The Agent Challenge: Join the Grueling Process of Finding an Agent --All You Need on One Page

Is Deidre Getting an Agent, or what?!

2012-09-24T10:38:00.000-07:00

I have to confess, I've been working to edit a manuscript called The Testimony . It's nearly finished and like Saving Mary, I plan on self publishing this one too! In fact, I'm rather fond of self publishing. I'm so fond of it that my editor and I have decided that self publishing is the route we are journeying down for at least four more books. This route may not be the path you choose, you may not have found a wonderful editor who's willing to kick things into high gear, you may not want the added stress of finding your book's readers, or playing the ever-changing Amazon market, or forking out cash for advertising...but I guess I kind of like all that stuff. And so here I go again, plunging myself into the publishing biz.

FYI, I didn't foresee myself heading down this path. I have to admit, I'm such a go-getter that I totally expected to find myself a wonderful agent who would scoop up my books and push them out into the publishing world. In fact, I did send my "testimony" manuscript out to a large handful of agents (last year...with little response), but recently I've been spending my energy on polishing and finalizing the book so that it's ready to upload to Amazon (as opposed to an intermediary agent). The Testimony should be ready for sale by December 25, 2012. I'll let you know if it it gets out at that time. So, is Deidre going to find an agent? Not at this time--she's got an editor, and at this point that's all she needs!

Harper Collin's Accepting Unagented Material--Now!

2012-09-21T09:09:00.000-07:00

Sorry I've been gone for so long, but I've been busy, busy, busy! However, I didn't want anyone to miss this opportunity from Harper's blog page:

Harper Voyager, HarperCollins’ science fiction and fantasy imprint, will accept complete and unagented manuscripts for two weeks.
From October 1 until October 14, authors from around the world can send their manuscripts through this submission portal. You can find all the submission details at this link. Here’s more from the publisher:

The manuscripts will then be read and those most suited to the global Harper Voyager list will be selected jointly by editors in the USA, UK and Australia. Accepted submissions will benefit from the full publishing process: accepted manuscripts will be edited; and the finished titles will receive online marketing and sales support in World English markets. Voyager will be seeking an array of adult and young adult speculative fiction for digital publication, but particularly novels written in the epic fantasy, science fiction, urban fantasy, horror, dystopia and supernatural genres.

The global effort is led by U.K. deputy publisher director Emma Coode, Australian associate publisher Deonie Fiford, and U.S. executive editor Diana Gill

LINK TO THE PAGE HERE

Seriously, this is what publishing is like...

2012-08-28T19:04:00.000-07:00

Finally, we have a realistic view of what a writer goes through in order to get a book in the hands of readers. Thank you...Nathan Bransford for posting this on your awesome blog.

At first you're thinking of writing a novel and you're all...

But then you have an idea!

And you go...

But then you hit page 50 and you're all....

And then you hit page 75 and you're all...

But you power through!!

And then you're finished!!! You have finished a novel!!

Only then find out you have to start querying agents.

So you write your query letter...

You obsess over it...

And then you send it out to agents and you're all...

Then a couple of days go by and you're all...

And...

But then you hear from your first agent!! And you're all...

And...

And it's a rejection. But it's just your first one so you're all...

Then you get a few more and it's more like...

But then! An agent calls! And they love your work! They want to represent you! And inside you're like...

But you don't want your agent to think you're crazy so instead you're like...

And you love your agent! When you say "yes" you want to...

But instead you go...

And then it's time to submit to publishers. You are back on submission, and you're like...

Then the editors start saying....

And...

And your inbox starts looking like...

And you're all...

And...

But then your phone says your agent is calling. And you want to be like...

But instead it's more like...

And it's an offer! You have an offer! And you feel like...

And...

And then you go celebrate with your friends and they're all...

And on the car ride home you're still like...

But it's time for revisions. And you pretend you know what you're doing...

And it's back to...

But then you're done! You're really really done! Only your book doesn't come out for another year. And so you're like...

And...

You get your cover and you're all...

But then publication day approaches! And your reviews start coming out and it kind of feels like...

But some of them are good! And you're like...

And then your book is out there! People are reading your book!

And it feels pretty good!

And there's only one thing to do. Start the whole thing over again.

More Query Tips...and Some HA! HA!

2012-08-23T09:31:00.000-07:00

I'm running out to buy some stationary with pretty planets all over it--because my writing is "out of this world!" Worst query I ever sent out was one to a picture book publisher. When the editor sent my query back (with a "no thank you") he was sure to include my whole submission--including my query PLUS the three rough drafts (I wrote the query three times trying to get it right) that I had mistakenly mailed out with the query.

Query Letter Advice (#1)

2012-08-21T14:25:00.001-07:00

Does Amazon Pay?

