Category Archives: Publishing

How to get published, trends in publishing, and the business of writing

Publishing

How to get out of the slush pile – Lisa Mangum – The Book Academy

We interrupt our series on plotting to bring you notes from The Book Academy, a conference I attended last week. We’ll pick up with plotting—including a guest post—later this week!

In a lot of ways you’re already doing the right things, but a little extra polish can make a big difference.

Sometimes you find slush pile gems—her company found Jason Wright in the slush pile (and he became a NYT bestseller). Everybody’s a first time author at some point in his/her career.

5 things you can’t control about submitting your MS

  1. Publishing is a business. We need a book that will sell.
  2. How many other MSs submitted in a given year.
  3. How many slots the publisher has available for new writers.
  4. Other MSs submitted that are like yours [oh the agony]
  5. Editor’s mood—they have bad days, too. It’s not personal.

Writing is a personal expression—you have a story that’s in you and you’re writing it down.
Buying books is an emotional decision, based heavily on the cover and back cover copy. Editors are the same when they buy books for their companies—cover letter = cover copy. Cover letter might be most important page in whole submission—give them an emotional investment in what we have to say.

paper_pileHer employer, Deseret Book, gets a good amount of submissions—last year, the received 1700 manuscripts. They published 12 of those from the slush pile. Odds don’t sound good—but of those 1700, they only seriously considered 100-150. Others: wrong place, copy cats, not very good. [For you not-so-math-whizzes, they published <1% of the slush pile, but at most 9% of the slush pile was even publishable. Of the publishable works, they published 8-12%.)

Deseret Book does, on average, 150-160 products a year—books (fiction, nonfiction, adult/ya/kids), audio, music, backlist reprints. Every year, they want Christmas books, mysteries, picture books—the door is always open, try again next year. (Right now they’re slotting for Late Summer 2010-Early 2011).

Why do they reject MSs? It’s not personal—there are plenty of other reasons. For example, a phenomenon she calls “There’s something in the water”—manuscript submission trends—they once received 4 commentaries on Revelations in the same month. They could only publish one, so while all four were good, they had to pick the best one and reject the other three.

Usually by the time a trend is IDed, it’s waning (b/c they work so far in advance). Don’t be the next Dan Brown/Stephenie Meyer—be the first you. Start the trend. That does mean taking a risk for the publisher (is this new b/c people aren’t buying it or b/c it just hasn’t been done before?)

5 things you CAN control about submitting your MS to make a BIG difference:

  1. Do your homework
  2. Follow guidelines
  3. Write a killer cover letter
  4. Show case your talent
  5. Deal with rejection letters

Yes, there is homework—this isn’t just a glamorous lifestyle, LOL. Here’s your assignment:
Six Q you should ask about your own MS/submissions before sending out:

  1. Am I even in the right slush pile? Sending it to the publisher where it will have the best chance to shine?
  2. Who’s going to buy my book? Audience in mind as writing—YA fiction, mystery, w/e—help by presenting market in cover letter (NOT 8-80 year olds)
  3. How is your book different? Not “just like” X or “the next” Y—how is it different, better? Use touchstones as shorthand. Be clear about what’s special about your book. What is it about your book that will make it so your book will rise to the top of the charts? Why will they BUY it?
  4. What are people buying? Know what the market is doing, but don’t follow/copy it—knife edge. Know what the trends are and what people are buying and how much people are buying. Right now, how many people have disposable income to buy books? (Paperbacks, digital, etc.)
  5. What is your marketing plan? Get the book off the shelf and into someone’s hand and money in the register. The publisher might not have a large marketing budget for your book—how will you get the word out to get your book sold? Know where your connections are, who you can talk to, who you can bring on board.
  6. Have I let 5 honest people give me feedback? Is your Mom really going to say that she hated it? If so, then you can have confidence that you’ll jump to the front of the line, having gotten rid of many mistakes.

It’s so much easier if she doesn’t have to work to read it—she’s more likely to read it! Guidelines are there for a reason—know if your MS is in the right slush pile, how not to put editor in a bad mood, to whom you should direct the MS, idea of the wait, how that company works—free cheat sheet or “get out of jail free cards.”

The first impression in hard copy submission (which they prefer) is the envelope. Include complete name and address including ZIP code (don’t make her work to find you!!). Did the author use the right size envelope or is it jammed in there, and duct taped up to hold it together? Have you included the correct size SASE? Always nice to at least include a letter size (size 10) envelope. Most publishers don’t write comments on your MS, so you can ask for it back if you include an-appropriate size envelope. Immediate, easy way to get back in touch with you.

Most important page in your submission package:

THE COVER LETTER

Publishers/editors will make a decision on a cover letter the same way you make a decision on back cover

  • Business letter
  • Not too intimate
  • Simple
  • Formal
  • Professional
  • Representing a product as a business
  • Tell me who you are (complete contact information)
  • Tell me what you’re selling—write your very own back cover blurb—make me buy your book!
  • A good MS deserves a good title. Most publishers will change your title, so don’t stress too much over it, but a kind of dumb title is better than UNTITLED. Titles can change, but having something makes it easier for them to talk about it, ID it in the office.
  • Back cover blurb—can you sum up your book in one sentence? What’s your tag line? What’s your log line?
  • Why should we buy it? Why should we do business with you? Are you famous? Have you written a really great book? Is it a book we’ve never seen before? Does it fill a niche? Why out of all the books we’ve seen should we pick yours?—short bio, what writing awards you’ve won, how serious you are about your craft, not a one-book person. Can we establish you as a brand and give you a guaranteed slot in the future—do you have more than one book in you, are you a professional, do you meet commitments/deadlines?
  • Elusive—the “it” factor. You’ve acknowledged the things you can’t control, you’ve done all you can and you still get rejected. Sometimes there’s no good explanation—it’s just people on the other side of the desk. It’s subjective.
  • When it comes back, make revisions, keep it alive, don’t take it personally, keep sending it out.

Your most important sentence in your manuscript is the first one! Its only job is to make me read the next sentence—if the next sent is really good, I’ll read the whole paragraph, etc., etc.—we don’t read “until it gets good.” EX of Kay Lynn Mangum—she sent in a 600 page book, which was shelved. A few weeks later, Lisa had some free time at work and she picked it up—and pretty much fell right into that world. But they cut book by 50% and then it got published.

It’s okay to follow up to ask for a status report once you’ve waited the prescribed time in the guidelines. (DB = 6-8 weeks) Then it’s okay to call. Caveat: there’s nobody easier to say no to than a high-maintenance author. Don’t call daily. Don’t call the day you submit. Often in publishing, no news is good news. Unless they’re a huge publisher. 😉 Their guidelines should say that, though. If they’re taking time, they’re talking to sales and calendaring and marketing and and and.

What should you do while waiting? Write another book. Revise. Send it to someone else. Keep working on something—they might ask if you have anything else ready—bump to head of the line for guaranteed spots!

Questions
Are most publishers okay with simultaneous submissions?
Most people are. Guidelines will say so. Guidelines should be on publishers’ websites.

Illustrations—are they a plus/minus?
Few are author/illustrators—if you do both well, send them in. If not, usually it’s not the author’s responsibility to find an illustrator. Publisher finds professional, awesome illustrator to go with it. The author should have a vote on illustrations.

