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 Tuesday, June 09, 2009
Center for Fiction Writers Conference: June 27
Posted by Jane
Ron Hogan of Galleycat has been working to put together a new writers conference with the Center for Fiction in New York—a conference that deals specifically with the issues that writers face AFTER they've created a great story and found an agent and publisher.
As you've often heard me say, it's as important for authors to know about the business side of publishing as the artistic side. It's nice to see a conference finally taking up this side of the writer's life in a serious and focused way.
The Center for Fiction Writers Conference is one-day only (Saturday, June 27) at Fordham College at Lincoln Center, with panels populated by heavy hitters from mainstream publishers and literary agencies (e.g., Dan Menaker, Jon Karp, Kate Lee, Larry Kirshbaum). The complete lineup of two dozen speakers is available online.
In addition to all that, the Center for Fiction is giving attendees a free month of access to its writers' studio in midtown Manhattan, plus a discount on future membership. The total cost is $200 for the day.
Here's some more information about the conference and why Ron Hogan wanted to produce it.
And more here.
This looks like a fabulous, top-notch event for someone with a publishing deal, especially for those in the NYC area.
For those who may or may NOT have a publishing deal, and are looking for a longer program that would help justify traveling a long distance to NYC, I encourage you to check out WD's new event this September that focuses on the business side of publishing, whether you're going the traditional route, DIY route, or still need to make up your mind.
Conferences/Events
Tuesday, June 09, 2009 6:30:20 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)  Trackback
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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) Trackback
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Saturday, June 06, 2009
Best Tweets for Writers (week ending 6/5/09)
Posted by Jane
Best of Twitter
Saturday, June 06, 2009 5:24:41 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00) Trackback
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Friday, June 05, 2009
WORKING and NOT WORKING with regard to the WRITING of REAL-WRITING
Posted by Jane
 Today's guest post is from writer Nath Jones. I've known Nath since 1992, when we both started attending a quirky high school on the campus of Ball State University in Muncie, Ind. She now lives in Chicago and has been attending Northwestern for a graduate degree in creative writing. You can find out more about her work here.
If I am sitting in my apartment on the couch, if I then tip over after a while and grab “The Journals of Lewis and Clark” up off the floor, if I pull the sea-foam blue, down-blanket over my shoulders, drop the book, and fall almost all the way asleep while listening to the cars go by outside on criss-crossing streets, it could be argued that I am not working.
But I’m a writer. A person devoted to her craft, sacrificing every other aspect of life to the fulfillment of this one dream. There is so much that goes in to becoming a “real writer.” Yet, most of the time, it’s still hard to take the whole thing seriously. Before getting very far in a writing life, one must find some professional bearings. One of the hardest things to figure out is deciding for oneself what constitutes “real writing” and “really working.”
Writing is a sort of exercise in futility. So writing, when one does not believe fully in oneself, has about it, an element of the absurd. It seems that one would have an easier time spinning straw into gold. And it is exceedingly difficult to believe oneself capable of spinning straw into gold—though it is much easier than believing oneself a “real writer.”
Where might one go to figure out how to spin straw into gold? There is only one place, into the mind. But what a journey! Is there any more daunting? No. But becoming a writer does not have to be a lonely and exhaustive survey of the psyche’s wild back country. Many writers have made this exact same foray into a world of what amounts to nonsense.
Nonsense? Sure, nonsense. The whole point of writing is to make sense, creating meaning. But the process of writing—the place where writing occurs if you will—is nebulous. Existence in such a place is disorienting, because it is riddled with ideas that do not yet adhere in ways that make sense.
Still, one does not need to reinvent every wheel and insist upon flailing around in the bush with a machete. (Yet I have had quite a bit of fun blazing my own trails my own way, and do, in fact, recommend it.)
But the question remains, am I working at all if I’m just bush-whacking my brain on the couch and not writing “real writing?” If I’m overcoming fears related to self-doubt, is that productive? Is it enough to practice, to go through the motions, to submit to the indulgence and pathology of a constant clattering at the keyboard, to inundate every single person I know with communiqué?
There is such a lack of tangibility in “really working”. It is so confusing. There are plenty of days when I am doing things that are absolutely necessary to becoming a “real writer” but don’t translate into pages of novels, short stories, or essays. This makes it very difficult to feel that one is “becoming a real writer.” When you are thinking, developing ideas to points of saturation, researching, reading, emailing, reading literary websites, it’s hard not to answer the phone when family members call. It’s hard not to drop everything if someone has free tickets to an afternoon ballgame. And it’s hard to take yourself seriously as a professional when even the “real work” you’re doing involves quite a bit of dithering, fiddling, and outright “dicking around online.”
It would seem that maybe—if I had a support system of individuals worth listening to—that I should be out finding respectable clothes, shopping for groceries, and toning my abs instead of allowing endless hours to disappear into the maw of self-doubt. But no. The writing is more important.
So. Couch. Book. Blanket. Dreams. And one is likely to confront various personal inadequacies in the discovery of this sense of professionalism. So a real writer will commit much of ones time to negotiating the strictures of paralysis and suffocation. Disbelief is daunting and constantly overcoming it takes a huge amount of time in a writing life. Of all the hours I devote to the productive development of my craft, I still must spend many more confronting inability. Yet, if you log those hours, and wait out the doubt, it almost always pays off.
Somehow, it always seems to happen, that suddenly I’m spinning straw into gold. Sometimes I still find myself stopping short, thinking. “What is straw?” “What is spinning?” “What is gold?” In context, they’re all abstractions. The meaning assigned to abstraction flexes, changes with the light. I’m constantly assigning meaning to these concepts. At any given moment “straw” can mean “life,” or “childhood,” or “grief.” Gold may mean, “a finely crafted piece of work,” or “income,” or “acceptance by a broad readership.”
