Business
It’s a conundrum—for most publishers, a writer needs an agent to market a novel manuscript. But today’s market makes even connecting with an agent damned difficult. Here’s what agent Kristin Nelson said on her blog, Pub Rants:
“I’m passing on really good novels because currently I believe that really good might not be good enough in today’s market.”
I’ve run into that response consistently with a novel of mine, The Vampire Kitty-cat Chronicles. Several top agents have asked for partials, and here’s their reaction:
“I love vampire kitty, I just don’t know what to do with it.”
“This is unique, voicey and hilarious–and not quite right for me. Gah!!!”
“I laughed out loud and thoroughly enjoyed the feline perspective on vampirism. Still, I worried that it’s the kind of project that many editors would love but wouldn’t necessarily be able to buy.”
“I think it’s original and very cute. Unfortunately, I don’t think I can sell it.”
Okay, so it’s an agent’s job to sell—or, perhaps more accurately, find a willing editor. I understand that.
On the other hand, plenty of beta readers, perfect strangers who encountered my kitty-cat novel on Authonomy, reacted this way:
“Oh, hell, how funny is this?????”
“Patch, the vampire kitty, has risen to the ranks of one of my all-time favorite heroes.”
“Bravo. I was looking for laughs and I got them. What a pleasant escape from the daily grind of life.”
“This is a cat I want to know. I love this character.”
“Pure comic genius.”
“The best vampire book I’ve ever read. Delightfully funny!”
“I wanted you to know that I adore Patch.”
And yet I can’t get this beast represented. As one agent said, “Gah!!”
So what’s a writer to do?
Here’s what I’m going to do, and you can help.
You saw this coming—I’m going to publish this myself. Time is a factor: the vampire craze will simmer down soon or later (especially now that zombies are the new vampire); I have a fresh twist on the vampire myth that just might cut through; and a star character. Here’s a rundown of the steps I’m taking:
Read MoreKath and I will be changing the way the blog runs in the next few months. Instead of posting a Q&A every Friday, we’ll post interviews twice monthly. Historical fiction author Anna Elliot will claim one of those freed-up Friday slots while the other will belong to our newest contributor–Jane Friedman, editor with Writer’s Digest. Her bio, which will be permanently available on her WU page, reads:
Jane Friedman is the publisher and editorial director of the Writer’s Digest brand community at F+W Media in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she oversees Writer’s Digest magazine, Writer’s Digest Books, and the Writer’s Market series. Writer’s Digest is the world’s #1 resource and community for writers, and for nearly 90 years has published the best-selling annual reference guide, Writer’s Market. Jane’s blog on the industry, There Are No Rules, tackles the future of the publishing industry and how authors can successfully adapt. She lives in Cincinnati.
Now you understand why we’re so thrilled Jane accepted our invitation. Her vision? Jane will be our version of Snopes for Writers, debunking the bad advice she often stumbles upon online. Sounds terrific, no? She’ll slide into her new official day with us–the 3rd Friday of every month–on December 18th, though you may see her here before then. Stay tuned.
In other news, Juliet Marillier increased her generous offer of a two-book giveaway for her new release, Heart’s Blood, to three books. Our winners, chosen by a random number generator from the list of commenters on Juliet’s Take Five interview are:
Read MoreLorin Oberweger is a highly sought-after independent book editor and ghostwriter with more than eighteen years experience in the publishing industry. Her company, Free Expressions, also offers writing seminars nationwide with Donald Maass and others. In addition, she serves as editorial director for the renowned Writers Retreat Workshop. Lorin is also an award-winning author, whose poetry, short fiction, and articles have appeared in well over one-hundred periodicals, including The Montserrat Review, Storyquarterly, and the bestselling anthology French Quarter Fiction, published by Light of New Orleans Press.
We’re thrilled she could be with us today to talk about her various jobs and what we as writers might learn from her many experiences. Welcome, Lorin!