How do you discover the trends?
Go to the bookstore, come to writers’ conferences, follow Publishers’ Weekly, industry magazines. To be first, see what’s not on the shelf. How do you find out where all the publishing houses are? Writers Market. Local library, reference section. Or WritersMarket.com subscription, up-to-date. Pulse on what’s going on.

What’s the first thing you look at besides cover letter?
The plot. Is it interesting? An original take? She’s more forgiving on fiction b/c it’s harder to evaluate character development in just paragraph or two. Fiction = decision on content. Nonfiction = decision on topic [and platform]. Strong characters, clear voice, interesting situations, believable dialogue.

Her final thing: What do you do? What can you do? A quotation she saw at Disneyland (a friend of Disney’s encouraging him on building the theme park) seemed to answer these questions perfectly—don’t worry, don’t hurry, don’t stop.

Don’t worry if it’s not very good, don’t worry if it’s taking a long time. Don’t worry if you get lots of rejections. Don’t hurry your craft. Take your time. Make it the best you can. Don’t worry if you make a mistake. Don’t worry. Keep writing. Keep submitting. There will always be a need for books, new writers, new ideas, new voices. I wouldn’t have a job if you guys didn’t do your work. I want to read what you’re writing because you’re writing new and interesting things.

About the presenter
Lisa Mangum is an Assistant Editor at Deseret Book, which she admits is a little different than the NY publishers. She’s been in publishing for twelve years, and most of that time, she was in charge of sorting, maintaining and taming the slush pile. This spring, her first novel, The Hourglass Door (my review) was released by Shadow Mountain books, an imprint of Deseret Book. As per conference guidelines, I obtained written consent from Lisa to blog the content of her presentation.

What do you think? Are there any “tricks” to getting out of the slush pile? What weird guidelines have you come across?

Photo credit: Richard Dudley

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Publishing

If actors were like writers

This is how they’d get agents:

Dearest Prospective Agent,

Forsooth! I write this epistle to thy milky hand (thou art a maid, aye?), that I might win it and thee thereby to be mine agent. I see that thou doth represent mine colleague, Laurence Olivier, and thou must know that I am indeed a most convincing method actor. Thou mightest be able to tell from this letter that my true skill rests in Shakespearean tragedy.

I would be overjoyed to discuss my career. I call anon!

Sincerely,
Archer Feathersboroughbottom

(In case you’re wondering, actors get agents by a.) agents seeing their work and contacting them, b.) referral from other actors to their agents, or c.) sending a photo and résumé to an agent, which does seem a bit more appropriate than a query letter.)

What do you think? How would you query an acting agent?

Photo by Hashim Talbot

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Publishing

Panel with Amy Jameson (agent) and Stacy Whitman (editor), LDStorymakers

Moderator: James Dashner
Stacy Whitman, editor—Most recently at Mirrorstone of Wizards of the Coast. She’s worked in lots of different places, and has a Master’s in Children’s lit—Children’s and YA especially fanstasy. Now she’s a freelance consulting editor with Tor.
Amy Jameson, agent with A + B Works—she represents Shannon Hale and Jessica Day George. She worked at Janklow & Nesbit Associates, then moved to Salt Lake and started an agency with her husband. She represents authors on the national market.

At the LTUE conference, the pendulum seemed to be swinging from fantasy back to scifi—have you seen this?

  • Stacy—I am looking for scifi. There are some really great books out there that are YA. How can we extrapolate the world we live in to the future?
  • Amy—We talked about this this very afternoon actually. Despite the recession: romance and scifi are selling well: escapism.
  • Stacy—It’s hard to say adult-wise, but with YA, that’s where it is. J. Westerfield, The Hunger Games, etc.
  • James—In middle grades, fantasy is still more popular.

For Amy—how do you coordinate with NY while living here?

  • Amy—The Internet. 10 years ago, this wouldn’t be possible. It used to be all about face time, long lunches with editors. But it’s a new day because we’re connected by email. I do get out to NY once a year. Also Publishers’ Marketplace.
  • Stacy—a lot of agents aren’t getting as much face time because publishing lunches are being cut back. Face time doesn’t matter as much these days.
  • James—Anyone who’s familiar with Jessica Day George can see that you can succeed outside of NY.

Does being an international author affect your chances with American publishing house?

  • Amy—depends on location and genre. [Questioner’s location: Canada] Oh, Canada’s not that far away. A very different market, but there’s a lot of interest in Canadian writers, and it’s a tight community. There are some nice awards for Canadian authors. A lot of crossover with US publishers anyway.
  • Stacy—There are sometimes troubles with “Well, if they’re in South Africa, how will they promote the book?” Special circumstance: Canadian and American co-authors. It can be tough, but it’s easier if you’re establishing your name.
  • James—Aren’t most books here sold North American rights? [Yes]
  • Amy—Canadian issues are often financial issues because of exchange rates. Technical stuff.

In the YA market, we’ve seen romance strong in the paranormal genre recently. Do you anticipate publishers looking for romance in other genres?

  • Amy—YA almost always has romance.
  • Stacy—Teenagers are all about love. They’re all about hormones. Lust, maybe, not love. Puppy love.
  • Amy—It doesn’t have to be that romance is the center of it (that’s not really appropriate in scifi anyway), but there has to be some element there.

Does the market now want more diversity (ethnicities) now?

  • Stacy—There should be. Our literature should reflect the reality of most of our cities. Not just racial—religious, cultural. So why not? Don’t make it forced, but make sure it’s appropriate. Personally, I’m looking for multicultural stories. Fantasy—largely western mythology with white characters. A lot of kids (black kids especially—they’ve told her they only get a month and it’s always about MLK). Be true to your characters and give them interesting lives—that’s what matters.
  • Amy—Especially in YA, there’s a real hunger for ethnically diverse characters. Look at the Newberries—traditionally a lot. Huge desire for Hispanic characters, too. It’s hard if you’re not from that background, there’s a learning curve and wondering if it’s genuine.
  • Stacy—There was a huge “Racefail” in Jan/Feb in adult fantasy in blogosphere. A lot of people of color who are authors or readers—I think it started because an author had a character end up in a racial slavery situation. It started conversation about how people of color are portrayed in adult fantasy.
  • James—I’m seeing that debated all over the place. Some people are saying, “Don’t just have a token black character,” but the other half says, “Why not? Why default to all white?”

How can we help promote our books and should we mention a willingness to do so in a query?

  • Amy—Being willing to promote your book should be the default! There are some helpful resources on blogs. Promoting it is absolutely your job.
  • Stacy—Your own promotion efforts within the first week, month of your book are huge. Start early. Have a blog (if you’re a blogger). Don’t if you don’t know how to communicate with people on the web. Become web savvy. Get to know who else is blogging out there. Become a part of the community.
  • Amy—Virtual school visits through Skype
  • Stacy—Hard to say whether signings are successful. Invite your friends so you can create buzz. Usually the bookstore’s not going to be doing a lot of promotion for a first-time author.
  • Amy—One of her authors set up his own tour. In the places where he knew people, that was successful. In the places where he didn’t, it was disheartening—maybe 2 people come through. Make your time pay off.
  • Stacy—Utah has a strong writers’ community. It welcomes books. So many kids here read. Look for how can you be involved in your community. Look at Shadow Mountain—start local buzz, wildfire spreads. Good example to take for your own books.

