): Difference between freelanced editing and traditional editor is the latter cares, has a vested interest in the book. Professionally edited, professionally typeset, professionally designed are critical for success via POD.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009 5:33:06 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Instant Publishing Tools: Getting Noticed & Visible
Posted by Jane

Today I taught an online class about instant publishing tools that can help you get exposure for your work in digital formats. Thanks to all the participants who joined me today. Here's a summary of some of the sites & tools we reviewed (a handy reference for the attendees, as well as a good peek for others on what we discussed).

You can join me for my next webinar on Thursday, covering 3 secrets to getting your nonfiction book published ($99).

Instant & Digital Publishing Sites (Free to Use)

Smashwords (get your books onto iPhone, BarnesandNoble.com)
Scribd
Amazon Digital Text platform (get your books on Kindle)
Blurb (great for full-color, print projects)

Community Writing & Publishing Sites (also free)

Authonomy
WeBook

Blogging and Site Building (free)

Wordpress
Storytlr
JaneFriedman.com (example of my lifestreaming homepage using Storytlr)

Social Networking

Writer's Digest fan page on Facebook
My page on Facebook
Twitter (Writer's Digest)
Twitter (Jane Friedman)

Previous & Helpful Blog Posts

Conferences/Events | Digitization & New Technology | Getting Published | Self-Publishing

Tuesday, September 22, 2009 5:20:35 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Your Friends & Family Are Wrong
Posted by Jane

Time for a little tough love.

To all those writers who say:

My family has encouraged me to write this story
I had this idea while talking with friends, and they thought it was brilliant
My [insert close friend or family member name here] absolutely love my stories
I read my work to my students, and they think I should get it published

You need to ignore what these people are telling you.

You need to write because you can't do anything else. Because you would suffer if you didn't.

Your motivation to write has to come from within.

Don't write (only) because you were given validation or permission by someone close to you. What you really need (require) is your own inner conviction.

...

When I was a kid, my mother wrote a middle-grade fantasy novel. I read it many times. I absolutely loved it.

I remember her blue-gray electric typewriter that weighed a million pounds sitting on the dining room table. It had a very loud mechanical hum and the table vibrated and shook during periods of vigorous typing.

My mom consulted Writer's Market at the town library and sent her manuscript to dozens of publishers. She received all rejections, though some were encouraging and personalized. Eventually the typewriter was packed away in a closet.

Flash forward 20 years. The old manuscript is dusted off, brought into Microsoft Word, tweaked, and … everyone knows what's next.

I read my mother's book once again, not as a young daughter, but as a publishing professional who gives advice to writers.

I bet you're all wishing you had a family member in publishing to help you out, right?

It can be a curse rather than a blessing.

Family members are supposed to encourage and support you—act as cheerleaders during the long periods of rejecton.

There are some unusual cases where your family/friends can offer critical feedback as insightful and careful readers, and you can make excellent use of it.

But for most writers, you must not and cannot rely on your family and friends to give you this feedback, even if they are your target audience. And you especially can't rely on them to tell you that your work deserves publication (or to give you ANY kind of business-of-publishing advice).

Unless, of course, your daughter works in publishing and has a job that specializes in giving advice to writers.

Mom's story read very differently to me as a grown-up. I gave her feedback on how to revise it for today's market.

The manuscript is back in the proverbial closet.

But in the years to come, I know I will treasure and cherish her work more than any publisher could.

Photo credit: Pliable Trade

F+W Life | General | Getting Published

Wednesday, September 16, 2009 11:15:50 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Tuesday, September 15, 2009

The Benefits of Blogging (Your Feedback!)
Posted by Jane

There have been so many wonderful comments from you on the subject of blogging (on this blog, on my Facebook page, and on the Writer's Digest Facebook page), that I wanted to share a few pieces of the helpful advice.

My appreciation to everyone who has shared their experiences!

From published (or soon-to-be-published) authors

Terri Coyne: I started my blog around the same time I sold my debut novel. I committed to posting once a week or more but not less. … not only did it help connect me to an audience but by syndicating to Facebook, Amazon and other places, it allows me to share my writing out from a central location.

Having a blog before I built my website was also a good way for me to post information for a nominal cost. As my website was being designed, I had my URL (www.tericoyne.com) point to the blog. There are so many widgets and options available for blogs, you can create a nice site as a starting point.

In my monthly newsletter to readers I link back to my blog and use it as a source for important updates. It works well.

LK Hunsaker: I've been blogging for years and it did take time to build an audience, but it's a great way to interact and get feedback. My books revolve around the arts along with societal issues, so on my blog I do book and music reviews, author interviews, artistic musings that reveal my writing voice and style, and some minor societal issue entries. It shows who I am and what I'm about. I think free promo is something every up-and-coming author should consider seriously. Blogs are free promo. Start early and build your audience before your books come out if they haven't yet.

From aspiring writers

Marie Devers: I am an unpublished-writer blogger, and here is what I love about blogging:

1. It gives me a homebase on the Web. I'm not ready for a Web site yet. When I send out queries, however, important people can Google me and quickly see that I write daily and coherently. They can also find my email and twitter addresses.

2. It's how I found my beta readers. There are four of us. We each have a blog where we pimp each other out. We also have great email sessions, where we perform group emergency surgery on queries that aren't working and where we celebrate when one of our own gets an offer of representation (She's signing tomorrow!).

3. As solitary as writing can be, it's nice to have someone to report to, and I feel like my blog readers are my boss. It's much, much harder to give up when you've publicly announced that you are trying to publish a novel and people all over the world support your efforts.

Jeff Posey: I started a blog this spring and began using Twitter a short time later. I post short scenes and character interviews outside my core in-progress novel but that illuminate it.

My lesson? This has been a great way to explore my main storyline and has inspired me to increase my average weekly writing output toward my novel, even while spending perhaps two-to-four hours per week on the blog and Twitter activity.

Besides, it's a load of fun.

Reesha: I'm being patient. Not a lot of peope are reading my blog right now, but every now and then I hear about someone who's been reading all along and I didn't know about it.

When I get discouraged about writing or building my platform, or even lonely, I imagine lots of lurkers who secretly read my blog, are interested in what I have to say, and love my work.

I was once told to approach things like this with the attitude that the person who you're interacting with loves you and is generally interested in what you have to say. The worst case scenario is that they hate you and aren't interested in what you have to say, and then you or they move on. There are lots of people out there. Lots of possibilities someone who likes what you have to say will find you.

Livia: I mulled over the expertise question quite a bit when starting my blog. Since I'm not published yet, why would people want to listen to my writing advice? For that reason, I decided to focus on analyzing examples of good writing from published fiction and reviewing craft books rather than preach my own writing tips.

Terry Petersen: The discipline is great. My theme is "After sixty, a time to begin." Since I don't specify what I'm beginning, I can write about anything I'm learning, on any level.

Ashley Olson Rosen: For me, starting a humor blog has been helpful in two ways: it makes me look at everyday occurances and frustrations in a more positive light -- which can never be a bad thing -- and it provides so much encouragement when people, especially strangers, send in comments. It's also good practice to force you to write on a regular basis. I was writing fiction before and now am considering trying a humor manuscript. I say to try blogging!

Florence Gardner: I'm also in my first couple of months of my blog.
I'm an unpublished writer of mid-grade and YA fiction with a manuscript under exclusive review by an agent right now. A couple of years ago I thought it would be insane for someone like me to have a blog.

I got a professional to help me design and get it up and running and am SO glad I did. It wasn't very expensive and I think makes a huge difference. (she's fantastic by the way, if anyone is looking for that kind of help).

I'm having a ton of fun with it. I don't think of it as "advice giving" at all. But a chance to make friends and to step into a wider conversation about writing and reading.

Photo credit: Hello Jenuine

Digitization & New Technology | Getting Published | Marketing & Self-Promotion

Tuesday, September 15, 2009 9:23:59 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Monday, September 14, 2009

Should You Blog? And If So, What Are Best Practices?
Posted by Jane

Photo credit: Laughing Squid

More writers are blogging than ever. And if you're not blogging already, you've probably considered it. Recently, a writer asked me via Facebook about blogging.

She said:

[It is] my impression that blogs related to writing are primarily written by people with expertise in their field and who have valuable advice and connections within the industry. Now, however, I am checking around and I see that many writers, even writers who are unpublished -- and some who appear very far from being published -- have blogs, also where they discuss writing and their completed works and/or works in progress. These people generally have direct links to their blogs that become available when they sign their name (or their blog name) when commenting on another blog. So, I suppose they are doing some marketing for themselves.

So, my question is: Should I have a blog?

This writer had some serious reservations about starting a blog, and here's how I answered her questions.

1. I don't feel like I have much in the way of valuable advice. What kind of advice do I have to dispense?

For aspiring writers (especially novelists), it often comes down to a matter of voice—an engaging voice, humorous insights, or a unique perspective to bring to the table.

Sometimes you may have specific advice, sometimes not. For many aspiring writers who blog, it's about a community—writers who are learning from one another. It helps if you can identify what about your experience sets you apart, but this insight may not occur for 6 months or more of blogging.

Don't assume your blog should be specifically about writing. It could be about whatever sets you apart, makes you unique. The writing life can simply be an accent.

2. One person mentioned on his blog that a literary agent looked at his blog, saw his complaints about the issues remaining with his book, and decided not to look at his book. I suppose it seems obvious that you shouldn't write negative things about your work on your blog, but to me this seems like one example of potentially many examples of why a BAD blog could be worse than no blog at all.

There's always that risk that an editor/agent will be turned off by your site or blog. Frankly, though, if you're sending out material knowing there are still issues to resolve, you should be getting rejected. (Never send material out that isn't as final as you can make it!)

If an agent/editor is turned off by your site/blog, they may not like your style or voice, regardless of content or professionalism. If your blog is a good representation of who you are as a writer (and most blogs are), then it would be like worrying about a potential mate who decides not to start a relationship with you because he/she doesn't like your personality. Saves you both some trouble, right?

3. I know nothing about blogging, so I feel my chances of writing a bad blog are sufficiently high that I should be concerned.

Maybe you worry too much. This could a unique angle to your blog.

4. Since blogs need to be updated on a regular basis and you have to respond to your commentors, I feel like a blog could be a significant time sink. I just wonder if my time isn't better spent working on my next book.

This is a legitimate concern, but only because you would fall in love with blogging and community building and not do the real writing.

The administrative part of the blog (design/setup/posting/blahblahblah) takes no time at all (minutes). Many people fall into the trap of widget-y improvements, or the fun tinkering, the stuff that you do to avoid writing.

You should decide upfront how much time you want to spend (or can afford), e.g., I will post once a week, the post will be about 500 words. It can actually be a good warm-up exercise.

Try not to plan this out too much or wait to act because you feel lots of preparation is needed. Overplanning or overthinking is somewhat antithetical to today's blogging practice (except for professional bloggers who make a living at it).

5. One final concern: if I post excerpts from my novel on my blog, is that a problem down the road? I see that many authors do post excerpts from their unpublished books. Do you know if posting excerpts is a problem?

You do not lose ownership of your content by posting it online; it does not go into the public domain or give anyone else the right to use it. (Of course, it can heighten risk of someone stealing it, but this is incredibly rare, and it's not like there's raging demand out there for unpublished writing—where people are just waiting to steal and profit from your work!)

Unless you want to see your excerpts published in a literary journal or magazine in about the same form as on your site/blog, there's no need to worry. Your blog audience and platform is not the same thing as having a book published and distributed through major retail channels. Some authors have podcasted or otherwise distributed their entire novels before publication, and it helped them get a book deal. (See www.scottsigler.com)

So, what do you think? Do you think that *trying* to start a blog is a valuable investment for me at this stage?

For fiction writers and poets, a blog should exercise your creative muscles and let you write in an unpressured way. Sometimes it can help you stumble on insights, as well as new friendships. However, for an aspiring writer, you have to be careful it doesn't detract or replace the "real" work of writing the book or the manuscript.

For nonfiction writers, blogs can be an essential part of your marketing and promotion—the author platform that helps you get published in the first place.

Only you can make the final decision. While you shouldn't jump in just because everyone else is doing it, sometimes it's good to try things that stretch you beyond your comfort zone. Blogging isn't for everyone, and there's no shame in leaving it behind if you don't like it.

I'd love to hear in the comments from aspiring writers who are bloggers. What's your experience? Has anyone started, then decided to stop—and why?

Building Readership | Digitization & New Technology | Getting Published | Marketing & Self-Promotion

Monday, September 14, 2009 10:54:15 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Thursday, September 03, 2009

Back from Alaska Round-Up (3 Tips)
Posted by Jane

I just returned from my 1-week adventure in Alaska. It is certainly the most foreign place I've ever been within the United States. You can check out photos here.

Here are 3 tips for your Alaska adventure:

One glacier experience is probably enough to satiate your curiosity about glaciers.
You haven't experienced Alaska unless you take advantage of the ubiquitous bush air services. Air is the most efficient form of transportation to and within the state; most towns do not have road or highway access, and that includes the state capital of Juneau.
Weather is extremely changeable. Think Gore-Tex.

And here are 3 tips on exciting stuff at Writer's Digest that I wasn't able to mention last week since I was completely off the grid (e.g., inside a glacier moulin, as pictured above).

Instant Publishing how-to class (Sep 17)
In one of my last conference workshops, I made the comment that with tools today, you can instantly publish yourself. One writer piped up, "Instant Publishing! I want a book on that topic!" In lieu of a book, I'm teaching a class on Thursday, Sept. 17 that gives you a tour of sites that provide instant publishing capabilities (free, very little or no tech experience required). I'll discuss how and when to make your content free, when to charge, and how to evaluate your success. The class fee is $79, with an opportunity for live Q&A. Click here for more info and a link to register.

8 Tips for Writers on Digital Change in Publishing (WD Conference)
Our big NYC event on Sept 18-20 is only a couple weeks away. If you've been on the fence about it, be sure to check out our very affordable 1-day registration options. You can get an excellent preview of Mike Shatzkin's keynote, "What do you tell a writer about digital change in publishing?" over at his blog. Even if you are not going to the event, don't miss his 8 tips.

New MFA Confidential blog
Just launched this week! Check out our newest addition to the Writer's Digest blog family by Kate Monahan, a 2nd year MFA student at The New School University in downtown New York City. One of her first posts is about 6 lessons learned during her first year.

More wonderful stuff still to come this week, including a guest post tomorrow by Darrelyn Saloom.

Below: A view of the Hubbard Glacier.

Thursday, September 03, 2009 10:39:06 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Wednesday, September 02, 2009

Monthly News from Glimmer Train
Posted by Jane

Glimmer Train has just selected the 50 winning entries for their first Best Start competition. Each wins $50 and makes Glimmer Train’s Best Start list. This competition is held quarterly and is open only to writers whose fiction has not appeared in a print publication with a circulation over 3,000. Each submission should be an engaging, coherent narrative, but does not need to be a complete story, just an important part of a story in progress. Word count: under 1,000. Their next Best Start competition will take place in September.

Glimmer Train has also chosen the winning stories for their June Fiction Open competition. This competition is held quarterly and is open to all writers for stories with a word count range between 2000-20,000. No theme restrictions. Monthly submission calendar may be viewed here.

First place: Ingrid Hill of Iowa City, IA, wins $2000 for “Pavilion.” Her story will be published in the Fall 2010 issue of Glimmer Train Stories, out in August 2010.

Second place: Adam Theron-Lee Rensch of Bronxville, NY, wins $1000 for “A Day in the Life.” His story will also be published in an upcoming issue of Glimmer Train Stories.

Third place: Sam Ruddick of Brighton, MA, wins $600 for “Flight.”

A PDF of the Top 25 winners can be found here .

--

If you didn't know, Writer's Digest partnered with Glimmer Train to publish two compilation volumes of the best stuff from their Writers Ask newsletter. Be sure to check them out.

General | Getting Published

Wednesday, September 02, 2009 2:59:32 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Thursday, August 20, 2009

Pain & Struggle: A Fundamental Part of Writing
Posted by Jane

Nearly one year ago, I came across the following passage on Galleycat:

Reflect on this philosophical dispute submitted by one poetry-devoted reader:

"The book was a collection of love poems by William Carlos Williams. The poem was 'Asphodel, that Greeny Flower.' And the specific line of the poem over which we disagreed was: 'I cannot say that I have gone to hell for your love but often found myself there in your pursuit.'

"Although my boyfriend and I had been dating seriously for about a year, we disagreed so vehemently about whether pain and struggle constitute a fundamental part of love that we decided to break up then and there after reading and discussing the poem."

It struck such a chord with me that I clipped it and saved it in my Google Notebook.

At first I only considered it in relation to romantic relationships (yes, absolutely pain and struggle constitute a fundamental part of love), but now I've started thinking of it in relation to writing and publishing too.

It applies in a multitude of situations, e.g.,

Hating writer's block and loving the eventual (hopeful) breakthrough
Loving to have written (but hating the writing itself)
Loving the end results of criticism/editing, but being wounded in the process

Makes it seem like the painful means or process justify the glorious end?

But the end can be painful too. The finished book: not quite good enough, there are things you can still improve, right? (I love that saying about poems/stories never being finished, only abandoned.)

And the agent or publisher: how you felt such jubilation upon getting that deal, getting their attention. Then … the sad end … maybe when the book doesn't sell as hoped. Maybe you can't get a second book deal. Maybe you lose the agent's or editor's attention. Maybe you have regrets.

The point?

To know that you're living it, experiencing it, because you can do no other thing. Because you must write. Because that's who you are.

Note: This applies to colleagues/editors too. I know few, if any, in this business who do it for anything but love. (Writers, take note. There is passion there too, even if it is a passion that seems to disagree with you ... again and again and again.)

***

Housekeeping note: I'm about to depart on a one-week vacation to Alaska. I may appear here, I may appear only on Twitter or Facebook, but look for a rather delayed Best Tweets on the week ending August 28.

Photo credit: SheWatchedtheSky

Craft & Technique | F+W Life | General | Getting Published

Thursday, August 20, 2009 8:46:09 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Monday, August 17, 2009

5 Questions for Those Who Don't Have Time to Market/Promote
Posted by Jane

(Pictured above: Writer's Digest and HOW editors/designers, promoting "Art of Manliness" project)

"The master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his information and his recreation, his love and his religion. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence at whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him he’s always doing both."
—James A. Michener

Early in my career, I often read articles and heard people talk about the mystical "work-life balance."

More recently, I've heard a term that makes a lot more sense: "work-life blend."

It is hard to answer people when they ask what I do for fun or how I spend my spare time. Much of what I do off the clock is the same exact thing I do on the clock. I'm reading, writing, engaging online, talking about transformational issues that are confronting creative people, particularly in the publishing industry, and the interesting solopreneur-reject-the-cube-life phenomenon.

So it always brings me back to earth when I speak to writers about marketing/promotion (especially when it comes to social media), and they say, "But how can I find the time for that!"

Here are five questions that occur to me when faced with this dilemma. I wish there were an easy answer, but everyone has to figure it out for themselves.

1. Why are you writing? If it's just for validation, catharsis, family/friends, or money, then of course you'll be worried about the time it takes to do everything required to be a successfully published author. It takes enormous time and energy—not to mention the patience of a saint—and only those prepared to devote everything will make it. And I can assure you the reward will NOT be monetary.

2. If you don't like the idea of spending time online with social media or figuring out new technologies, then what other strengths do you bring to the table? Hands down, online tools are the fastest and easiest way for unknown writers to begin building an audience, get better at their craft, and network with others who can make a difference in their careers. You don't want to spend time doing that? Then you'll likely have to find another area of your life (another strength area) that can help give you an advantage in the publishing landscape. For instance, do you have a phenomenal network through churches or a wide-reaching organization? Do you have expertise in a media channel that will help you spread the message about you and your work? Do you have friends in high places? You need something other than luck and a fool's hope to help you in the publishing journey. (As the F+W CEO likes to say, "Hope is not a business strategy.")

3. If you don't have time to spread the message about you and your work, then who will? The best promoter of any book is its author. Period. And unless you are best friends with Oprah or TV/radio producers, the best tool you have to spread your message is through online channels.

4. Are you willing to make sacrifices for your writing and publishing career? I often tell writers that getting involved with marketing/promotion doesn't take nearly as much time as they might be imagining. On the other hand: Yes, it will require an investment, and maybe your time is extremely limited and precious. In that case, decide what you're willing to give up. Sleep? Exercise? TV shows? We're all given the same amount of time in the day. You decide and control how you spend that time. (For advice on getting more stuff done, visit Zen Habits.)

5. Do you have discipline? This blog is no stranger to the words "persistence," "passion," even "chance." These can all be essential for every writer. But the most boring secret of best-selling writers I know is discipline. Discipline to put in the time it takes, and discipline not to get sucked into time-wasting activities. (Discipline means checking e-mail at predetermined times each day and keeping it a focused activity. Same with Facebook, Twitter, and other online media.) Being able to focus on a task to the exclusion of all else is fast becoming a rare trait.

Finally, for me, there is an intangible element here of work as play. Authentic author marketing and promotion, the kind that builds on your strengths, should be a labor of love. (See here.)

Your audience/readers shouldn't feel like you are "working" when you are interacting and communicating with them. They should feel like you're at play.

That's what you're shooting for. Or that's what I shoot for.

Building Readership | General | Getting Published | Marketing & Self-Promotion

Monday, August 17, 2009 6:46:44 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Thursday, August 13, 2009

Hiring a Professional Editor vs. Getting Amateur Critiques
Posted by Jane

Today I gave a live online class on The First Five Pages—how editors evaluate your manuscript in an instant. It is one of my favorite classes to teach because in one page, you can easily show the tremendous improvement that can be achieved usually by cutting alone.

Here's a small example of what I mean (and thanks to the writers today who bravely offered up their first pages to my knife!).

[Note: The opening paragraph says that Danny, while off-duty, stumbles into the restaurant where he works to see a friend.]

Original:

“Hello, Liesel,” Daniel said as he grinned, brushed fresh snowflakes from his wavy brown hair.

“Danny, what are you doing here so late?” Liesel asked from behind the hostess stand. “Look at you. Are you drunk?”

“It’s wonderful to see you, too. You look exceptionally lovely tonight. Hey, is Andre still here? What kind of mood is he in?”

“He’s in the back room. He’s bearable tonight,” she whispered. “Danny, seriously, why are you here?”

“Tonight deserves one more. Then I’ll be on my way home,” Danny replied.

“Oh? What’s the occasion? A Christmas party? Your birthday?”

“It is an anniversary of sorts. But I’m not celebrating. It’s a day to forget, and so far, alcohol is the only way I’ve found. Just a little something for the pain, you know?” Looking around, he asked, “Who are all these people?

Edited:

“Hello, Liesel,” Daniel said as he grinned, brushed fresh snowflakes from his ~~wavy brown~~ hair.

~~“Danny, what are you doing here so late?” Liesel asked from behind the hostess stand. “Look at you.~~

"Danny! Are you drunk?” Liesel stood with arms crossed behind the hostess stand.

“It’s wonderful to see you, too. You look exceptionally lovely tonight. Hey, is Andre still here? What kind of mood is he in?”

“He’s in the back room. ~~He’s bearable tonight,” she whispered. “Danny, seriously,~~ Why are you here?”

“Tonight deserves one more. Then I’ll be on my way home,” Danny replied.

“Oh? What’s the occasion?" ~~A Christmas party? Your birthday?”~~

~~“It is an anniversary of sorts. But I’m not celebrating. It’s a day to forget, and so far, alcohol is the only way I’ve found. Just a little something for the pain, you know?”~~ Danny looked around. “Who are all these people?

When I do classes like this, it's often the first time writers have seen a professional go through their work with a fine-tooth comb. And so the question arises, "Can you recommend an editor?"

It's always tough to make a recommendation—there are so many variables!—the editor's background/experience, the kind of editing work you need, the editing approach you have in mind, your sensitivity level (yes, it matters!), the personality of the editor, and so on.

But 3 things are critical:

Make sure it's really time to pay for a professional edit. (And realize it's not the key to publication or an agent.) I recommend you read about writer Jim Adam, and his advice on how/when to hire a professional.

Make sure you know what kind of editing help you need: developmental, content, copyediting, or proofreading. The editing I've done above could be part of a developmental edit or an extensive content edit, which are far more expensive than a copyedit or proofread. A developmental edit will give you high-level feedback on how to rewrite and revise (on your own), often with major structural changes or complete redirection. A content edit may be just as thorough, but may not require a lot of new material or restructuring. Copyediting and proofreading looks at your material at a surface level (grammar, syntax, punctuation, typos).

Follow a thorough process to hire someone. Do your research. And try to get some kind of sample or idea of their work before committing. Here's an article that describes how one writer did it.

Another option is to take online classes with a professional editor/author that includes a critique component (like our own WritersOnlineWorkshops.com—Advanced Novel Writing Workshop is one of the most popular classes).

Never forget: A professional editor can make a good manuscript great, but they can't work miracles if your story line is weak or not marketable. If you want an editor who can speak to market concerns in your work, select one who has a background in published and commercial authors.

Not everyone has the money to hire a professional editor, but many writers, if they put in the time and effort, can benefit from a critique group. (We have a book coming out this December on working with critique groups.)

Some online critique groups and writing communities worth checking out:

Critters.org
Authonomy
Online Writing Workshop for SFF & Horror
Ray Rhamey's blog offers a free critique of your first 16 lines
Writer's Digest forum

Do you have recommendations for excellent free (or paid) online critique groups—or how to start a local/regional critique group? Please share in the comments!

Conferences/Events | Craft & Technique | Getting Published

Thursday, August 13, 2009 2:23:17 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Wednesday, August 12, 2009

5 Reasons Pitches Can Be Detrimental Rather Than Helpful
Posted by Jane

I've read and listened to hundreds if not thousands of pitches during my decade in book publishing. And while I think it's important for writers to get out there and interact with and understand professionals in the business, I also think pitching can be a very difficult and unrewarding process for some writers.

Consider:

You may have little experience or practice in pitching, and walk into the pitches unbelievably nervous and anxious. All of that anxious energy usually detracts from the quality of the pitch. (So many writers fill the first few minutes with apologies for being nervous—not sure what to do, or what to say.) While it's a skill I wish more writers would practice (the art of persuasion or the art of selling), most writers expect their heart and passion to carry them. Sometimes it works, sometimes not.
You may consider the pitch a make-it-or-break-it moment—like awaiting the official verdict on whether your idea is worthy of further review and publication. The reality is that in-person pitches have about the same success rate as a cold query (less than 1% in my experience).
Because you are so focused on this mythic opportunity (and hearing that "yes" or "no" verdict), you might miss out on the greater benefit of the pitch experience—getting instant feedback on your project, or having a meaningful conversation about the market for your work. Such information can dramatically reduce future frustration and shorten your path to publication. Sometimes just 5 minutes of very insightful professional advice can change your perspective, approach, or slant. Plus flexibility and openness to change in today's publishing environment is important to long-term career growth and success.
That said, most pitch sessions don't offer enough time to have a solid conversation about your best path forward (next steps). At least 75% of the writers I meet with have a fuzzy or misdirected goal or path, and no clear idea of how to make progress. Fifteen minutes (or less!) isn't enough time to have a coaching session, plus most writers are so focused on the pitch they aren't in the right mindset to receive redirection. (Not to mention that such redirection can be a huge blow to a writer because it equates to rejection.)
Most writers don't experience the pitch process as part of the business of being a writer. Most writers I meet experience the pitch as a highly intense, emotional, and personal process. Unfortunately, whenever engaging in a business conversation (which is what a pitch is), it's important to have some distance and perspective. That's why I always love meeting potential authors who have a business or marketing background, because they know that getting an idea shot down isn't personal, and they're more likely to be receptive to a conversation about marketability of a project and alternative routes to success.

Bottom line: Sometimes it's more valuable and important to know if you're headed in the right direction, rather than to succeed with a pitch.

But this mindset is tough to adopt. "Education" and "course correction" is not the dream. The dream is "get an agent" or "get published."

For all writers who walk away disappointed from a pitch, remember that success is rarely attained in those 5-15 minutes. Rather, it's all the years of work leading up to that moment, and how the years of work and experience (and your passion, your confidence), give you the smell of success.

Agents/editors can tell when someone is on the brink of success (though we might not know when someone is years away from success). But you'll rarely see a publishing professional be that direct or blunt in a pitch session. That's because writers approach the pitch with so much of their personal life on the line that agents/editors (as human beings too) don't want to be the one to poke holes in your soul. It's better to say, "Sure, we'll take a look" … and then reject in business-like fashion after it arrives in the mail. But we knew in our gut when we heard your pitch it would not be ready for the market.

Photo credit: fadderuri

Agents | Getting Published

Wednesday, August 12, 2009 3:59:09 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Thursday, August 06, 2009

The Art of Live Pitching (3 Rules)
Posted by Jane

Today I arrived in Portland, Oregon, to participate in the Willamette Writers Conference. I first came here in 2004 to hear pitches and take appointments, and I often return to Cincinnati with a great author for Writer's Digest (e.g., Christina Katz and Sage Cohen as the most recent).

Tonight I took part in a "pitch the pros" panel with Jeff Herman (agent), Charlotte Cook (Komenar), and Krista Lyons (Seal Press). More than 20 writers had about 3 minutes to pitch their work and get feedback from the panel. Overwhelmingly, most pitches could have been improved if they followed these three rules:

Keep it short. (Brevity is your friend!) Just because you have three minutes (or 5 or 10) doesn't mean you should take up all the time. Never talk for as long as possible—it can take a mere 15 seconds to deliver a convincing storyline. The longer you talk, the less time the agent or editor is talking. And isn't that why you're meeting with them—to hear THEIR feedback and reaction?
Focus on a character and the character's problem. When it comes to fiction, it's much easier to follow a pitch and remain interested when we can connect to a character and immediately understand the problem or conflict facing that character. Why are we going to care? What are the stakes? So what?
Stop at a moment of tension and wait. Rather than talk and talk (which sometimes happens because you're nervous), remind yourself that it's OK not to explain all the details or the final outcome. It's more effective to stop just as you've established the key stakes or tension, and wait for a reaction from the agent. Let them guide the discussion; find out what's caught their attention or what piece is missing.

In the next few days at Willamette, I'll be taking appointments, sitting on another panel, and also giving an educational workshop. Hope to have another update with some more advice, including tips from the many talented agents/editors who are gathered here.

Agents | Conferences/Events | Getting Published

Thursday, August 06, 2009 1:19:37 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Thursday, July 30, 2009

Are You Too Ambitious for Your Own Good?
Posted by Jane

Ira Glass has some of the best advice I've ever read for writers, at least in relation to great storytelling. He's said that you have to be willing to be bad at what you do for a long time until you actually can achieve the vision of perfection you have in your head. He even puts himself out on a limb and offers recordings illuminating how bad he was at radio when he first started.

I was reminded of Ira when my writer-friend Teresa Fleming shared with me the following letter from Charles Dickens, where he responds to an aspiring writer.

Tuesday, Feb. 5th, 1867.

DEAR SIR,

I have looked at the larger half of the first volume of your novel, and have pursued the more difficult points of the story through the other two volumes.

You will, of course, receive my opinion as that of an individual writer and student of art, who by no means claims to be infallible.

I think you are too ambitious, and that you have not sufficient knowledge of life or character to venture on so comprehensive an attempt. Evidences of inexperience in every way, and of your power being far below the situations that you imagine, present themselves to me in almost every page I have read. It would greatly surprise me if you found a publisher for this story, on trying your fortune in that line, or derived anything from it but weariness and bitterness of spirit.

On the evidence thus put before me, I cannot even entirely satisfy myself that you have the faculty of authorship latent within you. If you have not, and yet pursue a vocation towards which you have no call, you cannot choose but be a wretched man. Let me counsel you to have the patience to form yourself carefully, and the courage to renounce the endeavour if you cannot establish your case on a very much smaller scale. You see around you every day, how many outlets there are for short pieces of fiction in all kinds. Try if you can achieve any success within these modest limits (I have practised in my time what I preach to you), and in the meantime put your three volumes away.

Faithfully yours.

Yikes, right? (You can read more Dickens letters here.)

Here's the secret, though: If you're the writer, do you read this and think: I should just stop trying.

Or do you read this and think: He doesn't know how wrong he is!

Writers in training know they're not good, but they know they're getting better. And they go on to fight another day.

Photo credit: wallyg

Fun | General | Getting Published

Thursday, July 30, 2009 6:06:48 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Tuesday, July 28, 2009

The Four Stages of Marketing & Promotion (and MWW Recap)
Posted by Jane

This past weekend, I spoke at the Midwest Writers Workshop in Muncie, Ind. It was my seventh year speaking there, and remains one of my favorite conferences. (Read my three recaps from last year, starting with Day 1.)

Among other things, I gave a two-part session on essential tools for online marketing and promotion—and did my best to explain what it means to use Twitter, Facebook, sites, and blogs to build meaningful relationships with an audience.

One of the key takeaways: you can't decide it's time to market and promote on the day of your book's release. By that time, it's far too late. You need to establish relationships and connections the day you decide you want a career as an author.

To help break this down into a manageable process for people, I outlined four stages to marketing and promotion, especially when you're entering any online community and trying to be an authentic member:

Sign up, observe, and educate yourself (sometimes called lurking). Many people stay at this stage for a long time, simply soaking up good information.
Participate. Start to make yourself known. This could be as simple as making status updates, posting photos or sample writing, or creating a profile.
Share something and grow relationships. Focus on what you give people or what you can share that's of value. As you participate and share with others in the community, and do things for each other, relationships grow and develop.
Ask for help. This is when you might actually put your connections to work as a means of soft or hard marketing. Maybe you want to tell people to pre-order your book on Amazon on a specific day. Or you're hoping that your network will spread the word about an upcoming event you're hosting. So you ask.

People who know you and trust you will be more likely to help you. That's why it's important to establish relationships far before you market and promote a product/service. The relationships have to be meaningful before they have value in a marketing/promotion effort, particularly online.

(Because most authors don't realize the importance of marketing/promotion until it's too late, the first annual Writer's Digest Conference is focused on these types of strategies and skills.)

Other notes from the conference:

I had a good conversation with author Kelsey Timmerman, who wrote Where Are You Wearing (Wiley). He found his agent at Midwest Writers two years ago, and is now shopping his second book. He's a great example of an author with a strong online brand, partly due to the kind assistance of his publisher. Also: Check out this YouTube video he did on book signings versus book clubs.

Dennis Hensley gave a rousing keynote about the "re-create 8" — or eight ways to be a better creative thinker (e.g., reduce, rearrange, expand, reverse).

Eric Butterman, an expert freelancer, gave sessions on how to earn more money writing even in a down economy. He struck me as one of the most engaging and prolific freelance writers I've met in a very long time, who really knows his stuff. (If you can manage to find a workshop or class with this guy, jump on the chance.)

