Lauren F. Boyd: My Path To Publication

Murphy's Law

2012-02-16T11:08:00.000-05:00

Do you ever think or say something, and then the opposite happens?

That's what they call Murphy's Law.

Like I'll think, I haven't been sick lately - and then I get a cold. Or, There's not much going on today - and suddenly emails and phone calls start to pour in. Or, I saved some money today at the grocery store - only to get a bill in the mail.

Murphy's Law.

Does this happen to you? Does it ever happen to you with publishing? You know, you haven't heard much on the publishing front from your submissions and you start thinking, This isn't going to happen for me. Then one day, you get an email or phone call from an editor/agent - and suddenly you're on your way. Ever had that happen?

The All-Consuming Novel?

2012-02-09T16:02:00.000-05:00

Writing my first novel was a writing experience different from all others that I have taken on.

I wrote my first novel in less than a year. I don't know if it takes folks more or less time than that to write a novel - but the experience was all-consuming for me.

When I wasn't writing my novel, I was thinking about it - whether on purpose or inadvertently. Sometimes I would be making lunch or shopping for groceries or getting ready for bed, and scenes and words would be popping into my head. So I would stop what I was doing and run to the computer or my notebook and write them down before I lost them.

But that was okay. Because it was fun. And I enjoyed it.

It was a great experience - and I look forward to writing my next novel. But will my subsequent long works of fiction consume me like the first one did?

Does it you?

When you write, can you "turn it off and on" - or do you find yourself thinking about your work-in-progress all the time (on purpose or inadvertantly)? Do you set aside time to write each day and that's the only time you allow yourself to think about your work-in-progress for that day? Or are you running to your computer or notebook throughout the day, writing things down? And about how long does it take you to write a novel?

Real

2012-02-02T08:25:00.003-05:00

Reprinted courtesy of Highlights for Children

Why Are Manuscripts Rejected?

2012-01-13T08:37:00.000-05:00

Most writers will face rejection at some point along their paths to publication. But why might your work be rejected?

Here is a list of some reasons that come to mind:

- Agent/editor doesn't represent that genre;
- Agent/editor only represents fiction or nonfiction;
- Agent/editor is already representing a too-similar project;
- Agent/editor doesn't think the manuscript will sell;
- The writing or story didn't resonate with the agent/editor;
- Word count is too short or too long.

For what other reasons might a manuscript be rejected? Have you ever been given a reason for why your work was rejected?

Are E-Readers Any Good?

2012-01-05T15:59:00.000-05:00

Over Christmas, I saw my father-in-law, among many other family members. One evening, he was reading something on his Nook. So I decided to do a little research. I asked him what he thinks about reading a book on his e-reader versus a book in paperback or hardback.

He said he loves his Nook.

He said the screen is easy on his eyes. He can turn off the Nook and when he turns it back on, it's right where he left it - whereas if he drops a paperback, he's lost his page. He said there's a Nook feature where he could make notes on pages, although he hasn't used it. He even bought a Nook for his mom for Christmas. And since he travels often, he can load lots of books onto the Nook for easy, lightweight, consolidated reading while flying.

So it sounds like e-readers definitely have a place for adults. But what about for kids?

I'm not convinced that I want to give an e-reader to my children. Although I don't worry about the screen being hard on their eyes or anything like that, I just don't know how much I want to promote technological devices while they're still so young. Plus, they love the experience of going to the library and looking through tons of books to find the ones they want (while I do the same for them). And once we're home, they not only like to read their books but also drive their toy cars and trucks on it (and whatever else their imagination provides).

So what do you think? Do you have an e-reader? Why did you buy one - or decide not to? If you have one, do you like it? Have you given an e-reader to your child(ren)? Why or why not? If so, did s/he like it?

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-23T18:51:00.001-05:00

See you in 2012!

Interesting

2011-12-08T12:07:00.000-05:00

Recently, I read an article containing the names of some books that sold well at several bookstores over Thanksgiving weekend. So I went to Amazon and looked them up to find out what they're about.

What I found was a bit interesting - nay, curious.

There are books on the market now that are written about children's topics - some even illustrated as if they were for children - but the books' descriptions reveal that, actually, these books are targeted for adults.

Interesting, right? And a novel idea, I must say.

So I'm not sure that I would call this type of book "picture books" per se, since they're written for adults (even though some of these books' descriptions do say they can be read to children) - but they are illustrated, which is not the norm for books for adults. So this appears to be a niche.

Here are some examples of the books I found so that you can understand what I'm talking about:

All My Friends Are Dead. It has simple illustrations, as if for children. But when you look through it, you find that the humor is more suited for adults. Not because the humor is crude - just because it's humor that adults "get" and children may not.

Goodnight, iPad. A twist on the classic tale Goodnight Moon, this book has everyone bidding good-night to their technological devices. And the illustrations are meant to remind you of those in Goodnight Moon.

Go The F**k To Sleep. Like the others mentioned here, this book is illustrated. And it's described as being "for parents." I can see why, as this "catch phrase" is in the actual story: it's not just the title.

Other titles in this "niche" include Monsters Eat Whiny Children, If You Give a Kid a Cookie, Will He Shut the F**k Up?, and I Hate Everything.

So what do you think about this phenomenon? Is it good for picture books? Bad? Neutral? Have you seen any other books that would fall into this category? Have you read any of the ones I mentioned?

Follow Up

2011-12-01T12:27:00.002-05:00

I finished my first novel in January of this year. I submitted it to 80+ agents (and a few publishers) over the next few months. And the response I kept getting from agents was that my manuscript was too short.

After doing some research, I realized why they were saying this: My manuscript was 40,000 words and the traditional publishing industry "word count sweet spot" is 80,000-100,000 words.

Graciously, a few if my writer friends gave me the name of some publishers who accept shorter works of fiction (AKA novellas).

So in July, I submitted my novella to one of these small publisher who accepts novellas only during a three-month window out of the year. The deadline was September 15, with a note on their website that they would make their selections by the end of October.

The end of October came and went. No word.

Sometimes, when you don't hear from an editor/publisher for a long time, it can be a good sign that your manuscript is working its way through the channels of the publishing house. So I remained optimistic about the submission.

But yesterday, the last day of November - two months after they had said they were going to make their decisions - I decided to email and see if they had done so.

I sent my follow-up email, indicating the name of my manuscript and asking if decisions had been made. An editor promptly replied that, yes, decisions had been made. And yes, email notifications had been sent out.

And no, he didn't see the name of my manuscript on the final list.

And not only that, but since he had no record of ever sending me an email notification, that means they never got my submission.

What?

I wrote back and asked why he thought that might be, since I followed their guidelines precisely. He wrote back and said that they had had an email issue over the summer and that my email might have gotten caught up in that.

Ahem.

Frustrated, I told my husband what had happened. He understood my frustration, and as one who likes to figure out how not to have things happen twice, he suggested that next time, I send a follow-up email a week after submitting to make sure it arrived.

So immediately, I sent a follow-up email to a publisher regarding a picture book manuscript that I submitted via email two months ago, just to confirm receipt. And now I'm trying to figure out who else I need to follow-up with.

What's my point? Why do I tell you this? It's not to garner sympathy. It's to strongly encourage you to stay on top of your submissions. Send follow-up emails. Now I know some literary agents say on their website that you will hear from them within two or three months of submitting - so I wouldn't suggest following up until that (or whatever given) time frame has expired. (Note: Do not call these folks as a follow-up or to check on the status of your submission. Ever, ever, ever.) But with editors/publishers, literary agents, magazine editors, and others to whom you submit via email who give no time frame for response on their websites, I suggest sending a follow-up email a week or so after submitting your work.

At least that's what I'll be doing from now on.

Because cyberspace is hungry. And sometimes it prays on the hard work of writers. And I have absolutely no idea why.

What about you? Do you ever send follow-up emails to confirm that your work reached its intended recipient? Have you ever submitted your work and found out later that it was never received? Do you have any experiences like this - or any advice from any experiences like this - to share?

"Three Reasons Why Some Books Never Sell"

2011-11-10T14:49:00.000-05:00

A lot of my writer friends are at the marketing phase of their path to publication. Either they have a book that has been released, is about to be released, or will be released in the future. Other of my friends have manuscripts on submission and hope that a publishing contact is coming their way - thus the eventual need for marketing insight. Since I myself am currently marketing, "The List: Children's Book Publishers Who Accept Unagented Submissions," I welcome such insight as well.

So when I came across marketing guru Rob Eager's article entitled, "Three Reasons Why Some Books Never Sell", it caught my attention.

Sure enough, the article turned out to be an interesting and eye-opening read.

Here is the article in its entirety. I hope that you will find benefit in it as well:

3 Reasons Why Some Books Never Sell

Why isn't my book selling better than I expected? I hear this question on a regular basis from authors across America. There is no easy answer. However, there are a few ways to identify the root problem. Above all, if you've written a book that isn't selling well, don't blame the public. The market doesn't lie. Millions of books are purchased every day. In contrast, if your book is struggling to sell, the problem is usually associated with one or more of the following issues:

1. The market is too small for your book.
You could write the best book in the world. But, if it appeals to only 1.000 people, then your sales will struggle. Agents and publishers use market size as a primary filter to decide which book projects they accept. They can't afford to invest in a manuscript with limited potential. If they don't think a book can sell at least 10,000 - 20,000 copies quickly, they'll usually pass.

The problem of underestimating a market size tends to happen to first-time and self-published authors who overestimate their potential. They become blinded by passion for their message, which prevents them from developing a pragmatic point of view.

A great way to avoid overestimating your audience is to check the sales history for other books that are similar to your content. For instance, you could look at various bestseller lists, talk to local bookstore managers, or track the Amazon rankings over time of comparable books at www.TitleZ.com. The actual audience is usually smaller than most authors think.