Part 1: Interview with Lorin Oberweger
Q: First off, please tell us about yourself. What is your job, your role?
LO: Thanks for asking! I wear several hats, actually, but the two most notable ones are those of independent book editor (going on fifteen years since I first “hung out my shingle”) and co-creator/Editorial Director of the Writing the Breakout Novel weeklong intensives, with literary agent Donald Maass.
I’m also editor-in-residence of the Writers Retreat Workshop, and have been on the staff of that workshop for quite some time now.
Q: How do larger conferences and seminars differ from small workshop groups, if at all? (Many conferences have small breakout sessions.)
Read MoreToday, WU friend Eileen Flanagan has stopped by to share a post with us about her experience changing literary agents–a frightening and sometimes necessary step. Enjoy!
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My new book is about the Serenity Prayer—you know, accepting the things we cannot change and finding the courage to change those we can. The funny thing is, I never would have published this book on change if my writer’s group hadn’t convinced me to change literary agents.
I had already published one book and had been happy with the job my agent had done in selling it, though I couldn’t help suspecting that she was disappointed when I wasn’t catapulted to bestseller status. After the book’s release and my son’s subsequent birth, I never heard from her, which was fine. I was home with two young children, writing during nap time, but not focused on sales. A few years later, however, when I was ready to pick up my career and send out a new proposal, I found I had been handed off to her assistant agent, a very nice woman who was a great editor, but not as assertive as the senior agent. I accepted the demotion and worked with the junior agent, feeling stuck when my new book proposal didn’t sell. I knew part of the problem was the book idea itself, and part was market timing, but I couldn’t help feeling that part of it was the agent, who liked but didn’t love my book. I wanted someone who LOVED what I was writing and who understood my Quaker spirituality.
Along came my writing group, nine talented women who decided to gather monthly—not to critique each other’s work, but to support each other professionally. Our check-ins became notoriously long, agents being a common topic. Over tea, wine, and cookies we could ask the questions we harbored: Does your agent call you back? How many proposals does she sent out before she gives up? Do you have a written contract? Is the same agent right for every project?
Read MoreKath here. Yesterday, valued contributor and master innovator JC Hutchins blogged about unboxed, low budget and downright brilliant ways for writers to promote their books. We split the post into two parts because there were too many goodies in just one and the post, erm, broke our blog a little bit. ;)
His post today picks up from yesterday’s. Enjoy and be awestruck.
Novel content
I’m fortunate to be working with some cool folks at St. Martin’s Press, who are granting me great latitude with my promotion. They permitted me to release the full text of the novel in weekly serialized podcast and PDF formats at my site. Fans who enjoy audiobooks now receive free weekly doses of the novel (and in-podcast encouragement to support the book’s release). The PDFs resonate with folks who prefer to read their fiction (each PDF features links to online retailers, my website, and even a printable order form that they can present to their favorite brick-and-mortar bookseller). The content has high value from an entertainment standpoint, and provides avenues for book sales.
Fan-powered content
I’m also releasing weekly “fan update” podcasts. These are audio reports that feature timely updates on the status of my book . More important, they feature feedback from my fans. Using a free Google Voice account, I created the “Clone Line,” a voicemail system that permits fans to leave phone messages, which I play on these episodes. My peeps are empowered with an opportunity to connect with me and the community, and I get to gush about their support. Toss in weekly evangelical “street team” missions with signed books as prizes, and you’ve got some killer entertainment.
Let me tell you what I’m doing right now. It ain’t pretty, but it’s the truth — and we writers quest to be honest with ourselves, the worlds we create, and the words we use.
It’s butterfly-kissing midnight. I’ve lit my umpteenth cigarette of the day. I’m guzzling a bottle of Diet Coke. I’m working on four hours of sleep (as I have, each day, for the past month). I’m into my fourteenth hour of working non-stop. I could scrub pans with the stubble I’m sporting. My attention span has been reduced to that of a hummingbird’s.
And I stink. Man … do I stink.