I was alerted to a poetry contest that has first prize of $500 or a colonoscopy. Go here to read more about the Bottom Line contest. Tip of the hat to Irene Fridsma, who also shared this Dave Barry column on the topic. And note that Irene's blog was set up in the past 48 hours by following my advice in the online marketing and promotion session!

Many thanks to the MWW committee (I'm pictured above with members Alan, Jama, and Barb) for another lovely year. I highly recommend the event to all writers for its hands-on craft/technique sessions as well as access to literary agents.

Looking for more?

Check out the Writer's Digest Conference.
Our very own Chuck Sambuchino is hosting an online class on how to find an agent using online tools. Visit his blog on agents.
One of our best books on establishing relationships to further your career is Get Known Before the Book Deal by Christina Katz. Visit Christina's site, read an excerpt (Why All Authors Need a Platform), or view the table of contents.

Conferences/Events | Getting Published | Marketing & Self-Promotion

Tuesday, July 28, 2009 5:01:58 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Monthly News from Glimmer Train
Posted by Jane

Glimmer Train has just chosen the winning stories for their May Short Story Award for New Writers competition. This competition is held quarterly and is open to any writer whose fiction hasn’t appeared in a print publication with a circulation greater than 5,000. No theme restrictions. Word count range: 500-12,000. Their monthly submission calendar may be viewed here.

First place
Noa Jones of New York, NY (pictured above), wins $1200 for “Brother Ron”. Her story will be published in the Fall 2010 issue of Glimmer Train Stories, out in August 2010.

Second place
Farley Urmston of Sherborn, MA, wins $500 for “Pretending”.

Third place
Benjamin Janse of Jamaica Plain, MA, wins $300 for “The Great Storm”.

A PDF of the Top 25 winners can be found here.

Deadline approaching!

Very Short Fiction Award: July 31. This competition is held twice a year and is open to all writers for stories with a word count range not exceeding 3,000. No theme restrictions. Click here for complete guidelines.

--

If you didn't know, Writer's Digest partnered with Glimmer Train to publish two compilation volumes of the best stuff from their Writers Ask newsletter. Be sure to check them out.

General | Getting Published

Wednesday, July 22, 2009 9:47:33 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Tuesday, July 21, 2009

5 Elements of Query Letters
Posted by Jane

Earlier this year, I taught an online class where I offered "extreme makeovers" on query letters. To help ensure everyone took away some concrete advice, every attendee was invited to submit a 1-page query for review.

It was a successful workshop, so we're repeating it again this Thursday. In preparation for the workshop, I take the query letters that are submitted and categorize their basic elements into "good", "OK", and "needs revamped." The five elements I look at are:

Personalization. What effort has the writer made to ensure this letter has been customized for a particular editor, agent, or publishing house?
Hook. How effective is the hook? Is it too long? Is it clear? Does it cover everything an editor/agent needs to know to say, "Yes, I've got to see more!"
Bio. For nonfiction, people often slip up and don't emphasize the right aspects of platform or credentials. For fiction, it can be difficult to know what to mention, if anything, when you're unpublished. So I always give examples showing the best-case scenario, as well as examples when you rely on your hook and overall charm or professionalism to carry you to the finish line.
Basic info. Have you included the necessary information about title, genre, word count?
Opening/closing. There are lots of red flags and stumbles that can make it onto the page. Some aren't deal breakers, others are. I show examples of both.

I speak at conferences frequently about query letters, but seeing real examples of what's working and not working can be the best way to learn how to fix your own. Go here for the link to register ($99); after the event has concluded, you'll have access to the recording for a year. Plus I'll share a recap of the event on this blog, offering some takeaways for everyone.

In the meantime, here are some excellent query resources.

Essential Blogs
QueryShark (by agent Janet Reid)
Guide to Literary Agents blog
No longer active but still helpful Miss Snark
The Rejecter
Great Posts From the Guide to Literary Agents blog
10 Query Letter Tips
Breaking Down the Query Letter
Where Can Writers Examine Good Queries?
Example of a Mind-Boggling Horrible Query
Concerning Agents and E-mail Attachments
Conflicting Advice About Query Formatting
How to Word a Follow-Up Query to an Agent
Will She Ever Reply to Your Submission?

Want to know more about upcoming online events? Click here for more.

Conferences/Events | Getting Published

Tuesday, July 21, 2009 12:38:14 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Monday, July 20, 2009

Turn Your Dragons Into Princesses
Posted by Jane

Rilke's Letters to a Young Poet is one of the greatest writing advice books of all time. You can highlight nearly every passage as an inspirational gem. But there isn't any quantifiable advice in it.

As much as Writer's Digest focuses on the nuts-and-bolts of craft/technique, and beats the drum of marketing and promotion, everyone on staff recognizes that what sets the successful apart from the unsuccessful is rarely quantifiable.

Maybe there are some numbers you can look at, for a vague generalization:

Kevin Kelley's 1,000 fans
Malcolm Gladwell's 10,000 hours (as explained by Seth Godin)
John Grisham's many rejections

These numbers only point to a larger felt sense that a writer knows in his gut, physically (but may intellectually ignore) when it comes to recognizing the effort or determination required.

But your motivation and desire to write or express yourself doesn't lie in the numbers. Whether you like it or not, it keeps its home in the hopes and fears that go much deeper than the writing goals you might have set for yourself.

One of my favorite passages from Rilke:

Perhaps all the dragons of our lives are princesses who are only waiting to see us once beautiful and brave. Perhaps everything terrible is in its deeps something helpless that wants help from us.

We all have some kind of dragon holding us back, and we typically give it a name that obscures its real identity. Maybe your dragon is "not enough time" or "writer's block" or "publishing industry is unfair." But is that really the true, felt sense of what's holding you back? Only you can tell. (And I recommend this book to find out what that true, felt sense might be.)

Every creative person, every artist, needs someone who encourages them, who can see the potential inside, who can see the princess in the dragon. My father told me as a little girl that I could do anything and be anything that I wanted. And I could tell he really believed it. And so I believed it too.

What do you hang onto? What can turn your dragon into a princess?

Note: It's a busy week for me, so I'll have guest blogger Jim Adam here on Wednesday-Friday. (Curious what I'm up to? Check out my live, online class on query letters this Thursday, and the Midwest Writers Workshop.)

Photo credit: james_michael_hill

Craft & Technique | General | Getting Published

Monday, July 20, 2009 4:45:36 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Read My Writing and Tell Me What to Do
Posted by Jane

I laughed out loud today when reading a post by one of my favorite bloggers, Derek Sivers, where he describes the single most common request he receives from people.

It's EXACTLY what we experience every day at Writer's Digest—and he offers the absolute right response!

… the single most common request … “Take a listen to my music and let me know what I should do.” …
Most of the time, the music is good. Not the best or worst thing you’ve ever heard, but good. … The music itself usually doesn’t make it clear what someone should do.
What if I was in a different industry and people said:
“I’m trying to find a spouse. Look at my photo and tell me what I should do.”
or:
“I want to be a millionaire. Look at my bank account and tell me what I should do.”
The real answer is “it depends … ”
What are your goals? Why are you making music?
What have you done so far? What’s worked? What hasn’t?
What is your reaction to criticism or setbacks?
Are you future-focused or present-focused?
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
What are your habits? Are you growing or coasting?
How do you measure success? Fame? Money? Emotional response?
What’s your timeline? 1 year? 3 years? 30 years?
… and 50 other questions that would make this article too long.
It’d take many hours of conversation to get enough information to responsibly tell someone what to do.

I receive a lot of phone calls from writers who ask, "Can you please take a look at my writing and tell me what to do?" Or they simply want to be told if they should continue in their efforts to get published.

Without having a deep understanding of the person, it's tough to offer useful information. I usually ask a couple of the questions above, but end up delivering a few of the key business facts: You have to offer something unique and be passionate enough that you don't stop in the face of (years of) rejection.

Do you wonder if you have what it takes? Really only you can answer that question.

But if you're looking for more advice, here are a few places to start:

My previous post on this topic, Leading Indicator of Success
Page After Page by Heather Sellers
Do I Have What It Takes to Be a Writer? (excerpt from my book, Beginning Writer's Answer Book)

Photo credit: Stillframe

Getting Published

Wednesday, July 15, 2009 2:50:01 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Thursday, July 09, 2009

Not All Books Need to Be Well-Written to Sell
Posted by Jane

If you're writing a nonfiction book, the first question you need to ask yourself is whether your book is more about ideas/information or art.

If your book is more about ideas/information, it means:

you need credibility or authority of some kind in your subject area to be taken seriously by publishers and other insiders
you need expertise and/or experience to understand the conversation/community you're entering into and how to present fresh and compelling ideas or information
you need an excellent understanding of your audience and their needs
your platform (or visibility) in a community will be essential to selling and promoting yourself and your book
you don't do the book first to become an expert; you're an expert or credible source first (with a platform) which justifies having a printed book
you write a book proposal because you need to present a business plan for why the market needs your book
your audience doesn't care as much about the quality of expression (artform) as the quality of ideas and information

If your book is more about art, it means:

you need skill at the craft to be taken seriously, which usually means years of practice
you may not need any expertise/experience of any kind if your writing evokes strong emotion, passion, or deep meaning
you often need to write the book first, and write it flawlessly, in order for it to sell (assuming you are not a celebrity or notorious or bizarre person who can garner media attention)
you might write a proposal, but when it comes to art and making meaning, storytelling is much more powerful than statistics and business plans (of course, remember that even a book about ideas/information needs a mythical story behind it or a way to help people find meaning to stand out from the crowd)

If your book is about ideas/information, that doesn't mean it shouldn't be as well written as possible. In fact, the most powerful books about ideas (by people like Malcolm Gladwell) are works of art.

But when you're pitching an agent or publisher, make sure you know whether your book is idea-driven or art-driven. It makes a difference in your perspective and slant.

When it's about the ideas or the information, you're a salesperson armed with information on the market and your authority. You can do the same with your art, but if the art doesn't match your sales hype, you're back to square one.

Photo credit: Sailing: "Footprints Real to Reel"

Agents | Getting Published

Thursday, July 09, 2009 2:58:18 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Wednesday, July 08, 2009

That Unquantifiable Factor That Helps You Get Published and Succeed
Posted by Jane

Lately I've come across a refrain of advice that gets truer the longer I'm in the business: the strength of your relationships is essential to getting ahead, which means having a network of people who like you and/or trust you.

A few examples:

I'm reading a yet-to-be-published business book by a woman who was the first female VP of manufacturing at Procter & Gamble. Her entire argument comes down to trust. Are you creating experiences with your colleagues that lead them to trust you, recommend you, and essentially "vote" for you to get the new project, get promoted, or get a new job?

Here's a story of a 14-year-old who got hired at Apple. Years later, he says success is attributable to people liking him. Quote:

Recognize that by being useful and good to others, you will eventually build a very strong team of supporters. They’ll lift you up to new heights and protect you. If you falter they will be there to bring you back up and support you.
I think it’s one of the most overlooked components of business. Simply, we’re always able to say that at the end of the day, all you have is your friends.

Seth Godin speaks in this 1-minute video about social networking done right—how it can be relevant and helpful, or entirely pointless, depending on how you're using it. Are you helping people achieve their goals, reliably and repeatedly? Collecting masses of followers will not help you succeed.

For writers, this is why I advise going to conferences and meeting with people in the industry. Even if you have only a moment to make an impression, if that person likes you or is impressed by you, then it makes your job easier when it comes time to query or submit.

Part of the problem with the cold query or cold contact is that no relationship has been established, and the person on the receiving end doesn't know if you're nice or crazy. That's why referrals are so valuable to writers—because they help agents/editors feel confident and compelled to pay attention if the recommendation comes from someone they trust.

On side note, but related: In my final month of high school, there was a highly unfortunate incident where I unwittingly distributed to the entire school, via e-mail, another student's private and unflattering opinion of an administrator. As a student with a trouble-free record, it was mortifying—and even more mortifying when I got raked over the coals for it. I had to call my mother in front of the head administrator and describe the entire embarrassing incident, then was grounded to my room for a week, except for class time and meals. (It was a residential high school.)

I'll never forget that administrator staring at me squarely and declaring, "I would not say to THIS WALL what I would not say to THE WORLD."

Point being: Your interactions with people—and what you say and do—matter tremendously. When you complain, cast aspersions, or talk negatively about any situation or person, no matter what the setting/environment, always consider the repercussions. Sometimes, even when we think we are confiding privately, it is much more public than we realize. And it can lead to people being wary of us and less trusting.

Think about the kind of person you trust, like, and recommend—they probably make you feel good afterward, not drained. It's like Aunt Josephine said in Anne of Green Gables: "I like people who make me like them. Saves me so much trouble forcing myself to like them."

Photo credit: Sara Lechner

General | Getting Published | Marketing & Self-Promotion

Wednesday, July 08, 2009 6:17:58 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Friday, July 03, 2009

There Are 2 Types of Writers: Which Are You? (The Other Side of the Slush Pile)
Posted by Jane

Today's guest post is from the insightful Jim Adams (Migdalin.com). I met Jim at the June WD Editors' Intensive. He also contributed this piece about the benefit of hiring a professional editor.

The Fire in Fiction, by Donald Maass, informs us that there are two types of writers:

One type writes in order to write.
The other writes in order to be published, obtain fame, and receive impressively large royalty checks.

As with any dichotomy, this one has its problems, but recently I gained a better understanding of why Mr. Maass would come up with such a dichotomy in the first place.

Recently, I got a chance to sit on the Other Side of the Slush Pile.

Most writers' workshops qualify, in some sense, as slush piles, but the online community Authonomy, run by HarperCollins, takes things one step further. Authonomy lets authors post their books, or significant portions thereof, and then lets them vote for each other's work. Books get rated based on how many votes they have, and books at the top of the ratings get looked at by one or more purchasing editors at HarperCollins.

While you can only vote for five books at a time, you can comment on as many books as you like. Having posted a goodish portion of my own book, I set about providing comments to several individuals who had befriended me or who had suggested a bout of mutual mastication, so long as I went first …

So, I began to read, and I began to critique.

My efforts were unappreciated. I had failed, you see, to follow the prevailing custom, which was to write a critique thusly:

This book was so good, I was tempted to cut off my fingers, because compared to you, I don't deserve to write even a grocery list. Excuse me while I go change my underthings: that's how much your words moved me! I especially liked how you capitalized the first word in every sentence. Masterful!!

Let me reiterate that Authonomy is a slush pile. While I haven't been part of the community for long, the few books I've read and commented on so far are (in my inexpert opinion) not ready for publication, and I don't mean they're in need of a thorough proofreading. The problems I've seen have been fairly major. But, using Mr. Maass's dichotomy, most people on Authonomy appear to be Type 2 writers. They're looking for validation, not criticism. They're looking for publication and a paycheck, not insight into how they might improve their work.

Naturally, it's difficult to accept criticism on a book that took you a year or more to write. And who wants to hear that a book they believe is finished still has significant room for improvement? Move a few commas around? Be happy to! Revise a few sentences for clarity? Well, if you insist. Rewrite the book so it begins on page one, ends at a meaningful destination, and accomplishes something at regular intervals along the way? How dare you!

Of course, tact plays an important part in writing any critique, but having learned my critiquing skills at critters.org, I write tactful critiques as second nature. After all, my book is out there too, and if it's to be savaged, I prefer to have it savaged without unnecessary invective or rancor. But tactful or not, I get the impression that most of the writers on Authonomy aren't interested in meaningful feedback.

To be fair, another part of the equation here is: Who to believe?

Do you believe the fifty people who agree with you that, "Oh my God, this is going to be bigger than Harry Potter," or do you believe the one lone voice of dissent? In all likelihood, the voice of dissent is just a psycho-killer wannabe who fills his time between stalkings by pulling the wings off budding novelists. Your best bet is to quote the immortal Buzz Lightyear ("You are a sad, strange little man, and you have my pity."), and go on about your business.

Still, whatever the psychology, the end result is the same. Individuals stroke each other and promote books that are half-baked.

It's possible that over-eager writers are outnumbered by those who suffer from the opposite problem: the curse of endless revision. We can't know for sure, but it's worth mentioning. Balance in all things. Sooner or later you have to pull the cake out of the oven, put the icing on it, and let people cut themselves a slice. If someone then tells you the cake could have stayed in the oven just a bit longer, well ... who knows. Maybe they have a point, or maybe next time they don't get invited to tea.

Craft & Technique | Getting Published | Guest Post

Friday, July 03, 2009 10:44:53 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Are You Needlessly Worrying About Your Work Getting TOO MUCH Exposure?
Posted by Jane

As writers become more and more comfortable with online media, I receive more and more questions like this:

If I post my work on my own site, will anyone be willing to consider it for print publication?
How much of my novel can I post online before a publisher won't take it any more?
Do I lose rights to my work if it's posted on XYZ site?

Here are key points to remember.

1. First things first: You own the copyright and all rights to your work when you post it online, unless you specifically agree otherwise. It may be easier to steal when it's online, but you still own it.

2. Always check the terms of service when regularly posting content to any site. If you're posting your work on major sites like Authonomy, WeBook, etc., you really have nothing to worry about. In such cases, you're not relinquishing any exclusive or vital rights to your work by posting it. (If someone knows of exceptions, please note in the comments.)

However, there may be an implicit agreement—by very fact of you using a website—that the site owner has nonexclusive right to use the content in a limited (or expansive) way. Such use is usually justified or reasonable, and sometimes it might profit the site owner. You need to decide what you're comfortable with and if the trade-offs are worth it. I have yet to see an agreement that is unethical or not upfront.

For example, here is Amazon's language governing book review content, which you agree to when using their site:

If you do post content or submit material, and unless we indicate otherwise, you grant Amazon a nonexclusive, royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, and fully sublicensable right to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from, distribute, and display such content throughout the world in any media. You grant Amazon and sublicensees the right to use the name that you submit in connection with such content, if they choose. You represent and warrant that you own or otherwise control all of the rights to the content that you post; that the content is accurate; that use of the content you supply does not violate this policy and will not cause injury to any person or entity; and that you will indemnify Amazon for all claims resulting from content you supply. Amazon has the right but not the obligation to monitor and edit or remove any activity or content. Amazon takes no responsibility and assumes no liability for any content posted by you or any third party.

This basically means that while you retain rights to your work, Amazon has the right do whatever it pleases as well. The key is the word "nonexclusive." If Amazon decided to publish a collection of the most kinky book reviews ever written, and used your material, they would not owe you any money or need to ask your permission, though of course it would be considered good practice and common courtesy to notify you.

3. If your work doesn't have a lot of commercial value, who cares? Here is where I have to be completely insensitive and say bluntly: Writers are overly worried about work that is not commercially valuable. Many things that people post online, whether on their own sites or elsewhere, are online precisely because there isn't a commercial value attached. So, when you post your work without compensation, there is an essential value statement made that, right now, you're valuing exposure (or service or community) more than payment. Or that you're marketing and promoting yourself, your brand, or a work that does have commercial value.

4. That said, the value of your work CAN change or be discovered later—which only opens up the commercial value and potential of your work. Remember that online exposure and online media are not the same as print exposure and print media. They are usually written and edited differently, presented differently, marketed differently, and read differently. The online audience is not 100% the same as the print audience (and sometimes not even 10% the same!).

Think of it this way: If you participated in a poetry slam and became wildly successful as a poet-entertainer, with thousands of followers, would that detract from your ability to publish books of your poetry? No, in fact, it would help make the case for print publication. Would a presentation of your poems online, in a way that gathered 10,000 unique visitors every day, detract from the sales of a beautiful physical chapbook? Of course not. It would help.

For the most part, online and print are complimentary—they are not competitive. Any book publisher who refuses to consider a work that has been successfully published digitally or online or in a multimedia format has not caught up with the times. Magazine and newspapers are a little different, but if they become a fan of your online work, most likely they will ask you to produce an original work for print publication.

5. You're always producing more work, right? Don't hold on so tightly to each piece of work that you're not focusing on new production.

Yes, even I hang onto my creative writing from senior year in high school, and have a catalog of all the places my work has appeared over the years (online and in print, often without pay), but even if a third party is profiting off my work online, that work has no commercial value to me anymore. I'm producing better stuff now. Plus the old work serves to offer additional exposure, little guideposts leading people to the more recent work.

Key takeaway: Just because your work is "published" when it appears online doesn't mean you've destroyed its market value. That's a very old-school way of viewing the value of content—a viewpoint that's based on decades of print publication tradition, when whoever had the "first" rights to print publication had the "best" rights, and paid the most.

If you haven't noticed, things have changed.

P.S. ... and a final word on theft: Stop worrying. When writing becomes a lucrative profession and when demand for writing far outstrips supply, then maybe we can discuss. In the meantime, feel flattered that someone thought your work was good enough they wanted to bother taking the time and effort to market, promote, pitch, and/or publish it themselves.

UPDATE: I recently read this post from Stefanie Peters, which makes 2 more important points about posting your work online, especially in forums like Authonomy.

Photo credit: Wetsun

Building Readership | Digitization & New Technology | Getting Published | Marketing & Self-Promotion

Tuesday, June 30, 2009 6:03:15 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Risking Failure (from the Glimmer Train Bulletin)
Posted by Jane

Every month, Glimmer Train sends out a monthly bulletin with information about their contests, as well as helpful advice from established writers. In the most recent bulletin (Bulletin 30), you'll find:

Making Stories Out of Stories by Randolph Thomas
The Music of Words by Lynn Ahrens
Risking Failure by Josh Henkin (pictured above)

Incidentally, the next issue of Writer's Digest magazine (September 2009) will feature an essay from Henkin as well, in the MFA Confidential column.

Here's a little of what Henkin has to say in his Glimmer Train piece:

I believe this is one of the most important lessons a writer can learn: You must always be willing to risk failure. Another lesson: Don't take rejection personally. So much is luck—finding the right editor at the right moment when he or she will be receptive to the story you've submitted. I know this first-hand.

Click here for Bulletin 30 (and to find archives of other bulletins).

Craft & Technique | Getting Published

Tuesday, June 30, 2009 5:07:07 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Friday, June 26, 2009

Better Than Brad Pitt? (Why You Should Go to Book Events)
Posted by Jane

Today's guest post is from becoming-a-regular-and-fabulous-contributor Darrelyn Saloom. Above she is shown with Tim Gautreaux, the recipient of the 2009 Louisiana Writer Award and author of three novels and two story collections. The picture was taken at Garden District Book Shop in New Orleans. Follow Darrelyn on Twitter.

A book event! Authors read from their latest masterpiece, sign copies, and, if you’re lucky, share stories of their writing journey. Maybe an author will reveal how he/she found the plot (in a newspaper), the characters (popped into their head), or even the theme (a song on the radio).

It’s easy to project grandiosity on an admired author. Born to brilliance, for them it comes easy. Such a perfect sentence, and look at that verb. Oh the ease!—the ease from which he/she writes—larger than life, and so much smarter than me.

That’s what I tend to think of writers I admire. And that’s what I thought of Tim Gautreaux. My friends knew this about me. I drove around with his books in my car. Recommended his short story collections and novels to strangers in airports and on the streets (yeah, that was me). So I was thrilled when Garden District Book Shop in New Orleans sent me an e-mail to announce his scheduled book signing.

The day of the event, I checked into Hotel Monteleone and found my way to Prytania Street. The bookstore had a small coffee shop to the side of the building, and I spotted Gautreaux and his lovely wife, Winborne, sipping coffee in a window seat. And, yes, I was nervous. This was better than a French Quarter Brad Pitt sighting for me.

The Louisiana native did not disappoint. With Cajun accent he read from his latest novel The Missing. And then he talked about his writing process. The audience sipped wine, nibbled cheese, and asked questions. And his answers were generous.

Generous because his stories were often rejected by editors—yes—rejected! And he told us that red marks mapped the pages of his returned manuscripts! But here was the key (and what I believe separates a talented writer from becoming a published author—or not).

When Tim Gautreaux’s stories and manuscripts landed back in his mailbox, he read suggestions and criticisms with an open mind. He explained how he’d carefully tear apart a rejected story, rewrite and revise it, put it back together, and send it out again. And again. And again, if necessary. Until he got it right.

If you’ve read Gautreaux’s novels and stories, you know he’s a man obsessed with machines. His characters are camera repairmen, piano tuners, welders, train engineers, and a priest. Okay, so maybe a priest has nothing to do with machinery, but there’s an old Toronado in the story with a “huge eight-cylinder engine and no muffler.”

Tinkering is Tim Gautreaux’s lifelong hobby. He told us about the barn in his backyard in Hammond, Louisiana; and about his collection of antique steamboat whistles, lanterns, and gauges, an amusement that seeped into his novel, The Missing.

“Find what you love,” he said, “and write about it.” What Tim Gautreaux loves has served him well. Tinkering with machinery seems to have taught him the patience to be a writer. To construct something, to take it apart (piece by piece), and then to build it again is not easy. It’s hard work. And it’s akin to writing a poem, a story, a novel. It took him nearly five years to write The Missing.

There are other reasons to attend a book signing: to support a fellow writer, a favored bookstore, (did I mention they often serve wine and cheese?). But to connect to an admired author, and to share his/her struggles are valuable lessons for an aspiring author. And there really is no excuse not to go. Because—they are free.

(The day I completed this blog post, the June issue of The New Yorker arrived in my mailbox—bearing a stapled gift—a new story by Tim Gautreaux! “Idols” is about Julian Smith. And he is a typewriter repairman. So add typewriter repairman to my earlier list. Follow this link to read Julian’s comical and stubborn journey to defeat.)

Craft & Technique | Getting Published | Guest Post

Friday, June 26, 2009 8:28:41 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Writing Advice Hasn't Changed Much Since 1921
Posted by Jane

On my desk I keep a copy of one of the first Writer's Digest titles, How to Write Short Stories by L. Josephine Bridgart, published in 1921. It is a subtle reminder of how little things have changed when it comes to writing and publishing. Below is an excerpt from the very first chapter, "Common Sense in Viewing One's Work."

—

Writing for publication is a business. If the new writer will accept this fact he will have laid a foundation upon which, if he have the necessary natural ability, he can build success.

If a young woman tells you that she intends to take up nursing, and later reveals that her chief reason for doing so is that the uniforms in a certain hospital have attracted her, or that she enjoys reading to the sick, or dislikes the business life her father has suggested for her, or has heard that nurses make a great deal of money, you immediately feel that her nursing will not be a great success. You reason that nursing involves some very hard and disagreeable duties and that a girl who think only of the incidental pleasures or the monetary rewards is pretty sure to fail. It is not common business sense to enter a profession without taking into consideration the requirements of that profession.

I have read this lack of common business sense between the lines of many a first story. Some of these stories tell how a young girl with no experience won a prize in a short story or novel contest; often the prize-winning story was written in an afternoon, or an evening, or in the dead of night as the result of an idea which came to the author after she had retired. Some of these stories are about attractive young women who sold an editor a manuscript because she was attractive, or because she was poor, or because she was sick or saucy. Such stories show plainly that the authors are depending on personal charm or "an inspiration" or luck rather than upon hard work to win acceptances. They do not stop to reason that before they can hope to sell a manuscript they must learn how to produce a manuscript that some editor will want to buy. …

Unless you respect the principles governing the construction of a story or an article or a poem you cannot produce a manuscript that the careful editor will consider worthy of a place in his magazine. In any other trade or profession, the beginner expects to encounter a great deal of hard work. He expects to master certain rules, learn to apply them, and then make himself skillful by practice. Writing for publication means careful preparation and a great deal of hard work, just as millinery and surgery and sculpture do.

In her autobiography Ellen Terry tells of actresses who had explained to her that they did not care to be hampered by the rules. The successful actress had replied that it was wise to learn the rules before one decided to abandon them. "Before you can be eccentric," she commented pithily, "you must know where the circle is." …

The editor does not care at all about rules as rules. He wants a manuscript that will hold his readers' interest. If you can break the rules and still produce a manuscript that will grip the attention from the first sentence to the last you need not fear that your irregularities will cause you a rejection.

Craft & Technique | Fun | General | Getting Published

Wednesday, June 24, 2009 5:36:40 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Monthly News From Glimmer Train
Posted by Jane

Glimmer Train has just chosen the winning stories for their April Family Matters competition. This competition is held twice a year and is open to all writers for stories about family, with a word count range 500-12,000. Monthly submission calendar may be viewed here.

First place
Randolph Thomas of Baton Rouge, LA (shown right), wins $1200 for “According to Foxfire”. His story will be published in the Fall 2010 issue of Glimmer Train Stories, out in August 2010.

Second place
Amy S. Gottfried of Thurmont, MD, wins $500 for “Chim Chiminy”. Her story will also be published in an upcoming issue of Glimmer Train Stories, increasing her prize to $700.

Third place
Abe Gaustad of Germantown, TN, wins $300 for “A Month of Rain”.

A PDF of the Top 25 winners can be found here.

Deadlines approaching!

Fiction Open: June 30

This quarterly competition is open to all writers for stories on any theme, with a word count range of 2000-20,000. Click here for complete guidelines.

Best Start: June 30

This new category is different from their others in that the piece should be an engaging and coherent narrative, but it does not need to be a complete story; it needs to be an important part of a story in progress. Only open to writers whose fiction has not appeared in a nationally distributed print publication with a circulation over 3000. Maximum word count: 1000. Click here for complete guidelines.

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If you didn't know, Writer's Digest partnered with Glimmer Train to publish two compilation volumes of the best stuff from their Writers Ask newsletter. Be sure to check them out.

General | Getting Published

Tuesday, June 23, 2009 5:28:31 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Monday, June 22, 2009

How to Save Time and Money with Professional Editors
Posted by Jane

This post has been adapted from material by Jim Adams, at his site Migdalin.com. I met the talented Jim this past weekend at the WD Editors' Intensive, and we discussed his passion for editor George H. Scithers.

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After 30 years of rejection, I finally got tired of not knowing why my writing wasn't working. Before trying to find a publisher or an agent, I sent the novel I'd just finished (or so I thought) off to a professional editor.

The year that followed was expensive (professional editors don't come cheap), but it also taught me things about plot, protagonist, pacing, and novel structure that I hadn't picked up from 15 credit hours of undergraduate creative writing courses, an M.A. in creative writing, and reading untold books on writing (some of them with titles like PLOT).

Professional editors are more efficient than how-to books. They give you feedback specific to your project. It's one thing to read a "rule" in a book, it's another thing to have an editor point to a spot in your opus and say, "Here's where you broke the rule, and here's how your writing was weakened as a result."

Professional editors can be more effective than a degree in creative writing, since half your time in getting that sort of degree will be in ancillary class work. Worse, unless you're careful and choosy, you could easily wind up (as I did) at a university where the creative writing teachers sneer at pedestrian concerns like plot. If you dream of getting an M.A. or M.F.A. in creative writing, you might consider finding a professional editor instead. Not only could you learn more in less time, the editorial route might even be less expensive (depending on the university you're applying to), especially if going back to school means giving up a decent-paying job.

As sold as I am on getting help from professional editors, though, when I started working on a new novel, I faced a real dilemma: an insufficiency of funds. Although I hope this new book will need less editorial hand-holding than the previous one, getting the full manuscript critiqued still represents a major expense.

Also, I never feel I've mastered something until I do it right three times in a row. As such, I still have doubts about my ability to spot major plot holes and plot sidetracks on my own.

My brilliant solution to this conundrum?

I sent my editor a detailed synopsis rather than a complete novel.

Getting a synopsis critiqued is not only less expensive, it can save you a lot of time. In my case, although I already had a complete draft of the novel written, revising generally takes me twice as long (at least) as writing the rough draft. Thus, by spotting major non sequiturs in the synopsis, my editor can save me from tweaking pages, chapters, or even (please God, not that again!) an entire book that needs to be tossed out and rewritten from scratch.

If you like to outline and plan books ahead of time, you could even save yourself time during the drafting stage by getting an editor to look at your story premise and outline straightaway.

While they might tell you things you don't want to hear (such as that your underlying story idea won't hold water), wouldn't you rather find that out before you've spent months or years of your life working on the thing?

Even getting a synopsis edited can cost $200 or more, but it's money well-spent, since this particular $200 could save me weeks, even months, of fruitless revision and polishing. Even better, it could save me several thousand dollars, compared to sending a full manuscript to my editor, only to find that my novel has major structural problems—problems that could have been fixed via a review of my story outline.

Wondering how to find a solid professional editor? Preditors and Editors is a good resource for checking out an editing service before you give them your money or your manuscript. I've been using The Editorial Department, and the editor they assigned me to (Peter Gelfan) is the greatest: cruel, insensitive, tactful, patient, and very insightful.

My first book is still making the rounds of agents and publishers, and may still wind up turning into a trunk novel. While I'm convinced it's technically solid, that isn't enough to make a book sell given the difficult publishing environment these days. But whether my first book makes it or not, I feel much better about what I'm doing. I no longer feel like I'm spinning my wheels fruitlessly, repeating the same mistakes over and over again without realizing it.

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Have you used a professional editing service that you've had a good experience with? Recommend it in the comments!

You can also check out:

Writer's Mart, where editorial services advertise with Writer's Digest
Advanced Novel Writing Workshop at WritersOnlineWorkshops.com, a long-term course that offers critiques of your work by the instructor and peers
As always: the next Writer's Digest Editors' Intensive (upcoming in October and December)

Conferences/Events | Craft & Technique | Getting Published | Guest Post

Monday, June 22, 2009 1:32:31 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Tuesday, June 16, 2009

5 Common Flaws in Memoir Projects
Posted by Jane

Most everyone knows how difficult it can be to sell a memoir when you're not famous (or infamous). I often advise writers that if you don't have a celebrity-like fan base, or a loyal and captive audience, then you need to write like a master—or have such a fantastical story that no one will be able to divert their attention from it (the kinds of personal stories that get aired on the morning shows, like that guy who had to cut off his own arm when stuck in a mountain crevasse).

Many writers I meet tackle memoir as their first serious book project, which often means their writing has not yet advanced to the level that will enrapture editors/agents. There are exceptions, of course, but I've only met one or two in my time at Writer's Digest, and they have significant writing history behind them. (Here is one example.)

Here are the five common flaws that I see in manuscripts I review at conferences.