2012-08-13T22:40:00.000-07:00

I put my creepy little memoir up on Amazon's bookshelf back in April of this year in the hopes that I could avoid mentor M's Reason #56 of why my book might get REJECTED: "You Have no Sales History to Speak Of" and also because it seemed like a darn fun thing to do. Well, putting my book out there was a lot of work, but as I've said before it's been worth it. Just recently I received my first month's royalty check. It was for $200.00 which isn't amazing, but it's also not bad. (The average ebook author makes $500.00 a year.) I have to admit putting a book up on Amazon AND stirring up sales is a lot like playing the market--things can change quickly;one day you're up and the next you're wondering what went wrong. This fluctuation has a lot to do with algorithms and how Amazon tweaks them. (For instance, just when you think Amazon's KDP Select program is a great marketing tool for self-pubs like me they go and change the algorithms, making it more difficult to get your book noticed. See this May blog for an explanation...
Amazon's changing algorithms )

But as many kindle self-pubs know, there's more to selling books than just KDP Select...see Renee Pawlish's blog.

So, does Amazon pay? Sure, but it's not a walk in the park. It's more like a hike up a steep bank...a steep bank that doesn't seem to end.

Top Five Ways to Build a Platform

2012-07-25T11:19:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I'm not an expert on this. I'm just like you, a struggling writer, a nobody, one who's been told, "We can't publish you--you have no platform." We all hate that excuse, "no platform." We hate it because it means we're good writers but we're not famous, or outgoing, or life-changers. "No platform" means I could be a world-change agent, but I have decided to just be a writer. "No platform" means I like to write, but I don't want to engage my audience one on one. "No platform" means no book deal.

So write an ebook and forget about platform. The problem with that line of thinking is that even with an ebook eventually you will have to market the darn thing and suddenly you must again deal with the elephant in the room. Wait a minute, before we continue trying to deal with that nasty elephant that we call "platform" let's just replace that scary word with something more managable and meaningful: "social passion."

Now think about your manuscript, think about what you like about it: the characters, the message, the genre, or perhaps you like the audience. What ever you like about your manuscript...well, that's your social passion. For instance, if you love the genre of Romance then let your social passion be that...and then expand on it.

1. Start with a website. Be sure to make it professional so you don't trigger Reason #39 on agent Mike Nappa's list, "Your Internet Presence is Shoddy and Unprofessional."

2. Offer a class at your local library (or your church, or college) and teach about your social passion. If you are able to create intense characters offer up some of your time to teach at your local writer's group (that always opens doors to bigger venues). Get some speaking engagements (no matter how small).

3. Get an author picture done. Get a good one and make sure you look professional, but not boring!

4. Get socially connected. It's easy to go overboard with this one since there are so many avenues to follow in this new virtual world. But the basics are still the same: get a Facebook fan page so people can "like" you, get a blog going (think outside the box when it comes to subject matter because there are now a gazillion blogs out there). Get on LinkedIn and connect not with friends but with experts or professionals in your field, get a Twitter account (though I'm not sure if Twitter is getting read as much). Still, Twitter is a great way to approach people in your field. Learn how to use these social avenues and be sure to have fun with them; otherwise, they will seem like just work.

5. Get creative. Spend some serious time thinking about how you want your social passion to show: Do you envision yourself traveling in your own city, speaking with children about books? Do you envision yourself teaching? Are you the energetic, encouraging kind? Are you funny? For myself, I wanted to start a conference. I wanted a place where people could come together to learn, to be encouraged, to have fun. I wanted to meet the people who were leaders in my area, so I went the conference route. My upcoming conference MotherHeart Conference 2013 will be in Richland WA on May 3, 4th. I named my conference after my manuscript The MotherHeart of God: Biblical Evidence for the Femininity of the Holy Spirit. Because of this conference, I have met so many amazing people, and ideas for my social passion are now jumping to mind more and more. You can check out my website here at www.motherheartconference.com (you can also buy tickets here...FYI)

Reason No. 37 Why Your Book was REJECTED!

2012-07-15T20:10:00.000-07:00

I self published my ebook with the high hopes of building a 'platform' as per the advice of agent Michael Larsen author of How to Write a Book Proposal and agent Mike Nappa at Nappaland agency (author of 77 Reasons Why Your Book Was Rejected [and how to be sure it won't happen again!] After all, according to reason #37 of Mentor M's book, an agent might bypass me as a potential client because Amazon readers don't like me or agents might bypass me because of Reason #56: "You Have no Sales History to Speak Of." (This is different from Reason #57 "You Have a Sales History, and it Sucks." Man, writing is a finicky line of work!) Of course, in order to have any Amazon readers (to love or hate me) I first must have a book up on Amazon, which means I must first be published (or self published) before I contact an agent. (This is the main reason I put my memoir up on Amazon--because I am dedicated to following theses guys' advice.) The fact is (as I have learned) agents like to know if people are already reading your stuff, they like to know if you already have a fan base, and they like to know that people actually like what you write. So, having a book out there that elicits some good Amazon reviews--this helps. As agent Mike reminds us in his book, everyone in the biz reads Amazon reviews so we should be working hard to hopefully get some good ones.