HP & Twilight as trendsetters—fairly clean. Why isn’t that in adult books?

  • Stacy—librarians like to put together “clean reads” lists, so there is a movement for that. As an editor, I focus on what is in the book, not what isn’t.
  • Amy—bear in mind who these people that are acquiring these books. Most of them are single women, 20s-30s in NYC area. Narrow vision of life—even in children’s books. They want to be cutting edge, different, extreme. Whereas clean-cut, beautiful stories about nice kids who are choosing the right doesn’t get media attention.

I’m writing a book in ancient southern Africa—having mostly black characters. Is that a problem if I’m not of that culture? I’ve included a lot of the myths and legends, but I’ve made up a lot of stuff, too—is that okay?

  • Amy—most people don’t know anything about it, and as long as you have your reasearch and are honest about what you’ve made up. It’s harder to do a contemporary story in a culture you’re not a part of.
  • Stacy—Naturally, there may be some cultural appropriation issues there. Also, I know for a fact that yours is fantasy, and in fantasy there’s more leeway with culture. It can be inspired by that culture without it necessarily “being” that culture. Ex: Shannon Hale’s Book of a Thousand Days was inspired by Ancient Mongolia.

Besides terrible writing, what’s the easiest way I can botch my chances with you?

  • Amy—Not standing out enough is the thing for me. They all start looking the same to me, so anything that stands out from the crowd. But you don’t want to be crazy, gimmicky.
  • Stacy—No pink paper—follow submission guidelines. Until the last year I was at Mirrorstone, we didn’t do picture books. It was in the guidelines 3x. 90% of the slush was picture books. One was a pretty good writer, so I personalized the rejection and invited her to submit if she does fantasy. She emailed back and said “I’m sorry, I don’t do fantasy.”
  • James—If an editor asks you to write about elephant poo, do it.

Could we get some more information on Stacy’s editing services?

  • Stacy—I do individual critiques for authors as well. I look at your first three chapters. But this is separate from Tor consulting. StacyLWhitman.com > Critiques. Submission packet for flat fee or full crits, but start with first three chapters to see if she can fit it into her schedule and if she’s the right editor to you. Caveat: there are so many free resources, especially for children’s books. Before you decide on getting a freelance editor, check out other resources (on her website and blog).

One piece of advice to aspiring editors?

  • Stacy—read a lot.
  • Amy—as you’re reading, especially new books, look at how the narrative is constructed. Start thinking like an editor: “If I were editing, how would I advise the author on character and plot?” Look for what’s working for you and not. There’s a good editing program at BYU.
  • Stacy—You have to be willing to follow the job, and probably live in NY.
  • Amy—There are great internships at major publishers. That’s how Kirk Shaw got his start. That’s a great thing on a résumé.
  • Stacy—Be willing to work for free or very little. Nobody goes into this for the money and there really isn’t any for many years.

Editors say they don’t want to be queried by email. But you’ve said it’s okay; is it?

  • Stacy—For me, it’s easier by email.
  • Amy—Depends. Younger people tend to be into email.
  • Stacy—I’m getting a Sony Reader soon—it makes it so much easier! Problem, though—you can get buried in the inbox. You have to figure out an organizational system so things don’t get forgotten.
  • Amy—For queries, it’s easy to keep track of them via email, but for manuscripts, it’s harder to ignore a big stack of paper.

What is Tor looking for in its new YA line?

  • Stacy—Their YA line has been around for 20 years. Starscape has been around for as long as Mirrorgate has. Kathleen Dougherty has been doing this for 20 years, but she sells into educational market first. Not as widely known from bookstore browsing. Right now: scifi, fantasy always a good thing, chapter books and young MG fun books—David Lubar My Rotten Life (Nathan Abercrombie, Accidental Zombie). Looking for something good, something that will break out. Little Brother by Cory Doctrow—Dystopic scifi YA. Personally, I don’t like dystopias unless they’re hopeful—kids making world better

Should we keep an eye on the market—what’s coming out in 6 months?

  • Amy—absolutely. What if someone else has sold what you’re writing? Subscribe to Publisher’s Lunch.
  • Stacy—Publisher’s Weekly has good email newsletters you can sign up for. You can get the news for what’s going on in that genre weekly, daily, etc. At Publishersmarketplace.com and publishersweekly.com. Find your niche of the blogosphere and follow blogs even if you don’t blog yourself.

Are either of you interested in children’s chapter books like Junie B. Jones or Amber Brown?

  • Stacy—Personally, no, I’m into fantasy.
  • Amy—Personally, I’m not, but there’s a real need for good chapter books.
  • Stacy—They are hard.
  • Amy—You’re limited vocabulary-wise, and it’s hard to write characters that speak to kids.
  • Stacy—Even if you’re good, you have to have shelf presence. Teachers love books they can give to transitional readers. It’s hard to get a foothold for a series, and there’s such a small margin, it’s hard to make financial sense unless it’s a series. But once you get a foothold, you have continual demand.

Would you recommend novelists spend time querying editors directly?

  • Stacy—some editors are okay with it. Meet the editor or read their blog so you know they’re a good match. Either way works if it works for you as an author. Agents can really help to pitch books.
  • Amy—it does happen. Jessica Day George met editor at conference, and that editor wanted to buy book when Jessica contacted me. It’s a great way to get an agent—eliminates so much work for agent, so you can concentrate on the book and the deal.

A lot of us here feel like we’re targeting two markets. LDS market—books go out of print fast. How do national agents feel about picking up a book that’s been published niche?

  • Amy—Even on the national market, they just can’t keep everything in print. It doesn’t make financial sense to physically store books. Books have about a year to make or break, and that book may be gone after then. [What size of book runs nationally?] Depends on category.
  • Stacy—I’ve heard people say most books don’t sell more than 5000 copies and then you have your break outs. Sometimes people are including self-published books in there, and that really skews the numbers. Transitioning from LDS to national also depends on content, wide appeal.
  • Amy—It’s hard to take a book because of prejudices and misunderstanding that’s out of print and take it national. If the LDS market has been tapped, it seems too late.

With respect to the national market and adult fiction, is there a benchmark on the “squeeze factor” that needs to be in novels?

  • Stacy—Editors won’t come to you and say, “This needs more sex.”
  • Amy—They might if it’s romance and Harlequin. Most editors won’t say “This isn’t trashy enough for our market.” In romance there’s a certain level of sex expected. [Depending on the publisher and the line—there are plenty of highly successful “sweet” romance authors like Debbie Macomber.]

About the conference: LDStorymakers is a writing contest geared to LDS writers. The conference covers both the niche, regional publishers that cater to the LDS market as well as national publishers.

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Publishing, Mechanics, Technique

What Will Get You Rejected: Mistakes Not to Make by Janette Rallison, LDStorymakers

Presented by Janette Rallison (blog)

There are six basic types of problems that will get you rejected: point-of-view problems, tag-line problems, motivation problems, story question problems, goal and conflict problems and sentence structure problems.