You have written a story focused on pain or victimhood—and nothing more. You get extra (negative) bonus points if you wrote it as part of a grieving process, either at the recommendation of a therapist or as part of a therapy group. Writing through grief and tragedy is a proven method to heal, but it is not a proven method for getting published. I say this not to be insensitive, but to bring needed attention to the fact that these stories are prevalent, and very few publishing houses are accepting them. This is especially true of stories of (1) abuse (2) cancer (3) caring for aging parents.
Your source material is a diary or journal. And you're using that as your rough draft, or the book is structured in that manner. Such materials are fine for inspiration and to remember vivid details. But very few diaries or journals are suitable starting places for a publishable memoir. (And I say this as a fan of Anais Nin.)
You want to tell about your experience as a means of self-help for others—that is, you mix the memoir and self-help genres. I have never seen this work on the page. You have to choose one or the other. Self-help is a better option if you have the credentials/authority to back up your advice. Life experience, or overcoming a personal challenge, is not enough expertise to help others, especially when it comes to physical and mental health.
You have no definitive story arc or story problem. Are you attempting to tell everything about your life, from beginning to end, starting with childhood, where you were born, where you went to school, leaving no stone unturned? Why? Are you sure it's essential to the story? Memoirs need a beginning, middle, and end, and there needs to be a story problem, just as you would find in a novel. And it needs to be told in scenes, and have characters. And you need to leave out a lot of detail.
The story is not told with a fresh or distinct perspective. You need to find the voice or perspective that makes the story compelling and offers vibrancy, and create an effective and engaging dramatic persona.

One of the more fascinating pieces I've read on memoir was in a July 2002 article in Writer's Digest magazine. W.W. Norton editor Alane Salierno Mason discussed the difference between the "I" memoir (which is all about the narrator) and the "eye" memoir (which is about point of view and relationship to the greater world as well as self).

Most people I meet are undoubtedly writing the "I" memoir, but it leads to a lot of talking and talking and talking (as Mason points out), and unless that talking is absolutely captivating, it's tough to take the project further than your own friends and family.

Looking for more help on this topic?

This is by far my favorite book on writing personal narrative, by Vivian Gornick: The Situation and The Story
Our quarterly WD Editor Intensives give you an opportunity to have your first 50 pages vetted by an expert.
Our online workshop series offers a course on memoir, taught by Writer's Digest author Gloria Kempton (next start date: August 6)
Writing Life Stories (from Writer's Digest) offers comprehensive instruction that was recently revised. You can read an excerpt here, and read a Q&A with author Bill Roorbach here.

Photo credit: Jurvetson

Craft & Technique | Getting Published

Tuesday, June 16, 2009 2:55:19 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Monday, June 08, 2009

Does Talent Eventually Get Discovered?
Posted by Jane

Many writers attend conferences to pitch their work to industry professionals, and nowhere is that more true than at our BEA event that we held on May 27, where more than 400 writers showed up to participate in our Pitch Slam with 70+ agents/editors.

One of the writers in attendance, Lystra Pitts (also an Editors' Intensive graduate), wrote up a reflection on this event that illustrates what I've seen happen to many thoughtful and sensitive writers:

There is nothing like a convention room filled to the brim with writers to illustrate how desperate my situation is. These writers, who I am sure believe in their work as much as I believe in mine, all paid their hard earned money, money they didn’t earn writing, to be there. THERE WERE HUNDREDS OF US IN THAT ROOM. Hundreds, who like me crossed great distances and spent extravagant amounts of money to get a few precious moments with an agent. Writers are not in short supply.

I wondered what would happen if every person in that room had a brilliant masterpiece, a novel of unequaled quality, the magnum opus of their genre in our time—would the agents be able to take them all? Would they all get published?

I believe that the sad answer to that question is no. There are too many of us for all our talent to be recognized. The system cannot take everything it is offered, no matter how good it is.

Luckily, I am sure that only a handful of the people in that room had good stories. Right? That is what they would have you believe, that is how the system is set up. But I don’t know. I heard a lot of pitches, both practicing with strangers and overhearing the guys and gals in front of me and I liked most of the story ideas I heard. I am sure that a lot of people in that crowd had mediocre stories or mediocre writing skills and they will be rightfully culled from the herd. Won’t they? Again I am not sure. I have read a lot of really bad books, and I know you have too.

The system cannot guarantee that it will discover all the talented writers nor can it weed out the untalented. So I have to wonder how does one succeed in such a fundamentally flawed establishment? The only answer I have is luck. You have to get lucky, bottom line. It sounds bad right? But it isn’t as bad as all that. You can work with luck.

[Read the full post from Lystra here.]

I've debated this question for years:

Does talented work eventually get discovered? Does it bubble to the top?

Or do many talented writers go undiscovered?

For many years, I've thought that eventually talent gets its due. It gets discovered. (Yes, I've been called naive.)

Now, I think differently. But not because I've become cynical.

Talent isn't enough.

Frankly, luck plus talent isn't enough either.

Of course there's persistence, that's key. Because lots of people give up when success is around the corner. (I blogged about that here.)

Then there are those who are persistent but stubborn in their ways. It's those writers who can't seem to change direction or vision when they've received the kind of consistent or expert feedback that calls for a course correction.

Some people are stubborn and refuse to change. And sometimes bitterness follows. These are often the talented people I see who won't get discovered.

If you feel like a stranger or outsider to this whole publishing business, if you get downtrodden and bitter and start to beat yourself and others up about it, and try to make the publishing world submit to your will, it's a big problem.

Which side of the question do you fall on? Does talent eventually get discovered?

Photo credit: wstryder

General | Getting Published

Monday, June 08, 2009 5:55:38 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Thursday, June 04, 2009

What Does It Take for a Blog to Become a Book?
Posted by Jane

I find myself advising writers more and more frequently to develop an online presence first—sometimes by blogging—before attempting to get a book published. Some types of content simply work better online, or when you're engaging in real time with a community.

Online platforms allow you to test ideas, develop your readership, and craft a stronger premise for a print product. Plus, if you really catch on fire with a particular readership, you can start attracting editors and agents to YOU, rather than you chasing them. Doesn't it sound better to be fielding offers rather than begging for them?

Of course, this process takes patience. You can't launch your online efforts today and expect interest overnight (or even in a year). You have to be invested and dedicated to what you're doing, and involved in an authentic way, for you to produce something of value.

And you also have to let go of this idea of being online only to reach the holy grail of a print book. You need to NOT want it in order to get it. That is, you have to be Zen about it. Have goals, but no expectations. Know that your project will likely change, or your goals will change, as you put yourself out there more and more.

Key to remember:

Even the most popular blogs don't necessarily translate into great (profitable) books or a book deal

No matter how much positive feedback you get on your blog, that doesn't mean it's going to interest a publisher. It's the same thing as telling an agent, "My mother loved it." You always need to back up "positive feedback" with hard-core numbers about subscribers, unique pageviews, newsletter subscribers.

So, what does it take for a blog to become a book? It often takes someone in the mainstream media (or a trusted voice or opinion maker) to scream to the world, "Have you seen this person's blog? It's a must-read!"

When notable people talk you up to agents/editors, and/or when you are featured by the so-called mainstream figures of online/offline media, then you can bet that agents/editors will start to take notice and ask if you've thought of doing a book.

Now, keep in mind that most blog material is not suitable for straight-to-book publication. Bloggers turned authors usually have to start book manuscripts entirely or partially from scratch, or undergo a very thorough revision process. But if industry professionals see that you have a strong voice, a strong message, and a strong following, they'll work with you to figure out what your best book is, and help you adapt your ideas for the best book product.

Here are a few extremely successful and visible examples of bloggers turned book authors.

Chris Brogan, Trust Agents
Gary Vaynerchuk, Gary Vaynerchuck's 101 Wines and Crush It!
Chris Guillebeau, untitled so far, book deal with Perigee, to release in September 2010

If you want to transition from blogger to book author, consider how a book will offer an experience or a benefit that is unique or distinctive apart from the blog. Why would people want the book in addition to or instead of reading the blog? Is it simply because you think you can reach a broader audience? Sometimes that's not reason enough. Consider why and how the book can be a vehicle for what's not easily or feasibly accomplished online, and how readers would benefit from the book format.

Photo credit: Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

Building Readership | Digitization & New Technology | Getting Published | Marketing & Self-Promotion

Thursday, June 04, 2009 7:01:19 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Wednesday, June 03, 2009

Everything You Need to Know About Self-Publishing (Sort of)
Posted by Jane

In the March/April 2009 issue of Writer's Digest magazine, our staff collaborated on a feature package that explains in plain English the hows and whys of self-publishing. Our goal: To be fair and honest about the advantages and disadvantages.

While the print issue has great visuals to help you understand the options available, we've also posted much of the content at WritersDigest.com.

I wrote the opening article for the feature package, giving writers straight expectations on the self-pub path. Here's a snippet:

2. WILL I KILL MY CHANCES WITH A TRADITIONAL PUBLISHER IF I SELF-PUBLISH?
Of course not. Even if you publish what in hindsight is a terrible book, or you’re embarrassed by the results, no agent or editor would turn down your subsequent work if it looked like a surefire winner in the marketplace. But, you may ask, have you ruined your chances of traditionally publishing that same work?

Click here to read the full article I wrote.

Links to related content:

Click here to read/review the self-pub feature package on WD.com

Click here to buy the entire March/April issue in print form.

Click here to download the issue as a PDF for $5.99.

Click here for my blog rant on self-publishing from February 2009.

Getting Published | Self-Publishing

Wednesday, June 03, 2009 6:47:32 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Tuesday, June 02, 2009

Persistence Doesn't Matter If You Make This Common Mistake
Posted by Jane

I've talked with thousands of talented writers over the years, and nearly all unpublished writers have 1 thing in common that trips them up, every time.

They rush to submit their work before it's ready or before they are ready—especially those writers who are fresh with the excitement of having just completed their very first book-length manuscript.

A typical example: Countless writers at our BEA pitch slam had just completed their books, and some were so new to the business they didn't realize that their manuscripts of 100,000+ words are a tough sell for a first-time author. (However: Good for them for understanding, maybe by accident, that you can speed your path to publication by meeting agents/editors in-person and learning these lessons more quickly.)

If you've just spent months (or years!) writing a manuscript, why rush it to an agent or editor, and why rush it to just ANY agent or editor? And why rush it if you're new to the publishing business?

When I read Tim Ferriss's Four-Hour Workweek, I loved reading about his process of due diligence in learning what it would take to write and publish a New York Times bestseller. He talked with dozens if not hundreds of people who knew how to achieve the results he was looking for. And he developed an excellent and concrete plan of how to position himself for success.

There are two things to always remember after you complete a manuscript or proposal:

Is the book really done? Is it really the best you can make it? And have professionals (whether editors, agents, or published authors) encouraged you, because they see and know you are ready? Do you feel confident that it's ready to submit?

Are you informed enough about the publishing business to understand where to submit the work, how to submit the work, and what obstacles you might face? Does your work break the rules of the industry? (If so, that's OK, but know it going in!)

For beginners, it can be difficult to connect with experts and professionals who can get you moving down that path of readiness. A good place to start? Local writers groups, online writing workshops, and writing conferences. (Shameless plug: Our next Writer's Digest Editor Intensive on June 20-21 will give you an editor's take on your first 50 pages, and teach you about industry expectations.)

You should also find a mentor, someone who has accomplished something you're after.

Your work and your success is worth the wait. Slow down.

Photo credit: aussiegall

Conferences/Events | Getting Published

Tuesday, June 02, 2009 5:47:47 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Monday, June 01, 2009

Recap of 2009 BEA/WD Writers Conference
Posted by Jane

We had another amazing year at our writers conference hosted in conjunction with BookExpo America. Here are a few places you can find reaction and summaries:

LA Splash has the most comprehensive take on the event, and offers insight into several of the sessions, as well as the writers attending. And there's a photo of me.

Literary agent Janet Reid (and blogger behind QueryShark) helped with pitch slam practice by entertaining a crowd of nearly 400 writers, showing them how to tighten and structure their pitches. Here's her inspiring take.

Literary agent Robin Mizell also mentions starting to receive submissions from writers at the pitch slam, plus shares wonderful insights from Mike Shatzkin, who gave an educational session at BEA on the day following our event.

WD author and presenter Christina Katz has a great scrapbook of the event, with videos of Karin Slaughter's keynote address and the bookstore signing!

Writer's Digest editor Chuck Sambuchino has a brief recap on his Guide to Literary Agents blog, as well as a summary of agent Ted Weinstein's advice from the agent panel.

Conference attendee Michelle Reynoso blogged about her experience here and here.

We were honored to have Ron Hogan from GalleyCat at our conference, where he live-tweeted N.M. Kelby's session:

Sitting in on N.M. Kelby's Closet Writer's Workshop. She's got 2 books coming out in September.

N.M. Kelby's advice starts with believing in yourself.

N.M. Kelby quotes Robert Frost: "No writer has ever been corrected into importance."

N.M. Kelby has another Frost: "Why have we wings if not to seek friends at an elevation?"

"write. read. write more. travel. write even more. repeat. And show people your work!"

"When I say 'get a hobby,' I mean it. There's nothing that will drive you crazier than writing."

N.M. Kelby also preaches the importance of proper nutrition for writers. Live mindfully!

"When you write, it's art. Once you send it out, it's business."

"If you can give the book to your mother-in-law," it can become a bestseller. "But more importantly, if the publisher doesn't treat the book like a bestseller, it's unlikely to be one."

"Publishing is all about relationships. Play nice." Join writers groups, be active in the literary community.

You can find Ron Hogan's Twitterfeed here.

If you'd like some images from the event, I've posted several on my Picasa account—click here.

Agents | Conferences/Events | Getting Published

Monday, June 01, 2009 6:40:22 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Sunday, May 31, 2009

Monthly News From Glimmer Train
Posted by Jane

Glimmer Train has just chosen the winning stories for their March Fiction Open. This quarterly competition is open to all writers for stories on any theme, with a word count range of 2000-20,000. Monthly submission calendar may be viewed here.

First place
Justin Torres of New York, NY, wins $2000 for “Surrender Unto Us”. His story will be published in the Summer 2010 issue of Glimmer Train Stories, out in May 2010.

Second place
Vauhini Vara of Iowa City, IA, wins $1000 for “We’ll Rise Above the Sky”. Her story will also be published in an upcoming issue of Glimmer Train Stories.

Third place
Keith Meatto of New York, NY, wins $600 for “Tierra Santa”.

A PDF of the Top 25 winners can be found here.

Also: Short Story Award for New Writers competition (deadline soon approaching! May 31) Glimmer Train hosts this competition twice a year, and first place is $1,200 and publication in the journal. It’s open to all writers who haven’t had their fiction appear in a print publication with a circulation greater than 5000. Word count range 500-12,000. Click here for complete guidelines.

And beginning June 1, Glimmer Train opens a brand new category! Guidelines here: Best Start

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If you didn't know, Writer's Digest partnered with Glimmer Train to publish two compilation volumes of the best stuff from their Writers Ask newsletter. Be sure to check them out.

General | Getting Published

Sunday, May 31, 2009 3:03:49 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Friday, May 29, 2009

Just a Start (How a Writer Builds Confidence)
Posted by Jane

Today's guest post is from the lovely Jane Koenen Bretl—an aspiring author taking one day at a time, and writing about it. Her blog, jane, candid, is a sometimes funny, sometimes thoughtful, often irreverent account of one mom trying to start a writing career and make the kids catch the bus. Really, it’s just one jane’s look at life.

As someone just embarking on a new writing career, I am hard-pressed to offer hard-earned wisdom or sage writing advice. I have, oh, maybe 20 more years of rejection letters to look forward to before I will feel qualified to offer those nuggets of wisdom to the readers of this blog. What I can share is one jane's journey to become an Author, the kind I think of with a capital A.

Technically, I have no formal writing education. A business degree, ten years in the food industry, nearly a decade as a full-time mom, a children’s photography business of my own—none of these pursuits specifically qualify me to write more than newsletter cover articles and the Christmas card letter. Still, through career after career, one thought returns time and again—the desire to express myself through writing, and to ultimately be published. Sometimes it is better for me not to know how much I don’t know. The publishing industry might serve as a good example. However, a series of serendipitous events landed me in a writing course last June, where I finally found the courage to pursue my dream of becoming an author—to step off the ledge of comfort and face failure as a viable, admittedly probable, option … at least, I thought, until I figured out what I was doing.

Start by starting.

I worked on a few children’s book ideas, and threw myself into my new career the same way I did each one before it—by researching and reading and absorbing everything I could find about the topic. I had bookmarks of writing websites; the list was a mile long. I bought lots of books and writer's market guides and reference materials. The Elements of Style sat on my bedside table, as if the contents would continue to seep into my subconscious while I slept. All this research quickly led to lots of thinking about writing and reading about writing and planning for writing—without much actual writing about writing.

Did I mention start by starting?

I did submit one story to an anthology, because a writing instructor advised that anthologies were a good place to start building clips for a resume that had none. I wrote a second anthology piece but never bothered to send it in, since by then I hated the first submission and was seriously questioning the sanity of breaking into the publishing world in the first place. The more I read, the more intimidating the whole proposition seemed.

But I continued to read, read, read about writing until last December, when I signed up for the Writer’s Digest Editor’s Intensive event. How lucky that the F+W Media office is in my hometown! Serendipity strikes again! In my newbie enthusiasm, I glanced over one little detail: it is a really, really, REALLY good idea to have actually polished something before I sit down for 30 minutes with an editor.

Good thing we don’t know how much we don’t know or it would be hard to ever try something new.

So I showed up at the event, all bright eyed and shiny, ready to learn, learn, learn. It quickly became obvious (at least to me) that most everyone else in the room had several novels under their belt, had paid their dues, logged their hours, and were blogging or freelancing or had been writing full-time for years. I swear some attendees had tattoos with long-suffering potential book titles on their arms, and those were just the ones I could see. Oh, and they had actually written something great to discuss with the editor the next day.

Oops.

When I arrived for my 30-minute time slot, I wasn’t feeling so shiny. I did have a crackin’ query letter that received good feedback, but my chosen editor kindly and gently indicated the actual story needed a lot of work. Like the “start by starting over” kind of work. Not a surprise, really—after only a few months working on the story (in between all that reading), I already knew it was not ready for prime time. I did receive a wealth of helpful information and actionable advice from the editor. It was a great experience, even though I was secretly hoping the work contained a glimmer of brilliance somewhere deep down. Well, not this time. But the good news? I now had my first (albeit unofficial) "rejection" under my belt. Now I felt free to make more mistakes along the way. Rejection in any form, even the most kind, is painful yet still liberating. It was like that first scratch on a new car—it took away the need to worry about my mental bumpers.

So I listened, and I walked out the door with a new focus. Jane Friedman and the rest of the staff inspired me to join some social networks to build contacts and connections with other writers and potential readers. I could commit to writing (something) daily. I would start a blog (as soon as I figured out what a blog was) and use that as part of my daily writing practice, and as an idea incubator and network builder. I would start visiting lots of other blogs, leaving comments, and building up my own readership while creating more and more contacts along the way. Learning something new every day.

The fellow attendees of the conference? Several of them formed a Facebook discussion group, invited any attendee to join, and shared a heap of experience and information. And, of course, I learned that some of them shared my state of mind, the writer's blessing/curse to never think the words are quite right, yet. To keep revising and rewriting and wondering when. I wasn't alone with my doubts, or my over-active imagination. (I still wonder about the tattoos.)

That anthology piece? It was actually published this spring, and that gave me a shot in the arm. Actually it is still an IV drip of confidence as I keep the book next to my computer, there to remind me how I felt the day that book arrived in the mail. The book with my name in it. And my little story. Someday, my name could be on the cover, if I work hard.

Using Jane's advice to become more productive while becoming cyber-savvy, I started using (for the love of god) an RSS reader. Now I could satisfy my need to read voraciously about writing and still have time to write something. And, four months after its launch, I can say I truly enjoy the process of blogging and have, through that social media, found a new voice within myself. I just passed the 5,000 hit mark for jane, candid, a small number by many blog standards but a big milestone for me. I am not sure yet where this voice will take me. Actual income is a rational goal. I have to start by starting …

Craft & Technique | General | Getting Published | Guest Post

Friday, May 29, 2009 12:46:35 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Thursday, May 21, 2009

5 Ways Writers & Book Publishers Need to Embrace Change NOW
Posted by Jane

In today's writing and publishing industry, knowing how to change and quickly adapt to change can be your biggest competitive asset.

This has been a key takeaway for me from the weekly Twitter editorchats that I started participating in last week.

The discussions often focus on industry change and trends, especially in relation to new media and technology. Part of the discussion last night was about the generation gap in publishing, sparked by Time's article on how by 2019, leaders will have to manage and motivate people in new ways due to generational changes.

I read the Time article and thought: Yes, but this kind of change can't wait 10 years! Just like magazine and book publishing can't wait 10 years to find a new model for survival.

The editorchat was insightful, but I don't see a generation gap. Rather I see a gap between those who can adapt to change and shape a new vision of the future (on a daily basis these days!), and those who get stuck and/or have pessimistic outlooks on the change.

There's a stereotype that "old" people can't adapt to change as well as "young" people—but my experience has shown it's more of a mindset or attitude.

Some people have the ability to act as soon as they know a change is needed, while others think so long and hard about making a change (in order to make the "right" decision and feel comfortable) that it's too late.

Here are 5 specific ways that writers/publishers need to embrace change now.

Writers: The book is not the beginning or the end. Let me restate that: Do not make it your life's work to get that first book published. It's not the Holy Grail any longer (if it ever was to begin with). The book is only one piece of a much larger effort that you need to focus on. Stop thinking you need a book to accomplish your goals (E.g., "I can start speaking/promoting once I have a book.")
Publishers: The act of reading is not tied to books. Stop thinking that if physical books disappear, that reading will also disappear, or that reading will be diminished, or that your jobs will evaporate. Books are not tied to the act or survival of reading. It's a romantic and lovely object, I agree, but it's merely one (sometimes limited) vehicle for something much, much bigger (storytelling, innovative ideas, inspiration, instruction).
Writers: Power lies in your reach to readers, not in the prestige of your publisher. Kevin Kelley has become famous for saying that it only takes 1,000 loyal followers to really make a go of something. If you develop those followers, you can have a much more stable and rich career that is not dependent on publishers to distribute and sell your work—because you already know where and how to market to your audience.
Publishers/agents: Be a true partner and add value to authors' careers. Or become irrelevant. Because of #3, publishers stand to suffer more in the long run, because today's (and tomorrow's) savviest authors already have the tools they need to be successful without a publisher's distribution strength. (Just not all of them have learned this yet!) Publishers who truly partner with authors, and start offering support in new and meaningful ways (see this great idea of a Digital Concierge over at PersonaNonData), will attract the best authors, the best content, the best value, the best readers, the best community.
Publishers and authors alike should focus on vertical communities/niches. The more connected to a specific community you are, the more you understand what it values, what it is willing to pay for, and what sparks action. Paradoxically, the wider you cast your net in terms of audience, the harder it is to get anyone to notice or care.

When you take these 5 things together, I think authors will partner with publishers who offer a community of other like-minded authors (networking/growth potential), who offer diverse opportunities and methods of support, across all types of media, and who share the same values.

New media and technology has made the world transparent. Everyone is going to partner and invest based on mutual benefit/support and values. Those who don't stand for anything special, who lack a great story (or myth) to share, will struggle. (See this cover story from Inc. magazine for an example of a company and CEO who intimately understands this.)

The world is changing, and I'm grateful for it.

Digitization & New Technology | Getting Published | Industry News & Trends

Thursday, May 21, 2009 3:41:59 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Wednesday, May 20, 2009

3 Reasons Why You Should NEVER Pitch at BEA
Posted by Jane

I've said it before—and many other people have said it, too—but it always bears repeating.

Do not go to the BookExpo America trade show to pitch your book or self-published book to a traditional publisher or to an agent.

The only exception to this rule are well-known authors who get into the trade show by invitation of a publisher, and are already networking/connecting with publishing professionals.

BEA is not a candyland of publishers and agents offering you a sweet opportunity to get your project noticed. It is NOT like shooting fish in a barrel, it is NOT fun, and it is likely to KILL your chances at a deal.

Three reasons why:

Agents/editors do not like to be pitched on the show floor. Most have to take care of existing authors/clients and have many other obligations and meetings while at the show. We're also dirt-tired, thirsty, and cranky as the day wears on.
The trade show is for and by publishing industry professionals. That's why it's called a trade show. You wouldn't go to a trade show for lawyers and prospect for a new lawyer, would you? You don't go to a trade show for publishers and do prospecting, either.
If you decide you're the exception to the rule, and decide to pitch anyway, you'll have trouble finding the right people to pitch (very few editors actually attend BEA—it's mostly sales/marketing/executives), and once you DO find them, they will likely put a black mark next to your name, diminishing your chances of success later.

I've attended BEA for five years, and each year I am pitched on the show floor by people I don't know. I never enjoy it, and I have never pursued or signed a project as a result. The meetings that HAVE been productive (usually with authors and their agents) are those where an appointment was made well in advance of the show.

Apparently, BEA has recognized there is a contingent of attendees who are not bringing "value," and they have cut down the "miscellaneous industry professional" category by 1,350. You read more on BEA show director Lance Fensterman's blog. (And it will be a smaller show this year, for many reasons.)

Recognizing that many writers were trying to use the trade show in hopes of advancing their careers, BEA partnered with Writer's Digest in 2003 to create a one-day conference for writers with an opportunity to pitch editors and agents. And so the BookExpo America / Writer's Digest Books Conference was born.

This year, even if not attending, you'll be able to follow along on Twitter: #wdbea09

A few of my favorite breakout sessions this year include:

The Fire in Fiction by Donald Maass — based on Don's all-new book for us this spring. Don is known as a superlative speaker on the craft of fiction. Not to be missed.

Self-Promotion & Social Networking by Alice Pope — one of our most active editors in social media will teach writers the ropes of using Facebook, Twitter, and blogs to help grow your career.

The Closet Writer's Workshop: How to Write Fiction That Sells by N.M. Kelby — we're very proud to feature award-winning novelist N.M. Kelby at our conference for the first time this year. Later in 2009, Writer's Digest will release her craft & technique title, The Constant Art of Being a Writer.

The conference will also feature past favorites Christina Katz, with a super session on platform building; editor Chuck Sambuchino, who will help you practice your pitch; and yours truly, speaking on do-it-yourself publishing options. Plus nearly the entire Writer's Digest crew will be there! We can't wait to meet you. Read more about our program and pitch session.

Registration is still open! Click here.

Agents | Conferences/Events | Getting Published

Wednesday, May 20, 2009 1:49:41 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Monday, May 18, 2009

Great Agent Advice from Pennwriters
Posted by Jane

This was my fourth year speaking at the wonderfully run Pennwriters annual conference. I gave a workshop on building platform, critiqued nonfiction with editor Matt Holliday (Pennsylvania magazine) and agent Uwe Stender of TriadaUS Literary Agency, and participated on a nonfiction Q&A panel with Matt.

Aside from Uwe Stender, other agents in attendance were:

Lucienne Diver (Twitter: @luciennediver), Knight Agency
Colleen Lindsay (Twitter: @colleenlindsay), FinePrint Agency
Becca Stumpf, Prospect Agency
Paige Wheeler (Twitter: @pwheeler_agent), Folio Literary Management

You can read an account of the conference by one of the agents, Lucienne, who has a blog and posted here. (Colleen also blogs; if she decides to post, you'll find it here.)

Below are my notes from the agent panels (which are adapted from my live Tweets of the event):

Queries/submissions and what they're looking for

Paige Wheeler gets 35 e-queries/day. Stender gets 135 queries/day. Colleen Lindsay is closed to submissions. Becca Stumpf and Lucienne Diver get queries through an agency system.
Lucienne Diver: Only thing that matters is VOICE and characters to deeply care about. This can and should come through in the query letter.
Colleen Lindsay looks for amazing characters she can get excited about every time she reads the story. No self-indulgent navel gazing.
Colleen Lindsay says granting exclusives can be bad for your career. You can say no. If you say yes, limit to short period (e.g., a week and not a month).

Industry trends

Uwe Stender has noticed an impact on business due to changes in the industry: two YA books would've sold without a problem a year ago, now there is hesitation and revision before an offer.
What's? hot: romance!! Harlequin is doing very well.
Editors seeking middle-grade books suitable for boys (boy voice/protagonist, still accessible for girls)
Plentiful interest in urban fantasy from publishers
Market has compressed for mystery. Really need great hook or high concept that WOWS - people MUST read when hearing it.
Romantic suspense still popular, but tough for a new writer to break in unless you can really blow the agent away.
Trend is toward DARK and sexy. (Or the polar opposite: inspirational)
Platform is particularly important for anyone writing literary fiction. You need street cred, placement in great journals and magazines.
Biggest seller of books is word of mouth, which is often driven by author platform rather than publisher's publicity. (And Jane says: A great author platform spreads word. Platform is developed over life of career, not a one-time act, not overnight occurrence. A good resource for platform building? Get Known Before the Book Deal by Christina Katz.)

Tools

Colleen Lindsay recommends Online SF&F Workshop as a fabulous writing group with lots of success stories. Run by a former book editor.
Online reviews for genre fiction are key. E.g., Dear Author and Smart Bitches are two of the greatest review sites for romance.

My heartfelt thanks to the conference organizers for another wonderful year, and also to the agents/editors who I had the chance to meet and chat with (and graciously put up with my constant sneezing, sniffling, and tissue trails).

Agents | Conferences/Events | Getting Published

Monday, May 18, 2009 5:06:39 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Wednesday, May 13, 2009

News, Events, and Free Info at Writer's Digest
Posted by Jane

Today I'm taking a little break to let you know about some other stuff happening at Writer's Digest. Tomorrow I leave for the Pennwriters conference in Pittsburgh and will be Tweeting (@JaneFriedman) and blogging throughout the weekend.

Cool stuff on other WD blogs

What Should You Include on Your Bio for Agents?

Interview with Poet Justin Marks. Good tidbit where he says, "I've been given such large heaps of bad advice over the years I'm hesitant to offer any of my own. So maybe my advice should be, 'don't take any advice.' Then again, I've also gotten some good advice that has often helped sustain me: Trust yourself. Don't let anyone or anything stop you. Be willing to change. Perservere. Stuff like that."

Veteran writer and editor Mark Garvey gives advice to writers who are new to blogging.

Great agent advice from Jim McCarthy of Dystel & Goderich

From Script Notes: Are webscripts useful writing samples?

Free excerpts from new writing books

Download a PDF excerpt with great creative writing prompts, from our newest creativity title, Take Ten.

Check out a conversation with The Office co-creator Stephen Merchant where he talks about where the idea for the show came from and how it got onto the air. (From an upcoming title, Here's the Kicker.)

Upcoming events

WDB/BEA Writers Conference (May 27). This is the big kahuna where you can pitch to 66 agents and 4 editors during a 2-hour window. Even if you aren't successful in your pitch attempts here, you will learn so many amazing things about what makes an agent or editor jump on a project. The interaction is invaluable and can shave years off your path to publication. The full day costs $199 and includes the pitch session (plus lunch and terrific networking). I'll be there, as will most of my colleagues from Writer's Digest.

WD Editors' Intensive (June 20-21). Once again, we're opening up Writer's Digest HQ to 50 people for a personalized weekend of writing and publishing instruction. We spend a day coaching you about how to succeed in the changing landscape of publishing, then wrap it up with a one-on-one 30-minute appointment to discuss the first 50 pages of your manuscript or proposal. We've received excellent feedback from writers who've attended who love the up-close-and-personal interaction as well as the practical, hard-working information.

Online education

Guide to Literary Agents editor Chuck Sambuchino is hosting a live session tomorrow on how to land a literary agent. There's still time to register; follow the link here.

Writer's Market editor Robert Brewer (also known for his Poem-a-Day Challenge at Poetic Asides) is hosting a live session on May 29 on how to get your poetry published. You'll never meet a better expert, and you'll get an opportunity to ask him any question you like on the topic during the live event. Again, visit this site for registration links.

Unsure if an online event (webinar) is right for you? You can find our FAQs here.

We're launching a new WOW course, Hooked, which is focused on how to craft an amazing beginning to your novel—one that will catch the attention of agents and editors. It's nearly full, but we're still accepting students. Class starts on May 28. Go here for more info.

Competition deadlines

The deadline for the Writer's Digest International Self-Published Book Awards has been extended to May 20. Enter in 10 different categories, from poetry to humor. You could win $3,000, plus some winners are noticed by agents. (Yep, we have success stories of authors who have been picked up by a traditional house after winning this contest.) Click here for more information or to register your entry online.

This Friday marks the deadline for our biggest contest of the year: The Writer's Digest Annual Writing Competition, now in its 78th year. Grand prize includes a trip to NYC with a Writer's Digest editor to meet with agents.

As always: You can sign up for the WD newsletter on the homepage and receive a free-book on 70 common writing mistakes. You can also sign up for musings strictly from me, on writing and publishing (launching July 1). Go here to register.

Photo credit: Sister 72

Agents | Conferences/Events | Craft & Technique | General | Getting Published | New Titles From Writer's Digest | Self-Publishing

Wednesday, May 13, 2009 4:49:40 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Tuesday, May 12, 2009

The One Behavior That Spells Doom for Your Editor/Agent Relationship
Posted by Jane

A top-shelf journalist, Dan Baum, recently Tweeted about his experience breaking into and then writing for The New Yorker. You can read the full account here.

It was fascinating to get an inside look at one of the most venerable publications in the world, but much more fascinating was the story—or lesson—of his dismissal. It was not related to his writing or performance, though that was the official reason given.

Here's part of what he says (edited for space):

I wanted to write about Mexico’s disputed presidential election. A million people were demonstrating in Mexico City.

David said, “I guess if you want to write about Mexico, you might write about that mayor of Mexico City; he’s interesting.”

And here’s where it all went to hell.

I should have said, “Great idea, David. I’ll get right on it.”

Instead I said, “David, that’s the guy I’m talking about! That’s the guy who claims to have won the election! That’s the guy who everybody is demonstrating over!”

Now, what was the point of doing that? He was ceding me the chance to write about the situation in Mexico.

And if he didn’t know the details, he had more than the average American’s sense of Mexican politics.

But, believing we were two colleagues - couple of guys from New Jersey - hashing out what was best for the magazine, I made him feel uninformed.

Then I did it again.

He said, “How about the governor of Montana? He’s an interesting guy; you could profile him.”

Again, the correct response would have been, “Right away, sir.”

Instead, I said, “David, I proposed that story six months ago and you turned it down. Now it’s too late. Next week, he’s on the cover of the New York Times Magazine.”

The conversation ended amicably enough, but everything went to hell after that. I knew it at once. It all turned frosty.

… the real reason Remnick fired me was that he took a personal dislike to me after our conversations.

I was pretty bitter for a while. A New Yorker writer should be able to have a straight-up exchange of views with his editor.

And a guy as accomplished and powerful as David Remnick shouldn’t be so insecure that he can’t take some pushback.

… The biggest disappointment was learning that, after all, it’s not only about the work on the page. That the writing life is not a pure meritocracy, or a refuge from office politics. All that crap still matters. Even at the top of the heap. Perhaps especially at the top of the heap.