However, with all that being said, I am immensely enjoying having my ebook up on amazon--and not for the reason of building a platform in order to attract an agent. I just like being in charge of marketing. I like seeing sales come in, I even like getting the reviews (both good and bad--though I enjoy the good ones much more). I enjoy thinking about what my next step is going to be, I enjoy following the ebook trends and changes, I enjoy keeping my book rights, and I enjoy working on part two of Saving Mary: The Deliverance which I will also release as an ebook. (In fact, I would say that if you want to release an ebook I wouldn't bother at all with a publisher.)

But (you may be asking yourself) if I enjoy being self-published in this new ebook era why would I still be hoping to bag me an agent? Why do I continue with this blog? The answer is four-fold. First, I see that the ebook market and the hard-copy bookstore market are two completely different markets (one of which requires an agent to succeed in) which means, if I want to be in a bookstore I more than likely need an agent. Second, I am not convinced that non-fiction sells best as ebooks (though I could be wrong). I say this because I just read my first non-fiction ebook on my Kindle: Fresh Air: The Holy Spirit for an Inspired Life by Jack Levison

I enjoyed this book and highly recommend it, but I wanted so much to make notes inside it and it took me some time to figure out how to do that, then it took me more time to figure out how to find my notes. Through it all, I deeply wished I had bought a hard copy so I could keep the book on hand to look up my notes (I guess I'm still a bit 'old school'). So since my other books are non-fiction I have to take my feelings into consideration: would they sell well as ebooks or would they do better as hard copies? In fact, this article called "Your Ebook is Reading You" talks about some of the issues readers are having with non-fiction in ebook form. Here is an excerpt from the article:

Barnes & Noble has determined, through analyzing Nook data, that nonfiction books tend to be read in fits and starts, while novels are generally read straight through, and that nonfiction books, particularly long ones, tend to get dropped earlier.

My third reason for still searching for an agent is that there is still a stigma attached to virtual books (that they lack in quality) and since I'd like my non-fiction to be taken seriously, I may need an agent rather than a great editor. And finally, the fourth reason I am still looking for an agent even though I love the ebook market: I am a curious sort of person and so I'd like to experience both markets.

Ebook Blog Tours--How do They Help?

2012-07-10T08:06:00.000-07:00

I'm just about finished doing four blog tours for my ebook Saving Mary: The Possession.I didn't know what to expect from a tour. I wasn't sure they would boost sales, I wasn't sure they would get me reviews, I wasn't sure if they'd be easy or excruciatingly difficult. Well, they're not easy that's for sure because they do take planning (writing the blog posts takes time and so does answering all the interview questions), but I do think they're worthwhile.

Of course, don't expect them to boost sales, that may not happen. I never saw a spike in sales during the tour period...sales stayed the same and only just recently sales have dropped (I think due to it being the middle of summer). What I benefited from the most was the reviews. So far I have 20 reviews posted on Amazon (my average is 4.2) and that helps immensely. I now know that people are enjoying my creepy little memoir and they're liking it. Check out these great little blurbs that I can use for marketing.

My Name is Sage: As I became wrapped up in the story, I had to stop and remind myself I was reading true events that the author endured. That reality made this book more intense. Diedre’s honest writing allowed me to understand the desperation she felt while she tried to reach out to receive God’s grace.

Beth Art From the Heart: This was a rivoting memoir of Deidre's younger days. I didn't want to read it, but I couldn't put it down once I started reading it.

Read-A-Holicz Review: I give this 4.5/5 feathers. It was a really interesting and odd book. I wanted to know what happened but at the same time it was just so different. I highly recommend this book if you want something different and not the same old genre.

Masqueradecrew: This story was riveting. I couldn't put it down. The beginning chapters dealt with her as a child so she wrote as a child would. She dropped the letter g off the ends of words, used slang and colloquialisms to give me the impression that the child herself was speaking to me from the pages. As she became older in the book, the language became more sophisticated, more adult. It was like I was reading her diary, hearing her voice as she grew up. I felt deep empathy for her, and what she went through. This is a fabulous read. It has all the ear marks of a blockbuster. I would highly recommend it. Unfortunately I haven't read the whole story yet. The sequel, Saving Mary - Deliverance isn't out yet. I can't wait.

Deidre is Back...but did she learn anything?

2012-07-03T11:03:00.000-07:00

A big thank you to Chris Wollam for taking care of things while I was busy with ebook touring. Thank you, Chris!

Well, even though it was nice to take a break it's also great to be back. But did I learn anything while I was away doing my ebook tour? Sure, I think I did. But before I dive into all that, let me first answer a question that a few of you have sent in regarding Inkubate. As some of you know Inkubate is a site where writers can post their work in the hopes that agents or publishers will look at it. When Inkubate first started it was said that agents and publishers would pay the author for the privilege of reading their work, but that term seems to have been dropped from the site. (I really didn't think that agents would pay to read yet more queries!)