As I write this, I am one week away from my book launch. I wrote a novel about seven human clones. It took me seven years to get here. And now, it’s seven days away. I’d ponder the lovely symmetry of that, had I the time.
But I don’t. I’m working it. Shakin’ it. Just as I believe I was put on this planet to tell tall tales, I believe I’m ethically obligated to do everything I can to make my book a success. I swung for the bleachers when I wrote the sonuvagun; I owe it the same level of dedication when it’s out in the wild. Your work does, too.
Revving yourself to the red line isn’t sustainable, but more important, it’s wrongheaded if the promotional campaign you have in place isn’t well-conceived. Your time, energy and money are precious commodities; how and where you spend them largely determines the fate of your work’s success.
Read MoreMy debut novel, The Last Will of Moira Leahy, releases TODAY! There are few words to describe the elation I feel–the sense of accomplishment melded with a sublime happiness.
I’m basking in the moment, collecting my snippets–like the Library Journal’s Falling into Bounty list (that’s my cover, leading the lineup!), the Boston Globe’s positive review of Last Will (no linkie, sorry; there are spoilers) and supportive words from friends like Therese Fowler, Ann Aguirre, and Larramie, my fairy godmother. (Psst, Larramie and Ann are doing giveaways!) Soon enough, I’ll need to tuck these memories away and get busy with the next chapters of my life–and I’ll stop writing so much about publicity efforts and start blogging about craft topics again. Promise.
But not today.
Today, I’ll be all over the blogosphere, doing interviews (check out Brant Flakes; Random Jottings, What Women Write, and Writer Mama Riffs) and visiting the ~70 blogs of those who are participating in the tsunamic effort lead by Women on Writing (WOW) to get word of my book out there. Tonight, I’ll give a book talk/publishing chat and sign copies of Last Will. Later, a bunch of us will party at one of my favorite restaurants. I can’t imagine how sore my cheeks will be from smiling tonight; I’m looking forward to that.
A few months ago, I stumbled upon a great article by author Eileen Flanagan entitled IF YOU LOVE A WRITER. I asked her if we might reprint it here at Writer Unboxed, and she agreed. Selfishly, I’ve saved the post to go live today. I don’t know if you love me–or if you love me enough to take any of these steps–but if you do, THANK YOU. Seriously. And thanks for being here with me, on this wild and crazy ride to publication. Writing is, as we so often reflect, a lonely endeavor, but you all have made it much less so.
Without further ado…
IF YOU LOVE A WRITER
by Eileen Flanagan
After ten years of writing around my children’s schedules, I have a book coming out in a few months, and friends have been asking what they can do to support me. I’ve been touched by their offers and yet reticent to ask too much, especially of busy people in a tough economy. At the same time, the online writers groups I belong to are a buzz day and night with authors trying to figure out how to publicize their work before the entire publishing industry goes bankrupt. So, as a community service, I’ve decided to write up ten suggestions for all the people who love a book author who’s been fighting the publicity odds (Fellow writers, feel free to forward this link or add your own suggestions in the comment section.):
1.
Read MoreScenario: Your book is about to come out (as mine is, in exactly seven days–that’s one week–squee!). You have a great publisher (check). You’re thrilled with the book (check). Your publicity team is working hard on your behalf (check). What do you do in the weeks and months leading up to your novel’s release?
A. Nothing. My publicity team is rockin’. They’ll handle everything.
B. Something. My publicity team is rockin’, but I’ll post some information about myself on Twitter, Facebook and my blog.
C. Bunches. My publicity team is rockin’, I’m posting about myself on Twitter, Facebook, my blog and taking some of the opportunities that come my way.
D. Everything I can think of–Twitter, Facebook, other social networking sites, my blog, their blogs–and then some.
So you might’ve guessed which road I’ve chosen: D. I’m going to tell you a little about what I’ve done, in case any of my steps inspire you into thinking outside of the publicity box, too, but first let me tell you why I picked the hard road.