Like Baum, I'd expect a higher level of emotional intelligence from people at The New Yorker, and he blames not knowing the culture well as a reason for his misstep (he didn't work at the offices or visit that often).

But it's always a critical error to ignore one of the cardinal rules of human interaction: If you insist on being right, and/or make someone feel bad about themselves (especially when it comes to your superiors!), prepare to be disliked and lose opportunities.

Especially when it comes to superiors, we can mistakenly ascribe more confidence to them because we see them as successful, and as having accomplished so much. You might think your boss or CEO has the wisdom and knowledge to be reasonably and constructively challenged (isn't that how we all learn?), but that's rarely the case.

One book I love dearly is The 48 Laws of Power. Guess what the first law is (perhaps the most important of all)?

Never Outshine the Master.

Get a quick list of 48 laws here.

If David Remnick of the New Yorker is susceptible, I guarantee the editors, agents, and other people you work with—who wield some measure of power in your career—are also susceptible.

Are you telling them that they're wrong, pointing out how they contradict themselves, persisting in an argument of why you're right?

You're not doing yourself any favors.

Editors/agents may not say it openly, but if this is your attitude, you'll get the freeze-out, just like Baum did. It may be a quiet freezing process: perhaps they're not championing you any more to their important contacts —something you could never know for sure.

Think about the contact you have with important people. Imagine how they feel when they see an e-mail from you. Will they have a bad feeling? "Oh no, now what's wrong?" Or: "What will they complain about next?" Or: "How have I screwed up this time?"

I keep a quote from Jean Toomer posted in my office:

Thank everyone who calls out your faults, your anger, your impatience, your egotism; do this consciously, voluntarily.

If we can put aside our egos, we open the door to more honest conversation and an opportunity to learn.

Unfortunately, most of us know instinctively not to challenge the person in power.

Don't we watch, very carefully, when a superior is challenged by someone with very little power? What happens to the challenger? And how does the person in power respond?

What happens when a mistake is made? Is there an acknowledgment of it?

Leaders often make a show of asking for ideas, feedback, and constructive criticism, but so rarely know how to respond in a way that would encourage more of it.

People are afraid. They know about the First Law.

Dan Baum felt comfortable enough to break that law, because he thought the laws didn't apply between two guys who were so much alike, with a leader who only benefits from employing people who are smarter than him, at least in some ways.

I wish Baum hadn't been so wrong.

Photo credit: Manuel_Marin

General | Getting Published

Tuesday, May 12, 2009 5:06:04 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Monday, May 11, 2009

Leading Indicator of Success: How You Deal With Loss, Failure, Rejection
Posted by Jane

Many years ago, when I was working as an associate editor for North Light Books (another imprint of F+W Media), I applied for the lead editor position on Writer's Market. I interviewed with three different people in the division. I wanted the job so bad that I would drive around Cincinnati interstates late at night, for 30- or 60-minute stretches, just thinking about how much I wanted that job.

I didn't get it. The hiring manager encouraged me to keep trying to transition to the Writer's Digest community if other positions opened up.

Within 2 weeks, a managing editor position with Writer's Digest magazine was posted. I thought: They'll never hire me for that job. Why bother? I have no magazine experience. And so I didn't apply. Another 2-4 weeks passed, and the job was still posted. I remember staring at the job description in the lunch room, finally snapping out of my self-pity, thinking, Why the hell not? What have I got to lose?

I got the job. The rest is history.

Of the thousands of writers (and creative people) I have met, all have failed at one point or another. No one is immune. That's why I so consistently preach passion and persistence. If you don't have the passion inside you to motivate yourself to continue, you might not find the persistence and strength you need when faced with failure, loss, and rejection.

There isn't a lack of wisdom for writers (or the human race) when it comes to failure.

Some editors are failed writers, but so are most writers.
—T.S. Eliot

Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.
—Thomas Edison

I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.
—Thomas Edison

Making your mark on the world is hard. If it were easy, everybody would do it. But it's not. It takes patience, it takes commitment, and it comes with plenty of failure along the way. The real test is not whether you avoid this failure, because you won't. it's whether you let it harden or shame you into inaction, or whether you learn from it; whether you choose to persevere.
—President Obama

I know right away when I meet a person who has been hardened or shamed into inaction. It can happen to all of us, at some point, especially when we're young and invincible or new to something, and plan to take over the world. Then something happens, we're blocked, and we dip into despair, self-pity.

You can go there, but you must move through it. The longer you let the failure consume you, the more fierce the casualties. The happy (and usually successful) people I meet have a resilience that you can sense when you talk to them—people who understand that failure, loss, and rejection are all part of the game (no matter what game is being played).

I tend to associate failure with loss. Most failure impacts our sense of self, our confidence level—whether we were able to accomplish something. You can lose a piece of yourself in failure, if you let it. It can lead to a loss of identity, a crisis. Loss sometimes triggers a recognition of a failure (both real and not real).

So you have to take failure and shine a different light on it. Think of it as (1) being a part of life and part of the process (2) bringing you one step closer to success (3) a learning moment (4) an opportunity to make a positive change (5) helping you find better relationships and wellsprings of support.

Can you change the light on what's happening? Do it, and you'll be closer to making your mark on the world.

Photo credit: WorldIslandInfo.com

F+W Life | General | Getting Published

Monday, May 11, 2009 5:51:49 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Monday, May 04, 2009

Are You Ready to Be a Bestselling Author? Then Listen to Alec Baldwin
Posted by Jane

When I'm feeling stressed at work, I love watching this clip from Glengarry Glen Ross, where Blake (played by Alec Baldwin) walks into a real-estate office on a rainy night to give everyone a little "pep" talk. (Warning: Strong language ahead.)

I've never had a sales job (and never want a sales job!), but listening to this reminds me of the ground rules about working in any business. For writers who are trying to succeed at writing as a business, maybe you'll find this helpful too. Below I've extracted the writing pearls of wisdom from the best parts of Blake's talk.

Note: I have cleaned up the language to keep this at least PG-13.

Blake
Let me have your attention for a moment! So you're talking about what? You're talking about that sale you shot, some SOB that doesn't want to buy, somebody that doesn't want what you're selling, some broad you're trying to screw and so forth. Let's talk about something important. Are they all here?

Lesson #1. Where You Expend Your Energy Is Vital
If you want to sit around and complain about your situation, is that helping you succeed? No. If you go to a writers conference or critique group, or to an online forum, are you the type of person who's just there to air complaints and talk about how rough you've had it? ("You're talking about that pitch you shot, some editor that doesn't want to buy, somebody that doesn't want your novel?")

It's time for self-reflection. How can you be productive with your time, and put your energy into something positive?

Blake
Let's talk about something important! (to Levene) Put that coffee down!! Coffee's for closers only. Do you think I'm messing with you? I am not messing with you.

Lesson #2. Coffee Is for Closers
Actually, there is no lesson here. It's just one of the best lines of the whole scene.

Blake
... The good news is -- you're fired. The bad news is you've got, all you got, just one week to regain your jobs, starting tonight. Starting with tonight's sit. Oh, have I got your attention now? Good. 'Cause we're adding a little something to this months sales contest. As you all know, first prize is a Cadillac Eldorado. Anyone want to see second prize? Second prize's a set of steak knives. Third prize is you're fired.

You got leads. Mitch and Murray paid good money. Get their names to sell them! You can't close the leads you're given, you can't close, hit the bricks pal and beat it 'cause you are going out!!!

Lesson #3. Know When to Fire Yourself
In sales, call volume is important. The more calls you make, the more sales you make. It's important to spend time on the phone.

In writing, butt-in-chair is important. The more consistent time you spend writing, the better you get, the more you produce. Think about how much time you spend on your writing. Do you deserve to be fired, or are you proud of your production?

In publishing, pitching is important. Have you found the right leads? Or are you indiscriminately opening up a market directory and sending generic queries? Do you buckle under rejection, or can you keep going? If you can't face rejection, if you can't learn to pitch agents/editors, you will indeed hit the bricks, at least in terms of writing as a business pursuit.

Blake
… you drove a Hyundai to get here tonight, I drove a eighty thousand dollar BMW. That's my name!! (to Levene) And your name is "you're wanting." And you can't play in a man's game. You can't close them. (at a near whisper) And you go home and tell your wife your troubles. (to everyone again) Because only one thing counts in this life! Get them to sign on the line which is dotted! You hear me?

Lesson #4. Success Calls for Thick Skin
Writers who can't be edited, who faint at red marks on the page, who think their writing can't be improved (yet in the same breath complain that editors don't edit any more): You can't effectively play at this publishing game if you're this sensitive. If you can't adjust and compromise (when necessary) to close a deal, it's time to exit the game. Of course, if you're asked to compromise so much that it's a bad deal, find yourself another lead.

(Blake flips over a blackboard which has two sets of letters on it:
ABC, and AIDA.)

Blake
A-B-C. A-always, B-be, C-closing. Always be closing! Always be closing!! A-I-D-A. Attention, interest, decision, action. Attention -- do I have your attention? Interest -- are you interested? I know you are. You close or you hit the bricks! Decision -- have you made your decision for Christ?!! And action. A-I-D-A.

Lesson #5. Always Be Closing
Before you even write the first word of your manuscript, you should have an audience/readership in mind, and know how to close agents/publishers on buying your work, but more importantly, your readers. AIDA!

Blake
You think this is abuse? You can't take this -- how can you take the abuse you get on a sit?! You don't like it -- leave. I can go out there tonight with the materials you got, make myself fifteen thousand dollars! Tonight! In two hours! Can you? Can you? Go and do likewise! A-I-D-A!! Get mad you SOBs! Get mad!!

Lesson #6. Get Mad
Sometimes it's necessary to get angry or fired up (over rejection, over poor treatment from a publisher/agent, over lack of sales) to get the more successful outcome you want. You can't sit back and play the victim and expect to be successful. Don't expect others to do the work for you. Are you making the most of the tools you have? Could someone else do better with your tools, if they had more confidence, energy, and drive?

Blake
The money's out there, you pick it up, it's yours. You don't--I have no sympathy for you. You wanna go out on those sits tonight and close, close, it's yours. If not you're going to be shining my shoes. Bunch of losers sitting around in a bar, (in a mocking weak voice): "Oh yeah, I used to be a salesman, it's a tough racket."

Lesson #7. Writing and Publishing Is a Tough Racket. So What?
The percentage of writers who eventually get published is very small. The percentage of writers who publish and manage to make a living at it is even more miniscule. But there are new authors who manage to do it everyday, through traditional and nontraditional (self-publishing) means. You can complain all you want about it being a tough or unfair racket, but that doesn't get you any closer to success. If you want to be in the game, these are the rules.

Would you know what to do with good luck if you got it? I hope so! Go and close!

Getting Published

Monday, May 04, 2009 4:24:38 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Thursday, April 30, 2009

Warning: You Don't Want to Miss the Best Content of the Year
Posted by Jane

This week marks the 1-year anniversary of this blog, There Are No Rules. I am still finding the right combination of content and perspective that will help you, so on this anniversary, I offer this invitation:

What questions, topics, and subjects do you want me to cover in the year ahead?
What do you need the most help with?
What has been most helpful to you in the past year, to help you advance your writing career (from anywhere!)?
What would you like more of?
What could you do without?
What information do you usually remember most from this blog? Why do you read it?

Everyone who comments on this post (and includes their e-mail address), will receive, in PDF form, my presentations and handouts from my talks on how to succeed as a writer in a transformational time in publishing.

The best commenter (as judged by me!) will have a choice of a 15-minute phone consultation, a query letter critique, or a first-page critique.

Now, to celebrate my best content from the past year, in case you missed it!

2 Most Popular Posts of All Time

8 Articles/Posts All Writers Should Have Read in 2008
FYI, if you're a blogger, you should know by now that list posts almost always perform better than all others.

On Being One of 100,000+ People Stranded in Thailand
Of course a tale of my misadventure would do well! As the Brazen Careerist has said, it's the personal element that often brings your readers back for more. (True?)

Series Posts

Save Time Tips (using Google tools and other tech solutions). After the first tip that's linked here, look for two more tips immediately after.

How to Avoid Sabotaging Your Writing Career (1-7)
Here's #7, with a link to the others at the bottom of the post.

10 Years in Publishing: What I've Learned (1-5)
Here's #5. Click on nearest preceding days for 1-4.

Biggest Traffic Generator in One Day

My Big Rant on Self-Publishing

Best Practical Answers/Solutions for Writers

5 Questions to Ask Yourself After Hearing: We Can't Sell Enough to Justify Publishing It

Useful Google Tools You've Never Heard Of

The Essential Components of an (Unpublished) Author's Website

Best Big-Picture Views for Writers

Do Writers' Futures Lie in Indie E-Publishing Platforms?

How Writers Can Start Blogging in a Meaningful Way

Fiction Writers Need Platforms, Too

The 3 Types of Writer—Which Are You?

Posts With Hidden Content You Might've Missed

WD Editors' Intensive Cheat Sheet (great links to how-to-get-published, plus how to get connected)

Recap: Harriette Austin Writers Conference (red flags in first 15 pages, PDF download of my workshop on honing a great nonfiction book concept)

Get a List of All the Sites I Follow

Best Fun

How Many Editors to Screw in a Lightbulb?

Time to Get a Tattoo?

Want to guest blog here? I'd like to extend an invitation to writers (whether you blog or not): If you have tips, advice, success stories, or not-so-successful stories to share, let me know privately via e-mail, Facebook, or Twitter. (You can also reach me through this portal.) I'm starting a guest series on Fridays and would love to feature all kinds of perspectives.

Photo credit: Sandra

F+W Life | General | Getting Published | Industry News & Trends

Thursday, April 30, 2009 4:20:20 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Friday, April 24, 2009

Monthly News from Glimmer Train
Posted by Jane

Glimmer Train has just chosen the winning stories for their February Very Short Fiction Award. This twice yearly competition is open to all writers for stories on any theme, with a word count range of 500-3,000. Monthly submission calendar may be viewed here.

First place
Rolaine Hochstein of New York, NY, wins $1200 for “Virtuous Woman”. Her story will be published in the Summer 2010 issue of Glimmer Train Stories, out in May 2010.

Second place
Anne de Marcken of Olympia, WA, wins $500 for “Best Western”. Her story will also be published in an upcoming issue of Glimmer Train Stories, increasing her prize to $700.

Third place
Evan Christopher Burton of New York, NY, wins $300 for “Levitation”.

A PDF of the Top 25 winners can be found here.

Also: Family Matters competition (deadline soon approaching! April 30). Glimmer Train hosts this competition quarterly, and first place is $1,200 and publication in the journal. It’s open to all writers for stories about family. Word count range 500-12,000. Click here for complete guidelines.

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If you didn't know, Writer's Digest partnered with Glimmer Train to publish two compilation volumes of the best stuff from their Writers Ask newsletter. Be sure to check them out.

General | Getting Published

Friday, April 24, 2009 10:17:37 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Avoiding Red-Flag Mistakes on Your First Page
Posted by Jane

Yesterday, I presented a webinar on how you can critically review your manuscript (particularly the first pages) for red flags that lead to a rejection from an editor or agent. My thanks to the 25 participants who were courageous enough to allow us to critique their first pages.

For my blog readers, here are the common problems that we identified during the webinar:

Flashback on first page
Too much backstory or explanation, slowing story down
Waiting for the protagonist to appear (or unclear protagonist)
Starting with an alarm clock or ringing phone
Lots of characters introduced on first page
Ordinary day stuff (getting out of bed, walking to kitchen, etc)
Ordinary crisis moment without distinct voice or twist
Too much telling about the story, not enough showing
Nothing happens -- no action or problem
Interior monologue: in character's head, just lots of thinking, no acting or interaction with anyone else
Predictable story start or story line without a unique take
More of a journal entry (stream of consciousness), and not a story
Wrong starting point; not starting at a point of change
Too confusing, not enough reason or motivation to figure out what's happening

Here are other excellent resources:

An excerpt from Hooked (a book about story beginnings)
Alice's blog focusing on children's/YA
Chuck's blog, focusing on agents' perspectives
My take on common nonfiction problems (from my blog post at Pennwriters)
Big red flags in the first 25 pages (from my blog post at Harriette Austin)
My blog post about memoir/storytelling, inspired by Ira Glass (good for every genre)
8 Articles/Posts You Should Have Read in 2008

Agent/Query Research

AgentQuery.com
QueryShark

If you attended the webinar, I hope you found the information you were looking for. Don't forget to network with me on Facebook, Twitter (@JaneFriedman), and LinkedIn; I regularly post and share information of interest to writers seeking publication.

Check out next online event! How to Land a Literary Agent

Future webinars also include:

The Dreaded Synopsis
How to Get Your Poetry Published

Click here to view details on all upcoming online events .

Conferences/Events | Craft & Technique | Getting Published

Friday, April 24, 2009 9:47:33 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Monday, April 20, 2009

Writers and the Recession: How Can You Succeed?
Posted by Jane

I was interviewed by Tad Richards of the New York Careers Examiner. We discuss writing, publishing, recession, and how everything is changing ... and how writers need to shift strategy to succeed. A snippet:

TR: With print periodicals in danger of becoming dinosaurs, what's the future there for writers?

JF: Where is journalism headed or what will happen? I have no idea. We're in the middle of a huge transformation in the culture, and it's nearly impossible to say how it will shake out. Clay Shirky wrote a fabulous essay on this that I highly recommend to every writer. I do think the culture is headed into a media environment that does not value advertising, but has a lot of respect for content. Writers who can build a trust factor and also specialize in reaching a particular audience should find plenty of opportunities no matter what happens. Being online and being engaged (the social media thing) will be essential. Everything will be more community-driven ... but how all of this will be monetized and provide writers/journalists with a living ... We'll see!

Click here for the full interview.

Digitization & New Technology | General | Getting Published | Industry News & Trends | Marketing & Self-Promotion

Monday, April 20, 2009 4:39:03 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Monday, April 13, 2009

Best Tweets for Writers (4/13/09)
Posted by Jane

I watch Twitter, so you don't have to. (We'll see how long I can last.) If interested in where I found the Tweet, I've indicated the Twitter user.

Most valuable Tweet of the day:

5 Things I’ve Learned From Making Me 2.0 a Bestseller
@danschawbel

The rest:

Tech solutions for writing. Save and store your work online with Dropbox.
@motsjustes @ShaunaSweeney

Tech solutions for writing. Need to write? ... JDarkRoom for PC users, Scivner or WriteRoom for Macs
@motsjustes @gempari

13 plot points to check during revision
@motsjustes

Three Grammar Rules You Can (And Should) Break
@weblittlepieces

Think the business side of writing/publishing is not important? Excellent discussion.
@tweetstogo

Intriguing options to help you avoid the many distractions from writing that are available on your computer.
@benwhiting

Here are 5 ways to make your writing more memorable ... b/c the more memorable you are, the more you'll sell!
@quipsandtips

Best of Twitter | Getting Published | Industry News & Trends

Monday, April 13, 2009 6:23:37 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Friday, April 10, 2009

Make Waves Online to Create a Path to Print Publication
Posted by Jane

On this blog, someone recently commented/asked:

One big concern a lot of online writers have is the issue of first rights. Does publishing even part of a novel online prevent you from getting a deal with a publishing house? So far, I have posted about 20% of mine on my blog and only just discovered this may prevent me from getting a publishing deal. I'd have thought it would be good publicity, but I guess the publishers feel they need to defend heir turf.

It's a sure thing that whenever I advise writers to use online publishing or collaboration/community tools (like Authonomy, WeBook, Smashwords, or their own site/blog), they ask if the market for their work will go away.

Three things to understand

Print and online are two different channels. You should be more worried if you write and post something online that you want to sell to an online publication or e-publisher. Even then, it's more about: Have you given the ENTIRE work away for free, or just a portion? Publishers are most worried when you give away the entire book or all of your content for free (or that it becomes somehow accessible for free through other channels) when they're trying to charge for a print edition.
Audience/readership aren't always identical between online and print. Some people will find out about you online, and read you online; others will find you online and look for print; some will find out about you only through print channels.
Great online exposure is more likely to lead to demand for a print product. In Japan, one writer created an online sensation with his work, but stopped right at the ending cliff-hanger, and readers who wanted the ending had to purchase the print book. (And lots of people who heard about the online fuss late in the game decided to buy the print book.)

So, posting a fiction excerpt online will almost never eliminate the publication potential for the full work. You can look to Scott Sigler as an example of someone who started online (via podcasting), gained a following, then went to print. Just because he serialized the entire book in audio form didn't mean a publisher wasn't interested in publishing his book—quite the contrary! See it as a way to make waves (if approached in a smart way). I have yet to meet an agent or a publisher who would find this to be a bad thing.

Photo credit: Nate Steiner

Building Readership | Digitization & New Technology | Getting Published

Friday, April 10, 2009 4:43:42 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Thursday, April 09, 2009

Thanks to Query Letter Survivors, Plus Free Resources
Posted by Jane

Today I hosted a 90-minute session on query letters, dissecting and revising writers' queries to make the best impact on an agent, so you can get that wonderful request for your partial or full manuscript.

For attendees today, as well as readers, here are a few resources to help you along your way while querying/submitting:

Essential Blogs

QueryShark (by agent Janet Reid)
Guide to Literary Agents blog
No longer active but still helpful Miss Snark
The Rejecter

Great Posts From the Guide to Literary Agents blog

Agents | Conferences/Events | Getting Published

Thursday, April 09, 2009 6:43:56 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Wednesday, April 08, 2009

Benefits of the BEA/WD Conference, Plus a Note on Query Letters
Posted by Jane

Now in its seventh year, the program for the BookExpo America/Writer's Digest Books Conference is now posted!

I've been involved in the event for six years; my colleague Kelly Nickell (Twitter: @kmnickell) is the Wonder Woman behind this year's stellar program.

As part of the event (open to all attendees), Chuck Sambuchino is hosting what has now been called the Lawn & Garden Scotch Fest (aka the pitch slam with 66 agents and 4 editors). Bring your own scotch (or, in my case, bourbon). You can visit the program page for a full listing of agents and editors in attendance who you can pitch to from 3-5p on May 27.

We've had considerable success stories coming out of this event (see this post from agent Janet Reid), so if you have a completed novel manuscript or polished nonfiction book proposal, you could stand to benefit from quality face time with agents/editors, and get immediate feedback on your pitch.

I usually present a session at the conference each year; this year I'll talk about self-publishing and DIY options for the independent-minded author. In past years, I've spoken on changes in the industry, nonfiction book proposals, and query letters. The year I did query letters (in Chicago, for those who were there), the room was packed with 200+ people. I modeled it after the "Extreme Makeover" show that was popular at time, and "gutted" and transformed letters into more sound and savvy pieces.

While pitching is often the best way to get feedback on an idea, query letters are still the No. 1 way to approach an agent/editor, and there is a definite art to them. You can visit sites like QueryShark to learn how to craft a great one, and you can also get an interactive class on the topic with me. We're offering a session tomorrow afternoon focused on query letter makeovers, using query examples from writers attending. (Click here for more info and links to register.)

Conferences/Events | Getting Published

Wednesday, April 08, 2009 12:54:51 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Saturday, April 04, 2009

5 Questions to Ask Yourself After Hearing: We Can't Sell Enough to Justify Publishing It
Posted by Jane

I'm often asked what to do if editors/agents love your work, but respond with a rejection saying that the market is too small. Here are 5 questions to ask yourself.

1. Is there a smaller publisher that would be interested because they have a lower threshold of sales to meet? Big houses may want to sell as many as 10-20K copies in the first year to justify publication; smaller presses may be fine with 3-5K copies.

2. Is it possible to make your subject/topic/book more marketable by employing a sexier hook? Many times, writers aren't looking at their work with a marketer's eye, which is understandable, since most of us aren't marketers. But think about how you might interest a perfect stranger in your topic. Have you really tapped into current trends and interests when it comes to your book project, and are you framing it in an exciting way for a publisher (or agent)? Just because you're fascinated by your subject doesn't mean other people will get it. You have to know how to sell it.

I heard some excellent advice from Lisa Earle McLeod at the Foothills Writers Guild workshop last weekend, which she heard at the beginning of her career: Many talented writers will never be successful due to mediocre marketing skills. Many mediocre writers will be successful due to marketing talent.

Need to brush up on your marketing skills and talent—in a way that's authentic and makes sense for the new media world? Look to Seth Godin and Chris Brogan.

3. Do you have the platform to market and promote your book to the target audience? If a publisher can be convinced that you have the power to sell your book based on your reach to the primary readership of the book, they'll be more likely to take you on. What does a platform consist of? Primarily:

Your online following (via your websites, blogs, social networks, newsletters, regular online writing gigs, podcasts, videocasts)
Your offline following (via professional or personal organizations, speaking engagements, events, classes/teaching, city/region presence)
Your presence in traditional media (writing that you do for newspapers/magazines, any coverage you've received, gigs with radio/TV)

You can find out more about platform building in Get Known Before the Book Deal by Christina Katz.

4. If the market is truly too small for a publisher to be interested, then does it make sense to publish and market the work yourself? Especially if you have a following or a way to reach your intended readership, sometimes you can profit more by going this route. You can make work available digitally through services such as Lulu and Smashwords, with little or no starting cost.

5. Does your work really deserve book or print treatment? Some nonfiction topics actually work better when presented on blogs, websites, or communities/forums—where an interactivity and ability to freshen up the content at a moment's notice has more appeal to your audience.

Traditional houses will only become less and less likely to take on very niche/specialized work, because producing anything in print is a significant investment and a significant risk, without knowing there's an audience waiting to buy. Even university presses, known for niche works, are moving their efforts to digital-only platforms.

Authors will have to change their thinking about what it means to have a book in print. It is not the first goal or the end goal, but merely one channel, and not usually the best channel.

Photo credit: Zevotron

Building Readership | Digitization & New Technology | Getting Published | Marketing & Self-Promotion | Self-Publishing

Saturday, April 04, 2009 4:37:10 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

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Friday, April 03, 2009

Has Publishing Gone Nuts? Interview This Sunday
Posted by Jane

This Sunday at 4p EST, I'll be on the air with Wordsmitten's Kate Sullivan, who interviews someone from the publishing industry each week on her radio show.

You can listen here via BlogTalkRadio.
(Also, stay up-to-date at Twitter: @wordsmitten)

The WordSmitten "About the Books" radio broadcast (and podcast) has been nominated for the 2009 Gracie Awards (George Burns and Gracie Allen) sponsored by the AWRT.org. Recent Gracie Award-winners include Oprah's Gayle King radio broadcast. Recent guests include Pulitzer Prize-winning author Edward P. Jones, journalist and author Gay Talese (Mr. New York), National Book Award honorees Fiona Maazel and Sana Krasikov, sportswriter Jeff Pearlman, and author Natalie Goldberg.

Last year, I spent a lovely time in the Florida area with the folks at Wordsmitten, when they hosted a one-day writing conference.

When you check out the BlogTalkRadio site, you'll see the following colorful note:

During last year's visit to the WordSmitten event, and the rowdy authors assembled for that spectacular writing conference (Connie May Fowler, Robert Tarte, Alison Steele, Kate Sullivan, and Jane Friedman conducted sessions), Jane Friedman came through unscathed despite flat tires, an abundance of wine, merriment, and sassy writers.

The WordSmitten team is delighted she survived the writing conference and authors' parties. Even more interesting, we're glad she still talks to our editorial staff.

Hope you'll listen in -- and call-in with a question.

Conferences/Events | Fun | Getting Published | Industry News & Trends

Friday, April 03, 2009 5:38:46 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

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Wednesday, April 01, 2009

Announcing a Brand-New Market Book!
Posted by Jane

NEW this year from Writer's Digest Books!
Plagiarist's Market
ISBN: 0807504041

It’s time to turn a stereotype on its head. Plagiarism: It’s often cited as an example of what not to do in the writing craft, but sometimes it’s not all that bad—in fact, sometimes it’s downright lucrative.

In this new market guide, WD brings an underground trade to the forefront of the writing community, showing you thousands of markets to pitch other people’s work, how to make it uniquely yours, how to avoid lawsuits and quietly settle controversies and how to break into an often-stigmatized market that, in the end, really can break—or make—a career.

Featuring contributions and front-of-the-book craft pieces by author Kaavya Viswanathan, former New York Times reporter Jayson Blair, and more.

$29.99 paperback, 810 pages

Tip o' the hat to ingenious WD editors Zachary Petit & Brian Klems

Fun | Getting Published | New Titles From Writer's Digest

Wednesday, April 01, 2009 12:31:07 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

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Saturday, March 21, 2009

WD Editors' Intensive Cheat Sheet
Posted by Jane

A huge thanks to all the wonderful writers who are visiting our offices this weekend for Saturday's educational workshops, plus Sunday's critique day. I hope you took away some useful action steps on your path to publication.

As promised, I'm posting some resources and links that we discussed during our time together. If I've missed anything you were hoping for, don't hesitate to comment on the post, and I'll add more info as needed. (And for those attendees who have useful links to share, please post in comments as well.)

Agent/Query Research

Chuck's blog (Guide to Literary Agents)
AgentQuery.com
PublishersMarketplace (fee-based)
Miss Snark
QueryShark

Community Writing & Publishing Sites

Authonomy
WeBook
BookRix

DIY/Self-Publishing Sites (Free/Next to Free)

Smashwords (partnership with Stanza, the iPhone e-reader)
Lulu
Blurb
CreateSpace (Amazon-related)

Blogging and Site Building

Wordpress
GoDaddy (domain registration)
Storytlr
JaneFriedman.com (example of my lifestreaming homepage using Storytlr)

General Social Networking

Facebook (I accept all friend requests; also look for Writer's Digest page)
Twitter (@JaneFriedman and @WritersDigest)
LinkedIn (you can network with me here too)
Ping.fm (to coordinate your status updates among all social networking sites)

Previous & Helpful Blog Posts

Other Events You Might Want to Try

BEA/WD Writers Conference in New York City (May 27), with our pitch slam featuring 60 agents
Our September event on the business of publishing, also in NYC, on the weekend of September 19-20. Details coming, keep checking our events page.

List of Attendees
If you did not receive an e-mail giving you online access to this list, drop me a note.

Interested in the next Writer's Digest Editors' Intensive—on June 20-21? We'll soon be opening for registration here.

Saturday, March 21, 2009 9:39:01 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

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Thursday, March 19, 2009

Monthly News from Glimmer Train
Posted by Jane

Glimmer Train has just chosen the winning stories for their January Family Matters competition. This quarterly competition is open to all writers for stories about family, with a word count range of 500-12,000. Monthly submission calendar may be viewed here.

First place
Jeremiah Chamberlin of Ann Arbor, MI, wins $1200 for “What We Can”. His story will be published in the Summer 2010 issue of Glimmer Train Stories, out in May 2010.

Second place
Yuval Zalkow of Portland, OR, wins $500 for “God and Buses”. His story will also be published in an upcoming issue of Glimmer Train Stories, increasing his prize to $700.

Third place
Adam Rensch of Bronxville, NY, wins $300 for “Everything in Its Right Place”. His story will also be published in an upcoming issue of Glimmer Train Stories, increasing his prize to $700.

A PDF of the Top 25 winners can be found here.

This quarterly competition is open to all writers and all themes, with a word count range of 2000-20,000. Click here for guidelines .

Also: Fiction Open competition (deadline soon approaching! March 31)
Glimmer Train hosts this competition quarterly, and first place is $2000 and publication in the journal. It’s open to all writers, no theme restrictions. Word count range 2000-20,000. Click here for complete guidelines.

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If you didn't know, Writer's Digest partnered with Glimmer Train to publish two compilation volumes of the best stuff from their Writers Ask newsletter. Be sure to check them out.

General | Getting Published

Thursday, March 19, 2009 5:02:00 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

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Thursday, March 12, 2009

The First Five Minutes: How Editors Evaluate Your Manuscript
Posted by Jane

This afternoon, I presented a webinar with Alice Pope on how you can critically review your manuscript (particularly the first pages) for red flags that lead to a rejection from an editor or agent. A big thank-you to the first 25 participants who were courageous enough to allow us to critique their first pages!

For my blog readers, here are the common problems that we identified during the webinar:

Flashback on first page
Too much backstory or explanation, slowing story down
Waiting for the protagonist to appear (or unclear protagonist)
Starting with an alarm clock or ringing phone
Lots of characters introduced on first page
Ordinary day stuff (getting out of bed, walking to kitchen, etc)
Ordinary crisis moment without distinct voice or twist
Too much telling about the story, not enough showing
Nothing happens -- no action or problem
Interior monologue: in character's head, just lots of thinking, no acting or interaction with anyone else
Predictable story start or story line without a unique take
More of a journal entry (stream of consciousness), and not a story
Wrong starting point; not starting at a point of change
Too confusing, not enough reason or motivation to figure out what's happening

Participants: Be on the lookout for your critique checklist, Q&As that we didn't have time to answer, as well as the specific notes on your manuscript (if yours was used).

Here are other excellent resources:

An excerpt from Hooked (a book about story beginnings)
Alice's blog focusing on children's/YA
Chuck's blog, focusing on agents' perspectives
My take on common nonfiction problems (from my blog post at Pennwriters)
Big red flags in the first 25 pages (from my blog post at Harriette Austin)
My blog post about memoir/storytelling, inspired by Ira Glass (good for every genre)

If you attended the webinar, thank you very much for joining me and Alice, and I hope you found the information you were looking for. Don't forget to network with me on Facebook, Twitter (@JaneFriedman), and LinkedIn; I regularly post and share information of interest to writers seeking publication.

Check out next webinar! Online Promotion & Marketing (March 31)

Future webinars also include:

Extreme Query Letter Makeover
How to Negotiate Any Book Publishing Contract
How to Land a Literary Agent

Click here to view details on all. (Click on "Live Sessions", then on "Upcoming Sessions".)

Conferences/Events | Getting Published | Marketing & Self-Promotion

Thursday, March 12, 2009 1:53:28 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

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Monday, March 09, 2009

How the Internet Has Got Publishing By Its Tail
Posted by Jane

I recently did an hour-long interview with the delightful Patricia Volonakis Davis, Editor-in-Chief of Harlots' Sauce Radio. Patricia describes the interview with me as such:

Those of us who read books, and those of us who write them, will be equally enthralled with [this] interview on Harlots’ Sauce Radio this month. You’ll find her savvy in her assessments of the industry’s ‘buzziest’ new toys, such as Authonomy, Smashwords, and Kindle 2, and frank in her judgments of trade dinosaurs like Publishers Weekly.

Click here to go straight to the interview.

Monday, March 09, 2009 4:26:22 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

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Thursday, March 05, 2009

To Succeed at Your Art, Know How to Play Well in Business
Posted by Jane

This week I'm in a somewhat philosophic frame of mind; maybe it's because I'm facing new challenges at my job that stretch the boundaries of what I once thought I could enjoy.