I've been a member of Inkubate since December 2011, and at one time, a few months ago, I decided to delete my file. I wanted to delete my file because there was a term that I wasn't quite comfortable with. That being: writers were not to send their work out to agents while it was posted on Inkubate's site. A writer's work was to sit exclusively with Inkubate.

You can imagine what this term would mean for writers. For instance, I had my work posted for a good few months without any bites from agents, and being a writer who likes to make sure my work is being seen by agents it was impossible to just sit and wait for those agents to hopefully drop by Inkubate and hopefully look up my work. So I decided to delete my file in order to submit my work to agents myself. However, when I went to the site to do this, I noticed that the leaders of Inkubate had changed this term. Now writers may submit their work to agents themselves while their work is posted on Inkubate. You need to remove your work only IF it is being considered by an agent or publisher. See here for FAQs

This is a great change because most writers are highly pro-active. We don't like to sit around waiting for agents to find us (even though that kind of scenario would be fantastic!) With that being said, I kept my file posted on Inkubate. Inkubate, however, is still in the development stages, so don't expect your work to get picked up by a publisher or agent anytime soon. I looked for a list of participating agents and publishers on the site but found none...so, at this point, it's hard to tell who (if anyone) uses the site to find talent.

If at some point down the road Inkubate is able to offer agents and publishers a large up-to-date data base filled with professional writers with great works for sale (and so far there doesn't seem to be any measures in place to ensure that quality work is posted--you may post anything you like in any format you like) then maybe, just maybe, the idea will work. I say maybe because agents already have all the queries they need. Why go to Inkubate for more? But of course I could be wrong. Agents and publishers may like to turn over every rock they can as they scan the world for appropriate or new material.

Book Review: Writing Picture Books

2012-06-28T09:20:00.000-07:00

Writing Picture Books, A Hands-On Guide From Story Creation to Publication, by Ann Whitford Paul, 248 pages. Ms. Paul has created a workshop in a book. The reader drafts then polishes a picture book manuscript via the following six sections:

· Before you write your story

· Early story decisions

· Structure of your story

· Language of your story

· Tying together loose story ends

· After your story is done

The best aspect of this book: it includes very explicit “how to” examples followed by specific practice tasks. For example in the section on voice, we examine and practice several points of view: third person, first person, journal, etc. The next section discusses some less common points of view such as apostrophe (narrator speaks to something that can’t speak back) and mask (narrator is an inanimate object observing or receiving action). In another section we examine how the various tenses can affect a story and then rewrite parts of our manuscript using them. By the time you have worked through the first five sections, you have a pretty good picture book manuscript. Guaranteed Best Seller? No, but guaranteed decent if you can write at all. While Writing focuses on picture books and their unique requirements, much of the instruction and many of the exercises apply to all writing. It’s a good addition to my library.

Chris4Gkids

Ready to Launch, But…

2012-06-27T14:57:00.000-07:00

I still haven’t sent out any query letters for my picture book. Is it “analysis paralysis,” an occupational hazard for a former scientist/engineer, or recognizing that I was about to “ready… shoot… aim”? I was researching agents and agencies – web sites are wonderful. One of the prospective agents lists books she is reading, included was Ann Whitford Paul’s Writing Picture Books. If the agent considers this book good enough to list on her website, I'm thinking I should at least skim it for Do’s and Don’ts that could make it or break it. Neither the local library nor Barnes & Noble had a copy that I could skim. Additionally, it couldn’t hurt to comment in my query that I bought the suggested book.

So for less than $10 I ordered a copy on-line, and it arrived in less than a week. Now that I have it, shouldn’t I read it before sending out my query? All of the agents I researched want the picture book manuscript included in the query. Keeping in mind I’m an unknown rookie, I only get one shot - the first impression. If it isn’t the best I can make it… slush pile. So instead of reporting on my first rejection, I’m studying Writing Picture Books. See this week's book review. I think the delay to study the book and make revisions will be worth it. At minimum, I’ll know I gave it my best effort.

Good fortune to all, and have a safe & sane 4th.

Chris4Gkids.

p.s. We're into workshop and conference season, anybody have a surprise success or lesson learned disappointment to share?

Book Review:The Writer’s Guide to Everyday Life in the Middle Ages

2012-06-24T15:40:00.000-07:00

The Writer’s Guide to Everyday Life in the Middle Ages, The British Isles from 500 to 1500, by Sherrilyn Kenyon, 232 pages. This book is just one in the series, The Writer’s Guide to….Lenora Good recommended that I read this book, or one like it, as a way to improve my Princess and the Blacksmith’s Son story by improving the day-to-day details with respect to the period. Some of my assumptions, filling in for knowledge, were wrong. I think it was Mark Twain who said, “Most folks aren’t ignorant because they don’t know stuff. They’re ignorant because they know stuff that ain’t so.” Here are a few examples of information that surprised me. Clothing worn by both peasants and nobility was very similar, not because of “noble” or democratic intentions, but because there were few choices. Roads were poor and travel was dangerous, so there was very little trade. The primary way for the nobles to dress up was to wear jewelry. Another interesting fact: only the title of King and associated land were automatically inherited. Although the king frequently granted the title and land of lesser nobles to the oldest son upon the nobleman's passing, he might choose to keep the land or grant it and the title to someone else.

