Posts by Heather Webb
As writers, we consider ourselves sensitive, inquisitive, and observant. All great skills for writing complex characters and meaningful narrative, right? The problem is, with these sensibilities we’re easily exposed, we tap into our emotional hot zones and we’re vulnerable. We walk the long mile to understanding another’s plight, and this is painful. Not only is it painful, but we must put our faith in something we’ve made that is ultimately subjective in its value. The creative process demands it. Wrestling with demons is part of what we do. Daily. But there’s one particular demon that is uglier, more terrible, more devastating than the others. It overwhelms us. It cripples us. It steals our self-confidence, our faith, and spreads like a disease within us. This demon is FEAR. I say “we”, because it’s all of us, isn’t it? I was surprised to learn how many writers felt alone in that fear so I went on a research mission. I asked a pack of authors at different places in their careers if they’re fearful during the writing process. Did it stay with them? If so, what scared them most, or what was most difficult? This is what they had to say:
Read More
It’s harvest time again. Tomatoes and squash, apples and peppers overflow from the bins at the local farmer’s market. The scent of dried grass and decaying leaves float through the air. Cool mornings are welcome—and so are the finished pages of my latest manuscript that I can almost put behind me. I’m finishing a novel that has challenged me tremendously this last year, not just as a writer stretching and growing in new directions, but as a writer in an ever-shifting industry. Needless to say, it’s been an emotional year and my journey with this book has been a rocky one. But now, as my manuscript ripens, I’m glad I stayed the course. I’m proud, even. Each novel teaches us something about ourselves as people, as writers. What I’ve learned is to…
THINK LIKE A FARMER
Trust Your Intuition: Farmer’s combine their years of learning with an innate connection to their land, their animals. Writers work the same way, with time and practice. Is there something nagging you in the back of your brain about your WIP? Some dangling plot thread, some weak character? Perhaps it’s the tone. Is it humorous enough? Does it evoke a sense of doom? Does this premise feel like “the one”, or the one for now? Perhaps your gut is telling you to take a chance in a new direction. Learn to trust your instincts and intuition. There’s a reason a siren is going off somewhere in your subconscious. It’s trying to tell you something that could turn your manuscript—or your writing career—inside out.
Watch for Patterns: Farmers track weather and seasonal patterns, the yield each year, and the varying needs of their livestock and crops so they may grow strong and healthy, flourish. Keep a writing almanac to track your own habits. Which part of your writing process gives you the most trouble? When do you feel good about your manuscript? Low? How does your word count vary from week to week? Tracking your routines is an interesting lesson in who you are as a writer. Better yet, it may serve as a tool to help you shake off the gloom and self-doubt when you need it most. When I reach forty thousand words in a first draft and again around seventy, I decide I’m a talentless hack and should give up altogether—until I checked my writing journal to see how I faired with the last book. Sure enough, it happened at the same spot in a previous manuscript, same feelings. A reassurance I can push through and bring my current ms to fruition.
Read More
Though summer can be quiet in publishing as we all take vacation–instead of writing for a change–very seriously, there was still plenty of news-worthy links we wanted to share here at Writer Unboxed. We’ve divided them into handy dandy categories for you below, including print and digital news, craft advice, agent information, and more.