POV problems—avoid head hopping or authorial insertions. [The trend these days is deep POV in 3rd person—we’re seeing the character’s inmost thoughts, but using 3rd person pronouns. So use your character’s thoughts and vocabulary for . . . well, everything! Never put in something that character can’t know and add a scene break if you’re changing POV characters. Janette probably said all of this, but I missed the beginning of her presentation because I had to run home to feed my baby!]

Tag lines—”90% of the time, tag line should be ‘said.'” Also acceptable, when situation calls for: ask, answer/reply. [But the trend these days is to not use dialogue tags most of the time, instead using action beats to identify speakers.]

Rarely use others—if the dialogue itself can’t show how the words are said, maybe it needs to be revised. Janette gave an example of when one of her characters said something that wasn’t true, but the reader wouldn’t know that, so the line went: “I can dance ballet,” I lied. [Personally, I think it’s acceptable when you have to call attention to the manner in which it was said—specifically whispering, since there really isn’t a way to choose your words to make it read like a whisper.]

Instead of using adverbs or specialized dialogue tags, let the dialogue speak for itself and translate it into actions [those action beats I was telling you about earlier!]. These show so much more powerfully! Janette’s example:

DON’T: “I never want to see your cheating face again,” he yelled angrily.

DO: He ripped the alimony check out of the checkbook with numb hands. He’d written checks a thousand times—for piano lessons, Girl Scout cookies, every elementary school fundraiser that came along. This time it felt as though the ink had come from his own veins. “I never want to see your cheating face again.”

Again, the exception is to use adverbs when the dialogue contradicts tone/facts (like when someone says something cutting in a sweet tone or vice versa).

Motivation problems—Put as little backstory in first chapter as you can. In chapter one, the main character should have a problem and there should be action.

Is your main character an idiot? [We have an acronym for this: TSTL—it means does your character do things that, say, if you saw them in a movie, you would be screaming at the television, “No! Don’t go into that dark attic!”? (Exception: law enforcement officers, who willingly run into danger for us every day. But even they don’t go looking for it if they don’t have to!)]

Story question problems
Your story should have:

  1. Character
  2. Problem—start story on the day your character’s life changed.
  3. Goal—the character has to be proactive, to have direction in life, instead of merely reacting
  4. Obstacles—don’t use coincidence to get people past their obstacles—use it to get people into trouble, but not out!
  5. Antagonist—someone or something that opposes main character’s goals: man v. man, man v. nature, man v. self. The stronger the antagonist, the more intense and exciting the story will be.
  6. Consequences of failure—there has to be a reason why they can’t just give up (this can be the antagonist)

“Fiction is a very dangerous neighborhood to live in.”

You can put these all together into a story question from Techniques of the Selling Writer by Dwight Swain:

When [MC] finds herself in [situation], she [goal]. But will [antagonist and obstacle] make her [consequences of failure]?

This story question should be answered at the climax.

Goal and conflict problems—Don’t let your characters wander through your books without goals. Somebody has to have a goal in every scene. [Even better—all major characters have goals in a scene and they conflict!]

No goals or conflict in a scene? Throw in obstacles, highlight the consequences of failure, hearken back to the antagonist [or give other characters in the scene conflicting goals].

Sentence structure problems—Watch for repeated backward sentences—too many get awkward. [Always vary your sentence structures. Reading aloud is the best way to find repetition like this!]

About the conference: LDStorymakers is a writing contest geared to LDS writers. The conference covers both the niche, regional publishers that cater to the LDS market as well as national publishers.

Is your writing any good? Join my writers' email group to find out how you can get a free edit & skill assessment!

 
Publishing, Marketing

The Road to Publication: Your novel from first draft to contract, LDStorymakers

Presented by Heather B. Moore (blog)

Study the market
Look at what publishers are buying today, not just what’s on the shelves now—Publishers Marketplace announces deals, see what your friends are selling.

On the other hand, don’t write to a trend unless it’s your natural interest. [Plus you have to take into account the timeline here—by the time you finish a book, the market may well have moved on!]

Write, write, write
Hooks & Story Arc—there are four types of hooks:

  1. 1st sentence/paragraph/page—why you start the book
  2. Chapter hook—why you read the next chapter
  3. Story arc—why you are reading to the end of the book
    • Can also lead into series hook!
  4. Pitch—in query letter, why the agent will start reading your sample chapters

Keeping a writer’s schedule
As a writer, you’re always writing or revising something. Heather posted her publication timelines, past, present and future, on Writing on the Wall. Her first book was 27 months from “Chapter One” to holding it in her hands.

You have to keep working on your next project! Establish a writing schedule with daily goals: time, word count, etc. When making your goals, look at when you want to submit the book, the time it takes you to generate ideas and write, etc.

Once you’re done with the book
Do your homework when researching agents and publishers. See PublishersMarketplace (look at recent deals), AgentQuery, Preditors & Editors and Writer Beware.

With her first offer, she was about to sign the contract, but took time to email a few other authors to see how they liked them—the next day, she received 3 negative emails!

Check out authors/client list (if they don’t have one on their site and they’ve asked you for a full, ask for a client list). Follow submission guidelines!!

Steer clear of reading fees.

Platform, platform, platform
Christina Katz, Writer’s Digest May/June 2009 article

The well-known writer has influence. In order for you to build influence, you need to create and launch a platform that communicates your expertise, credibility and integrity to others quickly and concisely.

Ideas:

  • Give public speaking on your research, offer to bring treats, approach book groups, libraries, etc.
  • What are you the expert in?
  • How are you different?
  • Establish a relationship with your readers
  • Join professional groups
  • Volunteer
  • Speak for free
  • Platform: You are a writer
  • Learn to teach (ex: Scott Savage teaching creative writing class through community)
  • Be sociable
  • Create a one-sentence pitch
  • Maybe a 3 sent pitch for people who are more interested

Marketing timeline
6 months before the book comes out: get endorsements—blurbs on book and your website (even before book comes out)

3 months before: line up reviewers—newspapers and blogs (for the national market: 4-6 months out)

1-2 months before: schedule events and book signings
Have marketing materials prepared in advance: bookmarks, fliers, etc.

The big day: Book release: get books to remaining reviewers (some don’t want ARCs), book launch at bookstore, create a press release/news item—can be included in writer friends’ newsletters, book signings—talk to store owners.

About the conference: LDStorymakers is a writing contest geared to LDS writers. The conference covers both the niche, regional publishers that cater to the LDS market as well as national publishers.

Is your writing any good? Join my writers' email group to find out how you can get a free edit & skill assessment!

 
Mechanics, Technique, Publishing

Mystery/Thriller Panel, LDStorymakers

Mystery/Thriller Panel

Moderator: Kerry Blair
Panelists:
JoAnn Arnold, Josi S. Kilpack (Josi’s blog), Julie Coulter Bellon, Liz Adair and Stephanie Black (she blogs V Formation; Stephanie, Kerry and Julie all blog at Six LDS Writers and a Frog.)

Our esteemed panelists also have expertise in romance, historical, nonfiction. Plus, I’ve gotten to talk to Kerry, Julie and Stephanie, and they’re all really nice, wonderful people!

Note: This was one of the first sessions after many of the attendees received their critiqued contest entries back from the conference first chapter contest, so many of the questions here focus on that.