The book is divided into four sections:

· Everyday life

· Rank & Privilege

· God & War

· People and Places

Each section includes several chapters so the reader can go directly to the desired information. For example People & Places includes: Saxons, Vikings, France, Normandy, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. Also the vocabulary for the section or chapter is arranged alphabetically.

If you are writing a period piece, books like this will save you much effort and time researching the details. And to paraphrase from Apollo 13, “Getting it wrong is not an option.” Too many people potentially involved with your book, especially readers, do know the details.

Chris4Gkids

How Good is Good Enough?

2012-06-20T07:14:00.003-07:00

There are two enemies of excellence, and they are two of the enemies of our writing career: perfection (analysis paralysis) and “good enough” (laziness). No book is a perfect “100,” and a killer “95” manuscript (arbitrary scale) on our hard drive is of no more value to our career than submitting an “80” that’s likely headed to the slush pile. I’m very close to submitting my picture book manuscript. I’m just not sure it’s good enough to hit the “90 to 95” sweet spot of excellence, i.e. good enough to be accepted with comments and/or final polishing. It’s been through multiple read/comment/rewrite cycles and two rounds of review and comment by a professional editor, so I’m confident the mechanics, punctuation, and grammar are sound. I’ve read it out-load several times and made little refinements. Now I want to review it one or two more times looking at each verb, “Is there a better one, more exciting, more descriptive?” Are there still sections of narration that could be replaced by action or dialogue? After that, I think it will be time to roll the dice and see what happens. This is the scary moment.

Using a car restoration analogy, you spend a lot of time eliminating dents and lumps, making the surface as smooth as possible. This is emotionally easy because there’s always tomorrow to make it a little better. However, if you want to put the car on the road, eventually you have to cross the point of no return: mix the paint, load the paint gun, and start spraying.

A famous author, I can’t remember who, was invited to join some friends on a weekend adventure. He declined, wanting to work on his latest manuscript. Upon their return, they stopped in to see how much progress he’d made. His answer was something like, “Great weekend. On Saturday I added a comma to the closing sentence, and on Sunday I removed it.” To my mind, this manuscript is ready; he’s revising the revisions.

Bottom line: there’s no pat answer. I think we work on our book until we can’t think of anything else to improve it, or until we can’t stand to work on it any longer. Then we commit an act of faith in our skills... and query/submit. Good fortune!

Chris4Gkids

Book Review: It’s a Bunny-Eat-Bunny World

2012-06-15T13:58:00.000-07:00

It’s a Bunny-Eat-Bunny World, a writer’s guide to surviving and thriving in today’s competitive children’s book market, by Olga Litowinsky (1936-2003), 234 pages. This is the one “How To Write” book that I’ve borrowed from the library a couple times. Maybe I should buy a copy? It opens with an interesting history on children’s books, then goes on to provide information on the entire process: writing, editing, submitting, and marketing children’s books. The book includes some very important counter-intuitive information such as, “When submitting a story, especially an unsolicited one, generally do not include illustrations even with your picture book because many/most publishers have in-house or favorite illustrators.”

The biggest weakness of the book is that it was written at the turn of the century (2000, not 1900 - wow that phrase makes me feel old). Therefore it says very little about e-books or e-publishing. That said, Litowinsky shares her extensive knowledge of the children’s book genre’ gained as the author of eight children’s books and a former executive editor of children’s books at Simon & Schuster. The book is well worth a read, particularly for us rookies trying to break into writing children’s books.

Chris4Gkids

Writing: 10% Inspiration, 90% Perspiration …or… “Work, Work, Work”

2012-06-13T14:21:00.001-07:00

Writing, especially writing something that someone will pay to read, is an activity that appears to defy that old adage…until you tackle it in earnest. The work starts with the first draft. Just being disciplined enough to sit down and type that first sentence takes effort. Thus we begin Anne Lamott's (bird by bird) “shitty first draft”. For the record, I enjoy crafting words into sentences and ideas, but the laws of physics apply to writing, and writers. An object at rest tends to stay at rest, unless acted upon by an external force. I can always find six to ten things to do (make coffee, read paper, entertain cat…) before starting to write. We have to be our own external force, and keep nudging the object at rest, until we’ve completed that first draft.
Then when we finally finish that first draft, the most fun part of the process, we start the seemingly endless rounds of editing. I’m on the fourth draft of We Can Give Our Grandchildren a Better World, and expect to need two more drafts before spending good money on a professional editor. Editing is tough because it involves all that mundane grammar and punctuation stuff, plus the craft work of shaping the characters (fiction) or ideas (nonfiction). This mostly takes perspiration, with a little inspiration to solve the trouble spots.
Finally when we’ve pruned, trimmed, and smoothed until we’re confident we have a marketable product, it’s time to start marketing. This can be the hardest step of all. I’m pinch-hitting for Deidre so she can concentrate on marketing.
If writing is so much hard work, why do it? Because each of us believes that some day someone somewhere will open our book and be entertained, inspired, or both. I’ll close with a thought from Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture. The brick walls of life don’t exist to stop us from achieving our goals. They enable us to appreciate our victories. They are there to stop those other, less motivated people. We dedicated people find a way to go over, under, or around them.
Chris4Gkids