In my early days as an acquisitions editor for F+W Media, I found this quote by David M. Ogilvy:

In the modern world of business, it is useless to be a creative original thinker unless you can also sell what you create. Management cannot be expected to recognize a good idea unless it is presented to them by a good salesman.

Up until the time I read this quote, I had primarily thought of myself as one of those creative-artistic stereotypes who disdained the numbers and focused on aesthetics, and art for art's sake.

Frankly, that became boring fast.

What became more interesting was: How can I create something that is exciting to me and other people? And like Ogilvy says, unless you learn how to speak the language of upper management (or the gatekeepers), you won't get far with your ideas. You can speak one language to creative people, but you need to frame things differently for people who make financial decisions. E.g., when you walk into your bank and ask for a loan to fund your wonderful idea, it's always in relation to making a profit (for you and the bank). Same thing in publishing when you approach an editor or agent.

The writers who succeed fastest in selling a project are the ones who can get in this business model mindset—not necessarily the writers who are most talented.

At F+W, I'm now in the process of building a spring forecast that estimates how we think we will perform this year against our original budget. It makes you think hard about what you're doing, why you're doing it, and how to change what you're doing to produce better results next time. Without such an evaluation, how can you be pushed to your fullest and most creative extent? As Robert Frost once said about writing verse, you need to have a net.

Put another way: If you're rejected continually, do you think of a better way to present your business case, or do you assume that people have shunned art or not really seen your brilliant talent? Most likely, people are not shunning art or talent. They are shunning what hasn't been presented to them in a compelling or beneficial way. You have to know what your audience responds to.

Fortunately, writers who know how to put themselves in the shoes of another—who are excellent at that thing called empathy—should be able to recast, reframe, revise their ideas so they make sense to anyone, no matter what their mindset. Use your imagination. What does the other person want to hear?

Remember, people usually enjoy saying yes.
Even better, they enjoy delivering an excited, definitive, "Yes!"
Give them a great reason to say it.

Photo credit: Llawliet

F+W Life | General | Getting Published

Thursday, March 05, 2009 7:41:10 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

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Tuesday, March 03, 2009

3 Questions Writers Love to Ask (That Really Have No Concrete Answer)
Posted by Jane

I was recently invited to an online Q&A with UCLA's extension course on Finding a Home for Your Essay (Online), taught by Victoria Zackheim.

It's always invigorating and interesting to field questions from writers that remind you what it's like to undertake the endeavor to write and publish. Sometimes, after being in the industry a while, your mindset becomes so business focused you forget how much feeling is wrapped up in it.

I thought I would share some excerpts from our session together. (For better or worse, the most interesting questions are usually the ones that can't be concretely answered.) A big thanks to the students for their thoughtful questions (which have been condensed for brevity's sake).

Do you have any tips or tricks for faking an authoritative voice [in writing]?

When I think about "authoritative voice," it seems more applicable to instructional or informational pieces. If you're writing a personal essay or memoir, then I would say you need an authentic or distinctive voice more than an authoritative one. Figuring out a voice that is natural and authentic to you is a long process; writers refine their voice over many years. I'm not sure I have a single trick or tip that would help you nail it.

However, you can find excellent advice in a book by Vivian Gornick, The Situation and the Story, that talks about how to craft personal stories with great resonance. It's all about knowing what's unique about YOUR perspective on something, what makes your "I" perception different and interesting, apart from all others.

For any of you who have read Eat, Pray, Love: That's an example where the writing and voice is very distinct and confident, but I wouldn't characterize it as authoritative.

I've heard from agents that they think "I write well" but they "just didn't fall in love with this book." It's probably inscrutable, but can you put your finger on things that make agents/editors fall in love with work?

You might find the book The First Five Pages by agent Noah Lukeman to be helpful, because he identifies all the mistakes that writers tend to make that can turn off agents/editors (or lead to the "didn't fall in love with this").

There's also a great book by Donald Maass called Writing the Breakout Novel that identifies how novels can reach that next level of rich scope and detail that makes them truly magnificent. (And he has another book releasing this spring called Fire in Fiction that should be helpful for anyone who's missing that inscrutable quality.) Of course these books are for fiction writers, but for anyone telling a story with characters, many of the same principles apply.

But from my perspective: This "no love" response usually means one of the following things:
Your characters weren't compelling or original enough
Your story wasn't unique or engaging enough (in the end, it all comes down to story)
You may have the technical skill down, but you haven't yet crafted something that really sets itself apart from everything else that's out there.

Or, it could be a simple matter of not having found the right agent/editor who WILL fall in love with your work. It takes time.

Is there any advice you can give me about confidence in my writing?

This will sound terribly unhelpful, but you can decide to have confidence in your writing as soon as you're ready to have confidence. It's really just a matter of making that choice. No one can give it to you.

There's a story about a master violinist and his student. Roughly paraphrased, it goes something like this: The student asks, "Tell me, am I any good? Should I keep pursuing this?" The master replies, "If you have to ask for my permission, then you don't have what it takes." (If anyone has a link to the original story, please share!)

Same applies to writing. Of all the people who set out to write, of those who succeed, it's the ones who most doggedly pursue it, no matter what people tell them (not the ones who are the most talented).

Writing takes persistence more than confidence or talent. And in fact, a little lack of confidence is good for most writers. It pushes you to do better.

And in regards to pleasing an editor, try instead to think of your reader. Don't write for the editor, write for your intended audience. Take the focus off of you and how much you succeed with the editor. How much are you succeeding with your reader? What does your reader think? That should help alleviate many of your concerns.

What about you? Do you have tips or tricks that have helped you gain confidence and authority in your writing?

Photo credit: Matthew Dutile

Craft & Technique | General | Getting Published

Tuesday, March 03, 2009 4:36:12 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

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Friday, February 27, 2009

My Big Rant on Self-Publishing
Posted by Jane

I can't tell you how tired I am of hearing people bash self-publishing. The things I hear usually fall into two categories:

Most self-published books aren't quality
Some self-publishing services are unethical

If you agree with one of the above statements, let me lay it out real clear for you: The landscape is changing, and if you haven't noticed, you're behind the times. This particular blog post addresses the quality issue, because the ethics issue is becoming less of a problem. The moment any self-pub service tries to pull a fast one or do something questionable, it's trumpeted far and wide online. And often it's the people who aren't doing their research and due diligence that get taken advantage of. I'm not saying it's right for this to happen, nor do I condone it, but all industries have bad eggs.

But moving on, consider:

Distribution models are changing. With advancements in technology, and the power now within an average writer's hands, it's not necessary to have physical bookstore distribution to achieve success. (See my interview with Smashwords and Stanza for more on this.)

Traditional publishers now rely on authors to do all the marketing and promotion. It used to be that writers could concentrate on writing and forget about that icky sales and marketing stuff. Well, welcome to the new world. Marketing is now expected from authors. And authors who survive will be the ones who find ways to authentically grow their platform and meaningfully reach their readership.

Communities will decide what books are worthwhile, and communities won't have ego-filled judgments. Publishers will always be giving their authors one thing that is hard to come by: a measure of instant credibility. (That is: Someone thought this was good enough to take a financial risk on.) In good scenarios, there is also collaboration: to make a good book a great book. But soon, communities will have as much power as publishers to decide what books deserve attention. Plus you and I will be more likely to trust judgments coming from people we know and have something in common with, not necessarily The New York Times. It goes back to the whole end of cultural authority.

You're probably thinking, "Oh my god, she's totally in the pocket of the self-publishers and enslaved to them because of their advertising dollars that support the magazine." You can take the cynic's view if you wish and choose to believe that what I write is not authentically my view. But my background is 10 years of traditional book publishing—acting as the gatekeeper. I have a lot of investment in that traditional model. But I know if we [insiders] don't change what we do, we'll become irrelevant, and that's a worse fate.

When I started working for Writer's Digest magazine, one of my first assignments was producing the special newsstand-only issue on self-publishing (called Publishing Success). And I noticed that self-publishing is a hell of a lot of work. You don't get any hand-holding from agents or editors, and you're on your own if you want to be successful. Most people execute it poorly because they are not business people, and they don't have a good grasp on their audience. They're simply writing for themselves (catharsis). But I'm not going to fault the entire self-publishing approach because many people use it as a tool for personal validation (e.g., by publishing a life story, 200,000-word novel, or manifesto).

While at Writer's Digest, I've seen thousands of self-published books come through our Self-Published Book Awards. Ninety-nine percent don't meet my standard of quality for publication. But I can also tell clearly they were a work of passion, and it meant something dearly to people to get it in print. I can be heartless and say, "Well if these people have a book inside them, that's exactly where it should stay," or I can say: "Go ahead, take a chance, get hurt even." Most people, even published authors, have a lot to learn when it comes to what deserves print publication.

You want to have a traditional publisher and a literary agent that you can tout—so you can strut around and call yourself a published author? Go right ahead. But here's the judgment I bring to the table: Does your book sell? Do you have visibility? Or are you living in obscurity? Because I can't tell you often enough: I don't care who published you or how much you were paid for an advance: If you ain't got readers, you ain't got love, you ain't got money, you ain't got a future in publishing.

It is exciting to be able to publish a book virtually within 5 minutes with the new services available (through Amazon & Kindle, through Smashwords-Stanza-iPhone, through Lulu, and others). Yes, it will lead to an unbelievable amount of media detritus. But we have the tools today to find what we want and ignore the rest.

Photo credit: jerine

Friday, February 27, 2009 4:12:13 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

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Monday, February 23, 2009

How Much Do You Care? It Might Determine Your Success
Posted by Jane

I've been thinking a lot lately about the concept of caring (and understanding), and how it affects our choices in life—whether to build a partnership with someone, to buy or commit to a product or service, or to participate in a group or organization. For example:

The Chief Happiness Officer has always believed that employers must actively care for and serve their employees first if they want customers to also be cared for, and for the business to grow.
A while ago, I copied the following from a magazine article about good speaking skills: "The audience does not care how much you know until they know how much you care. If you speak from the heart, you'll get inside their heads. Passion is more important than genius. Focus on lifting the audience higher."

I recently experienced the power of caring, up close and personal, with our rocky re-launch of WritersMarket.com. We serve many thousands of writers through this subscription service, and for a while, we had trouble keeping the site live. Eventually we decided the problems were pervasive enough that we needed to send a personal message to all subscribers explaining what was happening, and offer our sincerest apologies for the disruption in service. I wrote this note and included my personal e-mail address, along with the editor's (Robert Brewer), inviting people to contact us for any reason.

Many people did contact us, and while I expected (and received) very valid criticisms, I also received just as much (if not more!) positive feedback, from customers who thanked us for honest acknowledgment of the situation and appreciated our care for their concerns. While I would never wish to repeat the unfortunate series of events that led to me writing this letter, it was a huge lesson learned that many customers, even if dissatisfied, can experience a change of heart if they encounter a real person who is addressing their concerns, or attempting to meet their needs.

As an example of a bad-caring experience, I'll relate my recent encounter with Hilton. I had reserved two rooms at a Hilton for a conference nearly a year in advance. (The popularity of the conference means that early reservations are critical.) About a month before the event, due to staff changes and budget cuts, I called to cancel one of the rooms. I spoke with several of the Hilton staff directly, and they all refused to cancel without charging for a full night plus tax, since the cancellation policy was 55 days' notice (!). But we all knew the hotel would have no trouble filling that room if it became available, so it felt like this was one instance where they should have waived the one night charge. I felt like they did not understand, and worse, didn't even attempt to understand. (Every time I brought up any consideration, they simply restated their policy in a firm, monotone voice.) Result? I'll book anywhere but a Hilton.

In more direct relation to writing and publishing: Think about your creative drive and why you do what you do. No matter what motivates you, when it comes to putting your work (and yourself) out into the world, you have to stop focusing on yourself, and start focusing on how you care about people, and how you'll show that you care. More than ever, good businesses and good products are based on passionate people who care about what they're doing. People are searching for that authenticity. How can you match the needs of others to what you're producing? Stop thinking about your goals; if you can meet other people's goals, then you're on your way to success. As Seth Godin asked in a recent blog post: What could you build (or do) that would be a dream come true for a particular group?

Photo credit: Tim Parkinson

Building Readership | Getting Published | Marketing & Self-Promotion

Monday, February 23, 2009 5:49:40 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

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Friday, February 20, 2009

Handling Digital/Electronic Rights to Your Shorter Works
Posted by Jane

A reader of this blog (and MWW member!), Cathy Shouse, wrote to ask:

The Saturday Evening Post is buying first rights to my financial articles and are also including the right to put them on their website. They are archiving them and I'm concerned no one will want them in reprints or as chapters in a book since they're online. The topic of finances makes it a greater challenge to simply rewrite the stories.

This is an area with no easy answers, mainly because there are so many variables (the writer, the piece, the publication, the audience). The key considerations are:

Do you stand to earn a lot of money through reprints? Is it something you could re-use profitably and/or re-sell profitably for a long time to come?
Will the material go out of date quickly?
What were you paid for first rights? Is it appropriate for the additional archiving rights they are taking?
Does exposure with this publication (or through its site) help send more work your way in the long run? A highly trafficked or highly respected site might help bring your expertise to the attention of others.
Does it feel thrilling to think you'll always link to this piece (or this site) from your own blog or site?

In general, here's what I recommend.

If a publication asks for digital/electronic rights that include archiving or indefinite availability on their site, at the very least ask for a nonexclusive agreement so you can continue to use, post, or sell the material.
Ask for a contractual way out of these arrangements if you're particularly concerned about the use. E.g., within 30 days of your request, the publication has to remove the material from their site.
You may not have a problem reselling material that's posted online, especially if you're reselling to a very different site, media/platform, or audience with little crosssover. (For example, let's say this same piece would be absolutely perfect for the print edition of Plumber's Digest, whose audience doesn't even read or know about the Saturday Evening Post site.)
Most book publishers will not be concerned if portions of your work appear online for free. People consume information in different ways, and find information in different ways. Just because your material is freely available online doesn't mean (a) everyone knows it's there or (b) won't buy a book for the better reading experience or the convenience.

I would love to hear comments from readers who have had either good or bad experiences with selling electronic rights to their work. Do you think it can be helpful or harmful?

Photo credit: James Paul Long (from the London Book Fair rights center)

Digitization & New Technology | Getting Published

Friday, February 20, 2009 3:03:28 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

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Thursday, February 19, 2009

Monthly News from Glimmer Train
Posted by Jane

Glimmer Train has just chosen the winning stories for their December Fiction Open competition.

First place
Cary Groner of Tucson, AZ, wins $2000 for “Elaborate Preparations for Departure." His story will be published in the Summer 2010 issue of Glimmer Train Stories, out in May 2010.

Second place
Aaron Carmichael of Broomfield, CO, wins $1000 for “Driver Yu’s Penance.” His story will also be published in an upcoming issue of Glimmer Train Stories.

Third place
Aaron Cutler of New York, NY, wins $600 for “15 Shots.”

A PDF of the Top 25 winners can be found here. This quarterly competition is open to all writers and all themes, with a word count range of 2000-20,000. Click here for guidelines .

Also: Very Short Fiction Award competition deadline soon approaching, February 28. Glimmer Train hosts this competition twice a year, and first place is $1200 and publication in the journal. It’s open to all writers and all themes, and the word count must not exceed 3000. Click here for guidelines .

--

If you didn't know, Writer's Digest partnered with Glimmer Train to publish two compilation volumes of the best stuff from their Writers Ask newsletter. Be sure to check them out.

General | Getting Published

Thursday, February 19, 2009 5:53:35 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

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The End of Cultural Authority
Posted by Jane

There's a great interview over at Poets & Writers with four editors in book publishing. One of the best bits:

Q: When you look at the industry, what are the biggest problems we face right now?

CHINSKI: I think they're all so obvious. Returns. Blogs.
GARGAGLIANO: And just finding readers.
CHINSKI: The end of cultural authority. That's something we talk about a lot at FSG. Reviews don't have the same impact that they used to. The one thing that really horrifies me and that seems to have happened within the last few years is that you can get a first novel on the cover of the New York Times Book Review, a long review in The New Yorker, a big profile somewhere, and it still doesn't translate into sales.

Building Readership | Getting Published | Industry News & Trends | Marketing & Self-Promotion

Thursday, February 19, 2009 4:11:36 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

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Friday, February 06, 2009

More Books on Phones (and Other News for Writers)
Posted by Jane

It's Friday, time for a little reading break, so I'm sharing with you the latest interesting news I've digested this week.

Just today, the New York Times reported that Amazon is looking at offering Kindle books on the iPhone. Huge! Google also now has titles from Google Book Search available on mobile devices.
Smashwords will be the first to release Dan Poynter's new book about self-publishing. You can catch an interview with Poynter over at the Smashwords blog. My favorite quote from Dan: "Social networking is the ideal way for authors to promote their books. You can get the word out while discussing your favorite subject with colleagues all over the world. BTW, social networking has been around since the campfire. It is simply discussing your favorite subject with your friends. Today we have social media. We can reach our colleagues via the Internet and mobile phone systems. People anywhere in the world can join the campfire."
Which comes first, the product or the marketing? This brief post by Seth Godin is at the heart of what aspiring authors need to remember, especially those considering the indie route. (Freedom to publish yourself comes with great responsibility—if you want to be read, that is.)
Thinking about ways to build platform? As always, Chris Brogan offers tools and questions to think about as you survey the web for inspiration and direction, "57 Internet Possibilities to Investigate."
This blog has been very heavy on e-book commentary lately (due to my life's iPhone Renaissance). Here's an article for those of you wondering how anyone ever finds and reads e-books, and what factors you need to consider before publishing one.
Finally: a couple mainstream media articles on publishing e-books (Christian Science Monitor) and podcasting your book (Time magazine).

Photo credit: KB35

Friday, February 06, 2009 2:00:35 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

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Wednesday, February 04, 2009

How Writers Can Start Blogging in a Meaningful Way
Posted by Jane

Last week, one of my webinar participants from 3 Secrets to Getting Your Nonfiction Book Published asked a question about blogging (in the comments section of this post):

You indicated today that blogging and/or creating a website to discuss my ... uh, area of interest is likely the best route. So, how do I "start" a blog? Does it need to be focussed, or can I start with say, "ponderings"? My book idea was, unfortunately, one of those memoir/self-help hybrids ... Hence the need, as you suggested, for a blog, to "create waves" and get a feel for the audience(s), and even really, to figure out what it is that I want to write about. In short, I want to learn the how to and where of blogging. I have absolutely no shortage of ideas, likely aimed at 40ish-woman-mother-student-goddess-doormat types. I also have a growing file of 1000-wd essays on everything from pretty-wine-label philosophy to chocolate penis envy to (s)mothering teenagers ... Please, Jane, help me blog.

First, there were several very helpful comments from readers (see end of this post)—and my thanks to them for sharing their experience.

Second, there isn't really a wrong way to start a blog, though it can become a distraction or something that's not really adding to your writing career or writing life (I'm particularly thinking of unpublished writers as I write this). As with so many things, it all comes down to your goals. Here are the most common goals associated with blogs started by writers seeking publication.

Creative outlet/inspiration. Blogging can be the one place where you can let yourself go without all the pressure, responsibility, and fear that's often associated with pursuing publication. Sometimes it can help you find your voice, or help you find what really matters to you. Plus, over time, it hones your writing skills, especially when you pay attention to which of your posts garner the most traffic and try to replicate a meaningful experience for your readers. It trains you to pay attention to what your readers like. Sometimes people start with no greater desire than this, but later find themselves in platform-building territory (#3) if they find a more specific focus or direction to the material.
Market testing and content development. When it comes to nonfiction, blogs in your area of expertise can be a way to interact with your audience and test ideas with them. Some books have appeared in rough discussion form on blogs, almost like a first pass of ideas, and become what they are through interaction with readers. (Chris Anderson is one of the biggest examples.)
Platform building and getting known. In some ways, this is similar to #2, but I would distinguish this as writing and delivering content that may or may not be book-specific. Its goal is to cultivate and grow your audience for any/all of your work, not a particular project. You can also essentially self-publish small chunks of your work (if you're able to handily craft them into blog posts), and if your work has an outstanding quality to it, and you have a strong readership, you might make the kind of waves that attract agents/editors to your door.
Community creation. This applies more to nonfiction, but a blog can help bring together a network of people in a new way. For instance, I read a blog called Cincinnati Imports that's for Cincinnati folk who aren't native to the area. (There's a long-standing cliche that it's hard to meet people in this town, since so many Cincinnatians have lived here their whole lives and tend to be an insular bunch. I will not enter the fray.)

While it's NOT mandatory that every writer blog, every writer does need to have a website of some kind, to make them visible online, and that website can take the form of a blog, or it can be a more static website. (And if you have any kind of decent blog platform, e.g., Wordpress, you'll have something that's called a blog-plus site, which has the blog as the primary site function and focus, but also allows for static pages/content, like a bio or list of publications. So don't feel the need to create ANOTHER site if you have a blog.)

OK, aside from that, these two bits of advice should save you from going down a painful road.

I recommend every writer give blogging a try, but if you don't like it, don't force it. Spend your time on something you do care about. There are many ways to build a platform aside from blogging.
"Just start," says Garland (in the comments). Amen. You don't have to get it right from the start. It doesn't have to be perfect. It WILL evolve. That's a good thing. You get to decide how this works. Do what feels authentic and productive and good. Don't do what feels like punishment or work.

Deborah also left a comment that's very insightful:

I actually have numerous blogs. It's a way that I test myself to see what I have the passion to write. If you look at my list of blogs and see which one has 300+ posts, it's pretty obvious. That blog gets about 100 visitors a day, and each post gets several comments. The other blogs don't have very many posts or readers. If they get 2 or 3 readers a day, that's great.

As a final note, you'll find incredibly rich content on blogging over at Chris Brogan's site. Good luck!

Photo credit: Annie Mole

Building Readership | Digitization & New Technology | Getting Published | Marketing & Self-Promotion

Wednesday, February 04, 2009 5:35:31 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

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Monday, February 02, 2009

Fiction Writers Need Platforms, Too
Posted by Jane

There were many wonderful comments here last week that I plan to address. The first comes from Linda Adams, on The Essential Components of an (Unpublished) Author's Website:

I should note though that there's a difference between a non-fiction writer and a fiction writer. When I started seeing terms like platform, my first thought was, "What about the novelists?" A novel often doesn't have a platform. The advice in the post seems more suited to non-fiction authors.

It's true that nonfiction writers are different from novelists when it comes to pitching your work. Nonfiction writers almost always have to prove that they have authority/credentials, as well as a platform, that will help them market and promote the book effectively to a target audience. Nonfiction writers essentially put forth a business plan explaining the market need for the book. Novelists don't do this at the outset; the decision usually comes down to the quality of the writing and the storytelling.

However, what separates successful writers from NOT-successful writers (no matter what the genre), is platform, or visibility to a readership. If a novelist is unable or unwilling to develop a platform for his writing career, he will find that his books don't sell and the publishers lose interest fast. A novelist should never rely on the publisher to make his book sell.

Here are a few ways that fiction writers need to start targeting their audience and developing a platform. (And all of these are discussed in Get Known Before the Book Deal by Christina Katz, which has a special chapter on fiction-writing platforms.)

Look at how and where you write. How have you developed your fiction-writing chops? Through critique groups? Online workshops? Creative writing programs? Lounging at Starbucks? Whatever writing community you participate in, that leads to a part of your platform. For example, if you are a graduate of an MFA program, that makes you part of the MFA community, and gives you a way to build visibility with that community. If you are an expert critiquer in online workshop settings, and word spreads about you, then you're building a platform. Think about your interactions with other writers and how you network. These can provide the seeds.
Community/regional presence. Also think about your interactions within your community or region, which may or may not be connected to writing. Can you establish programs relating to reading, writing, or the themes in your work? Most writers are passionate about something connected to words; are you involved in your community, work for a greater cause, and have visibility that way? Usually the passions in our life come out in our writing, and vice versa.
Special relationships. Maybe you were mentored or coached by a notable writer or someone in the community. Or you have connections with people in the media (whether family or friends or colleagues), or with other influencers and tastemakers. While I don't suggest you take advantage of such relationships, having them can greatly help you when it comes time to think of your platform and spreading the word about your work. Who do you think will be willing to help you? And how can you offer something in return?
Look to your work. What themes, topics, or things are explored in your work? It's likely you will return to the same themes or topics throughout your writing career. (E.g., if you write about small-town life today, it's likely you'll still be writing about small-town life in a few years.) Becoming known as someone who explores certain themes or topics in life can make you interesting and visible to particular audiences. And that's what platform-building is all about: Knowing what audiences will be most interested in your work, and always thinking about how you can be more visible to them, and reach out to them in meaningful ways.

I would love to hear from aspiring and established novelists about what platform-buliding strategies have worked for you. MJ Rose (a columnist for WD magazine) often says that successful marketing strategies all depend on you and your book, and I agree. Some things that work for one author may not work for another. But it's helpful to see what's being done, to help spark new ideas, and to better understand your own position and strengths.

Photo credit: Mike Wade

Building Readership | Getting Published | Marketing & Self-Promotion

Monday, February 02, 2009 5:29:58 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

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Thursday, January 29, 2009

Nonfiction Webinar Participants: Thank You!
Posted by Jane

Thanks to everyone who participated in today's webinar on getting your nonfiction book published. I hope you found the information and the critiques helpful. (And some of you still have critiques coming.)

Here are a few links mentioned in today's seminar you might find helpful:

Publishers Marketplace (to research publishing deals, editors, and agents)
Guide to Literary Agents blog
Bowker (statistics about book publishing)

If you missed any info during the session, or need clarification on any points, feel free to leave a comment here for me to address. And don't forget to look for me on Twitter and Facebook (just mention the webinar when putting in a friend request).

Update: I forgot to mention an excellent resource for those of you asking questions about platform: Get Known Before the Book Deal by Christina Katz. It's a Writer's Digest Book that shows you step-by-step what it takes to build a platform, which is essential for every aspiring author.

Conferences/Events | Getting Published

Thursday, January 29, 2009 3:20:57 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

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Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Do Writers' Futures Lie in Indie E-Publishing Platforms?
Posted by Jane

The March/April issue of Writer’s Digest magazine hits newsstands in the week ahead; its feature package focuses on self-publishing. While the issue touches on all forms of self-publishing—print as well as digital/electronic—we could do an entire issue devoted to the evolving models for online or digital self-publishing.

We also closed the issue before the partnership announcement between Stanza and Smashwords. You’re probably thinking, Why do I care about the partnership of two companies I’ve never heard of?

True, it wasn’t until I had an iPhone that I became really aware of these two companies and understood what was happening.

Here are the basics:

The iPhone is a mobile device that’s used by nearly 20 million people.
Stanza is a popular e-book reader you can use on your iPhone (you download it for free directly from your phone).
Smashwords is a self-publishing company that publishes e-books only. You can use their service without any upfront cost, plus you can make your book available for as little or as much as you want (even for free).
Smashwords + Stanza means your self-published work can be available to millions of people, or at least the 1 million people who have downloaded the Stanza application onto their iPhones, as of January 2009.

Big-picture, what does this mean for writers? We’re starting to see the eradication of distribution barriers to self-published works. If authors can effectively spread the word about their work, then it can be quickly, easily, and inexpensively downloaded on a very popular device.

I find it intoxicating. All of this is quite new, but also instantly transformative. Smashwords debuted in early 2008; Stanza became available on the iPhone in July 2008. (You can see the impact Stanza has had on the reading and publishing community by reviewing the headlines on their news page.)

So I took some time to talk on the phone with Smashwords founder, Mark Coker, as well as Lexcycle’s COO, Neelan Choksi. Here’s some of what they had to say.

Interview with Mark Coker at Smashwords

I’m just now realizing the power of the iPhone and Stanza. I admit, I didn’t really comprehend the e-book universe until recently.

Stanza has become a really powerful reading platform. If you talk to core e-book reading enthusiasts, they'll tell you that the iPhone is nothing new, but I think what we're starting to see is we're expanding beyond those early adopters to the mainstream. Especially with Oprah talking about the Kindle, that opens people's eyes.

Reading on paper is a prejudice we're up against. But when people try it, they have a wow moment, kind of this religious experience. My first experience with the Kindle was on Waikiki beach … and I brought it on my vacation, and I booted it up, and I went to the bookstore, and I downloaded samples of different books. It was easy and within 10 minutes I had purchased my first book. You can bring the bookstore anywhere, you can bring your library anywhere, and you can have your book your way.

E-books still only account for about 1% of all book sales, probably less. There's a lot of upside—it's going to happen, it's going to continue to grow in a big way, regardless of what happens with the traditional print industry.

What we're seeing with e-books is what we saw with blogging several years ago—the same prejudices in the media, but we saw what happened in the blogosphere. There are a lot of talented people in the world, and until some of these technologies came along, they just did not have a voice or a chance to show their talent.

A lot of writers or authors ask me: Will they be able to earn the same kind of living if e-books start to replace traditional print book sales?

Writing is going to become more profitable for more authors. Even if e-books continue to become widely successful, print books aren't going to go away. The authors that are currently successful in print will continue to be successful in print. If you look at the current book industry supply chain, from author to reader, it’s author-agent-editor-publisher-packager-distributor-warehouser-bookstore. There are a lot of costs associated with that supply chain. It's a big cost to ship dead trees. There are a lot of costs that can be cut when you go digital. The costs of producing a digital book, or the costs of producing one more copy, are zero. If the book is going to be professionally edited and vetted by an editor, there are still those costs. But when you eliminate all these other costs, like returns, you can dramatically lower the cost of the book to the customer and at the same time dramatically increase the profitability to the publisher or the author.

Another thing that gets me excited about Smashwords is the lower cost of books. Most of the books are $3, many are free. Print books averaging $14.95 are unaffordable to the vast majority of people on this earth. It's really cool to think that if we can lower the cost of books, then we can lower the barrier to unleash a new era of literacy and culture and information sharing.

We'll always have commercial books and we need them, and we need a way for authors to profit from their works.

Longer term, like a year or two, my hope is that Smashwords will start attracting some established authors who choose to go the independent route for their next book or choose to keep the digital rights and publish it on their own.

For authors who choose to self-publish, are e-books a better option?

Print is a very important format. Authors should provide to the consumer whatever the consumer wants to have. Authors should continue to publish in print and also publish in a digital format.

The biggest threat facing all authors is obscurity. This is another exciting thing about digital books, making them accessible in an entirely different way. I think is print wonderful—but they're different things.

Books have always been sold via word of mouth. The Internet is an ideal word of mouth tool. We've added simple things to make it easy for people to share their books on social networks. If the book is truly great, it can find an audience.

In the next five years, I think it's fair to say we're going to see fewer bookstores out there. As bookstores disappear, it reduces exposure opportunities for authors who are lucky enough to be part of that system. And it also hurts publishers. It's happening already today—we're going to see fewer bookstores, few publishers, and publishers publishing few books, at least under the traditional system. So I think we're going to see publishers making more interesting use of digital, more use of POD, and more authors aspiring to be independent from the beginning.

Our focus as a digital publishing platform is to provide all authors the tools they need to publish, promote, and sell their books and we hope that it’s an enabling force to unleash a torrent of new talented content out there. I can't stress it enough, though: Authors need to be realistic. This is not a get-rich quick thing. It's always been difficult to sell a book, and as an indie author, it's even more difficult. Authors who invest their time and energy into this will be rewarded for it.

Interview with Neelan Choksi, COO of Lexcycle (creator of Stanza)

I see a lot about reader response and awareness of e-books, but I wonder if writers or authors also understand what’s happening, and are using the iPhone and Stanza?

The writers are pretty cognizant of what's going on, or at least they're learning about it. There's enough mainstreaming of what's happened. As soon as you get Oprah talking about the Kindle and by extension e-books, you've just mainstreamed the whole thing. I do believe that writers are very aware of it, and it may be going from genre to genre at different paces. For example, sci-fi and romance, as is often the case, are leading the charge. We first read about Stanza and romance on someone's blog; they had gotten an early edition from an author using Stanza on their iPhone. That’s one example; there's a lot of examples, where individuals are starting to figure it out.

We get pretty regular e-mails or calls or conversations with authors. With Random House, there's a promotion happening and a bunch of others are doing the same promotion. They went to about a half dozen of their authors and said: We can make your backlist titles available on Stanza for free, plus an excerpt of your upcoming book for free, and it will be a way of getting new readers learning about you as an author. Cory Doctorow made that model unbelievably famous.

And example of another conversation I had with an author—with everything that's happening in the big houses from a publishing perspective—there's all of this upheaval. Part of what's happening is that the blockbuster authors will always get the attention of the publishers, but there's a level that now just aren't. More than 300,000 copies of this author’s book will sell, and his comment was that he didn't believe his next book was going to get the attention from his publisher. He was thinking about creating his own publishing house. I mentioned Smashwords to him, here's a really interesting model. How many books would you have had to sell with your original publisher to make the same money as you would with Smashwords?

Some big author is going to go this indie route, either as a threat, or as something they truly believe in. Someone's going to do it simply because the numbers make sense.

None of this would have happened if digital publishing hadn't reached this inflection point. The numbers still aren't that big ($44 million sold in the United States), and aren't particularly compelling when compared to the traditional industry. But I think a million isn't a number that anyone expected us to have at this point.

Can you give any insight into what genres or categories are selling the best through Stanza onto the iPhone?

I fully expect the breakdown to look just like the rest of America’s book sales. Right now, there's a lot of interest in politics and government and Obama.

Remember this company is about a year old. The desktop version of Stanza for Mac was basically supposed to take content and covert and upload it to a Kindle, primarily for people's personal documents. The iPhone Stanza app released in July 2008 with just free books—a strategic decision because we felt there would be push back. … We thought the best thing was to put no barriers in the way of adoption.

What’s been the biggest surprise for you?

We had no anticipation we would hit 1 million downloads in 5.5 months. The adoption has probably been one of the biggest surprises of all.

The industry itself right now is in a situation that all ships rise with the tide. Maybe really the surprise was how much marketing Amazon was going to do, how much marketing Sony was going to do, and all of the new devices that are coming out. … It just feels like there's so much momentum behind it.

Also, one of our most commented on features is the simple fact that when you reopen Stanza on iPhone, it takes you right back to the last page you were on and the last book you were in. You don't have a problem with reading five pages worth of material while standing the grocery store line. You get immediately back to where you were, and you know as soon as you shut it down or take a call, you know when you open up Stanza, you'll go back to that same spot. It's a bookmark essentially.

We've done a survey on our site and the primary places that people read using stanza are (1) bed (2) commuting (3) waiting areas.

That was a big surprise for a lot of people, iPhone use in bed.

—————

I'd love your comments about your experience either reading e-books or writing/selling/promoting e-books. What's most exciting about it, and if you're a writer, what causes you the most worry?