#WUPrint
"Adult Fiction Print Units Bouncing Back in 2015" @PublishersWkly http://t.co/W5J7r0Zdlc #WUPrint
— Writer Unboxed (@WriterUnboxed) August 24, 2015
"April sales in the children’s/YA category fell 12.6% w/ ebook sales plunging 51.6%." @PublishersWkly http://t.co/B3sBI8j5nE #WUPrint
— Writer Unboxed (@WriterUnboxed) August 7, 2015
"After The Hype And Drama: Balancing Trad And Indie" @Porter_Anderson reports http://t.co/5jOn22kW2H #WUPrint
— Writer Unboxed (@WriterUnboxed) August 24, 2015
Watchman is 'fastest selling' in HC US history @thebookseller http://t.co/LP2hJpHkU9 #WUPrint
— Writer Unboxed (@WriterUnboxed) July 21, 2015
#WUDigital
"Amazon Doing More for Authors than Publishers Are" @digibookworld http://t.co/pKWlA1OYZn #WUPrint #WUDigital
— Writer Unboxed (@WriterUnboxed) July 24, 2015
"Does the Future of Reading Belong to the Phone?" @pubperspectives http://t.co/g7h9v603b6 #WUDigital
— Writer Unboxed (@WriterUnboxed) August 24, 2015
"How Ebooks Are Changing the Way We Read" @digibookworld http://t.co/ei0PaYFWGh #WUDigital
— Writer Unboxed (@WriterUnboxed) August 11, 2015
Book startups troll for investors & biz models to survive in changing digital market @PublishersWkly http://t.co/cEzGmCEkxx #WUDigital
— Writer Unboxed (@WriterUnboxed) August 10, 2015
#WUAgent
Agent Question: I signed with an agent & then didn't hear from them for months. Normal? http://t.co/M2ooTQDlYs #WUAgent
— Writer Unboxed (@WriterUnboxed) August 14, 2015
"Author claims agent reactions 'depend on author gender'" @thebookseller http://t.co/egJUauSBda #WUAgent #WUPrint
— Writer Unboxed (@WriterUnboxed) August 6, 2015
AGENT ALERT: Laura Mamelok seeks literary, women's fic, commercial, literary thrillers, YA w/ crossover http://t.co/RggdcPqTVX #WUAgent
— Writer Unboxed (@WriterUnboxed) July 20, 2015
Agent Spotlight: Brent Taylor seeks Mystery/Thriller, Women's, Literary, MG, YA & Graphic @LiteraryRambles http://t.co/4xpzTJ3Tc2 #WUAgent
— Writer Unboxed (@WriterUnboxed) July 13, 2015
Lit agent Stephen Barbara shares what the elements of a perfect submission are via @Casey_McCormick http://t.co/lRQTAkYD3E #WUAgent
— Writer Unboxed (@WriterUnboxed) Read More
Lately I’ve noticed many writer friends and acquaintances are blue. Is there just something in the water, or can we chalk it up to a difficult industry? There have been a lot of shake-ups in publishing, whether it be lower book sales in a flooded market, lack of publisher support, or the other major storm whipping through traditional publishing right now: the Penguin Random House merger. Imprints are shifting or disappearing, and editors are being laid off. For writers, it means the ground beneath our feet is rocking. Some of us have been orphaned without editors, and others have been non renewed entirely, no new contracts offered. Even a load of self-published authors I’ve spoken to are lamenting a decline in sales. Things appear rather gray at the moment.
Many of us are traveling in the space between.
Between Inspirations
Between Books
Between Breaks
Between Publishers
Between Jobs
Read More
Big changes hit publishing the month of June. Amazon opened their first retail store–and it was promptly robbed, the Penguin Random House merger continues to make waves, and there is talk that indie bookstores are finally safe. Other highlighted news is below, but please check out the dozens of other big stories this month using our hashtags on Twitter.
#WUPrint
"In the merger of Berkley and NAL, a currently unspecified number of jobs will be cut" @PublishersWkly http://t.co/ZRZoZPrSeY #WUPrint
— Writer Unboxed (@WriterUnboxed) June 24, 2015
"Assoc of American Pubs introduces a new, full-year snapshot of the U.S. book market in 2014" @DigiBookWorld http://t.co/H9yYUSD06i #WUPrint
— Writer Unboxed (@WriterUnboxed) June 24, 2015
Amazon’s foreign fiction imprint AmazonCrossing is leading the field in the US http://t.co/rZu5qma6D3 #WUPrint
— Writer Unboxed (@WriterUnboxed) June 22, 2015
Taking back 'Chick Lit'. Women owning their point of view @nationalpost http://t.co/CQNY6m28Nu #WUPrint
— Writer Unboxed (@WriterUnboxed) June 25, 2015
"In Self-Publishing, The Gatekeepers Are Dead. Long Live The Gatekeepers!" @ThoughtCatalog http://t.co/cPZ0ajXCNq #WUPrint
— Writer Unboxed (@WriterUnboxed) June 15, 2015
#WUDigital
Read More
Lately I’ve had a lot of discussions with writers about the shifting book market and our place within the publishing infrastructure. It’s the Wild West out there—every man for himself and plenty of dangerous pitfalls. In some ways, that’s a terrific thing for authors as we have more choices. In others, the influx of new publishers and the mentality of “everyone can publish” has brought a whole new rash of problems. Discoverability is one of them. But the biggest issue is one that will be difficult for us to recover from should it continue—the degradation of our worth as creatives.