Book Review: Bird by Bird

2012-06-08T15:04:00.000-07:00

Bird by Bird- Some Instructions on Writing and Life, by Anne Lamott, 257 pages, lives up to its subtitle. I read this book a few years ago more for recreation than education. The book provides practical advice on writing, an informative peek into the emotional and psychological side of writing, and many parallels between writing and life in general. The first of these dual purpose insights on life and writing is on the back cover. It’s advice from Lamott’s father to her brother, struggling to start a school report on birds, “Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.” It’s easy to be intimidated by big projects. But isn’t that how we conquer them, one step at a time? A second insight, and possibly the one Lamott is most famous for is, “Shitty First Drafts.” She puts this at the top of the first page of new projects to remind her that the first draft is just that, a first draft, not the finished product. In life there is a time for bold action and a time for precise action.

More than any other book I’ve read (a relatively short list) Lamott describes the internal, psychological, and entertaining side of writing. She shares much of what is going on in her head and her friends’. I don’t know about you, but my brain often feels more like a population of hamsters in cage wheels, than a precisely mated set of gears in a race car’s transmission. After reading Lamott’s book, I don’t feel alone.
Chris4Gkids

Planning a Great Virtual Book Tour

2012-06-06T09:38:00.002-07:00

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF AN ASPIRING WRITER... just for your entertainment!

So as many of you know, I've been busy planning and executing a virtual ebook tour for my spiritual memoir Saving Mary: The Possession. For those who may not be hip to what a virtual tour is, it's like a book tour but instead of visiting bookstores in and around your city you instead visit blogs! Why would we do this? Exposure of course. I've signed up with four blog tours.

Orangeberry Book Tours- 1 month tour

Virtual Book Tour Cafe- 1 month tour

Young Adult Novel Reader - 2 week tour

Tourz De Codex -3 week tour

Which means I will be featured on over 60 blogs over the next 2 months. Each of these tour hosts offer to link my book up with a range of bloggers who will feature my ebook on their blog through: an interview, a feature, a personal author post, a review, or an excerpt. The tours I signed up with cost anywhere from 25.00 for a two week tour to 150.00 for a month-long tour. The tour host is responsible for hooking my ebook up with appropriate bloggers, contacting those bloggers to ask what they would like to offer on their site (book feature or interview etc.) and then making sure they post on the right day and with all my right information. A good blog host will also send out a list of interview questions, along with a list of blog post topics for you to answer. They should also keep you up to date on any changes and keep you from falling behind on developing and delivering your posts. A great tour host does all this without causing you any stress. At the end of my tours, I will let you know which tours I recommend.

* This is a great way to find reviewers, and all reviews are strictly personal opinions (you do not pay for a positive review).

Having launched my ebook tour, I have learned a few things. (And if you're thinking about embarking on your own tour, I'm hoping this will help you). I've learned ebook tours are not simple. And the more work you do beforehand, the smoother your tour will go. If you plan on doing a 1 month - 3 month book tour, I would suggest that you first develop your own material.

An author tour package prepared beforehand can save you a lot of headache. What is a tour package? It's a file that bloggers can use to get to know you and your book. It contains material and links they can post on their blog site:

Author Tour Package

-book cover image
-author pic
-author bio
-links to your author website, Amazon author page, Goodreads page, blog, Facebook fanpage
-links to your purchase pages (including B&N, Smashwords, Amazon, and your UK Amazon page--since some bloggers are in the UK)
-YouTube link to your book trailer
-average review rating on Amazon
-best way to contact the author
-a list of interview questions (if you are doing a 1 month or more tour then you will need about 20 answered questions)
-a list of quick answers (What's your favorite book? Favorite quote?)
-a list of blog posts (5- 20 posts depending on the length of your tour).

Also, before you leave for your tour remember to:
-get a professional author pic
-write an author bio
-set up your author page on Amazon (bloggers often pull material from here)
-set up your Goodreads page (many bloggers post to Goodreads)
-set up your Amazon UK page (don't forget that this is a completely different page and your author bio must be re-added here along with reviews...ask people to re-post reviews here.)

Writing the blog posts takes the most time. They need to be about 500 words and should include material that other writers or readers would want to read. Adding YouTube videos to a post can help.