2. The market isn't responding to your material.
On the other hand, the audience for your book may be huge. There could be thousands of people who would love to get a copy. Yet, you find that the masses aren't purchasing. You scratch your head wondering why you're getting ignored in the marketplace. This problem can stem from numerous factors, such as a saturated genre, weak economy, boring title, poorly-timed release date, pricing is too high, inappropriate page count, inadequate marketing, lack of word-of-mouth tools, seasonal subject matter, etc.

If your audience is big but your sales are small, then you have to be willing to honestly assess the above factors and make significant changes. You may need to invest more time and money into your marketing efforts. You may need to drop the price. You may need to re-release the book under a different title or at a different time of year.

The market doesn't lie. If people aren't buying your book, it's your problem - not theirs. Try talking with a knowledgeable person who can provide honest feedback based on experience, such as a literary agent, librarian, publicist, or bookstore manager. Check your ego, ask them for candid feedback, and be willing to make necessary adjustments.

3. The market doesn't like your book.
The biggest factor that hinders a book's sales potential isn't due to marketplace or industry factors. If a book isn't selling well, the problem is usually the manuscript itself. To be frank, you didn't write a very good book. I don't mean to be critical...I say this to be helpful. You can't see your way forward if you keep your eyes closed.

Remember, the market doesn't lie. Your audience has a limited amount of time and money. And, people make decisions for self-serving reasons...not to be conceited, but rather for self-protection. Nobody wants to waste their money and time on a bad book. As an author, you have to convince readers that your book provides tangible benefits, such as inspiration, entertainment, learning, or even being a part of the cool crowd. If your book doesn't provide tangible benefits, then your audience won't buy it.

As a successful author and someone who's coached over 300 other writers, I find there are three ways to give your book the best chance for success:

a. Utilize focus groups
Don't assume that your book is good. Create test groups of readers who fit your target audience, give them your manuscript, and ask for blatantly honest feedback. Many authors are scared to go down this road, because they fear the revisions and extra work that will be required. But, the feedback you receive could be the key that unlocks your book's full sales potential.

When I wrote my first book in 2001, I put together three different focus groups who represented different aspects of my target audience. Their feedback required me to rewrite every chapter three times - and my first chapter nine times! They were brutally direct, but they were right. Today, that book can still be found selling on the shelf of most Barnes & Nobles stores 10 years later.

b. Work with a professional editor
Regardless if you self-publish or go with a traditional house, work with a professional editor - even if it costs you extra. People hate reading poorly written books. If they browse your book and it's low quality, then they won't buy it. Plus, they'll spread negative word-of-mouth. Editing is one of the few issues that is completely within your control. Don't get cheap and settle for a bad manuscript..

c. Don't write a book in less than 4 months
I'm sure some authors would disagree with this point. But, I think authors kill a book's sales potential when they write it too quickly, such as less than four months. Books need time to percolate in your mind, test on focus groups, and revise to a higher level. When you "crash" a book, you prevent the book from going to market with all of the necessary elements. A good book is like a fine wine. It needs time to develop complexity and a rich taste that will appeal to the masses.

When a book doesn't meet your sales expectations, be careful not to blame other people, such as your readers, your publisher, or even God (I've actually heard some authors hold the Almighty responsible). That's like a parent blaming teachers, friends, and politicians as the reason why their kids didn't turn out well. That kind of attitude simply keeps you stuck in your mistakes.

In contrast, take full responsibility for the sales of your book. Use the three categories above to narrow down your problem to the core issue. Don't beat yourself up. Rather, learn from your mistakes, and use that knowledge to improve your next book. The market doesn't lie. If you write a great book for a large audience, they will surely buy.

The Draw to Writing Paranormal Fiction

2011-11-03T13:35:00.000-04:00

I don't usually read paranormal fiction. But I know that a lot of people write it this genre.

What is the draw, the attraction to writing paranormal fiction? Why do so many writers choose to write in this genre - and why do so many writers choose to read it?

I got to thinking about this last weekend when my husband and I came across a movie on TV called 1408. It's a paranormal horror film based on Stephen King's short story by the same title.

If you haven't seen it, 1408 stars John Cusack as a writer/researcher who spends a night in various hotels around the country that have a reputation for being haunted. Based on all of his travels and experiences thus far, he remains unconvinced that paranormal activity exists. Then he gets a tip that room 1408 at The Dolphin Hotel in New York is haunted, so he decides to check in for a night. Upon arrival, hotel manager Samuel L. Jackson tries unsuccessfully to talk Cusack out of staying in 1408. But Cusack insists upon staying in that room.

At this point, you're about 45 minutes into the movie.

And by that time, I had decided this was a very interesting premise for a movie/story.

Now the movie came on at 8:00 this particular evening, and I try to go to bed by 9:00. So after all of this buildup about room 1408, I was feeling very tense and nervous and anxious - even a bit creeped out (Stephen King succeeds again). So I knew I couldn't watch this whole movie and still sleep well - in fact, it would already be tricky to fall asleep after just what I'd seen.

But I had to know how it ended. So I cheated and read a synopsis online for 1408.

It turns out that calling room 1408 "haunted" would be an understatement. "Incredibly possessed by evil and wicked paranormal forces" would better define it.

I mean, things that cannot be explained by natural reason or logic occur over and over and over again in this movie. In fact, reason and logic are pretty much suspended from the time Cusack enters the room until the movie resolves itself. You have no idea what to expect next. When something happens, you couldn't have guessed that it was coming. Things are unpredictable, scary, disturbing, and beyond reasonable explanation.

1408 is an illustration of what's so enticing about writing paranormal: It presents a great freedom and parameters that are only met by the author's imagination. There are less "rules" when writing paranormal because, oftentimes, reason and logic related to the paranormal aspect of the story are absent. Readers are less likely to question what's going on within the paranormal realm of a story, so the author can produce what s/he wants with more latitude. When I read reviews of paranormal novels, I usually don't find people complaining that the paranormal aspects didn't make sense; I read complaints about the same aspects that are found in every novel (characters, plot, etc.) With paranormal, anything can happen - whether or not it seems believable in our "real world." It's a direct product of the farthest depths of the author's imagination.

And I think that's the draw of writing paranormal.

What about you? Do you write paranormal fiction? If so, why? Do you read paranormal fiction? If so, why? If you don't read or write paranormal novels, why not? What genre(s) do you like to write in and read?

Cereal and Books

2011-10-27T11:34:00.002-04:00

My family and I eat at lot of cereal. And a lot of the same kinds of cereal, at that.

But sometimes, I want to try something new. And I know if I try something new, my little ones will want to try it, too.

So when we're at the store and I'm looking all the way down the cereal aisle, the choices are a bit overwhelming. How do I pick?

All of the boxes are colorful and attractive. All of the "blurbs" written on them are likely effective and well-done. How do I pick?

Some cereals eliminate themselves. Maybe I've had them before and didn't like them. Or maybe they have artificial colors and/or a lot of sugar (neither of which I want my kids to eat very often).

Some of them just don't look that tasty. And some seem expensive for a box of cereal.

So I pick up some cereal boxes here and there among the (many) choices that I have left. After analyzing contents and ingredients and price, I finally decide which one to buy and try.

But after that point - after I have purchased that box of cereal - there is only one factor that will determine whether I will ever buy it again.

It's not how the box looks. It's not what's written on the box. It's not the contents of the box. It's not the ingredients. It's not the price.

It's the taste.

If I don't like how this new-to-me cereal tastes, then I will not buy it again.

Isn't it like this with books?

As readers, we have so, so many books to pick from, both in brick-and-mortar bookstores and online. How do we pick?

Most of the books have attractive covers. All of the "blurbs" written on them are likely effective and well-done. How do I pick?

Some books eliminate themselves. Maybe I've read a previous book by the same author and didn't care for it for whatever reason. Or maybe the genre/topic doesn't interest me.

Some of the books just don't look that interesting. And some seem expensive for a book.

So of the many choices that I have left, I pick up some and read through a portion of them. Or I read an excerpt of the book online (if I can find one), as well as some of the online reviews. (And from a writer's point-of-view, if I've heard about a book, I certainly read the reviews of that book with great care to see if it lives up to the "hype" - and if not, then why not.)

And after all of this, I finally decide which book to buy and read.

But after that point - after I have purchased that book - there is only one factor that will determine whether I will ever buy another book by that author.

It's not how the book looks. It's not what's written on the cover. It's not how much I paid for it. It's not the reviews.

It's the quality.

If I don't like this book, I will not buy another book by the same author.

That sounds harsh. But with all the choices out there, it's a reality.

What's my point?

Write well, first and foremost.

I've read so many agents and editors say that the content of a manuscript is the #1 factor in determining whether a manuscript will be 1.) accepted by an agent and 2.) purchased by a publishing house. Everything else is just details. (Unless you write non-fiction, in which case your established platform is equally important.)

As writers, this is great news: It turns out that our main priority is to write well - likely our favorite part of the process anyway! And it's one of the few parts of the publication process that we can actually control.

So for the sake of your readers - for the sake of establishing a readership, a following, an audience - strive to make your writing the absolute best that it can be.

What do you think? As a reader, how do you select the books that you buy - and don't buy? Are you usually pleased with, or disappointed in, your selections? As a writer, do you always feel that you have sufficient time to make your manuscripts their absolute best, regardless of which part of the publication process you're in at the moment?

Inconsistencies

2011-10-20T13:34:00.000-04:00

Before I started writing in 2009, there were types of movies that I didn't like to watch:

Movies with blood.

Movies that included stabbings, shootings, or any other manner of physical violence that yielded blood.

Movies with fighting, especially when the fighting left the characters bloody.

Horror/super-suspenseful movies.

Movies with blood.

Then, like I said, I began writing in 2009. In my various manuscripts, I worked through storylines, plots, characters, character and plot development - all the usual suspects.

Fast-forward to now: My husband and I spend many evenings watching movies on TV. And as we were watching one the other night, I noticed something:

I am now watching those types of movies that I used to dislike.