“My book isn’t a thriller”—It’s about a girl who feels guilty for initiating her mother’s death. On my chapter critiques, some loved the cliffhanger—not knowing if she’d actually killed her mom—others couldn’t connect to her because they didn’t know that—How soon do you reveal your major plot points?

  • Josi—Are the judges divided? (Yes.) Is the book finished? (No.) Keep writing it and see if your attitude changes. First chapters are notorious for being rewritten.
  • Julie—It is important to connect with your readers and hook them on the first chapter. Make sure your characters can connect with your reader.

I’m writing a romantic suspense novel—my chapter critiques indicate there are some lulls in the action, and I’m having a hard time because the “lulls” are the romances—don’t want a bomb to go off every chapter. How do you even that out, creating tension with romance and suspense?

  • Julie—(Dubbed the romantic suspense expert) That’s hard for her because she loves the action—it’s hard to find a balance so your reader can catch their breath for just a second. Don’t leave your characters just sitting around mooning at each other. On the other hand, it’s tricky to build a relationship while the bombs are going off.
  • Liz—Even the romance needs to forward the plot. Don’t have romance just for romance’s sake.
  • JoAnn—I don’t write romance thrillers, but I write thrillers with a little romance—the romance gives you a break, but you don’t take away from the thriller. Let it have its place in the book.

I have a romance thriller submission for first chapter contest. Some reviewers loved the fact that it was a thriller. One outlier loved that it was a romance, but they were ticked off they didn’t know all the answers. How do you indicate genre/hook in first chapter?

  • Stephanie—Look for the genre you want to place it. In first chapter, lean more on how you see this being. Mingle romance and danger and choose how you’ll market this.
  • Josi—Rmember when your book is being sold, it’s going to have a cover, back copy cover, etc. First chapter has to have movement, action, something happening. You have to set up expectations and give readers what they think they’re getting.

When you’re getting different opinions from reviewers?

  • Liz—complete the book, be true to the book, and then take it into account. What’s important is that they want to read on after the first chapter.
  • Josi—She’s going to disagree. You know your story and style and direction best, but be open minded. Weigh out the feedback to try to understand it. Don’t try to meet all their expectations, but give each a fair shake. You could learn something from that feedback. Even if they don’t agree, don’t discount them—or your opportunity to learn from them.
  • Kerry—Julie just went through a crazy crit experience—
  • Julie—As someone who looked over all those evaluations, I thought they were an incredibly valuable resource. The judges were editors, authors and other professionals. The feedback is amazing. I hope you take it in the spirit it was given. Kerry’s talking about my manuscript I submitted to Covenant. I got my reader comments and some of them, I was like “Did they even read the book?” [I wonder that a lot on those off-the-wall crits!] One said there was too much LDS in the book, another said not enough. I asked my editor what to do, and we went through it together. You have to take into consideration where your book is going, what you want to portray and project.
  • Stephanie—Ultimately, evaluate the feedback and step back from it a little bit. I have to brace myself when I read evaluations. You do get widely varied responses—one says the characters are wonderful, one says they’re cardboard. Sometimes I’ve found the feedback that hurts the most can help the most too. Ex: someone went on and on about how Stephanie was wordy, so she went back and looked at the scene this person used as an example and she was able to cut 800 words from the scene without changing anything.

If you think of your fave book or the most well-received book you’ve done—did you come up with a hook and write a story to it, or did you write the story and come up with the hook?

  • JoAnn—I write from the imagination. My hook may be somewhere else at the time and I have to go back and find it. I start with an idea and then I introduce my characters, and I ask them where they want to go. My story make take a whole different path than what I’d planned. Don’t ever force it or make it stick—this is how it’s got to be no matter what? How much can you put in a first chapter? You have to be careful. Let your story take its path and you may find your hook later.
  • Liz—My first few books that I wrote, I didn’t know that I had to have a hook. I had one but I didn’t know I was putting it in—there was no decision.
  • Josi—Same. In my most recent book, Lemon Tart, it came about because of a writing contest. Jeff Savage—Murder mystery with food and the hook has to be a death happening offstage. Took second in contest, but it worked out okay. (Kerry adds that Lemon Tart has been the #1 best seller on DB list for weeks now).
  • Stephanie—ideas come in different ways. My first book came from a short story she started in high school. She highly recommends Jack Bickham (same as Josi—3The 38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes, and Scene & Structure) Learn how to shape a compelling story—chapter structure, scene goals, what characters want. Each chapter should have an end hook. With my last couple, I just brainstormed about characters and their goals and their obstacles and the story grows out of that conflict.
  • Julie—I don’t know if you can focus so much on a hook, though. I think you just have to have a well-written beginning. In the editing process, things get changed around—the beginning you start with might not be the one you get published.

Define the difference between mystery and thriller. Are they shelved together?

  • Josi—
    • Mystery: driven by curiosity, want to know what happens next. Death (may be less frequently that serious if it’s YA) OR big crime takes place off stage, the rest of the book is figuring out whodunnit. One point of view. Reader knows about as much as the main character does.
    • Suspense: whatever the crime/hook/conflict is happens onscene. Typically the reader knows a little more than the main character, so we know what kind of danger they’re facing. May get POV from bad guys. Motivated to keep reading by fear, anxiety, worry.
    • Thriller: Suspense novel that if it were a movie, it would be big budget—higher stakes: the world. The FBI infiltrated by terrorists, big ramifications. Exploding cars, buildings falling, etc. More intense action.

This was my question! What kind of mysteries are you selling right now or have you sold recently (romance, cozies, police procedurals, etc.)?

  • Josi—culinary cozy, includes recipes
      Sidebar—what’s a cozy?

    • Josi—cozy: cats and food, LOL. Basically, means it happens in one place, people in a little house, amateur sleuth, small cast, small-scale ramifications, driven by curiosity, not a lot of thrills, not keep you up—Murder She Wrote)
    • Stephanie—also, no intense violence, warm and fuzzies.
  • Stephanie—Recently sold contemporary suspense comparable to Mary Higgins Clark. Female protagonist trying to do the right thing
  • Julie—”romantic thriller.” About French agent in Paris who has found out a plot to poison water going to troops in Iraq.
  • Liz—romance “intrigue.” Heavy on romantic content, but puzzle/mystery to solve, a little bit of danger
  • JoAnn—Patriotic mystery a year ago—fascinated with Constitution and Declaration [I was an American Heritage TA; don’t even get me started on this topic!]. Way back when they had watchers to protect the constitution. Her story, today is these people are watching still.

Back to the very first question: Some readers thought a secondary character, an FBI agent, was falling in love with the main character in first chapter, but it wasn’t something she intended. What happens if a subplot appears?

  • JoAnn—When she was writing Journey of the Promise, the main character started as a grandma, but by chapter 3, she wanted to be 21. The grandmotherly subplots went away, but because she changed the main character, other characters began to approach her
  • Stephanie—My outlines are really broad. I have to know basic idea of story direction, but I don’t know the specifics of the story until I write it. My first drafts are a hideous mess because I change my mind mid-book. I make myself notes at the top of my MS on things I need to change. By the end, I know what I want the story to be and I do a lot of rewriting. Some of my best ideas come as I’m writing. These connections occur to you, etc. With your FBI guy, could this add some complications to the story? Or tweak chapter one 1—could this make my story better? Can I use this?
  • Julie—I’d definitely look at that to see if it adds another layer.
  • Kerry—Notes that Liz had first detective series, the Spider Latham series, on LDS market. How’d you intro the series?
  • Liz—You get to know the characters so well, I have more books blocked out for him, but Deseret Book isn’t interested. Plots spring to mind all over the place.