1. This economy. It stinks. Though I haven’t heard anything official from my publicity team (e.g. “Wow, we would’ve had more to support you a year and a half ago”), I suspect they’ve been asked to tighten the purse strings. That doesn’t change my advance. That doesn’t change that my reputation as an author will be hurt if the book doesn’t sell as well as it could’ve if the word was spread just a bit more.
2. This economy. It stinks. People who read books are still reading books–thankfully–but they may very well only be choosing to buy a small percentage of the books they used to. My book has to pop on their radar if it’s going to take one of those plum chosen-book spots. And getting on their radar means they hear about my book in a variety of places.
3. This season. It’s a fine season for books–despite the economy, despite meager budgets. There are long-awaited books out this fall by authors such as Audrey Niffenegger, Dan Brown, Jacquelyn Mitchard and Edward Kennedy. What’s a debut author to do if she hopes to be picked up alongside one of these greats or at least be considered? Options A, B and C weren’t going to cut it.
So what, exactly, have I done?
Read MoreWriterly news from around the interwebs.
In yet another indication that the YA market remains strong, publisher Sourcebooks has announced that they are launching a new YA imprint, Fire.
SOURCEBOOKS FIRE will officially launch in spring 2010 with seven titles, including a bestselling paranormal romance series from the UK, a novel based on the true life story of teenage sisters who invented the séance in 1848, a romantic mystery set against the backdrop of the civil war, and a YA supernatural thriller set in New York City, among others.
Spearheading the venture is Dan Ehrenhaft, who came over to Sourcebooks from Alloy Entertainment this spring. For those who don’t know, Alloy Entertainment media is responsible for unleashing juggernauts Gossip Girls and the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, among other heavy hitters in the YA market. This is an exciting development for those who write YA.
In another instance of Amazon=eeeevil,
Read MorePlease welcome J.C. to Writer Unboxed! This is his first official post with us as a monthly contributor, and we are thrilled to have him.
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There comes a point in the life of your Work In Progress when — hot dog! — it’s no longer a Work In Progress. The sucker’s done, you did it … heck, you frickin’ nailed it, and the time has come to query agents, or present it to your agent or editor, or self-publish. The rest of this essay assumes that your work will resonate with the appropriate gatekeepers, and soon soar beyond your grasp, off into the world, to be consumed by an audience.
This distribution could come in the form of a big-name publisher, an indie press, DIY-fueled print on demand, self-recorded audio podcast, home-brewed blog serialization … whatever. Point is, it’ll be out there. But unless you’re blessed with an existing audience (fancy-pants publishers call this a “platform,” though I prefer the term “wicked awesome fans”), few people are going to know about it. Your brilliant tale is bobbing in a sea of other brilliant tales. Your signal is lost in all that noise.
To leave the success of your work completely in the hands of a publisher publicist is foolish; that professional may be talented, but he’s pimping at least twenty other books this month, and is spread so thin, he gives Laffy Taffy a run for its money. To believe that random word of mouth alone will differentiate your stuff from other novelists’ is equally wrongheaded; how can people gab about something they don’t know exists? You’re a writer, which means you’re probably broke, so self-funded ads are out of the question. And doggone it, Oprah isn’t returning your calls.
There’s a dozen-dozen ways to combat the great enemy Obscurity — but this month, I recommend making friends. It’s good for business.
Read More* We’re thrilled to announce that Writer Unboxed made the Editor Unleashed 25 Best Writing Blogs list, along with contributor Ray Rhamey’s personal site, Flogging the Quill. The entire list is great; definitely worth exploring.
* We have a new contributor starting with Writer Unboxed this month: J.C. Hutchins is an award-winning novelist best known for his 7th Son technothriller trilogy, which he released as free serialized audiobooks from 2006-07. With approximately 100,000 downloads of his episodic fiction still occurring each month, 7th Son is the most popular “podcast novel” series in history. Read the rest of his bio HERE, or visit him at his personal website HERE. Tell you what: J.C. is going to inject WU with a great new vibe, and I cannot wait to read his posts. He’s absolutely on the cutting edge, incredibly knowledgeable, and knows how to relay information to help other writers. Be sure to tune in for his first official post with us on 9/24 and watch for his in-depth interview here at WU, coming soon.