Digitization & New Technology | Getting Published | Industry News & Trends | Self-Publishing | WD Magazine

Wednesday, January 28, 2009 1:36:51 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

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Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Monthly News from Glimmer Train
Posted by Jane

Glimmer Train has just chosen the winning stories of their November Short Story Award for New Writers competition.

First place
Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig of Austin, TX, wins $1200 for “Monkeys of the Sea”. Her story will be published in the Spring 2010 issue of Glimmer Train Stories, out in February 2010.

Second place
Stephen McCabe of Oshkosh, WI, wins $500 for “The Net of Blue Angels"

Third place
Marco Fernando Navarro of Flushing, NY, wins $300 for “Enough”

A PDF of the Top 25 winners can be found here. This competition is held twice a year and is open to any writer who has not had fiction appear in a print publication with a circulation greater than 5,000. Click here for guidelines.

Also: Family Matters competition deadline soon approaching! (January 31) Glimmer Train hosts this competition quarterly for stories about family, and first place brings $1200 plus publication in the journal. It’s open to all writers, and the word count range is 500-12,000. Click here for guidelines.

--

If you didn't know, Writer's Digest partnered with Glimmer Train to publish two compilation volumes of the best stuff from their Writers Ask newsletter. Be sure to check them out.

General | Getting Published

Tuesday, January 27, 2009 1:37:45 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

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Monday, January 26, 2009

The Essential Components of an (Unpublished) Author's Website
Posted by Jane

Over at Harper Studio's blog, The 26th Story, they recently discussed what constitutes a really meaningful author website. They give an excellent big-picture view of how a website is like an extension or operation of your platform, and continues to serve the needs of your audience just like anything else you do.

The post also mentions some wonderful examples of author websites. But here's the catch: These are sites by authors who already have a great degree of success (e.g., Tim Ferriss, John Hodgman).

What about writers who are just starting out, have no publishing deal, and are still developing their platform?

It's one of the most difficult questions I ever attempt to answer. And that's because much of it depends on your genre, expertise, and comfort level with technology. And your unique talents: what makes you remarkable.

This is an important concept: being remarkable (The Seth Godin Concept), especially for aspiring writers trying to catch anyone's attention, in an industry that's full of enormous dreams. But, consider:

What do people remark on when they meet you and encounter your work?
How are you currently making a difference?
How do you currently get attention? (in the ways that you want!)
How are you currently making waves? (again, in a good way?)
How have you been successful at making waves in the past?
What kind of practice is enjoyable for you (and NOT like work)?
What could you continue practicing and consider it yet another form of play? Something you can practice because it's really your passion, and not a marketing scheme?

You need to find where your passion and skills intersect with the marketplace. A website might not be exactly the right tool to show people what you have to offer, but it can at least point people to the right place. (E.g., if your real skill is live radio or film, your site catalogs your work and ensures people can find your radio shows or films. Or it offers transcripts of your shows. Or gives people an opportunity to request certain features or exclusive notifications.)

Even if you're not yet published, you can have a very successful website that helps you build a platform and get a book deal, if that's what you want. But it has to be something that makes sense for who you are and what you want to accomplish.

Thanks to Vanessa Wieland on the Market Books staff for pointing me to the 26th Story item!

Photo credit: Hadassah28

Building Readership | Getting Published | Marketing & Self-Promotion

Monday, January 26, 2009 2:04:36 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

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Thursday, January 22, 2009

Craft a Salable Nonfiction Hook
Posted by Jane

As promised, I am critiquing two nonfiction book concepts that were submitted in the comments of my post yesterday. (Background: If you're one of the first 50 people to sign up for my webinar on Jan. 29, you'll get a personalized critique of your book's hook, up to 100 words. So far, we have about 7 seats left until we reach 50. You can register here.)

Here's a nonfiction book concept submitted by Deborah:

Have you ever wanted to do something but told yourself it wasn’t possible? In “Honey, This Isn’t Walden,” you’ll read the story of a woman who dragged her professor-husband and three kids to 32 acres in the middle of nowhere to start a 19th century homestead. With no background in animal husbandry or farming, the family starts raising goats, pigs, chickens, and other animals, as they try to grow their own food in an organic garden. After laughing, crying, and shaking your head as you read about their mistakes, you’ll wonder what’s stopping you from doing what you’ve always wanted.

Here's the first stage of revision; I have made up some details that may not necessarily be true but can be adjusted as needed.

“Honey, This Isn’t Walden": How a wife and mother of three, without any experience in rural life, takes her urban and professorial family to live on 32 acres in Nowhere, Kansas, where they undertake animal husbandry and organic gardening.

Step two would be figuring out more specifically from the author what big thing CHANGED for the family. While it can be a lesson about doing what you've always wanted, there does need to be some kind of story arc where we have a major conflict that has to be resolved (not just a series of charming anecdotes). Is a broken marriage repaired? Do kids kick drug habits? These are dramatic examples, but you get the idea. Or, if this book really is just a series of charming anecdotes, it will be tougher to sell—and will need a catchier or more intriguing title, like "How Animal Husbandry Brings Families Together." (A more intriguing title in general is recommended.)

Here's a nonfiction book concept submitted by Cathy:

In "Thrifty Girl: Tips and Survival Strategies for Guilt-Free Spending in the Real World," Ms. Shouse, a Chartered Financial Consultant with 16 years experience, and more importantly a mom and wife seeking economic sanity, advises to stop thinking of money management as a dirty word but to seek an enlightened view of finances.

"They call it personal finance because it's personal and so-called experts should stop telling people what they can and can't do," she says. "My methods teaches readers to achieve their unique money goals by design and have a ball doing it."

Here's how I would revise; again I'm taking liberties with the actual book content to illustrate how to improve.

"Stop Listening to the Financial Experts: An Action Plan for Guilt-Free Spending in the Real World" offers a customizable 12-point plan that encourages you to ignore the finance experts and spend in areas that matter to you—putting the "personal" back in personal finance. Authored by a financial consultant with 16 years of experience, this book shows you how to take a more enlightened path to money management that doesn't feel dirty, accomplishes your unique long-term goals, and leaves you at peace at the end of the day. You might even have fun while doing it.

The key here is to focus on concrete benefits the book is going to deliver. The author's credentials (in a nonfiction book hook this brief) should only be mentioned as a way to clarify the author's authority or expertise. I also amended the title to be more attention-grabbing, because for me, the best thing about this book's positioning is that it will teach you how to manage your money based on personal qualities you have, and not some strange, alien economic or financial principles you're not familiar with and might not comprehend.

Now that I've given my two cents, what do you think? How could these be further improved? (Sometimes I miss some real obvious improvements!)

Photo credit: Kevin Dooley

Craft & Technique | Getting Published

Thursday, January 22, 2009 6:11:07 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

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HarperCollins Offers Contracts to Its Community Site Writers
Posted by Jane

This is a pretty big deal: HarperCollins has signed not one, but three authors who participate on their community site Authonomy. The news was announced on the Authonomy blog under the title "The Publishing Contracts Have Begun." Summaries of the three author stories:

Author can't get traditionally published, so he self-publishes and has some local success. He then places his book on Authonomy and gets noticed by community members and a HarperCollins editor.
Author posts work on Authonomy and is noticed by the community. Signed for a three-book deal.
Author posts work on Authonomy, and it is noticed an agent who regularly browses the site for new talent. Agent sells it to the publisher.

Has anyone been participating on Authonomy? What do you think? It is a very intoxicating idea to think that, if you work really has a stand-out quality and value, it may get noticed on this community site. A favorite thing editors and agents like to say is: Quality always rises to the top. Perhaps this site helps that happen for more writers, more often, more quickly?

Getting Published | Industry News & Trends | Marketing & Self-Promotion

Thursday, January 22, 2009 12:55:25 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

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Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Get a Makeover for Your Nonfiction Book Concept
Posted by Jane

My most popular writing conference session in 2008 was all about creating high-powered nonfiction book concepts. Most people concentrate on writing the proposal, but don't realize that without a salable and compelling hook to anchor it, you can have the best proposal in the word, but it won't sell.

Because it's such a popular session, I'm offering it through WritersOnlineWorkshops as a 90-minute webinar on January 29 ($79 fee), where I'll be speaking in live time about how to create a great selling handle for your book. During the webinar, I'll live-critique the first 25 concepts submitted by registrants, plus give the next 25 registrants an offline critique. Consider it an extreme makeover for your nonfiction book. You can register here.

To give my blog readers a sneak preview of what this is like, if you leave a summary of your nonfiction book (100 words or less) in the comments section, I'll choose one or two to critique on this blog tomorrow.

Photo credit: Striatic

Conferences/Events | Getting Published | Marketing & Self-Promotion

Wednesday, January 21, 2009 11:48:48 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

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Tuesday, January 20, 2009

8 Articles/Posts All Writers Should Have Read in 2008
Posted by Jane

The eBook Problem and The eBook Solution (Booksquare)
Read it for a basic understanding of the issues related to e-book publishing and distribution. When Kassia Krozser leads by saying that e-books will not be the next big thing, though, that's not really the point of the article. Just keep reading.

Story vs. Book: The Future of Publishing (Booksquare)
Another from Krozser that offers a perspective on why the traditional publishing industry must change its model to survive, and how the author's role changes too.

Essential Points in the Free Debate (Tools of Change for Publishing)
I tell writers that giving stuff away for free is not to be feared. It always results in more sales for the physical book or for other products. This article has a nice summary of the overall free debate; this issue is just going to become more important.

A Book Publisher's Manifesto for the 21st Century (The Digitalist)
When you click the link, you'll find a blog post that will prompt you to download a PDF that contains the manifesto. It's probably the most comprehensive article of the year on how publishing will change.

The 21st Century Writer (The Futurist)
An article about the future of publishing that focuses squarely on the author's point of view.

The Kindle and The iPhone Dance (Publishing Frontier)
An easy to understand dissection of these two devices from a book perspective.

50 Steps to Establishing a Consistent Social Media Practice (Chris Brogan)
Social media expert Chris Brogan offers a checklist that's invaluable to any author building an online platform.

How Content Marketing Will Shake the Tree (Chris Brogan)
Another great post from Chris Brogan that can help authors understand how to use their content to both sell books and build a platform. It's geared toward businesses, but easily adapted by individuals.

What articles did you read in 2008 that you still remember or have kept handy?
Share in the comments section.

Building Readership | Digitization & New Technology | Getting Published | Industry News & Trends | Marketing & Self-Promotion

Tuesday, January 20, 2009 3:37:48 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

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Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Information on Writer's Digest Webinars
Posted by Jane

New in 2009, Writer's Digest is launching a series of webinars (which you may have seen me post about last week). Each webinar has a specific benefit or focus, like how to land an agent or how to write a nonfiction book proposal—the kind of sessions you attend at a writers conference.

At first, I wasn't sure if writers would respond well to webinars, but so far, we've been thrilled with the response. We completely filled the initial webinar (offered for free) on how to get published in tough times, and our first paid webinar this Thursday is nearly full (how to land an agent by Chuck Sambuchino, see his blog post here; it also includes a link to register.)

We now have a page up at WritersDigest.com that describes all of our upcoming sessions this spring. Soon we'll have it updated to show what's on tap for the entire year. Here's a brief overview:

January 15
How to Land a Literary Agent (editor Chuck Sambuchino), 60m, $99

January 29
3 Secrets to Getting Your Nonfiction Book Published (Jane Friedman), 90m, $129

February 12
You Can Write Children's Books (editor Alice Pope), 60m, $99

February 26
Self-Publishing 101 (Jane Friedman), 90m, $129

March 12
The First 5 Minutes: How Editors Evaluate Your Manuscript (Joe Stollenwerk), 60m, $99

March 26
How to Negotiate Any Book Publishing Contract (Jane Friedman), 90m, $129

What you can do in a WD webinar:

Hear the presenter in speak in real time on the topic (through your computer or on the phone)
See any visuals the presenter wants to share (e.g., PowerPoint presention)
Interact with the presenter and other attendees of the webinar
Ask the presenter questions in real time
Receive any relevant materials from the presentation after it has concluded

If you have reliable Internet access, you should be able to easily participate in a webinar; it is all run through your Web browser—and by phone if you want to call in.

Agents | Conferences/Events | Getting Published | Self-Publishing

Tuesday, January 13, 2009 2:47:06 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

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E-Queries Are Outperforming Snail Mail Queries — in Professionalism and Author Platform
Posted by Jane

This past week, Kelly has been reviewing a few months' worth of snail mail submissions to Writer's Digest Books. The stack was becoming so large it had nearly taken over her desk. Now she's finally whittled down the prospects to three writers (some agented) that she will request further information from.

But she had a notable realization coming out of this hours-long review of query packages:

We respond very quickly to e-queries, but snail mail queries can sit for months.
Snail-mail query writers are less professional and less aware of industry practices than writers who query us via e-mail.

There are still many agents and editors who strongly prefer snail-mail queries, and refuse to accept e-queries. However, each year that passes, I see more and more acceptance and preference for the e-query, and we're even seeing the end of paper-based submissions at some publications/agencies.

In the Writer's Digest Books guidelines, we say that we strongly prefer electronic submissions and encourage writers to contact us via e-mail. My work e-mail address is incredibly available to anyone who cares to look for it. (Do a Google search on "Jane Friedman Writer's Digest" and you'll see what I mean. I've made my e-mail address public at PublishersMarketplace.)

For me, this means:

Anyone who snail mails me hasn't done their research on how I prefer to be contacted, or how Writer's Digest prefers to be contacted.
Anyone who calls me has blatantly ignored the guidelines that say, "No phone calls." This is why I rarely, if ever, return phone calls of writers who query by phone.
Anyone who is uncomfortable with online research and communication probably isn't someone I want to work with. It might indicate a writer with no online platform or community.

On a somewhat lighter and bizarre take: I've included a couple images of strange query letters we received.

F+W Life | Getting Published

Tuesday, January 13, 2009 1:43:48 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

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Monday, January 12, 2009

Will You Be at the Presidential Inauguration? Write & Publish About It
Posted by Jane

The March/April 2009 issue of Writer's Digest magazine (which will soon be available to subscribers and on-sale at newsstands) focuses on self-publishing, and includes mention of some innovative publishing models that are starting to heat up. One of them is WeBook, which is a little difficult to explain (they call it "the home of community-sourced books), but here's a perfect example of the power of this model:

WeBook, in honor of the presidential inauguration, is publishing a collection of Obama inauguration stories, "told by real people in their own words." You can submit your story anytime between January 20, 2009 – Midnight EST January 21, 2009, at WeBook.com, and WeBook wil publish the book within two weeks using digital printing by CreateSpace (an Amazon company), and sell it for $9.99. All profits from the project are donated to 826 National, and WeBook is asking contributors to the collection to donate their royalties as well.

Clikc here for the full detail.

You have to sign-up with WeBook to submit your story for consideration, and if your story is selected, you'll have to sign a publishing agreement stipulating how you will be paid and what rights are being purchased. (I was not able to find a copy of such an agreement, but be sure to read any publishing contract carefully before signing.)

Digitization & New Technology | Getting Published | Industry News & Trends | Self-Publishing | WD Magazine

Monday, January 12, 2009 2:14:09 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

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My Favorite WD Book From 2008 (Or: The Last WD Book I Edited in Full)
Posted by Jane

Before I took on management of the Writer's Digest brand community, the last book I fully acquired, edited, and released—as an editor—was Get Known Before the Book Deal by Christina Katz, from the Fall 2008 list of Writer's Digest Books.

In some ways, it is a culmination of everything I wish all writers knew from Day 1. And it's everything I've been telling writers at conferences for several years now. Every writer who dreams of book publication (and even those who do have a book published) must learn the lessons in this book to sustain a successful career as an author. I find myself recommending it again and again, and am relieved to finally have a concrete resource to point people to.

Joe Wikert, publishing professional and blogger, recommended this book highly and interviewed author Christina Katz on his blog. Along with that link, I'll provide a few others of interest, to help you get a sense of why you need this book.

Joe Wikert's interview with Christina Katz about author platform
The official site for Get Known Before the Book Deal
Go to this page and scroll down for the book's introductory text
Read an excerpt: Why All Authors Need a Platform

You can also watch this promotional video that the author created:

Building Readership | Excerpts | Getting Published | Marketing & Self-Promotion | New Titles From Writer's Digest

Monday, January 12, 2009 10:50:13 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

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Thursday, January 08, 2009

Thanks to Everyone Who Participated in WD's First Webinar
Posted by Jane

Welcome to all the webinar participants from today's free session: 5 Tips to Getting Published in Tough Times! Here are links to the sites I recommended in my presentation:

Also: Our first paid webinar will be on January 15, all about landing an agent, by Chuck Sambuchino ($99).

And I will be hosting a 90-minute session of January 29 on secrets to getting your nonfiction book published.

Thursday, January 08, 2009 1:39:44 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

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Friday, November 14, 2008

5 Tips for Your Writing Career in a Difficult Time
Posted by Jane

Over at Writers on the Rise, I'm interviewed about the changes happening in the media industry. Here's a brief snippet, but click the link for the 5 tips:

Writers must be involved with online life and expect to provide online content, and have an online presence. I’d say your career will come to an abrupt halt in a few years if you’re not willing to participate, market, promote, or engage in online activities and audiences.

Digitization & New Technology | Getting Published | Industry News & Trends | Marketing & Self-Promotion

Friday, November 14, 2008 7:58:57 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

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Monday, October 27, 2008

Northwest Ohio Writers Conference
Posted by Jane

This past weekend, I spoke about the art of query letters at the Northwest Ohio Writers Conference. Download my query letter handout as a PDF: NovelQuery.pdf (80.05 KB)

Conferences/Events | Getting Published

Monday, October 27, 2008 12:27:05 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

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Friday, October 24, 2008

Agents & Editors: What Has Changed About the Submissions Process?
Posted by Jane

At Writer’s Digest Books, we’re in the process of updating our popular title Formatting & Submitting Your Manuscript and are looking for insight from agents/editors on how the industry is changing. Here are a few things we’re interested in knowing.

How have queries and submissions changed for you in recent years? Do you request different information? Do you accept email queries? If so, do you prefer electronic or paper queries? How important is format and formality in electronic communication?
What are your pet peeves and turnoffs?
What are your do's and don'ts for writers?
Have you changed how you select authors? How many of your authors are found through queries, and how many through other means? Do you want to hear about an author's platform?
What recent changes in your market do you want writers to know about?

Writers are also welcome to comment and offer tips.

Click here to e-mail me directly!

Agents | Getting Published | New Titles From F+W

Friday, October 24, 2008 4:38:12 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Thursday, October 23, 2008

On Being Skipped (or: How Your Book Gets Sold Into Bookstores)
Posted by Jane

There's a blog offering the best explanation ever of how your book gets sold into bookstore chains, by the marketing manager at John Wiley & Sons. Here's a brief snippet:

But bookstores are businesses, not public conveniences. No store has the responsibility to carry every book published -- although, to be honest, that's a straw-man argument, since no one is asking for that. (They're just wishing that their books, the books they like, and the books by their friends be spared the chopping block.) I market books for a living, so I can tell you an unpleasant truth: the order for any book, from any account, starts at zero. The publisher's sales rep walks in the door with tipsheets and covers, past sales figures and promotional plans, to convince that bookseller's buyer to buy that book. In many categories -- SFF is still one of them -- the chain buyers say "yes" the overwhelming majority of the time. But not all the time. Sometimes, that buyer is not convinced, and the order stays at zero.

Getting Published | Industry News & Trends | Marketing & Self-Promotion

Thursday, October 23, 2008 4:15:21 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Thursday, September 11, 2008

10 Years in Publishing: What I've Learned (#4)
Posted by Jane

Today's photo is from the 2003 Midwest Writers Workshop in Muncie, Ind. There I met George Plimpton (pictured), who was the keynote speaker, and I wrote a personal essay about the experience that was published here.

What I've learned #4:

It's all about target audience.

Lots of writers/authors say their audience is everyone—and life forms yet to be discovered. But you can succeed far more effectively and quickly, at least in the beginning of your career, by identifying and marketing to a target audience. Plus, if you have any knowledge of the Long Tail phenomenon, then you know that the media world is becoming more vertical (specialized information, niche audience) and less horizontal (general information, broad audience).

Bo Sacks frames it perfectly in his piece for Publishing Executive magazine, "5 Easy Steps to Publishing Nirvana."

Who is my target audience?
Where is my targeted audience?
What is the real value of my edit (information) to that audience?
What is the most efficient method to reach the maximum targeted audience?
How do I keep my information valuable and fresh for my targeted audience?

He says, "These may seem like simple concepts on the surface, but they are not. They constitute a complex, Zen-like formula. Success is measured by the antique term called profit. And to achieve the Zen-like state of profit, you must follow the Bo-formula to publishing nirvana (in the box above). On the atomic level, it can all be distilled down to the simple equation of RV = RP or, for the laymen, real value equals real profit."

One of the biggest problems I encounter—both internally at F+W, as well as externally with authors—is a lack of research into the audience or market for a book or product. The focus is all too often on what the author wants to achieve or express—rather than focusing on what benefit they bring to a readership. If an author can make this fundamental paradigm shift in his/her approach, that author becomes instantly more attractive to editors and agents.

Building Readership | F+W Life | Getting Published

Thursday, September 11, 2008 2:45:49 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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A Book Proposal Is Like a Business Plan
Posted by Jane

One of my posts earlier this week (that argued most prescriptive nonfiction books have great info, not great writing) sparked a wonderful comment from Deborah that I wanted to bring to everyone's attention—because, as she says, this might be the most important point of all:

This explains why I have so many personal rejection letters that compliment my writing and my organization -- and some even end with, "I hope to work with you in the future," but I still don't have a book credit.

The real gem of this post is within the parentheses of the last sentence -- a book proposal is like a business plan for a book idea. I've recently asked a couple of published friends if I could see their proposals, and I was left with my chin on my chest in awe over their marketing plans. After reading them, I realized that my little page-long marketing plans seemed really vague and incomplete compared to their plans, which were three for four pages long and filled with VERY detailed information (names of contact people, venues for speaking, etc). When I read this post, it clicked that they had written a business plan for their books.

Put another way: The No. 1 thing an agent or editor looks for in your book proposal: why your book will sell (turn a profit) and why you're the perfect person to market (sell) it.

Many thanks to Deborah for her insight!

Getting Published | Industry News & Trends

Thursday, September 11, 2008 9:17:59 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Wednesday, September 10, 2008

10 Years in Publishing: What I've Learned (#3)
Posted by Jane

Today's photo was taken at EPICon 2003, where I participated on a publishing industry panel with author Piers Anthony. The three-member panel was titled "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Pros and Cons of E-Publishing." We noticed that Piers seemed to be the "good," I seemed to be the "bad," and the poor third panelist seemed to be the … ugly.

What I've learned #3:

I used to think (and the general public thinks) that editors read (or edit). People who meet me for the first time, upon learning I work as an editor say, "Wow, it must be great to read all day."

Instead of thinking of editors as people who read your work (and insert commas), think of them as the people who champion an author's work throughout the weeks and months leading to publication, throughout countless meetings and interactions with internal staff, and continue to champion that author when sales have flagged or the book has become a backlist title.

It falls on your editor to create and maintain in-house interest in a project. She’s the one responsible for ensuring a book doesn’t get overlooked by sales and marketing. This includes things like catalog copy and placement, publicity, and book packaging/treatment.

Bottom line, your editor is the one who will push to make sure your book is just right, before-during-after publication.

So, for fun, here's a snapshot of my week thus far. This is a typical week. A lot of these tasks are interspersed with one another (especially when it comes to e-mail), but for clarity, I'm not showing the multi-tasking. Also keep in mind that answering e-mail also involves manipulating various files in some way to deliver information between departments.

Monday
9-10. Answer e-mails/questions from internal staff, authors, agents.
10-12. Send out contract addendums to cover e-book rights.
Lunch. Discuss digital product plans with a colleague.
1-2. Meeting to discuss process for getting books on the Kindle.
2-3. Catch up on e-mail.
3-4. Maintain WritersDigest.com site (books homepage), as well as blog.
4-5. Start analyzing Fall 2008 Forecast for finance.
5-6. Finish responding to outstanding e-mails, read industry news.

Tuesday
9-10. Answer e-mails/questions from internal staff, authors, agents.
10-11. Editorial and design weekly team meeting.
11-12. Collect and funnel files for WRITING LIFE POETIC to Melissa (our dear assistant editor) for page make-up. Take care of queries, details associated with it.
Lunch. Catch up on industry reading.
1-3. Send out contract addendums to cover e-book rights. Blog.
3-4. Cover meeting (to discuss design of book covers).
4-6. Catch up on e-mail.

Wednesday
9-10. Prepare for and have an impromptu meeting with my boss.
10-12. F+W Town Hall Meeting with the CEO.
Lunch. Meet with a colleague over lunch.
1-2. Answer e-mails/questions from internal staff, authors, agents.
2-3. Discuss digital product plans and marketing with a colleague.
3-4. Title/design meeting (where we finalize the titles of upcoming books).
4-5. Catch up on industry reading, blog.
5-6. Continue Fall 2008 Forecast analysis.

While I'm in a position (editorial director) that doesn't involve much personal editing responsibility, the editors on my team have similar schedules that allow limited time for manuscript review. Their time is occupied by digital product efforts, online community efforts, responding and communicating with our business partners (and keeping internal staff informed about authors/books), putting the books together in InDesign, and keeping the wheels in motion.

F+W Life | Getting Published

Wednesday, September 10, 2008 4:49:50 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Tuesday, September 09, 2008

10 Years in Publishing: What I've Learned (#2)
Posted by Jane

Today's photo features me as a F+W intern (summer 1997) at a photoshoot for North Light's first decorative painting book by Donna Dewberry. Editor Kathy Kipp acted as photographer, and there I am in the background—acting as the light-switcher-on-and-offer (and shot list keeper).

And now for the second installment of what I've learned:

Crappy writing is the norm in prescriptive (or informative) nonfiction.

Put another way—a nicer way: great ideas rule.

Whether you're looking to:

lose weight
make money
find love
(or … even write better!)

You're probably not seeking great literature. Rather, you're looking for clear, authoritative, and compelling information that improves your life, enriches your life, or makes life easier. You want a solid benefit, so the book succeeds if it delivers on its promise, not if it is beautifully written.

People inside the industry—editors, salespeople, marketing managers—all of them are looking for a great selling handle backed up by great content. Why?

The great selling handle gets the book sold into stores, in large quantities.
Great content makes sure the book sells through the register, into readers' hands.

A successful book needs both of these things, at minimum. But it does NOT need great writing.

Most people who specialize in great information or helpful advice, and have the authority to dispense it (whether we're talking about parenting, money, sex, etc)—these people do not typically have any writing skill (or even the desire to write).

But most readers will not notice, or care.

That's why most nonfiction books are sold on the basis of a proposal (which is like a business plan for a book idea), not on an actual manuscript.

F+W Life | Getting Published

Tuesday, September 09, 2008 2:50:18 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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How to Fail at Publishing in a Whole New Way
Posted by Jane

Today at Maud Newton, John Warner (creative director of TOW Books), summarizes the new strategy of the TOW Books line:

Now, after two years of, let’s call it, non-success, I understand that the problem is at least as much about publicity and distribution as it is about quality. (At least I hope that’s the problem.) So I’m here to announce that if TOW Books is going to fail at publishing, we are going to fail in our own spectacularly new way.
How badly are we struggling? Well, we’ve released four books. Their Amazon rankings at the time of this typing are:

170,374
388,165
706,198
1,033,377
The most distressing part is that last number belongs to a book I wrote, So You Want to Be President? — a book that should have been especially relevant and timely given that it’s a guide to running for office when totally unqualified. I hope it’s in Governor Palin’s briefing materials.

Read the full post here.

Building Readership | General | Getting Published | Industry News & Trends | Marketing & Self-Promotion

Tuesday, September 09, 2008 2:31:50 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Monday, September 08, 2008

10 Years in Publishing: What I've Learned (#1)
Posted by Jane

To celebrate my 10 years with F+W Media, this week I'm blogging on five things I've learned after ten years in the business. Above I've posted a lovely photo of moi (taken by HR) on my first day of trade publishing life: August 3, 1998. If you like that photo, just wait. I'll post some more treasures from those glory years.

What I've learned #1:

Many authors claim they want good editors—and bemoan the fact that editors don't edit any more—but few authors graciously accept thorough editing and attention from their editors (when it does occur).

You often hear these days that editors no longer edit—that they're too busy doing other things, like meeting with sales and marketing, creating innovative products to compete with digital media, or simply managing the day-to-day tasks of producing dozens of titles per year.

What I've found, though, is that an editor's life can be made miserable if she offers up a thorough development or content edit, because the author's ego (or attitude) gets in the way.

This already sounds like terrible, horrible cliche—the writer vs. editor, us vs. them mentality that, frankly, is quite tired and tiresome for me.

Let's try to take this a step further then, shall we? Perhaps even into positive territory!

1. First, remind yourself that the editor is trying to make the best book possible, and the suggestions/edits are meant to improve the book and help it succeed.

Now, some editors have poor bedside manner (they only make negative comments; they never sprinkle in positive comments or helpful encouragement). I myself am guilty of this. But you must look past it. This editor wouldn't have agreed to work with you if she didn't believe in your idea, in your work, or in you. The admiration is there—the editing process is getting down to brass tacks, it is a laser-like focus on How can we take this to the next level?

The edits aren't there to tell you what you did wrong. The edits are there to provide an outsider's perspective as well as an expert's perspective on your work. This should be invaluable feedback for improving your work and your own skills. If you're scanning the editor's comments looking only for variations of "What a genius you are!" you've completely misunderstood the editor's role. She's not there to bolster your self-worth. She's there to push you and challenge you.

2. You will inevitably disagree with some of the editor's suggestions. This is natural, this is expected, and this is nothing to get upset about.

The editor is not always right, of course. But there's no reason to get angry if you disagree with her suggestions; anger or frustration over edits is wasted energy. Why? See Point 3 below.

Also: Occasionally I work as a freelance copyeditor, and I'm always befuddled when I'm (frequently) told by the assigning editor, "Don't go too heavy or the author will freak out." Why do authors consider it a bad thing when their work is tightened, clarified, or otherwise improved? As a writer myself, I actually do know why. Because we become far too attached to our own words; we see them as extensions of our mind, heart, or soul. To see any of it cut—it's like having an internal organ dug out with a spoon. Guess what? It's time to stop treating our words as hallowed ground.

If you find yourself disagreeing with everything the editor says, then evaluate whether you both have the same vision for the work. Has there been a critical misunderstanding as far as what the work is supposed to achieve? Obviously there can be different perspectives even when you're both headed for the same goal, but everyone's in trouble if you can't find common ground on the fundamental issues of unique selling point (of the book), target audience, and how to approach that audience.

3. Have a conversation with the editor (via phone or e-mail) in instances where you have a differing viewpoint.

Again, the key is to have a productive conversation—and not flare up or lash out when your work is being revised, questioned, or cut apart. The editor will greatly respect you if you take the following approach in each conversation:

a) Clearly identify the edit/suggestion that you have differing opinions on.
b) Summarize why you think the editor wants you to make the change. If a reason was not given by the editor, ask why the change or revision was suggested.
c) Once you fully understand why the change was suggested, explain either why you think the original version should remain, or suggest an alternative solution.

The key here is that when you explain (c), it should tie into what's best for the reader, the market, or the book. Any editor worth her salt will hear you out, and she'll be persuaded to your way of thinking if your argument is sound.

Most writers are not very good at self-editing—it is an incredibly rare skill. It's why most writers belong to critique groups, so they can get hopefully impartial feedback that will help them improve their work.

It's also part of your skill set to learn how to work effectively with editors. It may not come naturally at first, but if you're lucky enough to have a dedicated editor—an editor who edits—it's a gift. Learn how to take advantage of it, not get upset over it.

Craft & Technique | F+W Life | General | Getting Published

Monday, September 08, 2008 3:07:43 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Wednesday, September 03, 2008

The Differences Between Imprints at Book Publishers
Posted by Jane

There's a great post (that will become a series) at Confessions of an Idiosyncratic Mind that explains the differences between imprints at book publishers. Must-read material for aspiring book authors (and hey, for agents and people inside the industry too!). A snippet:

Something else that might help would be to take Thomas Dunne's name off of any minotaur titles they acquire, because I'm sorry, which imprint is it? Or is it St. Martin's? Way too much confusion, please pick one (which would be Minotaur, of course.) As for Thomas Dunne Books, um, well....I think of small titles that make money on the library market? To be fair, Dunne's been around publishing for something like 40 years and the "something for everybody" attitude worked in a world of single-digit television channels. Now, not so much. Will the name survive when Dunne retires? Somehow I doubt it.

Click here to visit the full post.

Getting Published | Industry News & Trends

Wednesday, September 03, 2008 2:23:08 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Some Things About Writing Never Change (e.g, Huge Army of Disappointed Scribblers)
Posted by Jane

This week I received a great message from an attendee of the Sacramento State Workshop, where I was a workshop presenter a few weeks ago. (You can find my recap of the workshop here.) Teresa Fleming says:

… please don't apologize for the times you have to be discouraging. It's for the best, you know. Of course, you should also know this is coming from someone who: (1) has no memoir plans, and (2) spent a couple of decades in the banking business. (Really, Ms. Smith, I am doing you a favor declining your million-dollar request for a loan to open a fuzzy-cheese-head-car-airfreshener-thingy business.)

To close, here are a few quotes for fun. I do a bit of volunteer smoothreading (sort of like proofreading but more relaxed) for Distributed Proofreaders / Project Gutenberg. The day before your presentation, I finished a smoothy on a short book titled If You Don't Write Fiction by Charles Phelps Cushing (1920). Here are a couple of my favorites—some things don't change much, huh?

A huge army of disappointed scribblers have followed that haphazard plan of battle. They would know better than to try to market crates of eggs to a shoe store, but they see nothing equally absurd in shipping a popular science article to the Atlantic Monthly or an "uplift" essay to the Smart Set. They paper their walls with rejection slips, fill up a trunk with returned manuscripts and pose before their sympathetic friends as martyrs.

… Which is to say that novelists and magazine fiction writers are accused of becoming more concerned about how their stories will film than about how the manuscripts will grade as pieces of literature. To get a yarn into print is still worth while because this enhances its value in the eyes of the producers of motion pictures. But the author's real goal is "no longer good writing, so much as remunerative picture possibilities."

Many thanks to Teresa for sharing a little bit of the 1920's writing advice! (You can download the entire text from Google.)

Stay tuned for a few excerpts from Writer's Digest titles from that era. (Yes, Writer's Digest did exist in the Roaring Twenties, and much of the advice we give has remained the same!)