Sample Ideas for Blog Posts:
-Writing to me is...
-What is your favorite genre and why?
-What are the mistakes you see in beginning writers?
-How would you change the publishing world?
-How did you come up with the title of your book?
-What are your thoughts on ebook marketing?
-What is your favorite scene in your book and why?

Samples from my tour:
The Masquerade Crew-review
Beauty and Books-ebook feature
Inky Pages-blog post

Book Review: Nonfiction Book Proposals Anybody Can Write

2012-06-01T14:20:00.000-07:00

Nonfiction Book Proposals Anybody Can Write, 310 pages, by Elizabeth Lyon. Last week I blogged on Ms. Lyon’s A Writer’s Guide to Nonfiction, so even though I haven’t read “Proposals”, it’s appropriate to cover it this week. (And it’s the next book I’ll read on my “how to become a writer/author” reference stack.) The subtitle is the enticing hook, “How to Get a Contract and Advance Before Writing Your Book.” This might sound like an over-commitment by the author, except that it’s consistent with other books about the business of writing. Nonfiction book proposals do not include manuscripts, just a couple of sample chapters. A nonfiction proposal is a sales pitch, a promise of greatness that piques the agent’s, the editor’s and the publisher’s imaginations. Just as “Writer’s Guide” provides a step-by-step description on writing the book itself, “Proposals” provides the same logical guidance for your equally important proposal. At 300+ pages this is one of my longer reference books, but skimming tells me it’s a fast read. Why am I reading multiple books on writing proposals, plus getting additional input from Deidre on similar books that she’s read? That simple cliché: “You only get one chance at a first impression.” Assume I spend two days reading Proposals, and pick up one good idea that makes my proposal a “95” versus a “90”. It might be the difference between “Tell us more” and the slush pile.

And that’s the key point for reading “Proposals”. While we may get help from agents, editors, and book doctors with a book, we are essentially on our own preparing the proposal. Without a compelling sales pitch our brilliant idea or manuscript remains nothing more. For the writer seeking a traditional book deal, the proposal is at least as important as the book itself.

Have a good weekend

Chris4Gkids

Writers Circles and Readers – Valuable Comments

2012-05-30T18:24:00.000-07:00

Last week I blogged about the need for writers circles and readers. We all need feedback from others, because nobody can objectively read their own material. As promised, this week’s blog shares some of the valuable comments I’ve received.

Projects 1, We Can Give Our Grandchild a Better World – The Next Golden Age: Diedre and I exchanged reviews of each other’s Proposal Packages. I definitely received more than I gave in this deal. First, she suggested that I add a list of endorsements (not the full endorsements) of my book and a list or description of potential follow up books. The endorsements say someone thinks your work is worth publishing, and the follow up books say there is potential for additional money to be made. Her comments on my Overview and Sample Chapters gave me new perspectives of different generation, gender, geography, and social/political viewpoints. These perspectives will help me re-edit my work to eliminate at least a few inadvertent offensive statements. Note: this is a currents events book, so it will have a sufficient population of intentionally controversial ideas. I don’t need unintentional discord.

Project 2, Sammy the Sock: This children’s book has received the widest review of my projects. Some of my kids and grandkids read it… and liked it. That told me I wasn’t totally off base. The children’s librarian at our local library was kind enough to read it. She also liked the story, especially the surprise ending. Great, a professional says it has merit and the “gimmick” worked. She recommended working on some of the dialogue that seemed stilted to her. Diedre took the time to give it a quick read, pointing out some areas where the tenses were ambiguous or confusing. Finally, I’ve sent it to a professional editor. She recommended adding more depth to the story by giving the main character deeper inner motivation. I pulled off a "two-fer" by adding more dialogue for the main character, which also enabled the character tell more of the story.

Project 3, The Princess and the Blacksmith’s Son: a short story about a dragon, a princess, and the hero that rescues her. (Yes, I have too many projects, but this one is now on the back burner until the above two are in the query stage). Through our writers club I was able to find two experienced writers willing to critique the project. They returned 12 pages of comments on my 20-page short story. I’ll spare you the details. What I found most interesting was that their comments were very different. One addressed more structural improvements, while the other emphasized improving character (and therefore story) details. The good news: both considered the project salvageable and worth salvaging, but needing a total rewrite.

Last thought, from The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published, “After you’ve sucked all the advice you can out of your readers, and made your edits, take the time to read your manuscript to yourself out loud. That’s right, your whole manuscript. Out loud. You’ll be surprised to discover how you’re suddenly able to hear sentences or passages that sound awkward.”

Good luck and happy editing.