In this genre, do the ideas come from your imagination, the news, current events (national, murders)?

  • Liz—Both. You just have to start with a body, then you have to figure out how it got there and who done it.
  • JoAnn—comes somewhere inside of me, in my imagination. I think because I was on the stage a lot growing up, I could see the person that would be that character and I would become that person while I’m writing.

Is it easier to have a female protagonist or male in LDS market?

  • Josi—depends on specific genre. Cozy or basic mystery, depends on the book—in the LDS market, women buy mysteries. Male readers read a smaller genre pool than women do—fewer genres. Motivated by action, fast paced. Plenty of women readers for that, too. Go with what works best with your story. Her audience is women and they typically prefer women protags. Women are more likely to read male protags than vice versa (generalization).

Do you have a background in English and does that help?

  • Julie—I have an English teaching degree, but that doesn’t really make a difference. It’s how well you can write. Going back to Gale’s question—I get ideas everywhere. As a journalism professor, I read them everywhere.
  • Liz—I went in to Deseret Book hoping they’d want another Spider Latham. This was just as [Mark Hacking] happened, and they’d just found that he’d killed his wife. Editor said “You don’t know how many letters I get from women who marry someone they think is wonderful and he turns out to be just not, not the man they thought they married. I want you to write a book with that underlying theme.” Mr. Cory Harper—what kind of a man did she marry?
  • JoAnn—Wrote something with similar themes, had women call her to say that happened to them. Helps women understand they’re not alone.
  • Kerry—what’s your background?
  • JoAnn—stage, community theater, pretending. Artist—paint stories. High school grad. My husband is an English major, but I try to ignore him as much as possible. Came to writing through ghostwriting.
  • Liz—yes, I was an English major, but I didn’t learn how to write until I joined American Night Writers.
  • Josi—Nope, I’m completely uneducated. Salt Lake county public library system.
  • Stephanie—I majored in History, but I’ve forgotten everything I’ve learned. I think it comes down to learning to write fiction. There’s a difference between knowing the ins and outs of commas and knowing the structure and techniques of fiction. Editors and agents couldn’t care less. All they want to know is can ou write a good book
  • Josi—I wish I had a degree in English. I do think editors like to see that. They like to see they have that credential. I don’t have a college degree, and people with these do know things about the English language that I don’t. Learn about it so you can do a better job so you’re not learning as you go. But most of us are past college age. It’s okay, you can write a novel without an English degree.

Last question—Kerry: One minute each: tell the most important thing about writing:

  • JoAnn—Never quit, never give up, believe in yourself.
  • Liz—Write, write, write, write, write. And then rewrite. Less is more

    • Josi—Read a lot, keep learning, keep an open mind. there’s always something new to learn. Watch the markets, see what people are reading, stay on top of those things so you’re constantly growing. It was such a thrill for the chapter contest to see how many people that won this have been coming to this conference for years—these people are learning and applying it and improving and doing it.

  • Stephanie—Jack Bichkam? “I don’t know any writers who have failed, but I know many who have quit.” If you love it, don’t quit. Don’t edit yourself to death in your first draft. Let it happen. Give yourself permission to write a cruddy first draft. Don’t polish a chapter obsessively before going on. Get the story down and don’t be afraid of rewriting—polish it later. Don’t edit yoruself into oblivion. Study the technique. Read great books out there—read, study, practice, have fun, enjoy what you’re doing. Have fun!
  • Julie—Be willing to work hard. A lot of people think you can be a writer just because they put pen to paper. Be open to changes and suggestions. Be willing to self-edit and rewrite and put in the time.

Kerry—W. Somerset Maugham said, “There are three rules for writing a novel: unfortunately, nobody knows what they are.”

About the conference: LDStorymakers is a writing contest geared to LDS writers. The conference covers both the niche, regional publishers that cater to the LDS market as well as national publishers.

Is your writing any good? Join my writers' email group to find out how you can get a free edit & skill assessment!

 
Publishing, Marketing

Self-Publishing Panel, LDStorymakers

I’ll continue posting my notes from the 2009 LDStorymakers conference, with fun with verbs coming on Tuesdays and Thursdays!

Self-Publishing panel
Moderator: CS Bezas
Panel Members: Gary Hansen, Joyce DiPastena (blog), Marsha Ward (blog), Sarah Eden, Tanya Parker Mills

Panelists’ intros:
Sarah Eden: Writes historical fiction, author of Seeking Persephone. Published 9 novels, from Arizona, Print on Demand (POD) expertise. As a fiction author, she makes things up, so she may lie at any time on this panel. Whitney finalist 2008

Joyce DiPastena: 2007 Whitney finalist Loyalty’s Web
 self-published, picked up by Leavenwood Press and republished.

Marsha Ward: Western fiction (The Man from Shenandoah, Ride to Raton and Trail of Storms) Journalism background with LDS newspapers, over 900 publishing credits, national contest wins, came to self publishing in a unique way (whiche she touches on later).

Tanya Parker Mills: The Reckoning Whitney finalist 2008, had her first novel rejected and found herself blocked in her second novel, and knew she had to get it out there. From Washington.

Gary Hansen: Wet Desert, a Novel, Whitney 2007 finalist, suspense/thriller (national, but “LDS-friendly”).

Something pertinent to know about self-publishing

  • Gary: Once he’d been frustrated on national market, he took the “go into the bookstore and find your section—genre, cost, etc.” Picked price point and went through self publishers to find a cost-effective place: found a self-pubbed book in Costco and contacted author—actually printed it himself. Sold through first print run (2600) and into second.
  • Tanya: POD, Booksurge because of its Amazon ties. It’s so hard to get pubbed by traditional publishers (mainstream contemporary fiction, non LDS, going for national market). Self-pub has increased b/c it’s more affordable now. Rarely do you get picked up like Eragon did. Tremendous marketing as self-pub plus lucking out in a coincidence. What she would have done differently: she would’ve done differently: set up a distributor.
  • Marsha: the valid reasons to self-publish:
    • Poetry collections (for friends and family and other interested parties)
    • Family histories
    • Autobios/memoirs (unless you’re famous!)
    • You’re giving seminars, how-to books, public speaking—tremendous back-of-the-room sales.
    • Personally: she had a health crisis and thought she was running out of time. Getting good responses editorially, but negative marketing reports (Western novels are too niche). Chose not to become her own publishing company—POD/Publish assistance people. Researched to know what they would and wouldn’t give her, looked at customer feedback, went with iUniverse. Was going to go through traditional publisher for 3rd in series, but too mch lag time for her fans (guy came up to her in the grocery store)
  • Joyce: also writing to national market but “LDS friendly”—Medieval romance. Lots of positive response on national market, but they didn’t know what to do with it. Agent called her: too much plot to be a romance and not enough pageantry to be a historical. She put it away for years and years and kept trying to write a straight romance, but it wasn’t working—she kept throwing in other plot lines (I guess non romance plot lines). Ended up with these books sitting around, and she realized she could die with books in drawer or take a chance on self publishing to see if there’s an audience. She turned to Marsha for help, also went with iUniverse POD—knew she couldn’t go out and sell her own books (Gary has a garage full of books!). To her surprise, she began attracting a readership of people that were interested in the cross-genre. Finalist at Whitneys: editor took notice of that and reprinted her book. Be realistic about your marketing talents. Can you push the books on your own, or are you too shy? Online?
  • Sarah—Butter pecan is the best therapy for writer agony. Cheetos can be consumed at VERY large quantities at 3 AM. You need to do your research. There are so many options in self-pub—diff companies, methods. Traps: vanity presses. Options: book sizes (bigger book: more words per page, fewer pages, lower cost). Know what you want first so you can find a company that will provide that in a way that is affordable and satisfying to you. Talk to people who’ve done it before because they know things that the companies won’t tell you. Look at their books in person.
  • Marsha: google [“company name” sucks] to check them out.