Fun | General | Getting Published

Wednesday, September 03, 2008 1:38:37 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Wednesday, August 27, 2008

News From Glimmer Train
Posted by Jane

Glimmer Train just announced the winners of their June Fiction Open competition. All winners will be published in an upcoming issue of Glimmer Train Stories.

First place ($2,000)
Shimon Tanaka (San Francisco, CA)
“The Suit”

Second place ($1,000)
Christine Sneed (Evanston, IL)
"Twelve + Twelve"

Third place ($600)
Horatio Potter (Wilsall, MT)
“Summer Help”

A PDF of the top 25 winners can be found here. This quarterly competition is open to all writers and all themes (word count range is 2,000–20,000). Submissions may be sent for the September Fiction Open using the Glimmer Train online submissions system at www.glimmertrain.org.

Also: Very Short Fiction contest (deadline soon approaching! August 31)
Glimmer Train hosts this contest twice a year, and first place is a very generous $1,200 plus publication in the journal. It's open to all writers, but stories cannot exceed 3,000 words. According to the site, it is rare for a piece of 500 words or less to be selected. Click here for complete guidelines.

If you didn't know, Writer's Digest partnered with Glimmer Train to publish two compilation volumes of the best stuff from their Writers Ask newsletter. Be sure to check them out.

General | Getting Published

Wednesday, August 27, 2008 3:16:44 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Tuesday, August 19, 2008

BEA Pitch Slam Success Story
Posted by Jane

Just received this news from agent Janet Reid (thanks for pointing out, Chuck!)

Then there was that BEA Writers Digest Pitch Slam conference. I bitched and
moaned and whined so much about going that Chuck forced me, yes FORCED me,
to find a great writer, sign her, and sell her book for six figures. I blame
Chuck entirely for that failure of expectations.

Chuck comments, "She's being sarcastic, of course, but she DID sign a client there and sell her book for six figures."

Conferences/Events | Getting Published

Tuesday, August 19, 2008 5:37:35 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Monday, August 18, 2008

Is Your Memoir Kind of Like Those Horrible Singers on American Idol?
Posted by Jane

A freelancer and colleague, Jana Reiss, e-mailed me a few comments about my last blog post that I wanted to share. (Jana is a former reviewer at Publishers Weekly.)

At PW I would get a lot of self-published memoirs for review, and authors never quite understood why I wasn't assigning their work. I couldn't exactly say, "Your writing sucks," even if that happened to be true, but I would tell them the same kinds of things you are saying here -- that unless you already have a celebrity platform or some kind of wonderful eat-pray-love kind of experience, no one outside your immediate circle is usually going to care what you have to say.

I laughed when I saw your description of writers who rely on their friends and family to tell them that their writing is terrific and sure to be featured on Oprah. I was on a panel once with an editor who asked all the first-time writers in the audience if they had ever seen the early episodes of American Idol. Most had. He said something like, "Those people who can't sing are always telling Simon Cowell, 'But my friends and my parents say I'm a really great singer!' And those people are horrible singers. You need a professional opinion." It was a great analogy and, judging from the uncomfortable looks of many people in the audience, he got his point across.

Another technique I have tried when speaking to writers is to ask them about the memoirs they have read recently. What did they like about them? Then I point out that the memoirs they have mentioned are without exception either a) written by celebrities or b) already bestsellers. It's a sobering thing when they realize that if THEY don't read memoir when it's not already water-cooler talk, why should anyone plunk down $24.95 for their story?

Many thanks to Jana for sharing her advice! More people need to hear it.

Craft & Technique | Getting Published

Monday, August 18, 2008 12:15:37 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Sunday, August 17, 2008

On the Road: SSU Writers' Workshop (And: Memoir/Storytelling Tips)
Posted by Jane

Today was the final day of the Sacramento State University Writers' Conference; I arrived on Friday and have been meeting with writers and speaking since early on Saturday morning. This afternoon I was off-duty and walked to a nearby Borders (pictured above)—the first time I've walked into a bookstore flanked with palm trees.

But down to business.

Saturday (early morning): Manuscript Critiques
Before the conference, I was sent 20-page manuscript samples from five writers. Four of the five were memoir or life story manuscripts. Let me state right out that memoir is difficult to do well, yet lots of people are attempting it. If you're not a celebrity, then your story has to survive on the art and craft of the writing, or your sharp and unique perspective—no easy feat for a new or inexperienced writer. Of the manuscripts I read, they tended to be:

Very raw and personal. This makes it difficult to revise with the requisite distance. Some of the manuscripts I read used excerpts from journals/diaries, which is usually not a good idea if we're talking about producing publishable work.
Lacking a story arc. The reader needs to have a reason to keep reading, to feel like they are in the hands of an experienced storyteller. Even the life or the experience seems chaotic and without shape, there needs to be a shape and order on the page.
Cathartic. Writing is an excellent way to find or make meaning out of painful and confusing experiences. But such writing isn't necessarily publishable. Personal essay and memoir has to go beyond a cathartic experience (that benefits the writer alone) and give the reader a compelling reason to keep reading.

Saturday (mid-morning): Speed Pitching
I participated in a two-hour pitch session, where writers had three minutes to pitch their projects to editors/agents, one-on-one. Again, I encountered many writers trying to tell their life stories or family stories.

RED FLAG: Memoir & Life Story
I can't begin to tell you how often I hear the following at writer's conferences (and from writers all over the map):

"My friends and family love my stories. They said I should write them down."
"I wrote this just for my family, but they said it should be a published book."
"My [family member] had an amazing life. Her stories deserve to be written and published so they're not lost forever."

What I'm about to say may appear cold, unfeeling, or downright mean, but:

OK: Your life stories or family stories are unique and deserve to be shared. But do they deserve book publication? Or, more importantly, do you have the talent to tell these stories through the written word so that they do deserve book publication?

Everyone forgets that writing is a craft that takes years of dedication and practice to become skilled at. If you haven't been practicing the craft for years, there is little chance that your initial efforts to write your life story or memoir will be publishable, and even then, only with an incredible amount of hard work and revision.

The same is true for fiction writers, of course. Very few novelists ever publish their first manuscript. Or second. Or third. Or fourth. It takes time before you get good—in any genre.

The truth is: You could have the most sensational, unusual story ever, or the most boring story ever, but whether it's successful on the page all depends on your skill as a storyteller and as a writer—and not everyone has this skill. Period.

Friends and family give bad advice. Don't forget that. They may love your stories, but they also love you (presumably!). That's why they're telling you to write and publish.

When I meet discouraged memoirists and personal essayists, I think (unashamedly): Good! It's good that you're getting tired of it, that you're getting frustrated. It means you don't have what it takes, and you need to move onto something else. Book writing and publishing is not a money maker, it is not going to bring you fame and celebrity, and it will not bring in a flood of readers. It will likely disappoint. If you must have something for posterity, self-publish. Or save your money and save your stories in a Word document that you back up on multiple hard drives.

OK. Off soapbox.

Keynote: Dinah Lenney
Now that I've said my piece about aspiring memoirists (apologies to all memoirists!), let me talk about Dinah, who gave the keynote and has a published memoir. Her talk focused primarily on memoir, and it was the best talk I've ever heard on the genre. Generous, honest, funny. Her main point was that memoir is a performance that's driven by your voice or your presence. It's not necessarily the content, but your "cover" of the content. That is: Memoirists "cover" the past, take on the past, riff on the past, filter it and interpret it for an audience. She also had a great quote from Stendhal, "The heart can make anything seem important."

It reminded me of a series on storytelling by Ira Glass. Here's the first in the series. (I may have already referenced this before, but it's worth referencing again.)

My Sessions
For those who would like the PowerPoint presentations from my sessions (as PDFs), here they are!

Craft a Salable Nonfiction Book Concept: NonfictionBk.pdf (894.3 KB)
The Times They Are A-Changin': Times-Changin.pdf (926.16 KB)

Many thanks to the board members of the Sac State workshop, particularly Amy Ruddell, Verna Dreisbach, and Bill Pieper. If you'd like to read some blog posts about the conference, visit this site.

Conferences/Events | Craft & Technique | Getting Published

Sunday, August 17, 2008 6:12:48 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Tuesday, August 12, 2008

How to Determine If You're High-Maintenance
Posted by Jane

For a couple months, I've been pondering an article posted on WritersDigest.com, "Don't Be a Writing Diva" by Mary Demuth. It offers solid, time-tested advice (meet deadlines early, do your homework, heed your editors, etc).

But let's be honest for a moment here.

This article describes The Perfect Author, who does not actually exist—just as the Perfect Best Friend, Perfect Lover, or Perfect Employee do not exist.

I'm not saying we shouldn't have high standards for ourselves or for others. But we're only human, and anyone in the business knows that you have good times (when it's easy to be perfect), and then you have bad times, when you show your ass.

The crucial factor is: Do you have a strong relationship that will help you survive the rough times, and can you be respectful of the other as you move through those rough times? There will be times when you have to protect your interests (or your agent will need to protect your interests), and you may need to have difficult conversations. You DO want to be a proactive author, but not a nuisance or a burden.

Here are a few questions to help determine if you're being high-maintenance.

Does the conversation/communication revolve around YOUR needs and YOUR demands, or is it a mutually beneficial discussion, where you come together to find a solution? Remember, so much depends upon flexibility and compromise.
Are you placing blame, pointing the finger, or making excuses? Or are you attempting to find a way to move forward, to make the future bright?
Are you trying to force someone to agree with you, or get them to admit they've done you wrong? (Hint: That's the road to nowhere. No one likes a guilt trip or admitting they were wrong.)
Is your thought process something like: They're against me, they don't understand me, they're trying to cheat me? Or can you see other perspectives? Have you understood the approach of the publisher or editor or agent? And do you understand your own role in the game (or drama, as the case might be)?

Bottom line: Your conversations-requests-questions should be and feel like part of a partnership. People inside the business love nothing better than strong author partnerships—and happy authors. We want to make you happy if we can. We know that happy authors lead to better books and lead to better sales. And of course we all share that goal: Great books that sell. Sometimes it's helpful to be reminded we have that common goal, if different ways of achieving it.

General | Getting Published

Tuesday, August 12, 2008 5:30:23 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Monday, August 11, 2008

Another Review of the WDB/BEA Conference
Posted by Jane

It's a little bit after the fact, but there's a lengthy and well-informed recap of one writer's experience at our 2008 WDB/BEA Writers Conference, from writer Rachel Olivier.

An excerpt:

I looked through the biographies and found one agent who looked promising to me, if not now, at least in the future. There were also a couple of others I was interested in. I sidled into line behind other writers who stood where my “dream” agent’s name appeared at the table nervously reviewing what I might say. The session was going to start at 3 pm sharp. Coordinators had stopwatches and bells at the ready after reiterating the instructions. But there was a glitch and a delay. The agent I was going to pitch to had not come to the conference after all, having taken sick on the plane before it took off. (Yes, she was on the plane, on the runway, when she got violently ill and had to be taken off the plane.) Therefore, we were going to be pitching to her assistant, who was running around making sure the rest of the agents in this, er, agency were settled.

Read the full version over at Mike's Writing Newsletter. (You have to scroll down for it.)

Conferences/Events | Getting Published

Monday, August 11, 2008 11:07:09 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Wednesday, August 06, 2008

WritersDigest.tv
Posted by Jane

This fall, Writer's Digest is launching Writer's Digest TV. Catch a glimpse of what this will be like by viewing these free chats/interviews from ThrillerFest 2008.

General | Getting Published | Industry News & Trends

Wednesday, August 06, 2008 3:59:00 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Tuesday, August 05, 2008

Recap: Willamette Writers (and My New Philosophy for Pitch Feedback)
Posted by Jane

I am long overdue in sharing some tidbits from my trip to the Willamette Writers Conference last weekend in Portland (Ore.). Here's an overview.

Lunch talk by author Christina Katz
WD author Christina Katz delivered Friday's excellent lunch talk; for me, her message was very much about how a writer's attitude and perspective can greatly affect success, and emphasized the many wonderful ways that writers have it better than ever (more ways to get information, more ways to network with other writers, more ways to see your book sold and promoted in the world, and so on). Read Christina's recap of the conference (which includes a photo of yours truly).

My talk on The World of Sales
Unlike my previous presentations on this topic that only ran 45–60 minutes, this session was a full 90 minutes. I wondered if I would have enough to say to fill the time, but there were many excellent questions from the audience that helped add valuable discussion, and will certainly inspire some future presentations I give. A few topics that really interested writers:

Marketing and publicity efforts by you vs. your publisher. How do you prepare? How do you work with a publicist? Should you hire your own publicist? (The answer is yes.) What does hiring a publicist cost and what can you reasonably expect from a good publicist? FYI: Industry studies have shown that authors who hire publicists do in fact sell more books!
How authors can positively affect sell-through numbers. While your publisher may do an excellent job selling your book INTO stores, those books can be returned at any time, for any reason, resulting in a negative number on your royalty statement! So what can authors do to ensure their books sell THROUGH stores into customer's hands? A lot depends on an author's ability to drive traffic to retail outlets to buy books (that is: marketing platform). Think about how you reach readers and how you can grow your direct contact with your readership.
How authors can find book sales numbers. Unfortunately, you can't. There is a service, Nielsen Bookscan, that tracks book sales through most trade channels (bookstores), but this service is only available to publishers and other members of a fairly exclusive club. You can, however, check a book's copyright page to see what printing it's in. If it's been reprinted many times and it's not very old/dated, that's a sign of a good-selling book. You can also tell how successful a book is by how many copies a chain bookstore stocks at any given time. The more copies on the shelf, the better it sells.
How often do authors earn out their advance? Actually, no one asked this question during the session, but I did get it afterwards, and it's a very popular topic. I see varying statistics in the industry (e.g., as few as 10% of authors earn out), but definitely the large majority of authors do NOT earn out their advance. That means whatever you're paid upfront is all you will ever receive—no royalties!

My New Philosophy for Pitch Feedback
Most of my conference time was spent taking appointments with writers who were interested in pitching a book for F+W Media. For the most part, the pitches were solid, though most people aren't as familiar with the F+W list as I would like (otherwise they would be spinning their concepts in a different way).

After this three-weekend conference extravaganza of pitches and critiques, I've learned something valuable about giving feedback to authors on nonfiction book concepts. Here it is.

I know my F+W categories so intimately that as soon as I hear an idea (within 5 seconds), I know if it's viable, at least on the surface. I know if it's a marketable idea given our strengths or market position at F+W.
HOWEVER: If I don't think an idea will work, I should NOT respond by saying: "No, that won't work for us" or "That won't sell" (which sparks: "But I know so many people who need this book" or "Everyone tells me this is a great idea" or "I know I could sell it.").
Instead, my strategy is this: "Let's discuss what's selling in this category right now." Or: "Let's discuss the audiences that F+W can reach right now and how this book could target them." Or: "If that title were on our list at F+W, it would need to overcome these market challenges."

This accomplishes three very important things:

First, it gives people hope, as well as thoughtful consideration from me, that their idea could potentially work. No one, no matter how professional, wants to hear a "no" five seconds after an idea is uttered. It's kind of like: Let's give love a chance here.
It focuses discussion on the market for the idea rather than the idea itself. This might seem like a small difference, but it's a crucial one. By doing this, no one is saying the idea isn't workable or valuable. We're talking about how the market works, and if there's a big enough market—or if F+W can even reach the intended market. It helps the author think about the project in terms of audience, instead of just their gem of an idea (which they're likely passionate about, and should be!).
Finally, this helps educate the prospective author about F+W, about the category, and what typically works in the market. We all want to be successful, right? No author wants a book to be published that only sells a handful of copies. Plus, a discussion like this, with the right information or examples, usually spark ideas for how the author could spin the topic to make it appropriate for our list.

Finally, keynote speaker Marc Acito rode a bike through Saturday night's banquet! Video below. See his blog post here.

Conferences/Events | Getting Published | Industry News & Trends | Marketing & Self-Promotion

Tuesday, August 05, 2008 5:15:38 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Saturday, July 26, 2008

Recap (Day 3): Midwest Writers Workshop
Posted by Jane

It's the third and final day of the Midwest Writers Workshop! It started with the traditional buttonhole breakfast, where each faculty member hosts a table with a specific topic.

My Buttonhole Topic: Online Marketing and Promotion
I spent a couple hours (over some excellent scrambled eggs and coffee, good job BSU catering!) talking about the basics of online author marketing and promotion. The key points that came up again and again:

Yes, an author Web site is mandatory if you're publishing a book. At what point does it become critical? When people start to search for you online (e.g., through Google), wanting more information about who you are and what you do. You don't want them to come up empty handed. In some categories/audiences, if you don't exist online, it's like you don't exist at all.
A Web site doesn't have to cost you money or be flashy to be effective. How can you figure it out? Go to conferences or writers groups and ask others how they did it.
No, you don't have to blog, but if you do, make sure you maintain it and feature something useful to your readership.
The time you spend on online marketing/promotion efforts directly relates to who your audience is. For example, if you're a YA author, then you must spend a lot of time being visible online and promoting online. But if you're marketing to a readership that is not Web savvy, then spend less time online (but you're not off the hook—industry professionals and media professionals will still look for you online).
Social networking is fun, but not mandatory. I recommend trying it, just to eliminate the fear or ignorance factor. You don't have to continue doing it if it seems unproductive or unfun. If you're trying to reach a younger audience, social networking probably is an essential element of your online marketing.
Effective marketing (whether online or offline) is that perfect combination of (1) your strengths (2) your audience's needs and (3) the best fit for your content. This leads to authentic and worthwhile marketing efforts.

The Times They Are A-Changin'
In the afternoon, I talked about how the publishing world is becoming format- and platform-agnostic, meaning it's all about content, and not the vehicle for the content. Furthermore, there can be more lucrative earning opportunities in other forms of media that are personalized and immediate, such as seminars and events. I quoted Seth Godin before, and I'll quote him again: "The book is becoming the souvenir."

Evening Keynote by Jeff Stone
A remarkable and delightful children's author. Highlights from his talk:

No. 1 Rule: Have fun. If you don't have fun writing it, no one will have fun reading it.
Good idea: Write what you know. Better idea: Write what you want to know.
If you're stuck in your story, do something you've always wanted to do (sail a boat, ride a horse, etc).
You have to be able to talk about your work and pitch it (condense it).

Finally—I'm Left Speechless
Right before the keynote address, Alan Garinger (from the MWW committee) announced that, in addition to their annual writing awards (Manny Awards & the R. Karl Largent Prize), they were presenting the infrequent and prestigious Dorothy Hamilton Award, which I wasn't familiar with (and I've been attending for six years, so it really is infrequent). As Alan started describing the recipient (a person who had been attending for six years, was a publishing industry insider … well … ) … I am still speechless.

My enormous gratitude to everyone on the MWW committee—Jama, Alan, Ron, Earl, Barb, Charlotte, Cathy, Holly (and I know others I'm missing here, forgive me!)—who are so loving and generous. It's an incredible blessing to be given an award for doing something that I love and cherish immensely. Thank you very, very much. You're all like family.

Postscript (after recovering my faculties!)
Now that I've recovered (a little), here's what I would've said about this very touching gesture. To the MWW committee, to MWW faculty, to MWW attendees (of the past six years): thank you, thank you, thank you. Perhaps you believe you are the lucky ones, but any generosity I've offered at MWW has come back to me a thousandfold. I go every year with an open heart, and I find myself unbelievably enriched upon my return home. Anyone who has attended this event knows what I'm talking about; it has the power to change lives, and I always experience people (writers, faculty, and committee members) who touch me indelibly. Again: Thank you.

Conferences/Events | Getting Published | Marketing & Self-Promotion

Saturday, July 26, 2008 7:25:32 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Friday, July 25, 2008

Recap (Day 2): Midwest Writers Workshop
Posted by Jane

This morning I met with writers for manuscript critiques. The most common problem?

Too much detail and explanation in the opening
That means too much telling and showing. (Do we really need to watch your character move slowly from one place to another, each movement, each gesture, each breath? That's not building momentum. That's usually called boring.) Carefully consider if each detail or action needs to be specifically conveyed. (Is it OK if it is only implied?) Here's a challenge I presented to three different writers: Can you take your first five pages, and condense into 1 page? 1 paragraph? What happens? What stays, what goes? Is it stronger?

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Midwest Writers Workshop
Bill Fitzhugh delivered the lunch keynote. Highlights of his talk:

There are still dry counties in Mississippi.
Remember to do the research.
It's mostly hard work, but sometimes 10,000 butterflies come in through the window, then they leave. And you work to make that happen again.

In the afternoon, I once again delivered my session on crafting a saleable nonfiction book concept that will attract the attention of agents and editors. (You can go here to download the PowerPoint presentation as PDF file.) If you attended the MWW session and still need the handouts (three pages total), then e-mail me at wdbooks@fwpubs.com, and I'll send them to you as PDF files.

Conferences/Events | Craft & Technique | Getting Published

Friday, July 25, 2008 6:09:32 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Thursday, July 24, 2008

Recap (Day 1): Midwest Writers Workshop
Posted by Jane

This morning I arrived in Muncie, Ind., in time for my lunch talk on "The World of Sales" (or how publishers sell books into stores/retailers and to distributors/wholesalers).

The World of Sales talk
Within the first five minutes, I'd delivered the first hard truth about book publishing (or book sales): all books sold to bookstores are sold on a returnable basis—meaning the books can be returned to the publisher at any time, for any reason. So it's important to distinguish between "sell-in" (how many copies are initially sold into stores) and "sell-through" (how many copies actually sell through the register into readers' hands).

Quick intermission (death-bed advice to writers)
During the introduction of conference faculty, we were each asked to give one piece of advice to writers if it were the last thing we would ever be able to say on the matter. The themes?

perseverance (my answer)
keep writing, get it done
believe in yourself
forget the market, write your own book
get the words right

How to Get the Most Out of a Writer's Workshop
Author Shirley Jump delivered the evening keynote. She has charming promotional cards that I didn't realize were promotional cards when I first saw them. One one side, it says,

WRITER AT WORK
Do Not Disturb
Note: Will make exceptions for those bearing contracts, chocolates, or margaritas.

On the other side: Picture of Shirley and web site address. Brilliant!

Highlights of her advice:

Always be professional. You'll be bumping into agents or editors; you don't where such a meeting will eventually lead. You are interviewing for the job of author.
Be extroverted even if not by nature. Talk to everyone you can; you're among like people. Network. You need contacts.
Don't sell yourself (pitch to editors/agents) unless you're asked to.
Sleep when you get home. Attend everything, go to everything, both formal and informal. (And do the eat-there-stay-there option if available.)
Take a day to follow-up after the conference; send thank-yous.
Take time afterward to note what excites you most, then act on it.

Tomorrow: a full day of breakout sessions! (Click here to view the MWW schedule.)

Conferences/Events | Getting Published

Thursday, July 24, 2008 6:48:05 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Saturday, July 19, 2008

Recap: Harriette Austin Writers Conference
Posted by Jane

I always love journeying to the South for a writing event; aside from getting to hear the regular and charming "Yes, ma'am" near and far, I never have to sigh over yet another ubiquitous conference cheesecake. Here, I get to choose among blackberry cobbler, banana pudding, and apple pie!

But down to business.

Here at Harriette Austin, Saturday was a full day of workshops and one-on-one critiques; unfortunately I didn't have a window to attend other sessions. But I do have a few tips based on my manuscript critiques—I read the first 15 manuscript pages of eight different novels. The same red flags appeared again and again.

Big Red Flags in First 15 Pages

No clear protagonist-problem. Of the manuscripts I read, only two had a very clear protagonist with an identifiable problem. For most first-time novelists, this is a requirement for a story beginning. Also, several manuscripts had more than three POV characters in first 15 pages, which can create a dizzying experience for the reader. It's a big risk.
Slow start. About half of the manuscripts I read had very slow starts, where the story was mainly taking place in the characters' heads, or it suffered from too much backstory too soon. Resist the temptation to flashback or give a lot of detail about the past; move the story forward instead, and weave in the backstory (only as absolutely required) as you go. I recommend Hooked by Les Edgerton to help refine your first few chapters.
In two manuscripts I read, the authors were trying to position their work as fiction, but it was clearly a true-to-life story. In both cases, the authors felt their stories were more marketable or safe if written as novels. Unfortunately, this often creates more problems than it solves.

Crafting a High-Powered Nonfiction Book Concept
Here at Harriette I debuted a new session that focuses on how to develop a killer concept for a nonfiction book (with the exception of memoir). I usually deliver sessions on writing nonfiction book proposals, but I realized these sessions totally missed the big problem that authors have. The key struggle is coming up with a concept that will sell. If the author has evidence that his or her book idea will sell, the proposal practically writes itself.

Click this link to download a PDF of the PowerPoint presentation: NonfictionBk.pdf (894.3 KB)

The Harriette conference features about a dozen different publishing professionals (editors and agents), and takes place in a delightful venue—the University of Georgia Center. They take excellent care of both presenters and attendees, and I highly recommend it to all aspiring writers, especially novelists.

Conferences/Events | Craft & Technique | Getting Published

Saturday, July 19, 2008 6:49:52 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Friday, July 18, 2008

Secrets of Book Publishing from a Self-Published Author
Posted by Jane

After finally ending a two-week hiatus on my blog/Internet reading, I have many things to share in the coming days.

First, for aspiring (and established) book authors, I highly recommend the following post from self-published author Mark Hurst, which is one of the best point-by-point explanations I've seen of how the book business works (and it certainly puts your expectations in line). I do disagree with him that publishers are making significantly more money than the authors, but other than that, it hits the nail on the head.

A snippet:

When you approach publishers with an idea, your main job - practically your only job - is to explain very clearly why the book is going to sell. (Here it really helps if your last name is Clinton.) If you're not a known author or celebrity who can guarantee some sales, then it's best to come in with a clearly defined, market-tested book idea... not to say a knockoff of a bestselling concept or a me-too book on a hot trend, heavens no, we'd never do that, just maybe something "inspired by" a successful book.

Read the full post here.

Getting Published | Industry News & Trends

Friday, July 18, 2008 12:56:36 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Tuesday, July 15, 2008

New Release: Poet's Market 2009
Posted by Jane

We just received advance copies of Poet's Market 2009. Our production coordinator, Greg Nock, sent the following e-mail to make the announcement:

I've queried as the date grew near
(I'm so much an impatient creature)
but, at last, Poet's Market is now here.

The list is printed; that's the trick.
And with the wisp of smoke's transient nature
they'll soon be gone, so grab one quick.

Getting Published | New Titles From F+W

Tuesday, July 15, 2008 1:20:16 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Wednesday, July 09, 2008

Writer's Digest Books Excerpt Extravaganza!
Posted by Jane

Our newest team member, Melissa Hill, has been busy posting excerpts of Writer's Digest titles on our web site (both new and old), so I wanted to share with you the full list of free material now available. Welcome your suggestions of what you'd like to see posted or distributed from our catalog of titles!

EXCERPTS ON OUR SITE (click on title to be taken directly to excerpt)

Fiction writing

Make a Scene: Open Your Action Scene With Gusto
Fiction Writer's Workshop: Dialogue as Conversation
WGF: Revision & Self Editing: Tips for Revising Your Manuscript
Mind of Your Story: Creating Stand-Out Characters Using a Specific Distinctive Trait
The Power of Point of View: What Your POV Choice Communicates About Your Story
From First Draft to Finished Novel: Principles of Building a Story
Bullies, Bastards, and Bitches: Defining and Developing Your Anti-Hero
Alone With All That Could Happen: Autobiographobia

Inspiration

Pocket Muse II: From the Introduction, addressing artistic despair
Writer's Book of Matches: How to use the prompts in the book

Nonfiction writing

You Don't Have to Be Famous: The Right Attitude for Writing Your Life Story
Writing Life Stories (2nd edition): Challenging the Limits of Memory

General

Book in a Month: 4 Tips for Making Time to Write
Write Is a Verb: The Four Energies of Writing (What's Your Fuel?)
How I Got Published: The Secret to Getting Published
Writer Mama: The Write-at-Home Mom
The Craft & Business of Writing: The Writer-Editor Relationship

Other genres

101 Songwriting Wrongs: Capturing Ideas Before They Get Away
The Rhythm Method, Razzmattazz, and Memory: The Action Verb and Beautiful Accidents
Writing the Christian Romance: From the Introduction
Writing & Selling the YA Novel: Finding Strong Ideas for Teen Fiction

Reference

Howdunit: Police Procedure & Investigation: What a Detective Does
Howdunit Forensics: Time of Death (A Critical Part of the Timeline)

PDF DOWNLOADS (click on the title to be taken to a landing page linking to the download)

The Pirate Primer (a lexicon of pirate language)
Chapter 8: Insults

Noble's Book of Writing Blunders
Table of Contents, Introduction, and "Don't Add Adverbs and Adjectives to Prettify Your Prose"

By Cunning & Craft
A section on crafting your characters, because fiction is all about people

Howdunit: Police Procedure & Investigation
Table of Contents, and tips to sharpen your CSI skills

Between the Lines
A section on creating effective backstory

Novelist's Boot Camp
Mission III: Enlist Your New Recruits

Chapter After Chapter
Find your writing wings

Hooked
Opening scenes: an overview

What Would Your Character Do?
Scenario: Family Picnic

Craft & Technique | Excerpts | Getting Published

Wednesday, July 09, 2008 4:00:57 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Why Writers Need Agents
Posted by Jane

In the comments of the last post, Candy Gourlay pointed out the most charming and adorable YouTube video that she created on why writers need agents.

Everybody needs a smile in this business, so I highly recommend playing this gem!

Why Writers Need Agents at UK YouTube:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=qTUGOjusOfg

Agents | Fun | Getting Published

Wednesday, July 02, 2008 11:07:15 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Tuesday, July 01, 2008

How to Avoid Sabotaging Your Writing Career (#7)
Posted by Jane

At conferences, you can spot them from miles away. They’re the ones who have been beaten down by years of rejection, the ones who believe the publishing industry is working against them … the ones who have lost all hope and faith and are now looking for someone to blame (or at least someone to complain to). Who am I talking about? The bitter writers.

SABOTAGE #7: BECOME BITTER

I've often had bitter writers respond to my rejection letters with strident explanations of why the rejection is wrong, or accusing me of bad judgment. (Unfortunately, the more I try to engage such people in a rational discussion of the reasons behind a rejection, the less they are convinced, and the angrier they get … which is probably one reason why few editors/agents like to write detailed rejection letters.) Part of what I see here is an inability to separate the personal aspect from the business aspect. I treat rejection as a part of my business day; writers take it as a personal affront, and being unable to bridge the gap produces animosity toward each other at the end of the day.

You can avoid this bitterness trap by understanding the industry, understanding why it works the way it does, and having the right expectations (or, no expectations).

I'll end with another quote as to the larger implications: "A great secret of success is to go through life as a man who never gets used up" (Albert Schweitzer). And also from Schweitzer: "Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success."

Related blog posts
How to Avoid Sabotaging Your Writing Career (#6)
How to Avoid Sabotaging Your Writing Career (#5)
How to Avoid Sabotaging Your Writing Career (#4)
How to Avoid Sabotaging Your Writing Career (#3)
How to Avoid Sabotaging Your Writing Career (#2)
How to Avoid Sabotaging Your Writing Career (#1)

General | Getting Published

Tuesday, July 01, 2008 4:06:40 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Monday, June 30, 2008

How to Avoid Sabotaging Your Writing Career (#6)
Posted by Jane

On this one, I'm cutting to the chase:

SABOTAGE #6: ASSUMING A WORK DEEPLY FELT BY YOU WILL BE DEEPLY FELT BY ALL

This is a strange one. I always feel a little mean mentioning it, and I also feel like it's painfully obvious. Yet again and again, without fail, at every writing conference, I meet a writer who assumes I will be interested in their work simply because it's about a transformational or life-changing or soulful experience. Writers who are so wholly consumed—who have become different people because of the ideas or story they are conveying—tend to automatically assume it will interest editors or agents just because it’s something they know or deeply experienced or worked hard on.

Unfortunately, it’s not enough to have written a great work, experienced a life-changing event, or be an expert in the field. You may feel you have an important message to share, but you have to be able to connect that message to an identifiable MARKET. You must be able to establish a readership and a market for your work if you want to interest a commercial or for-profit publishing house; nothing else will matter to them, apart from amazing, fall-off-your-chair writing.

In big-picture terms, I'll quote the great philosopher Schopenhauer:
"Most men are so thoroughly subjective that nothing really interests them but themselves. They always think of their own case as soon as any remark is made, and their whole attention engrossed and absorbed by the merest chance reference to anything which affects them personally, be it ever so remote."

General | Getting Published

Monday, June 30, 2008 4:49:09 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Friday, June 27, 2008

How to Avoid Sabotaging Your Writing Career (#5)
Posted by Jane

At a recent writers conference, I heard a literary agent say that one of her top criteria when deciding whether or not to represent an author was: Could she spend eight hours in an airport with that person and like them afterward?

Here in my office, we all try to avoid working with or becoming the dreaded PITA (Pain In The Ass). Word to the wise: If you ever see a PITA surcharge on an invoice you receive, you are one of those people. The next sabotage is pretty clear, yes?

#5 SABOTAGE: BE HIGH MAINTENANCE

No editor or agent wants to take on a project or an author that will drive them crazy, suck up all their time and energy, or make extensive demands.

What characterizes high-maintenance authors?

Demands answers immediately; e-mails or calls repeatedly; everything is urgent
Insists on having everything their way
Unwillingness to negotiate or compromise; general inflexibility
Tremendous self-importance (ego, ego, ego)
Demands everyone else conform to their schedule and preferences

Editors and agents fall in LOVE with people who are:

Confident in themselves, but not egotistical
Flexible and know how to compromise or handle change
Strive for excellence; seek every opportunity to improve their work
Have a positive attitude and don't play the victim

A few additional words about the author-editor dynamic, and a thank-you to Executive Editor Kelly Nickell for these points:

It’s likely that you and your editor will have some good and bad times.
It’s easy to be kind during the good times, but it’s just as important—if not more so—to be kind during the bad times.
Remember that your editor is your voice—your supporter and champion—within the publishing house. If you throw a tantrum or resort to name-calling, etc., your editor is likely to come to think of you as a “problem author.”

It falls on your editor to create and maintain in-house interest in your project. She’s the one responsible for making sure that your book doesn’t get overlooked by sales and marketing. Cultivating a strong partnership with your editor (as well as your agent) is vital to the future success of your book.

The overarching lesson: Be a pleasure to work with, rather than someone that people take pains to avoid.