But how? How am I now overlooking suspense, blood, and violence for storylines, plots, and characters?

It didn't take me long to realize that it's because of my writing experience. Writing has allowed me to appreciate all the many aspects that must come together in order to tell a story. So now, I am actually watching movies from a different point-of-view: not from the point-of-view of a movie-goer, but from the point-of-view of a writer.

And I am noticing flaws. With one of those flaws being inconsistencies.

Here's an example of what I mean:

The other night, nothing was on. So when my husband and I came across War of the Worlds with Tom Cruise, we decided to watch it because we hadn't seen it. (SPOILER ALERT!)

As the aliens come down to earth near the beginning of the movie, all power is lost to this highly-populated city that they have chosen as their entry point. And I mean, all power - anything electric or battery-powered: vehicles, cell phones, landline phones, even Tom Cruise's wristwatch. All cut off.

So as Tom Cruise hurries through the streets to see what has happened, he approaches the aliens' landing site. And along the way, he passes a man who is filming the entire incident with his video camera.

Wait. What? I thought the power had been knocked out?

Well, it doesn't matter. Because seconds later, the man with the video camera (who might have been an alien himself, making his own kind of power to run that camera) is vaporized by the aliens' beam of light (I guess the aliens didn't want their trip documented). So then, you see tons of people running through the streets and many being vaporized along the way. Poof, gone.

Then, forty-five minutes later, Dakota Fanning (Tom Cruise's daughter in the movie) is standing beside a river trying to find a place to go to the bathroom. Much to her horror, she begins to notice bodies floating down the river in front of her - victims of the aliens' attack, no doubt.

Wait. What? I thought the aliens' were vaporizing their victims?

Anyhow, later on, Tom Cruise's teenage son decides that he's going to join an infantry that they happen upon and help fight off the aliens. He's atop a hill with the rest of the soldiers - but suddenly, the aliens zap the hill and it goes up in flames.

But wait? What's this? The boy turns up alive, safe inside his mother's house, at the end of the movie! The very house, mind you, that Tom Cruise and Dakota Fanning have been trying to get to the entire movie. And Tom and Dakota even had a vehicle (that a mechanic was able to start before he was vaporized) for part of the time! Not until the aliens finally died of disease did these two manage to get to their destination.

This is one example. I've heard of people reading books with inconsistencies as well: A character flips her blond hair over her shoulder in chapter one, and then, without going to a salon, is pulling up her brunette curls halfway through the book.

What's my point? Readers don't like inconsistencies. It bugs them. It makes them wonder if they missed - or misread - something along the way.

And, unfortunately, it doesn't fare well for the author of a book that is full of inconsistencies.

I know that things slip by during the editing process. It does for everyone. But do your best to make sure that your story is consistent.

I know of writers who write down everything about each of their characters before they start their manuscript in order to really get to know them. Then, when they write their story, they're less likely to mess up and/or mix up details about their characters. You could do the same for the setting. And outlines help a lot of people, too. You know, so you can see where your story will go before you actually write it - like using a map. You're much less likely to get lost if you use a map.

So what do you think? As a writer, do you watch movies and read books in a "different" way since you started writing? Do inconsistencies in books and movies bug you? What strategies do you implement in order to try and avoid inconsistencies in your writing? Have you written something and later noticed that you overlooked an inconsistency? Did you like War of the Worlds?

How to Market Your Book - Part One

2011-10-13T15:40:00.003-04:00

So you've been blessed with the good fortune of having a book released, or one that's about to be released, or one that you hope will be released in the future.

Now how do you get it into the hands of the appropriate readers?

I came across a blog post by Wendy Lawton of Books & Such Literary Agency, where she talks about just this topic. Her entire post can be read here, but in the interest of time and length, I'll include the parts that I found most helpful (Note: This is the opinion of one literary agent. The opinions of literary agents and editors vary and are subjective.)

First Things First. Too many writers jump on the fun idea, the quirky promotion or the contest that worked for a friend. That’s starting at the wrong end. Those fun ideas need to develop organically– they need to grow out of the combination of three unique, interconnected elements— the author, the book and the reader. Long before we put details to our plan we need to answer a number of questions:

Who am I as an author? One of my favorite books on this subject is Make a Name for Yourself : Eight Steps Every Woman Needs to Create a Personal Brand Strategy for Success by Robin Fisher Roffer. (It’s focused toward women but the concepts are universal.) The Five Faces of Genius by Annette Moser-Wellman is another book that offers assessments and tools to help discover who we are and how we can build on that. The reason we need to figure out who we are and how we are distinctive is that our marketing efforts will depend on that uniqueness.
What are the distinctives of my book? Much of the detail in your PR plan is going to grow out of the content of your book. If you are writing fiction, the setting, plot elements, the vocation of the main character–all of these will be fodder for garnering attention. If you’re writing nonfiction it’s even easier. Once you add your one-of-a-kind author-self to your unique book content you have a focus that is like no one else’s.
Who is my reader? Answering this question is paramount. Picture an author who writes to the senior population in mid-America worrying about enhanced ebooks. Think about it. Enhanced ebooks require a computer-like device–an iPad or the like. Is a senior reader on a fixed income likely to own a state-of-the-art device and embrace the learning curve needed to operate it? Wouldn’t this author be wise to spend his time and resources figuring how to get his books featured in nostalgia literature or advertised in the large-print edition of Guideposts? When we discover who our reader is, what he likes, what he buys, and how he spends his time, we can focus our efforts for maximum impact. The single most important thing you can do as an author is to build your reader list. Let me say that again: Single. Most. Important. Collect those names and that contact information–both physical addresses and email addresses. You’ll use this list of readers in many different ways over the years–notifications of new releases; regional invitations to signings, newsletters, focus groups. Don’t ever lose a single name. Publishers recognize this asset as pure gold.

For those of you who have a book coming out soon, let me cut to the chase with some concrete things you can do immediately while you are building your brand and your readership for the long haul. Consider this the cheat sheet.

Work with your publisher. Be the most helpful author they’ve ever worked with. Lavish time on their marketing questionnaire giving them a veritable embarrassment of riches when it comes to possible resources. They’ll love you for honoring the hard work they do and the more you give them the more possibilities that will arise for you.
Work hard on your influencer list. Don’t fill this list with your bowling pals, Aunt Mary and your barber. This is a list you will build over your whole career. As you meet people who command attention, people who set style or people with an avid following, ask them if you can add them to your influencer list. Explain that nothing will be expected but that you’ll send them a copy of your new books when they release. If they like it and care to mention it within their circles of influence or in reviews, you’ll appreciate it but if not, that’s okay as well. Make sure your influencer list is varied–not simply other writers. If you do a radio show and connect solidly with the interviewer, ask if you can add him to the list. Think strategically. This list will become invaluable as you grow your career.
Get to know your local bookstores and your local media. We do this best by being their favorite customers, their treasured consumers. Many nationally acclaimed writers began by building a strong regional base. Figure out how you can help them and vice versa. When I did book signings for my own books, I’d always interview the store owner and write a great press release that combined info about the store and my appearance there. After all, I was the writer and this, which seemed practically impossible to the retailer, was easy for me. The local newspaper feature coverage that almost always resulted was my gift to the store, but it benefited both of us.
Create great story angles about you and your book and feed them to the media. For fiction, where is your book set? You should be able to do an interesting feature-type press release about the time and setting that will appeal to the media in that location. You are a local author. Take advantage of that with your local media. You may have been born somewhere else. What about a hometown-boy-makes-good story? Maybe something happens in the news that has a tie-in to your book. Leverage that. With more and more cutbacks in the news industry, free content that’s compelling and well-written stands a better chance than ever of seeing print.
Be creative about speaking opportunities. My brother is amazing when it comes to this. One of his books is San Francisco’s Lost Landmarks. Jim has become the expert on historical San Francisco. You’ll often hear him on the radio or television. He gives walking tours of The City. He talks at the library and lectures at area colleges. And his books continue to sell.

Remember–it is important to be fresh. Once everyone starts doing something it no longer stands out. When thinking about specifics, come up with the next big thing. This is not the time to copy other successes. You want to come up with the idea that causes other writers to say, “I wish I’d thought of that.”

Here’s the key to all your marketing efforts: Keep your focus on the three unique elements– the author, the book, and your reader. When you market using those three variables your efforts won’t look like anyone else’s efforts. You’ll avoid the dread same old-same old. Your marketing plan will be fresh and innovative and will garner real interest.

And when one commenter asked Ms. Lawton how to go about collecting physical addresses, here's how she replied:

[Physical addresses] have to be collected from the reader at signings and speaking events and from the guestbook on your website. Having a giveaway drawing at a signing or event is a good way to collect names but always have the reader’s permission.
The reason physical address are valuable is that many readers still do not use the computer for communication. A physical piece of mail will often connect with underserved readers these days... My client, Debbie Macomber uses both. She has two lists, both well over a hundred thousand names. (She’s been collecting and maintaining the lists for more than thirty years.) While there is overlap you’d be surprised how the lists are different. she sends e-blasts regularly but once a year sends a big full-color regular mailing, filled with goodies. (If you are not on her list, sign up at her website, Debbiemacomber.com, to see how it is done.)

What do you think? Do you agree or disagree with any of these? Have you implemented any of these marketing techniques - and if so, what worked and what didn't?

Industry Insight for Picture Book Writers - Part One

2011-09-29T14:55:00.005-04:00

Whether you write for children or adults, you may - like me - have a notebook in which you write down your story ideas. But you may - like me - then wonder which of those many ideas you should actually flesh out, edit, and submit. And you may - also like me - be without a literary agent to help you figure that part out.

So when I came across a blog post by literary agent Jennifer Laughran of the Andrea Brown Literary Agency about criteria for picture book manuscripts, I was interested.