Questions:
Don Lee: How do you distribute your books?
Gary: In order to get into big stores, you have to go through distributors—Ingram or Baker and Taylor. In the bookstore, they’re very worried about Returns—they don’t want any obligations—they can return unsold books to them without cost. You have to have that method or they won’t take it. Getting a distributor—just like getting an agent or editor. BIG step. If you get there, bookstores can at least order it from any bookstore in the country. Distribution is critical.

Roger Nielsen: What was your initial investment, Gary?

  • Gary: Obviously, POD has big advantages, but his goal was a low cost (equal to trad pubbed books)—you have to sell cheap to distributors ($4.50 for a $10 book). 363 pages with small font to keep page count down—setup fee ~$3000, and then the books are cheap. The more you print, the cheaper they are per book. You’re tempted to print like 10,000 so they’ll be $1.50.
  • Tanya: with POD and digital presses, you pay upfront. I decided to get the total design freedom package—control cover design and copy, paid a little more. $1367 including that package. No warehousing, order from Amazon and they print and send it. $1367 is for set up and a few books she’d ordered for herself.
  • Comment from LC Lewis: Sometimes booksurge gives you a promo pkg with 30 free books if you sign up for marketing.
  • Marsha: Paid iUniverse. Purchased rights to cover images from Corbis $300, royalty-free to use forever. Last package cost $399. Commissioned painting for second book at $300. Ordered 200 copies of her first and 25 each of the others. Distribution: website, blog, building writing community, a lot of contacts, list of people who wanted her next book. Sell autographed copies from her website, you can get it from bookstores, Amazon, iUniverse, ebook on Books on Board. Book trailer.
  • Comment from Roger again: BYU is getting a very specialized machine to do this—prints from PDF $0.04/pg, 300 p book in 4 minutes.
  • Sarah: That’s the kind of machine most PODs use. initial fee (CreateSpace, connected to BookSurge) just under $2/book, plus $0.008/pg. Printing only—$39 per title—gets your ISBN number, per-page cost below $0.01/pg. Economies of scale.

LC Lewis—Amazon sets price for BookSurge?

  • Tanya—yes. I wanted it at $14.99, they set it at $17.99.
  • Gary got to set his own MSRP (retail), they set their discount. Amazon has to get their margin, 55%—you have to sell it at $6.79 for a $14.95 price.
  • Sarah—CreateSpace—you set your own prices. Take into account shipping costs! Supply and demand. CreateSpace, part of Amazon, qualifies for SuperSaver shipping (her original POD company was too expensive with shipping)
  • Tanya—Two issues ago Writers’ Digest was all about self-publishing

I know some people have said it’s a good idea to create a separate company that isn’t you to be the publisher. Does that help?

  • Sarah—In a way it does. One of the cons of self-publishing—people pick up a book that’s self pubbed, they think it’s self pubbed because it’s bad. If it says “Published by Sarah Eden,” it’s not good in their minds.
  • Gary—I came up with a press. I named it Hole Shot Press—I didn’t want people to be able to tell it’s self-pubbed.

Any tax tips?

  • Gary—You have to keep track of your income if you make money (which has not been an issue for me yet). When you sell direct to a customer in your state, you have to pay sales tax. You have to get a state sales tax number.
  • Sarah—I get royalties instead of profits with CreateSpace. It’s a 1099. But don’t forget to subtract your expenses.
  • Cindy—As always, consult your tax advisers.

Roger—WriteWise or any of these other groups experience?
No

Any marketing tips so people can hear about your book?
Joyce—[dubbed marketing guru by . . . Marsha at the beginning of the panel] Websites, blogs. I like to do contests because that builds up a mailing list of people who enter. Then she can send them info. One tip she read: a reader who has never head of an author before needs to see the title of the book at least 10 times before they’ll consider buying a book from an unknown author. Her goal isn’t always a sale, it’s to get her book’s name out there.

About the conference: LDStorymakers is a writing contest geared to LDS writers. The conference covers both the niche, regional publishers that cater to the LDS market as well as national publishers.

Is your writing any good? Join my writers' email group to find out how you can get a free edit & skill assessment!

 
Publishing

LDS Publishers’ Panel

Panelists:
Lyle Mortimer—Cedar Fort
Kirk Shaw—Covenant
Lisa Mangum—Deseret Book & Shadow Mountain
Chris Bigelow—Zarahemla

Walnut Springs Press was supposed to have an panelist with us, but she wasn’t able to attend. (New imprint of Leatherwood—contact info on LDStorymakers)—inspirational fiction, romance or suspense, YA, fantasy

Chris Bigelow—Zarahemla Books “niche” publisher

  • focused on Mormon market on “grown up” books (not “adult” 😉 Fiction and memoir.
  • Open to any kind of storytelling in those modes, including genre—scifi, horror; experimental with Mormon themes
  • Somewhat literary, short story collections (usually only for those who’ve been previously pubbed in journals)
  • “blind spot” for poetry—not looking for it
  • If you can get one of the big three to publish your book, that’s where you should go. But if they say your book’s too edgy, come to Zarahemla
  • 3-6 books a year
  • prefer submissions that come with recommendations—include it with your submission

Lisa Mangum—Deseret Book and Shadow Mountain (national market imprint—children’s fantasy, etc.)

  • 150 products a year—incl new material, paperback reprints and music
  • 1500 submissions a year
  • try to find the MS that are really well written, have a strong voice, want things that are marketable and will draw customers to stores

Kirk Shaw—Covenant

  • Gift books (Worldwide ward cookbook, Sweetwater Rescue, Saints @ War, Pres & Prophets)
  • Genre fiction, esp romance—suspense, historical. Chick lit
  • Inspirational rather than scholarly doctrinal; music line, talk CDs, etc.
  • Not as much fantasy & scifi

Lyle Mortimer—Cedar Fort

  • “He who writes the nation’s stories need not worry who governs.” —Unknown
  • pub books that make a difference in the world (and make money)
    70-85% = nonfiction—Gospels Made Easier is best seller, #2 = Shell Game (#31 on NYT Bestseller list)
  • gifts & sculpture
  • Total 175 projects; about 120 books a year

Questions

How does each house distribute?