Related posts
How to Avoid Sabotaging Your Writing Career (#4)
How to Avoid Sabotaging Your Writing Career (#3)
How to Avoid Sabotaging Your Writing Career (#2)
How to Avoid Sabotaging Your Writing Career (#1)

General | Getting Published

Friday, June 27, 2008 2:02:58 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Thursday, June 26, 2008

How to Avoid Sabotaging Your Writing Career (#4)
Posted by Jane

This shouldn't be news to you, but the Internet affects your ability to get published—whether for the first time or the second time. When editors/agents receive a query, proposal, or manuscript, they almost always Google the author, and check out the strength of the author's Web presence, reviews, and publication history (if any), and involvement with a particular community. Professionals can form an impression (and perhaps even reach a conclusion) before reading a word of the author’s actual manuscript, meaning:

#4 SABOTAGE: TREATING ONLINE AND MULTIMEDIA ACTIVITIES AS OPTIONAL

Often, the most efficient and effective way to reach a readership is online, through Web sites, blogs, interviews, discussion groups, etc. If you haven't noticed, today’s pop culture thrives on multimedia entertainment, the interactivity of social networks and messaging, and the instant shiny gratification of iPhones and search engines. Progressive publishers and authors must look beyond the power of words alone to stimulate readers.

As a smart acquisitions editor and editorial director, I have to search for projects that can go beyond the printed book. The F+W sales and marketing division is no longer satisfied with a great print product; I have to envision how the content can be shaped and promoted online, in digital formats, and through multimedia channels. My company will eventually cease being a book publisher and become a media/content company. Will you, as an author, be prepared? How will you and your content be defined or delivered in an online or digital environment?

Larger life lesson: It's not just about the culture any more (or "young" people), but the very way we consume and create knowledge. Our very brains are changing. (Read this article in Atlantic magazine, Is Google Making Us Stupid?)

Related posts
How to Avoid Sabotaging Your Writing Career (#3)
How to Avoid Sabotaging Your Writing Career (#2)
How to Avoid Sabotaging Your Writing Career (#1)

Digitization & New Technology | General | Getting Published

Thursday, June 26, 2008 3:57:26 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Wednesday, June 25, 2008

How to Avoid Sabotaging Your Writing Career (#3)
Posted by Jane

Here's the dirty little secret of publishing:
Many publishers don’t know how to sell books to readers. They only know how to sell to bookstores, wholesalers, and other middlemen. Which leads to the next sabotage:

#3 SABOTAGE: EXPECT YOUR PUBLISHER TO MARKET YOUR WORK

Successful authors (particularly nonfiction authors) often have a marketing platform long before they decide to publish a book. They know how to market perhaps even better than their publisher, because they know how to reach a readership.

What is a marketing platform?

It’s NOT your credentials.
It’s your visibility and what you do to continue your visibility.
You cannot act on a one-time basis and have a platform. It is a process or a journey.

If you don’t market and promote your work, who will? General-interest publishers can struggle to reach readers directly, meaning often YOU are the best person to reach readers. Your publisher will not take care of everything. Assume they will do nothing and you will not be disappointed. That aside, your publisher often uses your network, contacts, and knowledge about the market to form their own marketing campaigns. If you have nothing to contribute, they have to start from the ground up. Or they might not start at all.

Envision your book—spine out—on bookstore shelves, surrounded by thousands of other titles. Who knows it's there? Who is going to tell people it's there? Don't wait for your publisher to tell the world. You tell the world.

The greater lesson: If you build it, they will not come.

Related posts
How to Avoid Sabotaging Your Writing Career (#2)
How to Avoid Sabotaging Your Writing Career (#1)

Building Readership | Getting Published | Marketing & Self-Promotion

Wednesday, June 25, 2008 5:32:15 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Tuesday, June 24, 2008

How to Avoid Sabotaging Your Writing Career (#2)
Posted by Jane

It's common wisdom, supposedly, that you should always look out for yourself—always watch your back, or always put yourself first, because no one else will do that for you.

This is the kind of wisdom I like to turn on its head; in fact, authors who always put themselves first can sabotage their efforts. Thus:

SABOTAGE #2: LOOKING OUT FOR YOURSELF TOO MUCH

You are not No. 1.
The reader—your audience—is No. 1.

If you write a book primarily for fame, fortune, or glory (or even for art's sake, I must admit), you run the risk of forgetting the reader or audience who will make your book successful in the first place. Here are ways I can tell the orientation of an author:

(a) Unpublished authors
A query letter or submission that focuses on the author at the expense of audience/market is a red flag. Look at your own query or submission materials: Do they focus on the story of why you wrote the book, or how you came to write the book, or how hard you've worked on it, or how much your family loves it? Time to revise.

(b) Published authors
Authors who focus too much on themselves often ask their editor or agent, "What have you done for me lately? What are you doing or spending on my book's behalf?" Successful authors, rather than waiting for others to serve them (and that might be a loooong wait!), are growing their community, and actively serving readers.

In the most general terms: Write for that ideal reader and consider how your book can benefit them—not how your book will benefit you.

In life philosophy terms, I think the following quote sums it up: "We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." (Winston Churchill)

Related posts:
How to Avoid Sabotaging Your Writing Career (#1)

General | Getting Published

Tuesday, June 24, 2008 5:24:40 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Monday, June 23, 2008

How to Avoid Sabotaging Your Writing Career (#1)
Posted by Jane

Whenever I give a workshop at a writers conference, I always leave time for questions at the end. At Mad Anthony, during my session on how to avoid sabotaging your writing career, a writer stood up during the Q&A and said that he didn't have a question but an observation: All of my key points were in fact lessons that apply to all occupations (or even all facets of life), not necessarily publishing itself.

How observant he was! And he found me out! At the end of the day, I'm delivering a fairly simplistic philosophy packaged as writing instruction. This week, I'll be discussing the various way writers sabotage their careers, and I think you'll see the broader lesson underlying each one.

SABOTAGE #1: ATTEMPTING TO GET PUBLISHED TOO SOON
There are two primary ways in which this happens:

Submitting less than your best.
Submitting your work without knowing the market (publisher, agent, and/or audience).

Submitting less than your best work is by far THE NO. 1 REASON that writers fail in their fiction submission attempts. With so many people trying their hand at novel writing these days, competition is fierce, and agents/editors can be choosy. Are you submitting your absolute best work? You aren’t doing yourself any favors by circulating work that’s only halfway there. Have patience and conscientiousness to submit your best.

Submitting your work to the wrong market (or not understanding your audience) is the No. 1 reason nonfiction work gets rejected. More than 90 percent of the people who query/pitch me do not convey a good understanding of who would buy their work, much less an understanding of the audience that my particular company serves! I want to sign the authors who understand the market better than I do—and why shouldn't I want that? All editors want authors who bring value to their line, rather than trying to bring authors up to speed on what the market needs.

Know if there’s an audience/market for your work and what it looks like.
Then exhaustively research the companies/agents you submit to.

This same rule applies to published writers—they are not an exception!

The greater life lesson here? Always put forth your best work, and always understand and appeal to the needs of others if you want to partner with them.

General | Getting Published

Monday, June 23, 2008 3:20:42 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Friday, June 20, 2008

Weekly Roundup of Great WD Blog Posts
Posted by Jane

The latest and greatest information from WD editors:

How to write a nonfiction book proposal (Guide to Literary Agents blog)
The new 2009 edition of Guide to Literary Agents will hit the streets soon; here's a sneak peek at one of the upfront articles on writing nonfiction book proposals by agent Mollie Glick.

Are agents stealing my stamps? (Questions & Quandaries)
I get this question regularly at conferences. I'm always astounded. So here's the answer, if you've always wanted to ask, too.

Meeting agents in New York City (Writer's Perspective)
The editor of Writer's Digest magazine reports from the road, as she escorts winners of the Writer's Digest Annual Writing Competition in face-to-face meetings with agents.

What no one tells you (Living With the M-Word)
A simple and direct answer to who is responsible for your book's success.

Rolling through stop signs (Alice's CWIM blog)
Alice has a rant this week (on frustrating people like myself! oops!) who don't stop fully at stop signs. I was even guilty of this during my driving test.

Agents | General | Getting Published | Marketing & Self-Promotion

Friday, June 20, 2008 10:45:41 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Thursday, June 19, 2008

Dealing With Rejection From the Sales & Marketing Dept.
Posted by Jane

Many years ago, I ran across this passage in a now defunct blog (BookAngst):

… In my experience, unwanted-by-the-marketing-department books are, in fact, books that the editor himself was either insufficiently passionate about, or for which the editor failed, finally, to demonstrate—above all, to himself—that he had a vision for how to publish it effectively.

(If you'd like to read the full post, it's still archived here.)

There are few publishing-insider sentiments I agree with more than this—because it's proven absolutely true in my experience.

If I'm passionate about a project, everyone hears it, sees it, knows it—and everyone gets on board, even if doubts linger in the background. Passion is infectious. (Of course, if nobody trusted my judgment, that passion would cease to make a difference, but let's assume editors keep their jobs because their judgment continues to be trusted.)

I am guilty (sadly) of telling quite a few authors, as well as agents, that a project did not survive a pub board presentation due to lack of sales/marketing enthusiasm. While I'm not lying, I'm also not conveying the full truth: That if I were 100% sold on the project myself, I would pull all kinds of strings to make it happen. I've done it on rare occasions (sometimes to wild success, sometimes to wild failure), but I only do it when I have that passion or vision.

So now you know the truth. What if you're given this reason for rejection? What can you do about it?

Do YOU the author have a vision for how to publish the book effectively? Have you conveyed this vision convincingly? If you have, can the editor explain the weaknesses in it?
Is your concept truly compelling, something worth an editor getting passionate about? Remember, editors put their reputations on the line when acquiring your project. If it doesn't sell down the road, that's a mark against their judgment.

Writers have a difficult road ahead if they're unable to quickly explain or convey passion for a book or book idea (or if they don't have an agent who can do so on their behalf). To be convincing, you need a certain awareness, the most valuable awareness, perhaps: what makes your work exciting and attractive to people, whether readers, editors, agents.

General | Getting Published

Thursday, June 19, 2008 4:36:14 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Wednesday, June 18, 2008

What I Would Change About the Book Publishing Industry (#1)
Posted by Jane

With this post, I'm launching a series of musings on what I'd change about the book publishing industry if given a magic wand. The first thing?

No Roadblocks to Publishing in New Categories

This one is somewhat difficult to explain, but important to understand when it comes to a publisher's ability to innovate or try new things. First, it requires an overview of how books are sold to chain bookstores.

How Publishers Sell Books to Chain Bookstores

A publisher's sales staff (or its distributor) calls directly on buyers for Barnes & Noble, Borders, etc. These meetings happen regularly throughout the year.
Chain bookstore buyers are divided into categories. For example, there is one buyer for fiction at Barnes & Noble, Sessalee Hensley. She decides how many copies Barnes & Noble will buy of any particular fiction title. (To understand this fully, I highly recommend reading "This Buyer of Fiction Has Real Clout" in the Wall Street Journal.)
Publishers' salespeople meet with one buyer at a time (that is, salespeople don't have an audience with all the buyers at once).
To meet with a buyer, a publisher needs to be releasing a certain number of titles each season to merit the sit-down. This number is around 4-6 titles.
If this threshold is not met, then the publisher is forced to do a "drop off," where sales materials are dropped off in the buyer's mailbox. As you might imagine, this is a terrible way to sell a book; it often results in very low buys or passes (when a store decides not to stock a book at all). The situation becomes even more challenging when a publisher does not have an established relationship with a particular buyer or does not have a reputation in the category.

I hope you see where this is going.

If an editor wants to acquire a fabulous book in a category that the publisher isn't yet known for (or doesn't have a buyer relationship for), then the project has almost no chance of getting off the ground. The sales team is not interested in what becomes, in many cases, mission impossible.

The editor has two choices:

Build a new program around a category that has 4-6 titles per season associated with it.
Stick to the established categories.

Even if salespeople said "yes" to off-category projects, and took on the challenge, it wouldn't necessarily be doing the editor (or author) a favor. It could ultimately lead to an orphaned book that has poor placement in stores and little marketing/promotion support from the publisher.

This is a problem somewhat peculiar to my publishing house (F+W), since we're a special-interest company that doesn't really publish books for a general audience (unless you count our Adams division, but don't ask me to explain why some divisions of F+W can publish in any category and others can't). At large New York houses, they publish in nearly every category in the bookstore, so it becomes a non-issue.

F+W Life | General | Getting Published

Wednesday, June 18, 2008 4:32:31 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Tuesday, June 17, 2008

The No. 1 Question to Ask Before Signing With a Small Press
Posted by Jane

Earlier today, a colleague who's been offered a book deal with a small press asked me what questions he should ask before signing on the dotted line, especially if he's concerned about his book's placement in stores.

That's easy. You ask:

Who's your distributor?

Basically, you're asking: How do the books get placed into Barnes & Noble and Borders? (And other bricks-and-mortar stores?)

At the publishing house where I work, we're large enough that we don't need a distributor. We have an in-house sales force that calls directly on the buyers in New York (B&N) and Ann Arbor (Borders). But small presses rarely have that opportunity or luxury, so they sign with a distributor who does this for them.

Two major distributors include:

Publishers Group West (PGW)
Independent Publishers Group (IPG)

A small press could also be distributed by or have a strong relationship with:

Ingram, leading wholesaler-distributor (serves a wide base of booksellers, librarians, retailers, and publishers)
Baker & Taylor, leading wholesaler best known for serving libraries and schools

Also, some small presses are distributed by larger publishing houses, which is perfectly acceptable.

What if the small press doesn't have a distributor?
It may mean the press is relying on sales through online retailers or through their own Web site (or through YOU, the author!). If the press claims to have distribution to bookstores but doesn't have a distributor, ask for a list of stores where their titles can be found on the shelf. Then do some calling around to confirm.

Is it a dealbreaker if the small press doesn't have a distributor?
Not necessarily, but if you want to see your book on the shelves of chain bookstores, then you might be disappointed. Ask the press for some compelling evidence of how they will successfully sell, market, and promote your book without it being physically available in stores. There are many presses that don't require physical distribution in order to sell books because they're in specialty or niche markets … or can otherwise reach the intended audience.

General | Getting Published

Tuesday, June 17, 2008 5:50:21 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Monday, June 16, 2008

Book Publishing Is Evil and Unfair! Now What?
Posted by Jane

I've been having such an interesting coversation with Robert Walker (in the comments of my post earlier today) that I wanted to share my response with all.

Robert says:

See, I just feel there's a problem when a small number of people's tastes and opinions (let's never forget that) and financial concerns serve to actively, and it often feels, maliciously, keep my work from the reading public. … While such a vetting system *may* produce some financial rewards, how many flops are there? …

The business model currently in place is not about good books, good writers, the sharing of ideas, and so forth, it's about money and profit, no different than the toothpaste industry. Can you honestly tell me that the opinions of this handful of people is really *that* worthy of such power and responsibility? And if you think I'm alone in this, check out Jessica's recent post about "venting" over at Bookends. Read the comments. That's the impression that most writers have of the industry. And, given how the system is set up, how can you blame them?

There's so much to say about Robert's comment (and I've only snipped his last two paragraphs), but I'll just touch on one aspect, and that's the relationship between publishers and writers, and how we all view each other.

Of course I'm no stranger to how the publishing industry is perceived by aspiring writers, as well as published authors. (If you're bitter as an aspiring writer, just wait until you're a published author! Sorry, it can get worse.) One time, I referred to Writer's Digest editors as "the nice people in publishing." However, I couldn't keep doing so in good faith, because it implied perhaps we were the only nice people, and I don't believe that.

In any case, a few points for further consideration.

Yes, there are some bad eggs in the publishing industry (some with and without power). Yes, some writers (both published and unpublished) are mistreated. Yes, some bad books are released. All industries have their share of so-called bad people (and please don't tell me that all the bad people have migrated to book publishing!). I'm reminded of an article I read once that philosophized about how we tend to assume writers are generous, wonderful people. (Or ought to be!) Well, actually, no. Writers can be SOBs just like people in other professions. But for some reason, we expect them to be better human beings. And I wonder if writers expect the same of people inside book publishing. Maybe the problem is, in my comments to Robert, I portrayed book publishing people as too close to God. And of course they're not, though I still contend that people who enter the business do have a passion for the written word, even the gatekeepers, including many agents. There is absolutely NO reason to stay in the business unless you're committed to the written word, because no one's really making any money at it. So we're looking either at passion or lunacy. Or both.
Now that I've pointed out how bad we all are, let's not forget the role that aspiring writers and authors play in making the industry what it is. The way I look at it, we all share in the blame. Publishers make a lot of bad decisions, but authors do too. Many, many times have editors in my office dragged an author kicking and screaming across the finish line. Why dragged? Many authors go missing in action, or they refuse to revise, they won't accept edits or direction, they give up, they don't have time, they abandon the project (for legitimate and not legitimate reasons), and so the editor is left to clean up the mess best they can, or send it to the printer anyway.
Yes, publishing is primarily a profit-making venture. If publishers didn't choose projects that they believed would turn a profit, there would be no money to risk on next year's books. And there would be no money for my paycheck (and I would like to continue making a living at this). How do publishers choose money makers? Well, that's all determined by what YOU, dear reader, are willing to buy. So we could say that the publishers are driven to release what they believe the general public will purchase, so perhaps we can point the finger at them! (That is, ourselves!)

Finally, but most importantly, let's stop pointing the finger. Does demonizing the industry (or the author) really help anyone? Does it help you get published? Maybe. If feeling dissed-pissed about the industry motivates you like crazy, then by all means pursue that attitude! But speaking for myself, if I want to continue to work in book publishing (and yes, I've felt demoralized on many days due to the profit focus), I have to look at what about it brings me joy. So I choose to look at what's beautiful about it, not what I would burn to the ground. And maybe if we pay attention to the positive things, and believe the best of each other, things will change. I guess you could say I'm a hopeless optimist. Or naive. I've been accused of both.

On a more serious note, though, if such things about the industry are incredibly distressing to you—if you simply couldn't look yourself in the mirror if you were published by HarperCollins—then there are in fact many nonprofit and/or independent presses that strive for excellence above all, and profits (if any) are of secondary importance. Into this category, I'd put publishers like Melville House, Macadam/Cage, McSweeney's, Unbridled Books, and of course there are many, many others. (I encourage comments on this front!)

To wrap up, I'd like to share a snippet I've saved for many months. It's from a profile of the founder of Macadam/Cage, David Poindexter:

Poindexter's business philosophy is similarly unconventional. "It's best not to pay too much attention to the finances," he says. "Good business is not about the numbers; it's about doing the right thing. If you're doing the right thing, then you'll be producing something of value, and people will want to acquire what you're producing. Then the numbers will take care of themselves." According to Poindexter, the numbers are taking care of themselves for now. "I can't buy a beach house," he says, "but I can pay the mortgage."

Fortunately for readers as well as for writers, David Poindexter's definition of success has nothing to do with buying a beach house. "I'm doing this because it adds value to my life and to our society," he says. "If we live our lives doing something of value, then that is success." And by that standard, David Poindexter is successful indeed.

General | Getting Published | Industry News & Trends

Monday, June 16, 2008 9:23:24 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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The 3 Types of Writer—Which Are You?
Posted by Jane

When I'm surrounded by large numbers of writers (usually at conferences), I've found it helpful to separate them into three distinct categories:

Careerists
Cathartics
Students

I can usually tell within a few minutes who I'm dealing with, and while quickly labeling people is not my favored or desired pastime, it greatly affects the kind of advice or feedback I give to a writer. Here are the qualities of each and how it affects my response.

CAREERISTS

Want to author a book (more than "write" a book) to help take their career to the next level
Usually are writing in a nonfiction category
The information or the message is usually more important than aesthetics

These types of writers need to understand, first and foremost, that a publisher will not be interested in their project until they have a marketing platform and visibility with a targeted audience. As one of my authors (Christina Katz) says, publishers are not looking to make waves for you; they want to ride your wave. The No. 1 mistake careerists make is thinking that a publisher will somehow kick-start their career or help them spread their message. Instead, careerists need to ensure they can convince a publisher that their book will sell because they already have the right promotion machine in place.

A few of the best careerist authors are the ones who have decided that publishers profit too much from the authors' efforts, and eventually publish their own stuff (because they know how to sell, distribute, and market it on their own—that's how incredibly visible they are).

CATHARTICS

Usually have one manuscript complete, often a memoir or story about a traumatic event (e.g., death of a loved one, tragic illness, longterm abuse)
Have an insatiable desire to tell the world about this tragic story (e.g., to keep a loved one's memory alive, to help others who may be going through the same situation)
Often have no interest in large-scale revision or otherwise making the work suitable for a publisher

These types of writers can be the most challenging to advise because their stories are so personal. Their focus is so much on getting their specific story out into the world that there's no room for compromise. I've found it's also not helpful to say, "Start a new project, set this aside for a while," because such writers are only interested in writing about this one event. Furthermore, these writers desperately want validation from editors/agents that their story has value and ought to be published.

I've found the best I can do for these people is to advise self-publishing, unless I see a sample of the writing and it knocks me out of my chair. (FYI, that has never happened.)

STUDENTS
So the last category?

Have a continuous desire to improve their craft
Revise, revise, revise, revise
Read (no one emphasizes this enough)
Know how to use editorial and market-based feedback to speed them to success

I think I'm showing my biases here (that is, I find students to be dedicated to the same things I'm dedicated to), but of course student qualities can be found in both careerists and cathartics.

The important point here is that people in publishing can tell when you're only seeking to use the industry for a specific type of gain. Ask yourself: where is your passion directed, and is it best directed at book publication? For some would-be authors, book publication is the most foolish and time-wasting means of spreading a message. (Not to mention unprofitable.)

General | Getting Published

Monday, June 16, 2008 12:45:22 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Thursday, June 12, 2008

Weekly Roundup of Great WD Blog Posts
Posted by Jane

The latest and greatest information from WD editors:

Three acts of bad blogging (Writer's Perspective)
The editor of Writer's Digest magazine offers excellent and simple tips that will improve your blog overnight. Be sure to check out helpful comments from readers, too.

How I met one of the 20 worst agents (Guide to Literary Agents blog)
An entertaining story about a bad agent.

Help them help you (Living With the M-Word)
Our senior marketing manager talks about the harsh reality of how a publisher will (or won't) be supporting your book.

How do people read and buy books? (Alice's CWIM blog)
A Market Books editor points to a recent article with interesting statistics about people's book-buying habits.

What should you charge to ghostwrite a book? (Questions & Quandaries)
If you're thinking about writing a book for someone else, what's a fair rate?

Agents | Craft & Technique | Getting Published | Industry News & Trends | Marketing & Self-Promotion

Thursday, June 12, 2008 5:55:37 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Monday, June 09, 2008

Don't Go to BEA to Pitch Your Book
Posted by Jane

In an earlier post related to BEA, I mentioned that the show had provided us with a valuable author interaction that eventually led to one of our bestselling backlist titles. That might lead some aspiring writers to think: Well, if I could only get on the BEA show floor, I could sell my book directly to a publisher!

Not so fast.

In the example above we (Writer's Digest) were in pursuit of a particular author. This author did not solicit us on the show floor with a book or a pitch. There's a big (big!) difference.

Aspiring writers (or self-published authors) who go from booth to booth at BEA, trying to find a "distributor" for their book (yeah, right, we all know you're a self-published author looking for a traditional publisher), are universally reviled by exhibiting publishers. Why? Several reasons.

BEA booths are staffed primarily by sales and marketing staff, not editorial staff. Sales and marketing people do not want to hear your pitch.
When editorial staff are present, they are busy (like everyone else) with the their existing authors, with events at the booth, and with other professionals they've made appointments with.
But what about networking, you ask? Isn't it better to make a contact at the show, then follow up later? Well, it depends. I've been pitched countless times at BEA by people I don't know, and my only reaction is irritation, and it doesn't increase my favorability toward that author later, when I'm in the office. I simply think, "Oh that's the person who interrupted me at BEA."

Of course, I don't mind being pitched at BEA by people I already know, or by people who make appointments with me. But drive-by pitches? Don't do it.

Update (6.10.08)

One of our authors, Anastasia Suen, wrote to add:

Great post about networking at BEA! I wrote one last week (with a picture of the pitch slam) saying to pitch your books at the WD conference and to use the BEA exhibits to look at the books to find a match.
http://asuen.wordpress.com/2008/06/06/bea-buzz-networking/

Conferences/Events | Getting Published

Monday, June 09, 2008 8:38:07 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Wednesday, June 04, 2008

Good Advice on How to Pitch
Posted by Jane

The reviews on the BEA/WDB conference are still trickling in … The latest is from an attendee who has excellent advice on how to approach a pitch slam. A snippet:

I think the most successful people were able to boil their book down to these three things:

Genre: I have a middle grade novel about eleven-year-old Billy
Cool factor: who starts an "anti-bully" business with Smacker, the monster under his bed.
Closing: Smacker disappears and darker creatures arrive under Billy's bed, threatening to destroy the town, Billy's friends, and Smacker, unless Billy can give them what they want--a chance to be on American Idol.

Read the full entry at the blog Wits and Pieces.

Agents | Conferences/Events | Getting Published

Wednesday, June 04, 2008 9:37:58 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Sunday, May 18, 2008

Day 3: Pennwriters (Tips, Insights, Farewell)
Posted by Jane

A recap of the final day.

My Session on Nonfiction Queries, Submissions, Proposals
This morning I received excellent and insightful questions from the writers attending. (Thank you!) Some of the high points of discussion:

Credentials and platform are not the same thing. Credentials give you the authority to write on a topic, or inspire trust in the reader. Platform is your visibility to your audience or readership, which helps you promote and sell books. Credentials can help you grow your platform, but alone they do not act as a platform.
Early in the process it is essential for you to identify your book's category, or where it would be shelved in the bookstore. Publishers pitch books to chain stores based on the book's category (because there are different buyers for each category). It is not possible for your book to be shelved in two different categories in a store (at least not deliberately). This is why it is so difficult to sell hybrid works (like a self-help memoir).
The No. 1 weakness in book proposals that come across my desk? Authors focus too much on themselves or their own ideas and not enough on the audience or market for the work.

Finally, a couple bits and pieces that didn't fit anywhere else:

(Friedman Watch!) I met Melanie Donovan, an executive editor from HarperCollins, who said when she saw my name in the program, it gave her a small chill. Apparently, the HarperCollins Jane Friedman is one imposing lady!
I spoke to several attendees who said this year's Pennwriters conference offered one of the best programs ever—the sessions were hardworking, practical, and useful for anyone trying to break into the industry. Based on the sessions I was able to attend, I agree the information presented has been top-notch for anyone trying to get published.

A thank-you to everyone at Pennwriters who organized and volunteered at the event; what a devoted group! The environment has been friendly, relaxed, but also professional. The staff take excellent care of the presenters, and are very passionate about their mission to help writers succeed. As Carol Silvis said during yesterday's lunch, "You reach down, and lift someone up."

Conferences/Events | General | Getting Published

Sunday, May 18, 2008 12:24:57 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Saturday, May 17, 2008

Day 2: Pennwriters (Tips, Insights)
Posted by Jane

A recap of Saturday's events.

Successful Nonfiction Pitches (Irene Goodman)
In the morning I attended a session by agent Irene Goodman (25 years in the business), who spoke on developing a strong nonfiction book pitch. She posed the following question to the audience: How much will the publisher support your book, or what will they do to promote it?

A few people in the audience responded (somewhat dismally): Zero. Nothing. They do nothing.

(An aside: Even though many writers know the correct answer to Irene's question, I meet very few writers who actually incorporate their platform into their pitches—almost as if all writers believe they are the exception to the rule. Irene told me later that writers have a hard time personalizing this advice about platform. They hear it, but don't apply it.)

In any case, much of Irene's talk focused on developing a platform attractive to an editor or agent. She touched on various elements author platform, such as:

having a current Web site, with interactive elements (podcasts, videocasts, blogs)
building a mailing list (which is only meaningful if at 2,000+ names)
sending out regular e-newsletters
participating in online communities
being a joiner (putting yourself out there)
publishing articles for magazines, newspapers, etc.
speaking at organizations and events
getting attention from local and national media

An interesting point I haven't heard before: Irene said "real deal" authors (people who are experts in their area or passionate about their book topic) may not have a platform because they're busy doing their "real" jobs (being a teacher, being a doctor, etc). But even those people need to find ways to reach out and market themselves and build a platform. (She gave an example of a committed teacher who already speaks frequently to local PTA groups as part of his job. To build platform, his next step would be to find a national PTA group where he could speak.)

Other highlights from Irene's talk:

She highly recommended an e-book by MJ Rose and Douglas Clegg, Buzz Your Book.
Never put in your book proposal something like "This would be great on talk shows (radio, TV, etc)." Of course your topic would be great on talk shows. But so what? Who cares? What are you (the author) doing to make it happen? As an example of a proactive writer/author, Irene described a flower arranger who might send flowers to producers, with a note saying, "I can show your audience how to do this." Even if your attempts aren't successful, at the very least it should help you build contacts, or a network.
And: You probably have more contacts than you think. Don't be afraid to ask for things—but be genuine, be real.

Today's Pitches
The best pitches I heard today were from writers who focused on their market (audience) and how the audience would benefit from the book. The less successful pitches focused on the actual content of the book. I think the right ratio for a nonfiction book pitch is:

30 seconds on who the market or audience is and what problem they need to solve
15 seconds on the book concept/hook that addresses that problem
30 seconds on who you are (the author) and your platform (how you reach readers today)

Lunch Speaker: D.L. Wilson
Novelist D.L. Wilson talked about "practice novels": write that first manuscript, just to practice your craft and get it out of the way, then lock it in the closet. It's not a waste of your time; it's an excellent use of your time, because you're practicing and getting better.

He also said that editors have such enormous workloads these days that authors should not expect meaningful involvement ... unlike the early days of Robert Ludlum, whose editorial process with his legendary editor spanned 1-2 years for his first novel (The Scarlatti Inheritance), which then became a bestseller partially due to that revision process. Do editors today have time for such an involved process? Most do not.

Publishing Trends (Irene Goodman)
In the afternoon, Irene gave a whirlwind tour of what's hot and what's not in today's book publishing industry. Keep in mind the date of this list (May 17, 2008); it will go out-of-date fast.

FICTION

Novels with "craft" themes (knitting, quilting, etc)
Female protagonists in thrillers, "damsel in control", kick-ass heroines, Buffy-derivatives
In romance, old-school is now in style
Historical fiction, particularly Tudors and Elizabethans, sexy royal soap operas
Urban fantasies, THE hottest thing is young adult urban fantasy with female protagonists
Erotica is in (both good and bad erotica)
OUT: cozy mysteries without any hook, paranormal romance, biblically based quest for a legendary object, macho guys, chick lit, American historical fiction, male private-eyes, English village mystery

NONFICTION
(Note: Irene stressed this genre is less trend driven. It is platform driven, since all you need to do is prove there is an audience that you can sell to.)

Participatory journalism
Memoirs, only if extremely well-written, if you have something very special or unusual to say. Pet memoirs.
Fun, upbeat animal books, even narrated by the animal, not too cutesy, it has to be "real"
Crafts
OUT: Elizabeth-Gilbert also-rans, green books, cutesy memoirs, parenting

Agents | Conferences/Events | General | Getting Published | Industry News & Trends

Saturday, May 17, 2008 3:41:04 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Friday, May 16, 2008

Day 1: Pennwriters (Tips, Insights)
Posted by Jane

A recap of my first day at Pennwriters.

Tip: Pitching Your Novel
The first bit advice comes from Jonathan Maberry, which was actually shared with me by Bill Peschel, who picked me up from the airport. (Thanks, Bill!) Maberry said: Don't get bogged down in the plot details when you're pitching your novel. Sell the story, don't tell it. I couldn't have said it better myself.

Additional tip: I always recommend that writers ready to pitch look in Donald Maass's Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook, and flip to the last page for a great worksheet on constructing your novel pitch. It will help you avoid a too-detailed pitch.

Deep Thoughts from Joyce Carol Oates
This was the first time I'd heard Oates speak. About halfway through her keynote, I thought, "Man, she's really focusing on the dark emotions behind writing. Why?" By the end, I remembered: It's Joyce Carol Oates.

Her talk was titled "Woundedness, Rejection, and Inspiration," and she seemed to pull many anecdotes from her recent book about the ending days of famous writers. She said she's fascinated by how rejection affects writers, wounds writers. She discussed the equation of emotional vulnerability + imagination + non-complacency + asking questions + questing. She also spoke of writers who are wounded during childhood and become isolated, which then leads to "compulsive speech." She gave Anais Nin as an example.

She raised issues for me that strike at the core of what or who we think writers are as people (or what perhaps drives great writing or writers), such as:

Are writers more vulnerable than others? Does vulnerable mean weaker? And is this because they are more sensitive or empathetic to people/environment? (Or are these two separate issues entirely?)
Does the best work spring from dark emotions, dark experiences, or dark childhoods? (It's like the New Yorker cartoon where the creative writing student calls up her parents and blames them for not giving her a more wounded childhood so she has good material.)
Is solitary confinement necessary for great art? Must writers step off the traditional cultural path in order to create great art?
Are happy writers better writers? Does happiness interfere with great art?

One thing Oates mentioned that was not dark: She says she's had many brilliant, talented students (at Princeton University), but some just fade off and don't really do anything. And then there are others who are dedicated, loyal, and intelligent of course but not flashy. One of those was Jodi Picoult, who she described as very methodical, modest, hardworking.

And a final interesting bit: One person asked what Oates liked least about writing or the writing life. Her response: Writing a first draft, or those first six weeks. After nearly 50 books written and published, she still thinks to herself, "I just can't do it." She becomes nervous, every time.

Nonfiction Critique Session
Tonight I reviewed four nonfiction writing samples in a group setting, along with author Shirley Brosius. What struck me was the fierce passion of each author for their idea (or story) and their desire to have that shared with or validated and heard by others.

When discussing intensely personal stories (usually memoir), it can be difficult, sitting on the opposite side of the table, to say, "Well, I know this story is meaningful, but why will anyone be interested? How will it sell?" I begin to sound like a real cold-hearted creep!

Over a year's time, I hear dozens of personal stories that focus on grief, loss, tragedy, or sickness. (One agent I know calls them "autopathologies.") The writer is clearly attempting to make sense of an experience that has transformed his/her life, and turn it into something that can help others. The challenge is that few of today's readers visit a bookstore wondering what new book about grief and loss should be on their nightstand (hence, the success of series like Chicken Soup for the Soul or Cup of Comfort.) However, these same readers might be wondering: How can I solve this tragic problem I have? How can I become happier? (Self-help to the rescue!)

For writers with a challenging personal story to tell, I usually advise:

Write it with heart-aching beauty so that no one can put it down.
Find a freakish marketing angle. (I had a hard life because I had 2 heads!!)

Neither are easily accomplished.

Conferences/Events | General | Getting Published

Friday, May 16, 2008 11:19:18 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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