Here are a few things I’ve learned that concern me:
Giveaways and price slashing is the most common method of generating buzz for books. Thing is, it works, to a point…But the industry has reached a whole new low when random people start emailing you asking for free copies of your book to help “promote” you and you’ve never heard of them or seen them in active book circles. Apparently authors should not only write the book, but pay for them to give away. Or there’s the other variety of leech that literally hops from one giveaway to the next and NEVER BUYS A BOOK, never writes reviews for them, and takes them straight to Ebay. True story.
Lower Advances: I can’t quote a percentage here as I don’t have the exact numbers but some astronomical percentage of authors never earn out their advances. That’s caused a bit of a backlash (along with plenty of other issues), and now publishers are less willing to take risks. They want their money back. In any event, that novel that took you three years to write just may earn you $5,000, which, after commission and taxes and book events and promotion will actually soak up every dime of that, and COST you money. Heh. Don’t quit your day job.
Read More
March came in like a lion and went out…like a lion. Was your writing month similar? (I know mine was, but then, I seem to be wrestling with lions all the time.) As for publishing, the hot topics swirling around this spring are BIG industry questions. How do readers discover books, or new writers for that matter? How can publishers fine-tune their marketing efforts? What drives an author to abandon their current publishing methods (whatever they may be) to seek greener pastures? Browse the answers below and be sure to check out our hashtags on Twitter, where the pub news and writing inspiration comes fast and furious each day. Also, we’d love to hear what you think in the comments!
#WUPrint
"Solving The Discoverability Problem: Virtual Reality And The Future Of Publishing" @thecreativepen http://t.co/yRksieLPbc #WUPrint
— Writer Unboxed (@WriterUnboxed) March 19, 2015
"Starter thoughts for publishers to develop new author marketing policies" via @mikeshatzkin http://t.co/rordCYZPrU #WUPrint
— Writer Unboxed (@WriterUnboxed) March 27, 2015
.@Porter_Anderson asks: Is self-pubbing a matter of choice, necessity, or do-it-yourself pride? #AuthorSay http://t.co/nsin0TZvs3 #WUPrint
— Writer Unboxed (@WriterUnboxed) March 27, 2015
#WUCraft
“Understanding The Writer’s Journey” via @KristenLambTX http://t.co/bt4nW6xPl6 #WUCraft
— Writer Unboxed (@WriterUnboxed) March 26, 2015
“When Should We Lay A Story Aside?” via @woodwardkaren http://t.co/X8QOmY5JHe #WUCraft
— Writer Unboxed (@WriterUnboxed) March 13, 2015
#WUAgent
Read MoreI had the extreme pleasure of meeting Meg Rosoff (one of our contributors here at Writer Unboxed) in Salem at the un-con. I was intrigued by her discussion about hot and cold spots in the brain, the emotional poignancy that resides in those zones, and how to access them. Throughness, she called it; an opening of pathways between the conscious and subconscious mind. As writers, we need to tap into these centers to channel authentic emotion into our characters on the page. An interesting concept. But while I think tapping into our own emotional wells and developing our emotional IQ is a good start, I’d like to take it a step further.
We must expand our understanding of human behavior to create authentic characters.
It’s what I like to call the “science of character writing.” Writers are scientists of human nature. We observe behavior patterns and body language, and often the nearly undetectable movements that reflect what happens just below the surface or deep within our minds and hearts. Without this understanding of human nature, our characters come off as stereotypical, flat, and unbelievable. Some of us are born with an innate ability to read others, to magically peel back the layers of defenses and quirks to see what is really brewing in someone’s mind. Some of us live more in our own heads and struggle with this ability. But we can all hone this inclination to create authentic characters.