  • Lyle—have their own warehouse & dist own products
  • Kirk—do own to independents, chains, local BIG chains
  • Lisa—Through Des Book & Seagull, B&N, Amazon, independent bookstores
  • Chris—Ingram Distributor gets books out nationally; Granite publishing and dist pick up half the titles to get them to independent LDS titles, and Deseret Book outlets from time to time

What do you do to market and publicize the books you accept?

  • Chris—very driven by reviews: placing ARCs with local media, publisher’s weekly, national media
  • Lisa—Robust mkting dept—help with author websites, book signings, ARCs, school visits, conferences, posters, bookmarks, commercials, radio, newspaper, catalogues
  • Kirk—Catalogues—huge, large majority; radio and TV behind big projects. Best timing = conference time, mother’s day, father’s day, Christmas. Fiction doesn’t get as much of that, though. Great pool of authors who push to do school tours, creative contests, blogs, website development. A lot of publishers will tell you authors tend to complain about a.) royalties and b.) lack of marketing support, thinking that the publisher’s going to do it for them. Grassroots author involvement.
  • Lyle—Authors often feel publishers don’t do enough to move their book. What is your publisher going to do to make your book a bestseller? NOTHING. The publisher will do whatever he has to to make a ROI. YOU have to put in the legwork. It feeds itself.

Are any of you planning to do eBooks?

  • Lisa—short answer: yes. We are working mostly to get our backlist as well as our new titles available for Kindle, though Amazon, and things like that. I don’t know if we would ever do a books specifically and exclusively as an ebook, but we’re trying to get all of our published book converted.
  • Kirk—Ditto.
  • Lyle—Tough to stay up to date. E format and paper go hand in hand.
  • Chris—Not excited personally about ebooks yet, but a few authors have wanted to go onto Kindle and it’s very easy.

Typically, how many debut authors do you take on a year?

  • Chris—not very many, sometimes none.
  • Lisa—Some every year. Always very nice :D. On average, maybe 6-8? Good year, 8-10.
  • Kirk—About the same, maybe a little more than that. Try to fit them in with their established authors. Tricky—balancing groups. Big names, middle lists, debuts.
  • Lyle—a pub’s most efficient author is a repeat author. Debut novels are harder to sell (100x harder on national market vs. LDS market)—about 80 new authors a year, looking for the good stories

How many kissing scenes would push a novel out of the LDS market? [Just kidding] How many of the authors you pub come to you with an agent and how many pick up an agent later?

  • Kirk—I think it’s more of the quality of the kissing? 😉 Broad gamut—he’s the most liberal editor at Covenant, compare notes with other editors, what will the readership be happy with?
  • Lisa—a handful have picked up agents after coming to us, but vast majority don’t and won’t. And 3.5 kisses.
  • Chris—If these guys are too prudish for you, come to Zarahemla. Not on agents’ radars.
  • Lyle—2 authors on NYT list 3x each, and in those negotiations, the agents had no part. Both had agents, both got paid, but he’s never met the agents. If anyone has an answer to the kissing question, he’d like to know. He doesn’t have an answer—but they have to be integral to the story.

What are you looking for/what is your greatest need?

  • Lyle—I’m not the acquisitions editor, etc., I’m the publisher. Looking for great books that will sell.
  • Kirk—story of friend who comes to him every few months chasing trends and paychecks. Find what you love writing and if you see a good opportunity to rip stuff from the headlines, then do it.
  • Lisa—We’re looking for your book because you have something only you can say and only you can tell that story.
  • Chris—Adult fiction, memoir. Identifiably Mormon and yet really different.
  • Kirk—look at where your book would fit on the shelf. Find something that will grab someone with just one sentence.

Once you have the MS ready to submit, should you focus on one pub or multiple?

  • Lyle—simultaneous submissions used to be almost nonethical. But these days, not so much. Just specify in letter. Can be good and bad for author. Editor may be less interested or feel more pressure to look at it.
  • Kirk [Sorry, trying to catch up]
  • Lisa—Send to lots of publishers, but make sure they’re the right publishers for you
  • Chris—encourages simultaneous submissions, but he doesn’t see any point in subbing to Zarahemla while subbing to mainstream publishers. Wait until you strike out but getting good feedback.

What can we say to make us stick out in your minds?

  • Chris—Looking for noting that they’ve taken classes (and the professor loved their manuscript), pubbed author liked their manuscript
  • Lisa—Not to suck up, but really: “say LDStorymakers.” This is her fave conf to come to b/c we’re the most passionate. Networking like this is huge for her.
  • Kirk—(Reference to Miss Snark’s blog)—networking. Try to present yourself as a person, and treat them as if they’re just another person. Ask what they’ve read recently that you’ve enjoyed? Be personable and don’t pitch at first. Eventually in the relationship, they may ask you or invite you to tell about your work.
  • Lyle—Facebook! Request him as a friend. (Pretty sure at the book.) Elevator pitches! 15 second max. Always take the opportunity to mention it!

If I’m writing to boys 8-12, who do I submit to?

  • Lyle—Me.
  • Kirk—Sure.
  • Lisa—One person handles all incoming subs to sort to readers.
  • Chris—Haven’t done anything there yet, but they’ll consider it if it’s edgy. ‘Cause that’s a great age group to write edgy stuff for.

What’s going to kill your book fastest (pet peeves)?

  • Kirk—polygamy
  • Lyle—authors demanding marketing. Recently received a manuscript with a picture of the author on it. Nude.
  • (audience—send it to Zarahemla!)
  • Chris—We require that kind of photo! 😉
  • Lyle—don’t just follow the market.
  • Lisa—Bad writing. Really obviously bad writing. Timing.
  • Chris—don’t call or come to my house. Email, please?
  • Kirk—The little things—go to the website and follow submission guidelines. Yes, really.

How do you feel about self-pubbed authors subbing a new MS to you?

  • Chris—If you’ve self-pubbed a book with total sales ~2000, you can shop it to a publisher to reprint/republish. Zarahemla wouldn’t be turned off by that, but if they did it well it’d be a positive.
  • Lisa—Agree. Hardpressed to name any self-pubbed books they’ve bought rights for and pubbed. But if you were submitting a diff book, being self-pubbed wouldn’t be held against you. It’d show you’re serious, you have confidence, you have at least some exposure.
    Kirk—No stigma against someone who’d pubbed before. To be blunt: it’s hard to take that same book and bring it into the house and try to repub it with new cover, etc. Have had authors do that—self-pubbed or smaaaalll press that folded. Dilemma: bookstores look at author’s sales record. Usually order less than the last book the author sold. While they wouldn’t refuse to look at stuff because it’s self-pubbed, they only want to see unpubbed works. Carefully consider who you used, how you sold, how bookstores you’ve sold through would consider their books.
  • Lyle—not kidding about FB. Send me a message that you’re a member of LDStorymakers so he’ll confirm. Self-pub isn’t a problem for him, but for us. He’s a gatekeeper for the market and a value-adder. Better design, better editing, nature of the business. Least expensive way is to go through a publisher. EX: David Ridges = best selling doctrinal author. He doesn’t sell more books per title, but in 6 years he’s produced 25 products and he sells a lot of product. Sounds of Zion distributed his self-pubbed book; Cedar Fort picked it up and it’s really taken off.

About the conference: LDStorymakers is a writing contest geared to LDS writers. The conference covers both the niche, regional publishers that cater to the LDS market as well as national publishers.

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