* I promised you the low-down on reviews for The Last Will of Moira Leahy. As my editor recently reminded me, the saying “four out of five dentists agree” exists for a reason. Positive reviews came in from Publisher’s Weekly, Booklist and Romantic Times; Kirkus wasn’t quite so positive, though we did get a nice pull quote from them. Frankly, if you plan to read Last Will, I wouldn’t hunt for the Kirkus review even for curiosity’s sake, as they also included spoilers (don’t get me started, as it’s a whole ‘nother blog post); but you can read the reviews and pull quotes HERE.
* While you’re checking out those reviews, do a girl a favor and check out my personal blog. I have left it mouldering this summer, and you’ll notice I snagged a few things from WU to round out my otherwise pathetic offerings, but I’m going to try try try to be better about keeping it updated and I’d love to see a friendly face or two. Really. I’ve already had more spam comments to delete than actual comments. Crickets do not inspire. Oh, and if you go and visit you’ll be able to see my Barnes & Noble poster; c’mon, you know you want to.
* My book jackets have been printed, and my editor sent me a few this past week. Ooh ahh. Love.
* Speaking of love, I love Writer’s Digest, and this month you’ll see a little love coming back my way too. Open up the October issue of the magazine and you’ll find a mini-view with moi, on Last Will and more. I also wrote a meaty and revealing essay for the 2010 Guide to Literary Agents, where you’ll find “over 550 listings for literary agents, writers’ conferences, and more,” called Leaping Into the Fray: A Writer’s First Year with an Agent and Editor. Is there anything I haven’t already told you here at WU? Yes, there is! The invaluable 362-page tome is now available wherever books are sold (check out […]
Read MoreThere comes a time in every author’s life when he or she will receive the inevitable: the terrible, horrible, so-bad review that you want to jump inside of your computer and rip it off the web so no one who ever knows you, much less anyone who has never met you, will read you and judge you by it.
Welcome to the life of a public figure. It’s almost a hazing ritual, it’s so common.
I remember receiving my first truly terrible, TERRIBLE review, even almost three years later. My debut book was coming out that week, I was admittedly a bundle of frayed nerves, upset intestines and barely-coherent brain waves. But – until that point – all of my reviews had been positive, and frankly, let’s be honest, I thought my book was pretty damn good. So there I was, on a lazy Sunday morning, surfing the web, when my google alert came on. “Ooh, I’m in the Washington Post!,” I thought. I scrambled to check it out.
O.M.G.
Blood rushed to my cheeks, time stood still, I probably screamed.
Read MoreI’m thrilled to announce the launch this week of my new website. You’ll find it at www.julietmarillier.com. This is the culmination of a four month cooperative process with web designer Ariel Faulkner of ARIEL ink. In this post I’ll share the steps in that process.
Why redesign?
As a published novelist with readers all around the world, I need to maintain an attractive and user-friendly website. My original website was set up for me by a family member approximately ten years ago, using Microsoft Frontpage, a program ideal for an internet newbie as it requires no knowledge of html coding. Once the site was up, I maintained and updated it myself.
The website always looked rather home-grown, despite my continuing efforts to improve it. Frontpage has its limitations, and so do I as programmer / designer. As the years passed, I became increasingly aware that other people’s websites worked better and looked more appealing. I knew that even if I had the time and patience to learn another web design program, I would not be able to create the fabulous site I wanted. What was required was a professional redesign. I had to find a designer who would really understand my work and the look I wanted on the site. That seemed so difficult that I put it off for a ridiculously long time. Then my web host announced a scaling back of support for Frontpage. I needed to act.
Choosing a designer
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