Read MoreJanuary has come and gone in a whirlwind of resolutions, goals, and motivation. How many of us have stuck by them? I hope you’ve all given it the college try! If not, February is right around the corner, bringing more sunlight and longer days, and plenty of time to write, write, write. Meanwhile, take a look at a few of our most tweetable links.
#WUPrint
Amazon yielding more to Wall Street @CNBC http://t.co/ECUCdp3oJO #WUPrint
— Writer Unboxed (@WriterUnboxed) January 30, 2015
"If Writers Don’t #CreditWriters, Who Will?" @Porter_Anderson http://t.co/K1GxXpDQLt #WUPrint
— Writer Unboxed (@WriterUnboxed) January 29, 2015
"So You Want to Be a Famous Self-Published Author?" @pubperspectives http://t.co/5IJHrNlVar #WUPrint
— Writer Unboxed (@WriterUnboxed) January 30, 2015
The Hottest (and Coldest) Book Categories of 2014 http://t.co/fCM33UdfSm via @publisherswkly #WUPrint #WUDigital
— Writer Unboxed (@WriterUnboxed) January 26, 2015
#WUDigital
"Investigating Author-Publisher Dynamics: 2015 Author Survey Results" @digibookworld http://t.co/n6IdVirVzm #WUDigital
— Writer Unboxed (@WriterUnboxed) January 29, 2015
"Don’t try to beat Google or Amazon, go vertical – four lessons from digital publishers" http://t.co/zEtgupa6SP #WUDigital
— Writer Unboxed (@WriterUnboxed) January 28, 2015
#WUAgent
Read MoreIt’s hard to believe we’ve concluded another year here at Writer Unboxed, but what a ground-breaking year it was! We saw the eighth straight year of being nominated by Writer’s Digest as a top website, we dabbled in our own publishing imprint Writer Unboxed Publishing with Ani Bolton’s STEEL AND SONG, and also launched our first ever Un-Conference. The industry brought some major news as well– ebook subscriptions, the plateau of ereader (and ebook) sales, and the great debate between corporate giants Amazon and Hachette. On that note, December has been a fairly quiet month as the industry churns out their “best of” lists. Still, you can count on us to find some juicy news to report. Take a look at this month’s hot links.
#WUPrint
"The Bookseller’s Books of 2014 66 by Women, 54 by Men" @Porter_Anderson http://t.co/nlBpCGW33z #WUPrint
— Writer Unboxed (@WriterUnboxed) December 18, 2014
"Macmillan Strikes Ebook Deal with Amazon" @digibookworld http://t.co/3fShMJDtNL #WUDigital #WUPrint
— Writer Unboxed (@WriterUnboxed) December 19, 2014
"Can an Oil-and-Gas Exec Disrupt the Book Business?" @pubperspectives http://t.co/C4uSn4owIo #WUPrint
— Writer Unboxed (@WriterUnboxed) December 12, 2014
#WUAgent
Read MoreAfter the wonderful Writer Unboxed Un-Conference, many writers in the community who could not attend, thanked me and the other avid tweeters for sharing juicy tidbits on the conference hashtag. Well, it got Therese and I (among others) thinking. Why not host a monthly chat in real time where we can check in with each other, discuss our writing practices, talk about the industry, and send out encouragement on a regular basis? Sound like a fabulous idea? We thought so, too. Without further ado, I’d like to introduce an exciting new concept here at Writer Unboxed: the #WUChat!
Here are the deets–
WHEN: Every First of the month, (December 1st is our kick-off!), at 1 p.m. EST.
WHERE: On the #WUChat hashtag.
WHO: Anyone in the Writer Unboxed community (or anyone on Twitter can engage for that matter)
HOW: Each session will begin with a topic question or two related to discussion items circulating at Writer Unboxed about anything from publishing to craft. Yours truly (@msheatherwebb) will host right from the Writer Unboxed Twitter account (@WriterUnboxed).