Well, if that’s not confusing, I don’t know what is. It’s easy to see how a person can end up right back on the couch. Unless one has a very clear vision, writing can quickly become a mixed up jumble of cross-purposes. It’s like a cook trying to make soft caramels and chicken pot pie in the same bowl at the same time. It can’t happen. It won’t work. A writer simply cannot be trying to turn grief into income, while at the same time trying to turn childhood into a finely crafted piece of work.
Published or not, I’m a real writer, even on the couch under the blanket exercising avoidance on hundreds of fronts. And even on the couch, I’m really working. Benign catatonia is a significant percentage of what it means for me to exist as a writer. Why? Because nine times out of ten, I wake abruptly from somnolence and am compelled to record some newly discovered idea right then and there. For the next twenty minutes, or several hours on the really good days, no one could convince me that I am not working. I’m definitely working. It is undeniable. I’m busy. I’m writing. Don’t even think about interrupting me.
General | Guest Post
Friday, June 05, 2009 10:25:16 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00) Trackback
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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.
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) Trackback
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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:
Getting Published | Self-Publishing
Wednesday, June 03, 2009 6:47:32 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00) Trackback
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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) Trackback
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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:
- 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.
- 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.
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) Trackback
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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 placeJustin
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 placeVauhini 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 placeKeith 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
--
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) Trackback
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Saturday, May 30, 2009
Best Tweets for Writers (week ending 5/29/09)
Posted by Jane
 I
watch
Twitter, so you don't have to. Visit every Friday for the week's best Tweets. (If I missed a great Tweet, leave
it in the Comments.) Apologies for the lag this week— catching up from our BEA event. Look for a recap with photos in the next few days. Best of Best54 Tips For Writers, From Writers
@MeghnaK
Five Novelists' Web Sites That Offer Great Writing Advice
@jharmonwriter
Amy Tan (TED): The Ted Commandments
@Krizanovich
Cory Doctorow: Writing in the Age of Distraction
@dbschlosser
Stand Alone (no links)
"Write down the thoughts of the moment. Those that come unsought for are commonly the most valuable." —Francis Bacon
@wayne1009
Be suspicious if your editor only corrects grammar, typos. The less you're outraged, the less it'll sell. Editing equals improving. @gyokusai
"Writing has got to be an act of discovery. I write to find out what I'm thinking about." —Edward Albee
@UpWritePress
To get ahead, at the very least, write out at night your next day's objectives. Writing focuses your energies to accomplish your tasks.
@yourdaytoshine
In writing fiction, finding "facts" to fit your narrative = recipe for success. In real life, not so much.
@dbschlosser
Your editors are like coaches: they know audience & reject writing for good reasons, even if you don't know specifics. —T. Whalin
@QuipsAndTips
Getting Published, Agents/EditorsWhy writers should avoid content aggregators such as Helium:
@milehighfool
Reality check from author: Getting published is just the beginning
@KFZuzulo
Tips for the editor/agent appts
@heatheragoodman
The Five Traits of a Successful Writer
@saithota
Ask the editor: Do publishers have rules about POV?
@kdwashburn
Wed writing exercise: historical figures in fiction, by the Donald Maass Literary Agency
@motsjustes
Craft & TechniqueThe key to prolific writing? Genre.
@motsjustes
How to salvage writing disasters by @quipsandtips
@motsjustes
How Screenwriting Broke My Writer's Block
@jharmonwriter
I wrote a guest post called Embracing a Million Crappy Words
@beagooddad
Tips for writing a killer opening line, via @mariaschneider
@motsjustes
To drop the F bomb or hold it in reserve: choosing when to cuss in your writing
@dbschlosser
"If the character does not change in the course of the writing, it is not fiction. It is information."
@jshelley78
One of the challenges of writing is ... writing. 13 Tips For Actually Getting Some Writing Done
@musicasmessage
Summarized Dialogue: The many uses in fiction and memoir.
@KimsCraftBlog
The yin and yang of characterization in writing
@dbschlosser
Marketing/PromotionThe author's own story. Marketing, conversations and lies.
@paperbackjack
How you can use eBooks and the Kindle to market your writing from @jakonrath
@benwhiting
Twitter on TwitterLiterary Tweets: 100+ of the Best Authors on Twitter
(via @tweetmeme)
@DebraMarrs
Check out "Best of Writing on Twitter"
@MeghnaK
News, Trends, Opinions
Why AmazonEncore matters (via @BubbleCow)
@thecreativepenn
Richard Curtis on changes to copyright due in 2013
@bookmarketology
"Demise of Writing Greatly Exaggerated" -- a teen is not deterred from pursuing her dream job
@motsjustes
Online & Offline Resources/Tools
@michellerafter reviews 10 great virtual hangouts for freelance writers
@milehighfool
Free Online Writing Courses (via @BubbleCow)
@thecreativepenn
101 Best Websites for Writers: Our 2009 list from the May/June mag issue.
@WritersDigest
Wired's Ebook reader buying guide - good roundup of current state of art.
@thecreativepenn
Random Writing Prompt Generators
@MeghnaK
PhilosophicalDo we Miss Authorial Omniscience?
@idtheory
How writing saved me from myself
@joanna_haugen
"to cast a spell [on the reader]–possess them, manipulate them, coerce them into turning another page"
@jshelley78
Writers Reveal the Book the Changed their Lives
@blogofinnocence
Looking for more social networking and updates from Writer's Digest?
Best of Twitter
Saturday, May 30, 2009 2:47:29 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00) Trackback
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