Chris4Gkids

Book Review: A Writer’s Guide to Nonfiction

2012-05-25T07:50:00.000-07:00

A Writer’s Guide to Nonfiction, 225 pages, by Elizabeth Lyon is another reference book that I have tabbed, dog-eared, and highlighted. It really resonates with my engineer’s (left) brain, and may be even more useful tocreative right-brain writers. About 75% of it discusses the mechanics and provides examples of how to organize and write a nonfiction book. The balance covers marketing and, “What’s next.” There are many books on basic composition, how to write good sentences and paragraphs; and books for the fiction writer on creating plots and developing characters. This book guides the nonfiction writer on the path of organizing their sentences and paragraphs into cohesive ideas and concepts. The following chapters are excellent examples:

· 1 - “What Do I Want to Say?” discusses purpose, promise, and making a difference. This chapter turns your nebulous idea into a concrete mission.

· 5 – “How Do I Begin?” Every journey begins with a single step, and that step is often the hardest. This chapter provides 15 types of lead sentences that can be used individually or in combination to set the tone of your book and start you (and the reader) on a fulfilling journey.

· 6 – “How Do I Develop the Middle?” This chapter discusses 11 methods of organization you can use to maintain the momentum and clarity of your lead.

· 8 through 11- “Writing About… People,...Ideas, …Things,…Places” respectively, provide approaches unique to writing about these subjects.

One of this book's key strengths is that you can find, study, and apply the sections that align with your project and skip or browse the others. If you have an idea or have started a book or essay but are having difficulty getting traction and making progress, this book may be the answer.

Chris4Gkids

Writers Circles and Readers

2012-05-23T13:16:00.000-07:00

One of the first recommendations I received from an experienced writer was to join a good writers group and a writers circle. Let me define a writers circle as writers working in similar genres who read and critique each others' work. Because nobody can objectively read their own material, we all need feedback from others. What comprises a good writers circle? First of all, they should be the best writers you can connect with. This is tough if you’re a rookie like me, because what’s in it for the seasoned writers? What do you bring to the table to help them? Second, if you are expecting to sell your work, the circle members need to provide solid critiques. My first mentor cautioned against groups that are mutual admiration societies. They don't improve your work. Third, the group members have to be interested in helping each other, not stroking their own egos by being overly critical. There are plenty of other ways to get discouraged on the long slog from inspiration to publication.

If you are not fortunate enough to be in a good writers circle, you have to put in some extra effort to find readers. It may be necessary to hire professionals. Here are some readers I’ve been able to enlist: people from or through our writers group, i.e. my first mentor and Deidre; the children’s librarian at our local library; a professional editor, for a fee; my children and grandchildren, admittedly not objective; a friend’s son who is about to graduate with a major in English. I’ve had different mixes of these folks for my various projects. Contrary to advice from Henry Miller - work on one project until it’s completed - I work on one draft of a project then let it age a bit. The idea is to return with a fresh set of eyes, thus improving my own objectivity.

Next week I’ll discuss my various projects and who has provided what type of feedback for them. Confession, I’m short on time this week due to a hobby. My Mustang car club is hosting its 32^nd Annual Spring Show & Shine on Sunday, and as co-chair I have a myriad of last minute details… and a car to prep.

p.s. This week’s book review: A Writer’s Guide to Nonfiction.

Chris4Gkids

My Memoir is #5 on Amazon's BestSeller List! Free Today!

2012-05-20T12:42:00.000-07:00

My book Saving Mary:The Possession hit the #5 spot in the memoir category--due to my giveaway--in fact my book is still FREE TODAY AND TOMORROW!

AMAZON BESTSELLER LIST- MEMOIR

If you want to download a free copy go here.

Book Review: How to Write What You Want & Sell What You Write

2012-05-18T10:22:00.001-07:00

How to Write What You Want & Sell What You Write, A Complete Guide to Becoming a Successful Writer, 293 pages, by Skip Press - the title and subtitle say it all. Per the front flap, “Get advice from a pro…celebrated screenwriter, author, and editor Skip Press makes himself your personal source for the practical, real-world advice you need to build a successful professional writing career.” This is an excellent book for anyone on the fence about writing, or just starting a writing career. It covers the entire spectrum of writing: fiction, non-fiction, newspaper articles, novels, and screenplays; and the entire process from starting your career through publishing your great American novel. It also includes a good discussion on the business of writing. Press does his best to keep you from being a starving artist. I believe this book enabled me to start asking the right questions early on, which is the first step in getting good advice.

Chris4Gkids

Free Summer Reading!

2012-05-17T08:33:00.000-07:00

After working hard to upload my book Saving Mary to Amazon (the story of how I went and got myself possessed during a transcendental meditation session) and fixing html code, I’m glad to say I’m done and the book is up. By the way, if you plan on publishing an ebook, be sure to delete all code from your manuscript and then re-add what you need. I had weird things go on because of old code (at least I think this was the reason). The weirdest one: the word “paper” was changed to “papier” (French for paper). Other weird things included commas showing up in strange places. But at least the book is done, and with that being said, for all those who like free things…today my book is free!

Just go HERE and download a free copy onto your kindle. If you don’t have a kindle you can go HERE and download an app that will allow you to read a kindle book on your computer, phone, tablet or Ipad. So far, this morning, I’ve given away 45 free books.