Someone had asked Ms. Laughran this question:

My question is about children's picture books. Some say you need an agent for them and others say that you don't. I would like to find an agent but understand the market is quite competitive now. What can a children's picture book writer do to help their submission stand out from the rest?

And here was her answer (Note: This is the answer of one literary agent. The opinions of literary agents and editors vary and are subjective):

1) Is the market for picture books quite competitive? YES, it absolutely is. That is not to say that publishers are "not buying" picture books - they are! But the picture books they are buying look different from what was popular 5, 10, 20 years ago. And of course, in a bad economy, $17.00 for a 32 page book can seem a bit steep for many parents, and we all know that library budgets are being slashed - so publishers are being rightly conservative about what they choose to acquire.

2) Do I need an agent for picture books? Yes! Or No! Yes, an agent will absolutely help you get in front of the eyes of the larger publishers. But many agents do not represent picture book authors, and picture books are one of the few categories in which some publishers, particularly smaller publishers, still accept unsolicited material "over the transom." So get yourself a book like the Children's Writers & Illustrators Market, or prepare to roll up your sleeves and do some online research, to figure out which route is right for you. And note the following:

* Author-Illustrators: This is not a must, of course... but if you are a superb illustrator, brush up on your storytelling skills. You'll just open yourself up to more opportunities if you are able to do both with ease. Most people cannot. Maybe you can. Great author-illustrators can be more appealing to agents than straight pb authors, because (to be frank) they tend to make more money.

* PB + Novels = Yay!: If you are not an illustrator - don't freak out! But you might consider trying your hand at chapter books or middle grade writing, too. Nothing wrong with being well-rounded. I myself only rep author-illustrators, and picture book text authors who also write novels - I have no authors who are text-only pb-only.

* Multiple texts: If you ARE text-only, pb-only - I would suggest querying when you have three polished texts. It will just give an interested agent a much better idea of your style and capabilities, since pbs are so very short.

3) So what IS sparking editor and agent interest in terms of picture books nowadays?

This list is by no means exhaustive, but I have certainly noticed that books that have the following attributes tend to have a better shot at publication:

* Short. - NOTHING over 1,000 words. Under 650 is better. Under 450, better still. Some of the most popular current picture books are also among the shortest and most spare. (Think QUIET BOOK, etc.) Remember - a picture book is a very small, very well-lit stage. Absolutely every word must count. This is pretty much required.

* Reread power! As I mentioned - $17 is pretty steep. So nobody wants a one-shot deal. This should be a book that adults won't mind reading over and over, and kids won't mind hearing over and over. It is terrific if the book works on different levels for different age kids, so that it is something whole families can read together. This is pretty much required.

* Character driven - a funny, cute, winsome character like Fancy Nancy, Pigeon, Ladybug Girl, Buglette, etc - either a child, or a proxy for a child, that the child reader will relate to - who can have many adventures in the future (not to mention lunchboxes, costumes, plush...) - this is appealing to publishers and agents, no doubt. Not required, but appealing.

* Interactive - PRESS HERE is a perfect example of what I mean by an interactive picture book. If you haven't seen it, get thee to a bookstore! SHARK vs TRAIN and CAT SECRETS, and yes, our friend Pigeon, are other great examples of picture books that invite the child listener to participate in the reading. Not required, it's just something that is popping up a lot, that I think is cool.

4) And what is sort of a turn-off, picture book wise: Again, anything too long is a no-go. Also traditional folk tales are faring badly nowadays - not to say that they won't ever be bought, but... unless you are an established folklorist, I probably wouldn't go there if I were you. And there is quite a glut of books on topics like "Bedtime," so if that is where you are going with your book, you had better either be an illustrator with the CUTEST illustrations ever - or else be bringing something fresh to the topic (which at this point is pretty difficult, but can be done.)

TIP: I'd suggest that all folks who are really interested in writing picture books go spend a few hours every week at the library or bookstore. Look at a hundred or so picture books published in the past three years. Make a note of your favorites. Do they fit into any of the categories above? Ask the librarian or bookseller which ones are most popular and what their favorites are. Can you see similarities? Who published your favorites? Are those publishers open to unagented submissions?

ETA: To be perfectly clear - I am not suggesting you COPY anyone or "write to a trend" - you just need to know the basic parameters, what works and what doesn't and how picture books are put together, before you can create your own piece of amazing.

What do you think about Ms. Laughran's insight? Do you agree or disagree with any of these? Have you written a picture book manuscript that falls into any of the categories that she mentioned - or doesn't? What happened when you submitted the manuscript? Do you have any "industry insight" that you're willing to share along these same lines? Are there any topics that you would like to see addressed in picture books? What is your plan for your next picture book manuscript?

And don't forget: "The List: Children's Book Publishers Who Accept Unagented Submissions" is available to provide you with the names of forty-three traditional children's book publishers who accept unagented submissions! Just look in the right-hand margin of my blog for links to purchase. And if you don't have a Kindle or use PayPal, I accept checks and will gladly email or snail mail "The List" to you! Thanks!

Be sure and come back next Thursday evening when I post the second part of this series!

Overwhelmed By Online Networking Options?

2011-09-21T13:53:00.006-04:00

Last week, I posted about Rob Eager's article, The Hidden Cost of Social Networking (see here).

Keeping in mind Mr. Eager's suggestion that writers marketing their work to other writers is not the optimum way to sell books, agents and editors are still asking writers to have an online presence. That is, a way for writers to connect and network with their readers - and potential readers.

But with all of the online networking options - websites, Blogger, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Goodreads, Google +, and more - how do writers pick which one(s) to use? Are we really expected to spend a lot of time on each one - and still be expected to write?

During WriteOnCon, there was a Twitter chat with literary agent Sara Megibow of the Nelson Literary Agency. The topic was building your platform, including the use of online networking tools.

Here are some of the things that Ms. Megibow said about using online networking tools (remember, this is the opinion of one literary agent. The opinions of agents and editors vary and are subjective). I have added my thoughts in italics:

- A professional website is very important. In fact, if Ms. Megibow requests a writing sample based on a query and she really likes what she's reading, then she'll Google the writer in search of a professional website. In her words, "I am impressed if I see something there that looks professional." And by "professional" she means, "If you wouldn't put it on your business card, don't put it on your website." (I would especially recommend having a professional website if you have published work and/or forthcoming published work.)

- Ms. Megibow says that having two different websites if you write in two different genres is acceptable (i.e. adult and children). (And I would not put a link to one website on the other and vice versa. For example, you might sabotage your efforts as a children's book writer if parents and other potential readers can clearly see a link to - and thereby have access to - your adult genre website from your "I am a children's book writer" website. Know what I mean?)

- So what should you include on your professional website? Here's what Ms. Megibow suggests: a professional headshot photo, a biography page, a news page (announcing things about your writing/book(s)that's going on and/or coming up), and perhaps an "About What I Write" or "About What I'm Writing" page. You can also include a page with a short writing sample (I like to read excerpts from people's work on their websites). And Ms. Megibow adds that a professional website does not need to be an expensive endeavor.

- She says that she is impressed when she finds that a writer not only has a professional website but also a blog - although she says that she has clients who maintain only one or the other.

- After establishing a website and/or blog, try using Facebook and Goodreads. Then, maybe try Twitter. (But don't use Twitter exclusively as your online presence: people want to know more about you than you can say in 140 character blips.) And YouTube, if it works for you. But Ms. Megibow adds, "If something doesn't work for you, drop it like a hot potato. Don't like Twitter? Drop it. Can't stand Facebook? Drop it. Be efficient with your time "

- While interacting with others online in an effort to build your platform, "be yourself, be honest." And she adds, "be organized and be out there."

- When considering fiction manuscripts, the writing always comes first. The platform is second. (When it comes to fiction manuscripts, this seems to be the general sentiment among agents and editors. On the other hand, when it comes to nonfiction manuscripts, platform weights heavily and can be a dealbreaker if absent or inadequate.) For writers who have been published before, sales numbers do come into play.

So writers need to approach marketing as a two-pronged attack: They need to connect with their readers via online networks (because readers want to connect with writers whose stories they read and love) BUT writers also need to implement marketing strategies to connect with their readers that do not involve being online. And by "readers", I mean people who might actually be interested in buying your book.

What do you think? What strategies do you find best market and sell your work - both online and offline? Do you have any "insider" tips to share with other writers about effective ways to connect with readers, both online and offline? Have you found that any one online networking outlet works better than the rest when it comes to marketing your work, selling your work, and/or connecting with readers?

Marketing Your Book - Offline

2011-09-15T17:22:00.005-04:00

In these times, writers don't just get to write. Like it or not, writers must also market their work, whether self-published or traditionally-published.

But it leaves me wondering: How exactly do writers market their work effectively?

Frankly, I don't know much about marketing. Never took a class on it. Don't see a lot of blogs focusing on how to do it. Don't have any marketing acquaintances. So marketing is kind of daunting to me because it's unfamiliar territory.

Thankfully, through a bit of research, I came across Rob Eager's website. His company, WildFire Marketing, specializes in spreading the word about their clients' products - including authors and their books.

Time constraints did not allow Mr. Eager to be a guest on my blog. However, he kindly sent me a link to the "Free Resources" page of his website - where I found a very eye-opening article that he has written specifically for writers and publishers regarding effective marketing. Among other things, the article offers ten ways that writers can get their name and work out there - ways outside of online social networking.

I decided that, instead of summarizing the article, I would post it in its entirety because it is (in my opinion) relatively short, relatable, interesting, and beneficial.

So, with thanks to Rob Eager, here you go:

The Hidden Cost of Social Networking

By: Rob Eager

Facebook is great because Facebook is free, right? Same idea with Twitter, YouTube, and a host of other social networks popping up all over the Internet. There’s no cost to join, and you get the ability to communicate with thousands of people all over the world. No wonder so many authors and publishers have jumped onto the social media bandwagon. But, are social networks really “free”? Or, could using them cost you big-time?