TIPS: Have trouble blocking out all the other noise on Twitter? Try using TweetChat. All you do is type Tweetchat.com into your browser window. Type #WUChat into the search bar. It will prompt you to allow your Twitter account to access it. Say yes. VOILA! You will then be in what appears as a private chat room. Basically, this app gives you a clean screen with only tweets and information regarding this particular chat. In addition, it has the hashtag already added for you so you don’t have to keep counting your characters, etc. If you use Tweetdeck, just add a new column for #WUChat to your screen.
For December 1st, our opening prompts will be:
Checking In: Where are you in your works in progress? What are your next steps?
If you attended the Un-Conference, how is it helping to shape your writing, your attitudes toward your works, or the craft as a whole?
I look forward to seeing you all there!
Read MoreOctober is a busy month in publishing. From the Frankfurt Book Fair, to book festivals across the U.S., and literary prize announcements, there was loads happening. Believe it or not, that’s just the beginning. Take a look at the hottest links below or browse Writer Unboxed’s hashtags at Twitter.
#WUPrint
Simon & Schuster to go agency with Amazon on e-book sales http://t.co/NKNQUXqjKd #WUPrint #WUDigtial
— Writer Unboxed (@WriterUnboxed) October 21, 2014
"Why the subscription dream of a ‘Netflix for books’ still has its limits" @guardian http://t.co/vF7GYinu30 #WUPrint #WUDigital
— Writer Unboxed (@WriterUnboxed) October 20, 2014
Amazon to Outsource Book Agents' Jobs to Scout | Mashable http://t.co/omq7AJZIwN #WUPrint
— Writer Unboxed (@WriterUnboxed) October 15, 2014
#WUDigital
Read More
September flew by in a whirlwind of words, words, words, and plenty of interesting happenings in the industry. Publishers are launching digital-onlys, banned book lists are circulating like wildfire, and the Amazon-Hachette debate continues. Pour a steaming cup of pumpkin spiced Joe and browse this month’s hottest links below. Be sure to hit up our hashtags on Twitter for the mother load.
#WUPrint
"Amazon to launch crowd-sourced publishing" @thebookseller http://t.co/EKF5yXjLrt #WUPrint
— Writer Unboxed (@WriterUnboxed) September 23, 2014
"Global markets on the up as print sales recover" @thebookseller http://t.co/udYtM4ezXT #WUPrint
— Writer Unboxed (@WriterUnboxed) September 22, 2014
Publishers Challenged by Marketing Authors @MikeShatzkin http://t.co/77kbY94T8K #WUPrint
— Writer Unboxed (@WriterUnboxed) September 5, 2014
#WUCraft
Read More
For many of us, August brought vacation, homegrown vegetables, and plenty of words on the page. Just in case you missed the mergers, the continuing Amazon-Hachette debate, or some downright juicy craft links designed to jump start your writing, we bring you our top tweets of the month. Be sure to browse the #WU hashtags on Twitter for lots more. Enjoy the final days of summer!
#WUPrint
"Blurb Does Deal With Ingram to Help Indie Authors Get Into Bookstores" via @DigiBookWorld: http://t.co/NWozC4zVHp #WUPrint
— Writer Unboxed (@WriterUnboxed) August 20, 2014
"Plot Thickens as 900 Writers Battle Amazon" @nytimes http://t.co/iiImoI030b #WUPrint
— Writer Unboxed (@WriterUnboxed) August 8, 2014
"Kensington Signs Exclusive to Sell Ebook Imprint Titles in Print at Books-A-Million" via @DigiBookWorld: http://t.co/RIyxSUL5pT #WUPrint
— Writer Unboxed (@WriterUnboxed) August 20, 2014
#WUCraft
“Writing A Character Who Has An Addiction” via @NailYourNovel http://t.co/TkxoAD33gg #WUCraft
— Writer Unboxed (@WriterUnboxed) August 20, 2014
“Are You an Expert? How Writing Changes Our Brain” via @JamiGold http://t.co/s5L006F7Dj #WUCraft
— Writer Unboxed (@WriterUnboxed) August 19, 2014
“Who is the unreliable narrator?" via http://t.co/fHb23I6SZT http://t.co/wJ4bbYxmcm #WUCraft
— Writer Unboxed (@WriterUnboxed) August 18, 2014
#WUAgent
Read More