There’s a basic economic principle that affects us everyday called “opportunity cost,” which is the cost of passing up another choice when making a decision. In essence, it’s the benefits you could have received by choosing a different action. What does this have to do with selling books via social networks?

I’ve watched a lot of authors and publishers become avid social networkers who spend considerable amounts of time reading and maintaining their blogs, FaceBook pages, Twitter feeds, YouTube channels, etc. When you conservatively add up the hours that these individuals spend surfing and contributing to social sites, the total amount of time can easily reach over 10 hours a week – and I’m being conservative! That’s over one-fourth of a 40-hour work week devoted to social networking activities. Some people claim they spend only 15 minutes a day. But, they’re shocked when they actually track their hours. My point is that if you’re going to spend over a fourth of your limited time on social networking activity, then that effort should create at least 25% of your total book sales. Yet, I don’t see that happening.

At Book Expo 2009, John Sargent, the CEO of Macmillan Publishing stated, “Viral marketing doesn’t sell a ton of books.” He mentioned a video based on a Macmillan book that spent time in the # 1 spot on YouTube in the U.K. Yet, it wound up only selling a whopping 200 extra copies.

One of my author clients has a blog with over 50,000 monthly readers. He spends a lot of time maintaining his huge social network. However, none of his new books have surpassed the sales figures of his older titles. Instead, his book sales derived from social networking activities represent a trickle, rather than a torrent of revenue. Ironically, this author is continually surprised by how many books he sells via offline activities, such as public speaking, sending newsletters, or national radio and TV interviews. I remind him to stay balanced and keep the lion’s share of resources dedicated on tactics that truly work.

The time has come to get pragmatic about the return on investment in social networks. If online activity doesn’t create a lot of book sales or some form of significant revenue, then it’s time to re-focus on other marketing priorities. Notice that I didn’t say abandon social media altogether. I am not against social networks. Rather, don’t make them a prime area of marketing concentration. Social networks may help raise awareness. But, if that awareness doesn’t create direct book sales, then it shouldn’t be a top priority.

This may sound harsh, but it needs to be said. One reason why some authors and publishing marketing staff love social networking is because they lack the value, creativity, or people-skills to actively engage their target readers. Instead, they prefer to sit passively at their computer chatting on social networks thinking that they’re marketing their books. In reality, they’re spinning their wheels and making little progress capturing new readers. If you’re going to sell more books, you can’t preach to the choir. You’ve got to actively go out and make new converts.

For instance, let’s revisit the example of how many weekly hours some authors and publisher marketing staff spend on social networking. If those individuals re-allocated just five of the ten hours spent online to focus on crucial offline marketing tactics, they could complete any one of the following activities listed in the right-hand column during that week:

Authors:

1. Write and send a newsletter to influential leaders.

2. Develop a new keynote speech or workshop based on a book.

3. Contact and follow up with 3 trade associations for speaking opportunities.

4. Send out a press release that connects your book’s material to current events.

5. Contact 3 - 5 organizations who could purchase bulk quantities of your book.

6. Create 3 free resources for your author website.

7. Write 1 - 2 chapters for your next book.

8. Contact 3 - 5 well-known people who could endorse your books.

9. Update your specific book pages on Amazon with tour dates, RSS blog feeds, videos, etc.

10. Attend a regional or national conference to build relationships with key leaders.

After looking over this list, what makes more sense to you? Why spend excessive hours trawling the Internet for electronic “friends” when you can get your book in front of real people who can immediately buy it? The choice is yours. Social networking might be free, but there’s always a cost. Don’t miss the opportunity to maximize your time and book sales.

What do you think? Have you found that online social networking has or has not given you the book sales you wanted? Do you find that writers marketing their books to each other makes for good sales numbers? When you network socially online, do you network with friends, family, writers, potential readers - or all of the above? Which readers of your blog/website do you find mostly buy your books?

The Query: What To Include and What To Leave Out

2011-09-08T17:07:00.003-04:00

Over the last two years, I have written and submitted ~~several~~ a ton of query letters to literary agents and editors.

I wrote my first query letter in the fall of 2009. I wasn't bad - but I imagined that it could be better. So I did online research and read industry publications to learn more about how to write a good query. And, I used some common sense.

Over the last two years, my query has changed - and gotten better - with each manuscript that I've submitted to agents and editors.

So what have I learned about how to write a good query?

Here's what you should include:

- Open your query with a summary of your story, kept as close to one page as possible (that's the length most agents request). And I write my summary in the same "voice" as I wrote the manuscript.

- Then, tell the agent/editor anything else about your manuscript that you want him/her to know. For example, my novel had a nonfictional element, so I included my sources. (If there's nothing you need to tell the agent/editor, skip on to the next one.)

- Since you're writing this query letter, that means your manuscript is finished. So include the word count (to improve your chances of getting noticed, I highly recommend that your manuscript is inside of, or very close to, 80,000-100,000 words).

- Include your genre/target audience.

- Include any relevant publishing history. I say "relevant" because if you self-published a book under a pen name and it didn't do as well as you had hoped, you don't have to mention it. I also say "relevant" in the event that you write for both children and adults. For example, when I queried my novel, I did not include my Highlights publishing credits. But when I submitted my most recent picture book manuscript to publishers, I did include those credits. If you don't have any publishing history, you don't need to say, "I have never been published." Just don't mention anything about it.

- Include your contact information - email address and phone number.

And here's what you should not include:

- Never, never, ever (ever) say that you have written a "fiction novel" or "fictional novel" in your query. By definition, a novel is a work of fiction. Several literary agents have said that when they see the words "fiction novel" in a query, they stop reading. Just say "novel."

- Never, never, ever (ever) address an agent in your query letter as "Dear Agent." Literary agents maintain up-to-date websites, which include their names, so there's no reason to use "Dear Agent" in your query letter. Several agents have said that when they see "Dear Agent" as the greeting in a query, they stop reading. "Dear Mr. or Ms. Last Name" is a great greeting. However, when you query editors, you may not always be able to find their names online (that's sometimes done on purpose). Therfore, "Dear Sir or Madam" or "Dear Editor" are acceptable greetings when addressing an editor (I use "Dear Sir or Madam.")

And here are two things that I choose to exclude from my query (this is personal preference):

- I don't include information about myself unrelated to publishing (i.e. educational background, family, etc.) because I don't want to sway the agent/editor's opinion of me - and my work - with personal info. I want to keep it all about my manuscript.

- I don't compare my manuscript to published books that I think it is like. I used to do that - but I stopped for two reasons: 1.) A writer friend once pointed out that an agent/editor may not like the books that you compare yours to, which won't serve to help you; and 2.) An agent/editor may not think that your work is different - or better - than the ones you've compared it to. In my query letter for my first picture book manuscript, I compared my manuscript to two published children's books. One agent wrote back and said, "I don't see much difference in what you've written and the ones you've compared it to." Yikes. Lesson learned: no more comparisons in my query.

What do you think? Do you agree or disagree with any of these points? What do you put into - and leave out of - your query? Have you changed things about your query as your have submitted more and more of your work?

Tips From a Literary Agent

2011-09-01T17:31:00.003-04:00

During the WriteOnCon conference two weeks ago, there was a live Q&A forum with literary agent Jessica Sinsheimer of the Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency. People were able to ask her questions, which she graciously answered.

I read through the forum and gleaned some "insider info" that I hope will prove helpful to you. And, I've added my own thoughts in italics. (Note: Please keep in mind that this is the opinion of one literary agent. The publishing industry is subjective, and agents and editors have varying opinions):

- For works of fiction, finish writing and editing the final copy of your manuscript before querying agents/editors. (I think most agents and editors feel this way.)

- Make sure that your manuscript is not way over or way under on words. (As I've said before, aim for 80,000-100,000 words because that appears to be the publishing industry's "word count sweet spot.")

- Agents/editors can help you cut scenes from, or add words to, your manuscript - but it's much harder for them to help you make your manuscript good. (Focus first on quality and on writing a well-done manuscript.)

- More middle grade. (Several agents and editors have said this lately.)

- Lots of people are writing on the same topics in similar ways. Try to approach a familiar subject in a new, fresh way. (Novelty stands out.)

- Unusual settings and experiences in your manuscript are welcome.

- Write a book that can stand alone - but that also has the potential to become a series.

- Mixing genres in a single manuscript is okay - even good.

- If you have been published in the past and choose to mention it in your query, then clarify whether you have been self-published or traditionally-published.

- Using a pen name is okay, especially if you write in two different genres (i.e. wholesome children's books and novels with language, violence, etc.) (Along these same lines, you might also consider using a pen name for your ebooks if you ever think you might want to pursue traditional publishing, just in case the ebooks don't do well. That way, you've "saved" your real name.)

- If you write for children and adults, it is acceptable to have two literary agents - one to represent your work in each category. Also, if you write in two different genres, it is acceptable to have two literary agents - one to represent your work in each genre.

- Attach sample pages in .doc format, not .docx or PDF. (In .doc format, your attachment can be read on a lot of moblie devices - good for on-the-go agents and editors. But attachments saved in .docx or PDF are unable to be opened on some mobile devices. You can save your Word document as .doc by selecting "Word 97-2003 Document" from the drop-down menu when you go to save it. Note: Most literary agencies ask on their websites for sample pages to be pasted at the end of your email query, not attached.)

- Advances are down. (Depending on your perspective, this is a good thing or a bad thing. Rachelle Gardner just wrote a great post about advances here.)

- Don't submit your queries around the same time that bad news has come out about the traditional publishing industry. (Good point: Morale will likely be down all around.)

What do you think? Have you heard any of these stated before? Do they change anything about how you're going to submit your next manuscript - or were you already aware of most or all of these? From your own experience, have you found any of these to be true or untrue?

Amazon

2011-08-25T17:32:00.002-04:00

Amazon.com is power.

And I'm not even talking about e-publishing.

I'm taking about the opportunity to rate and review products.

Yesterday, I was looking on Amazon for Spanish workbooks and flash cards to use with my kids. Now by nature, I'm not a pessimist. But when I'm trying to decide whether or not to buy a particular product on Amazon, I read the one-star and two-star reviews. Why? Because I want to see what the worst things are about the product - then decide if I can live with that. If not, then I move on to another product.

Thanks to the reviews written by people using Amazon, I discovered that all of the products I was thinking about purchasing had flaws that were dealbreakers for me. If not for those reviews, I would have purchased one or two of those items, then had to pay to ship them back once I found out about these flaws on my own.

So what does this have to do with you as a writer?

I think that most writers want their books - traditionally-published and/or e-published - to be for sale on Amazon. The caveat comes with the reviews. For better or for worse, reviews given by readers can make or break your book sales.

The other night, I read the one-star and two-star reviews for a highly-ranked ebook series for sale on Amazon. The negative reviews actually made me wonder how the series had become so highly rated on Amazon in the first place.

And these reviews made the decision for me: I didn't purchase the series.

What do you think about Amazon? Do you shop there for products and/or books? Do you buy traditionally-published and/or e-published books on Amazon? Have you ever purchased - or decided not to purchase - a product or book on Amazon as a result of the reviews?

What Agents and Editors Don't Want - and What They Do

2011-08-18T19:25:00.001-04:00

Recently, I found out about an online writer's conference called WriteOnCon (thanks to Jenny Lee Sulpizio and Janet Hartman for letting me know about it). It's a week-long online conference geared towards writers of picture books, middle grade (MG), and young adult (YA) fiction - however, as I read through this amazing source of information last night, I realized that a lot of what the interviewees said can be applied to writers across the board.

Who were the interviewees exactly?

Literary agents and editors.

I read through two interviews and gleaned some very interesting information. Today, I'm posting about one of those interviews, and I'll post about the other one in two weeks.

The interview I'm discussing today had four panelists:

Jim McCarthy, literary agent, Dystel & Goderich Literary Management
Michelle Andelman, literary agent, Regal Literary
Emily Meehan, editor, Disney Hyperion
Annette Pollert, editor, Simon Pulse

People were able to post questions for the panelists to answer.

As I read the entire conversation, I took notes - and for you, I have complied what I learned:

What Literary Agents and Editors Don't Want - and What They Do Want.

Here are the things that these four industry professionals said they don't want to see and/or are tired of seeing, in random order (Note: All agents and editors have subjective opinions. These four people do not represent the entire industry):

1.) Dystopian;

2.) vampires, zombies, demon hunters;

3.) beginning a story by waking up from a dream or waking up in the bed at sunrise;

4.) YA: over-published and over-written right now - too many people doing it;

5.) writers of adult fiction writing YA just because the YA market is hot right now and writers assume that's where the money is;

6.) multiple first person point-of-views in a story UNLESS it's done well and there's a legitimate reason for doing it;

7.) male point-of-view in YA (because it's a hard sell to editors) UNLESS it's done well and appeals to females as well.

So what DO agents and editors want to see? Here's what these four panelists said, again in random order:

1.) MG (middle grade);

2.) stories for boys, especially MG;

3.) novels written in verse if it's done well;

4.) debut authors with or without publishing history: agents can sell the work of debut authors to editors - the hard part is for publishers to sell it to the public when it's up against the work of better-known authors.

Their final advice was to write what you know and write what you like to write. I think if you do those two things - and do them well - you'll greatly increase your chances of getting noticed.

Maybe even of getting published.

So what are your thoughts on what these panelists want to see and don't want to see? Do you agree or disagree? Did what these panelists say confirm what you already knew? Did what they say change what you're thinking about writing next?

LinkedIn: Be Careful

2011-08-11T20:07:00.007-04:00

Are you on LinkedIn?

In case you haven't heard of it, LinkedIn is an online professional network, whereas Facebook is an online social network. People can post their employment history and professional past in resume-like form on LinkedIn, as well as contact information and personal/professional websites. On LinkedIn, you enter your professional title and it will show up beneath your photo - which makes it easy to see who works where when searching through LinkedIn members. And while you can connect with anyone on Facebook - whether or not you've ever met them - LinkedIn discourages connecting with people that you've never met in real life.

Honestly, since I blog and use Facebook, I hadn't given LinkedIn much thought. Plus, I had never received an invitation to connect.

Until last week.

I stopped by my computer last Thursday afternoon to take a second and check my email. When I did, I saw an invitation to join LinkedIn.

And it was from an editor.

Whoa.

Dinner was almost ready, my kids were asking me questions, and all the while I was trying to assimilate this email. I knew that I could wait until later to accept the invitation from this editor - whose name I didn't recognize but whose publishing house I did - but my thought process was, "I don't want to wait hours to accept and make him think that I wasn't sure whether or not I wanted to accept his invitation in the first place."

I mean, it was an editor.

So I clicked the button in my email from LinkedIn to accept his invitation.

The next screen showed me eight names/photos/titles of people already on LinkedIn - and there were more names/photos/titles if I had scrolled down, which I didn't (again, dinner and the kids were calling, so I needed to hurry up and get this done). All of the people on this screen had a check-mark by their name - done automatically by LinkedIn - thereby selecting them to receive an invitation from me to connect. Quickly scanning the screen of those eight people showing, I recognized a couple of online writer friends and a couple of literary agents. And in my hurried and unfocused state, I assumed that all of the people on this list were connections of the editor who had invited me.

And who wouldn't want to be connected to an editor's connections?

So I quickly clicked the button to invite them. All.

But as I waited those few seconds for the invitations to go through, I noticed another one of the eight faces. It was a face that I hadn't noticed before. It wasn't an agent, editor, or writer. It was one of my real-life acquaintances. A former acquaintance. An acquaintance that, in fact, I did not want to connect with.

Too late.

"231 invitations sent," the next screen read.

Oh, no.

What had I just done? Who had I just connected with?

I wondered about it and thought about it for the next few hours. And then, when the quiet of evening came (read: precious children asleep), I was really able to think it through.

What had happened? How had LinkedIn selected the people to whom I might want to extend an invitation?

That night, as I began receiving emails from LinkedIn letting me know who had accepted my invitation (twenty people accepted that very same day - I was humbled), I looked carefully at who I was getting these replies from:

Family members.

Friends, current and former.

Literary agents who I've submitted my work to in the past.

Assistants to literary agents who I've submitted my work to in the past.

Editors who I've submitted my work to in the past.

People I've never heard of before who live in The Triangle of North Carolina, which is where I live.

People I've emailed before with random questions - like when I had a Navy compass and emailed a curator at a Navy museum to see if they were interested in having it (they weren't).

Yeah, the curator accepted my invitation.

After seeing all of this and thinking about it some more, I decided that LinkedIn must do two things: 1.) find contacts and email addresses in your Inbox and, if these people are on LinkedIn, offer you the opportunity to connect with them; and 2.) use the zip code you enter when you create a LinkedIn account to offer you the opportunity to connect with people in your geographic area.

Despite my initial ~~experience~~ mishap with LinkedIn, there is a cool part (in my opinion) about this online network. Like Facebook, LinkedIn lets you see who your connections are connected to (yes, Facebook and LinkedIn each allow you to view your connections' connections). But unlike Facebook, a person's title is right underneath his photo on LinkedIn - so you're not clicking around trying to find out what s/he does for a living.

So, for example, when a literary agent graciously accepted my LinkedIn invitation, I looked through a few of her 500+ connections.

Here's what I came across:

Senior Editor at Bloomsbury.

Publisher of Penguin Group.

Owner of a well-known literary agency.

I was stunned. I felt like royalty. I mean, how often do writers have the chance to connect with the people at the top of the publishing industry hierarchy if we're not published - or even if we are published? I couldn't believe that I was looking at the names and faces of people that I have probably submitted my work to in the (recent) past.

My first thought was to connect to them.

Why?

Simply because I could.

But as I thought that one through, I realized that it would serve me no purpose to connect with them. I mean, they're going to choose to publish me (or not) because of the work I submit to them, not because we're connected on LinkedIn.

So I resisted the urge.

But I still look through other people's connections at times to see how far up the publishing chain I can go. ;)

So what's my simple advice to you?

When you are on LinkedIn, be careful and take your time when it comes to connecting.

Because I am still getting accepted invitations from people that I haven't talked to in years.

From people that I haven't talked to ever.

And from people that I've never even heard of.*

What about you? Are you on LinkedIn? If so, what's been your experience with it? If not, what's holding you back? Do you also blog and use Facebook? If so, which social network do you feel helps further your cause the most? Any interesting experiences while using any of the three?

*If you accepted my invitation to connect on LinkedIn, but you've never heard of me, thank you for connecting - it's great to meet you! And welcome to my blog!

Agents, Editors, Submissions - and An Experiment

2011-08-04T22:01:00.003-04:00

A couple years ago, I submitted a manuscript to a literary agent. His/her (I don't remember which) response was one that I hadn't seen before: After declining to represent me, s/he wished me luck in finding the right literary agent or editor.

What did that mean - editor? I thought writers could only submit their work to literary agents.

I did some research.

Editors work at publishing houses. So when you submit to an editor, you're submitting to someone who acquires manuscripts for the publishing house that s/he represents.

OK, great! I thought after finding that out. I'll be able to submit my novel to literary agents AND editors.

So as I wrote my first novel last year, I also looked in industry publications and online for agents and editors to whom I could submit my manuscript once it was finished.

I was a bit surprised at what I found out.

There are very few traditional publishers who accept unagented novel submissions - five to be exact (that I found). (Note: If you want to know the names of these publishers, just drop me an email at laurenfboyd (at) gmail (dot) com, and I'll reply with the links to their websites).This total does not count the romance book publishers who do accept unagented romance novel submissions, like Harlequin and Avalon. So what I'm saying is that, if you've written a novel, it would serve you well to find a literary agent to represent your work. It will open up many more submission opportunities to publishers for you. Just make sure that your completed manuscript is close to 80,000-100,000 words before you begin to submit it (see here and here for why) and that you are submitting it to agents who actually represent your genre.

With this in mind earlier this year, I queried literary agents with my completed novel. Eighty-four agents to be exact (I know, I know - it took me a while to realize and accept that my novel's too short).

But when you write for children, it's a whole different story (no pun intended).

And when I say "write for children", I mean picture books: books for babies, toddlers, preschoolers, and early elementary children (basically, ages 0-8).

When it comes to picture books, I have learned that literary agents exercise caution when deciding whether or not to take on the manuscript of a never-before-published children's book writer. And who can blame them for being cautious? Agents' livelihoods rest on the books they sell to editors, how those books do in the public, etc. So agents have to choose their clients carefully and incredibly selectively.

But guess what? There's good news for those of us writers who are unagented and want to submit our picture book manuscripts to publishing industry professionals.

Because unlike the limited number of publishers who accept unagented (unsolicited) manuscripts for novels, there are a large number of traditional children's book publishers who accept unagented picture book manuscripts. You've just got to find them.

And guess what?

I have. I've compiled "The List" just for you!

It's forty traditional publishers (and counting) who accept unsolicited, unagented picture book manuscripts: thirty accept fiction and nonfiction, seven fiction only, and three nonfiction only.

I've been wanting to experiment with e-publishing so I could tell you more about it on here (which I will!) That's why you'll find "The List" in Amazon's Kindle store. It's also available via PayPal for those without a Kindle. Just look in the right-hand margin of my blog for the links.

What about you? How's your submission process going? Any tips for us on what you've learned when it comes to submitting to literary agents and editors?

Exclusive Submission Policy: What Does That Mean For You?

2011-07-29T20:10:00.003-04:00

Once you finish writing and editing your manuscript and are happy with the final product, you'll be ready to submit it to literary agents and editors (publishers).

If you're submitting a novel, you'll peruse the Internet and industry publications for the names of literary agents to whom you can submit your work. If you're submitting a children's book (which is more of the point-of-view I'm coming from tonight), you'll have literary agents and editors to whom you can submit (more about this in a coming post). As you search for names and contact information, you're sure to come across the words exclusive submission and simultaneous submission.

An exclusive submission means that you are giving one person the opportunity to review your work, be it an agent or an editor. A simultaneous submission means that you are submitting your work to multiple people - to as many people as you feel would be interested in reviewing it based on their submission guidelines and accepted genres.

Simultaneous submissions of queries are understood to be the industry norm, unless otherwise noted on a literary agent's website. BUT - if a literary agent is intrigued by your query and wants to read your entire manuscript, s/he will most likely want the exclusive opportunity to do so for an amount of time that s/he sets (usually several months). That's normal.

There are always exceptions, though, right? For example, I have found two children's book publishers that do exercise an exclusive submission policy when submitting initially. And interestingly enough, there's another children's book publisher who used to exercise an exclusive submission policy, but as of earlier this year, now allows simultaneous submissions. (Makes you wonder what they learned from having an exclusive submission policy for all those years....)

Anyway, if you decide to submit your manuscript exclusively, it's a great opportunity for the person you're giving it to. There's no time constraint or competition because no one else is considering the manuscript at the same time.

But how does it fare for you as the author?

Personally, as an unagented children's book writer submitting unsolicited picture book manuscripts to publishers who accept them, it's somewhat of a turn-off for me to see a publisher asking for my manuscript exclusively. And to add to that, the publisher usually wants the manuscript exclusively for a period of about four months, with no response guaranteed at the end - only the lapse of the time as a reply.

So frankly, when I see a children's book publisher requiring an exclusive submission, I don't submit my work to them. I just keep going.

Why?

Because I have found twenty-three other children's book publishers that do accept simultaneous submissions of unsolicited, unagented picture book manuscripts.

So I just move on to them.

What about you? What do you think of the exclusive submission policy? Does it affect to whom you submit? Does you bypass that person when submitting, or do you submit and state the amount of time that you will allow it to be an exclusive submission? If you have a literary agent, does s/he submit your work exclusively or simultaneously to editors? If you are unagented , do you submit your work exclusively or simultaneously to agents and editors?

Be Ready

2011-07-22T20:21:00.001-04:00

This evening, I was going through my list of children's book publishers that accept unsolicited manuscripts as I prepare to submit my newest picture book manuscript. I came across a publisher, Gryphon House, that I had bookmarked in the past. I remember submitting a manuscript to them a couple years ago and getting an email back with something about the type of books that they publish - but I couldn't recall what that email said and I knew I'd never find it in my Inbox. And since I didn't see it spelled out on their website (likely because I was trying to keep an eye on my two little tired ones who seemed like they were about to decide that they were getting on each other's nerves), I decided to call Gryphon House and ask if they accept picture book manuscript submissions (because I'd rather talk on the phone any day than email). I called the number on the website and soon a friendly rep answered.

"Hi," I said. "I'm calling to see if Gryphon House accepts unsolicited manuscripts."

"We do accept some manuscripts," she said. "But let me put you through to our editor, 'Jane Smith', so you can find out more."

What?

"Thanks," I said. While I waited the few seconds, I figured that I'd get an answering machine. No way could an editor be this accessible.

"Hello?" a new voice said.

What?

"Hi, 'Ms. Smith'," I greeted her. "My name is Lauren Boyd, and I'm calling to find out if Gryphon House accepts unsolicited manuscripts."

"We do accept some manuscripts," she answered.

But she didn't stop there:

"Why don't you tell me what your book is about, and I'll tell you if we'd be interested."

What?

A pitch?

I. have. never. pitched. a. book. before. in. my. life. In fact, I've never even spoken to an editor on the phone before this very conversation.

But for some (divinely-inspired) reason, my mind was ready. Maybe it's because I weaned my daughter at the end of last year and now I get a much more recuperative sleep every night - so my brain works much better during the day. Or maybe it's the fish oil I started taking a couple months ago (also good for the brain.) Or maybe it's because I wrote the final draft of my query letter for this manuscript this morning.

Or maybe it's because I needed to get off the phone fast before my kids decided that they were done being friends.

Whatever it was, I got right to the point. I would say that the pitch lasted 20-25 seconds, but since I talk pretty fast, I got a lot of words in. As I think about it in retrospect, I realize that my mindset was, "Give her this pitch fast because her attention will wane and she's going to lose interest in what you're saying if you take too long. And she might be waiting to interrupt you and say, 'No, thanks', so get it all out there and maybe she'll change her mind."

"Well," Ms. Smith replied. "We don't publish children's books. We sell children's books, but we publish early educational resources for teachers and parents."

So, no.

That answer stunk - but the silver lining was the way that she spoke to me. She didn't tell me what Gryphon House publishes in a tone that implied, "You should have done your homework and known this already." Her tone was friendly, kind, patient. And at the beginning of our conversation, she had genuinely sounded interested in, and receptive to, what I was going to pitch to her.

Too bad Gryphon House doesn't accept picture book manuscripts.

Because I think that is an editor I would have enjoyed working with.

What about you? Do you write a pitch for each of your completed manuscripts? Have you ever had the opportunity to pitch one of your manuscripts? Did you know that you would be asked to pitch it? Did you get positive responses from the agent/editor to whom you pitched? I know a lot of my writer friends go to writers' conferences. If you've been to a writers' conference, did you have the opportunity to pitch there? Were you ready? Did you nail it or get a little nervous? And what was the outcome - did you land a book deal?

Pick Your Battles

2011-07-16T15:02:00.006-04:00

My first Highlights for Children story is scheduled to appear in the February 2012 issue.

This is what the cover letter told me that I received a couple weeks ago from the magazine. Also enclosed was a first copy proof, as it's called, which is a copy of what my story will look like when it runs. No illustrations or color - just my words. And the cover letter stated that my suggested edits were welcomed.

So I eagerly read over the first copy proof.

I could tell that my original manuscript had been made a bit shorter overall, obviously due to the length restrictions of the page. So I added back a very few words here and there that had been omitted - because as I looked at the overall page, it seemed likely that they could be added back without affecting the margins. They really weren't words of drastic significance - just words to help with the flow of the story and to add a bit of emphasis.

There was one more thing: both characters' names had been changed. I had used my kids' names, which are both long, but my Highlights editor had changed them to shorter names (I found out later it's to help young readers be able to pronounce the names more easily). My first thought was to figure out names that were closer to my kids' real names and ask to have those used in the story.

I was at a crossroads.

But then I thought about something else.

I have three more submissions under consideration at Highlights. I want to submit to them again in the future. I want them to want to work with me. So I need to worry less about characters' names and more about coming across as someone who's easy to work with and open to editorial suggestions - especially editorial suggestions coming from someone who does this on a daily basis and for a living, no less.

So I decided to go with the names that my editor had selected.

My point?

When it comes to working with your editor, pick your battles. You'd much rather come across as a writer who's easy to work with and amenable to changes to the manuscript than a picky author who has to have everything his/her way. I mean, editors do this for a living. They do know a thing or two about editing, right?

So now, when I write for Highlights, I use the shortest and easiest-to-pronounce names that I can think of.

Plus, what really mattered the most in this first copy proof was what was printed in the bottom left-hand corner of the page:

Highlights FEBRUARY 2012

What about you? Self-published, e-published, traditionally published authors: What have your experiences been while working with an editor?

My - I Mean, Your - "Novel" Idea

2011-07-08T09:03:00.002-04:00

I thought I had it all figured out.

I posted last week about the three options I have for my novel(la) now that I've realized it's too short by publishing industry standards. I could e-publish it, lengthen it (by 40,000 words, mind you), or shelve it and move on. I had decided to lengthen it. Simple as that, right?

I thought I had it all figured out.

But then, my wonderful writer friends out there stopped by and commented on my post. You guys gave me terrific ideas that I hadn't thought of.

Here's a summary of what they told me. I hope it will help you, too:

- If you like writing shorter works of fiction, consider writing for middle-grade (MG) or young adult (YA) readers.

- There are magazines that publish novellas.

- Writers can submit shorter works of romantic fiction (45-60K) to Harlequin Romantic Suspense, Harlequin's Love Inspired, or Barbour's Heartsong Presents. Love Inspired and Heartsong Presents are faith-based romantic imprints, but Harlequin Romantic Suspense is not.

- Here's the big one: It's hard work to add words to a too-short manuscript. You would think that you could just add details or a scene or two. But what writers are telling me who've had to lengthen their manuscripts before is that it's hard to do. It's more than adding details and scenes: it's adding new subplots, conflicts, and/or characters - which subsequently have to be woven into and integrated into the existing story. Which sounds to me like you'll be left rewriting a large majority of your existing manuscript in order to make it all cohesive.

So before trying to lengthen my novel(la) and risk sacrificing its quality (that is, risk "padding" it), I'm going to submit it as-is to Harlequin Romantic Suspense because it does not have a faith element. I think it's a good match because my novel(la) is suspenseful (adventure) and has a romance element as well.

I didn't think of submitting it to Harlequin before, so THANKS to my writer friends for suggesting it! It's a wonderful idea! I really appreciate your time and help!

How about you? When your manuscript turns out too short or too long, what do you do about it? How many different things will you try in order to "save" it before you decide (if you decide) to shelve it? Have you ever been surprised by a literary agent's or editor's reaction to one of your manuscript submissions?

Word Count, Agents, and Editors, Oh My! - Part Two

2011-06-22T14:49:00.008-04:00

Last week, I posted about my novel and how I've learned that it's too short for publication by industry standards. So what length should you aim for? 80,000-100,000 words. Of course, there are always exceptions to that rule - but generally speaking, this is the "word count sweet spot."

A couple months ago, I read a post on Rachelle Gardner's blog that said she's been receiving increasingly more query letters for short novels. And she was wondering why that is. I emailed her and told her about my 40,000 word novel. I asked her if she foresaw publishers taking on more novellas, since apparently a lot of writers seem to be submitting them to agents. I also told her that I'd definitely submit to her, but her blog indicates that she only reads queries for manuscripts that are 80K-100K words.

Her response cleared up all my questions in one fail swoop.

Rachelle said that the reason publishers don't accept shorter works of fiction very often - unless they are in the business of accepting a ton of them - is basically money. She told me that publishers can't make more than about $5 on a novella. Likewise, a literary agent is not going to make a significant commission off a novella - and their livelihood depends on their clients' work, so they have to choose carefully who they represent. And my wanting to submit to her? Again, she's just looking for manuscripts that fall within the "word count sweet spot" because that's what publishers are looking for and buying.

In other words, it's out of her control. It's out of every literary agent's control. They're just looking for what will sell.

It would be like telling your realtor that you want a one-story house but all she chooses to show you is two-story homes. It's a waste of time going to look at them because they're not what you're buying.

Likewise with book publishers and manuscripts of a certain length.

So what do I do now with my novella? And what do you do if your manuscript is too short - or too long? Here are our options as I see it:

1.) Self-publish it. E-publishing my novella has crossed my mind. From what I've been told by those who have done it, e-publishing on Amazon is easy, free, and fast. But that's where the easy part seems to end. Once it's on Amazon, the author has to spend a tremendous amount of time marketing his/her work so that readers will find it in the sea of e-published works on Amazon and buy it. Joylene Butner, my self-published writer friend in Canada, told me that she spent 12 hours a day on average marketing her first self-published book. 12 hours a day. Honestly, staying home with two little ones does not allow me that kind of time. And if I did have that kind of time, honestly again, I'd rather be writing and submitting that trying to market my e-published book. I'm just not that great when it comes to marketing and self-promotion. But more power to those who do self-publish!

2.) Shelve your manuscript and move on. If your story is told and there's nothing more to say, and your manuscript is still too short, maybe there wasn't enough of a story to start with. If it's too long and you can't imagine cutting any of it, you should try anyway. That way, you'll get better reception from agents and editors because your manuscript is within the "word count sweet spot." Too short or too long, if you don't want to alter the length of your manuscript, then shelve it and move onto a fresh idea and a new manuscript.

3.) Lengthen it. Sometimes, I think it's harder to take words out of a too-long manuscript than to add material to one that's too short. But if your manuscript is too short, add more words! And in the case of my novella, I think this is the option for me. Lenghtening it will allow me to add words to my novel as time and my schedule allow. And once it's inside that "word count sweet spot", I will definitely resubmit it to agents and editors.

Because I love this manuscript, this story, these characters. And not only that, but I really want to hold a book that has my name on the cover as its author.

What about you? Is it hard for you to add words to your manuscript if it comes out too short? Is it hard for you to cut words if your manuscript comes out too long? Which one do you think is harder? And by the way: How's your work-in-progress coming?

Many thanks to Rachelle Gardner for her help and answers to my questions!

Word Count, Agents, and Editors, Oh My! - Part One

2011-06-17T12:39:00.001-04:00

I wrote my first novel. And every time I reread parts of it, I fall in love with that manuscript all over again.

But at this point, I think I'm alone in loving it (well, except for my husband - I get the vibe that he likes it, too. :) But why do I feel like we're the only two?

I started querying literary agents with my manuscript in January. And the more I submitted, the more I realize that I had made a mistake with this manuscript.

Is it poorly laid out? No. Are the characters boring or unbelieveable? No. Is there too much backstory? No.

It's 40,000 words.

It's too short.

What makes me say this? Well, a few of the literary agents to whom I submitted took the time to send me a personal note with my rejection (hey, if you're going to be rejected, bring on the personalized rejection letters, right? Gotta have something to brag about ;)

Anyway, what they're saying is that there's a "word count sweet spot" (in most cases - of course, there are always exceptions with certain publishers.) It's a range outside of which you have a much higher probability of being cast into the slush pile abyss.

Unless an agent falls in love with your manuscript and wants to work with you make it longer and more ready for submission to editors -which is what I'm hoping for, now that I realize my manuscript is likely too short by industry standards.

So what's the "word count sweet spot" that several literary agents have alluded to? What's the word count range writers should aim for?

80,000-100,000 words.

If your manuscript is too short (40K or less), then industry professionals will brand it a novella (one agent who replied to my query said that he actually likes novellas but has found that they don't readily sell to publishers.). If your manuscript is too far over 100K words, then the printing/publishing costs go up noticeably for the publishing house that takes on your manuscript. And that's a chance they might not be willing to take on a new author.

So by staying within the 80K-100K "word count sweet spot", you increase your odds of your query getting noticed.

And with all the writers submitting their work to agents and editors, we need all the improved odds we can get, right?

So how about you? Do you stick close to a certain word count when you write? Has an agent or editor ever rejected your work based on its length? When your manuscript is within the publishing industry's "word count sweet spot", do you receive lots of positive responses from literary agents and editors?

Come back next week for Part Two of this post, when I'll write about an eye-opening email conversation I had with literary agent extraordinaire Rachelle Gardner, what your options are if your word count has fallen outside of the industry's "sweet spot" range, and what my new plan is for my novel (sorry, "novella")!

Friend Me, and I'll Friend You!

2011-06-14T11:26:00.003-04:00

I activated my Facebook account recently, but I haven't done much with it. Then, at my sister-in-law's baby shower in April, she said that she'll be posting photos of her baby on her Facebook page once she's born. Of course I want to see them, so I emailed her and asked her to connect with me on Facebook since her Facebook page is private. She not only "friended" me but also sent me links to other family members with whom I could connect, and I did.

Also over the past couple of months, I've been emailing my writing buddy Jessica Nelson for updates on whether she'd heard good news from her submission to the publishing company Love Inspired. Once she did hear back (she sold her book!), she announced it on her Facebook page. But because I'm not really using FB, I missed it (you can be sure Jessica and I are connected now)!

So this morning, I got the settings right on my Facebook account, and now I'm ready to be your friend. :)

"Friend" me on Facebook, and I'll "friend" you! Here's the link: Lauren on Facebook.

Oversaturation - and What To Do About It

2011-06-07T12:11:00.002-04:00

Have you ever used Craigslist? If not, let me tell you what it is: You post things on this website that you want to sell, services that you are offering, a house that you are selling - pretty much anything you want to offer others. And there is a huge following on Craigslist, so you have a very large audience when you put something on there.

Sounds great, right?

Well, it was - at least in my experience. I mean, over the last several years, I have put tons of kids' toys and clothing, housewares, furniture, even a vehicle on Craigslist- and it all sold. And for prices that far surpassed selling these things to second-hand brick-and-mortar stores.

But here lately, I can't sell anything on Craigslist. So it made me stop to try and figire out what's going on with this website. And then I realized what it is:

Craigslist is oversaturated. Everybody knows about it now. And everybody's trying to sell stuff on there.

In the past, I would post something for a price that I would like to get for it. Then, if no one showed interest within a couple of days, I would drop the price. And I would just keep dropping the price until it finally sold - and it still wouldn't be a bad price. And if I wanted to unload something fast, I would see how much other people on Craigslist with the same item were asking for theirs - then I would price mine lower than any of them. And that worked, too.

But that's not working now either. So I'm back to using brick-and-mortar stores when I need to free up space in my house (i.e. Goodwill, the local children's consignment store).

You're probably wondering, How does this apply to writing?

Here's my point: Everyone wants to write it seems. Everyone wants to be published. The Inboxes and mailboxes of literary agents and editors are oversaturated - and that goes for both books and magazines.

So as a writer, what are you to do?

You must find a way for your writing to stand out. Your work has to be different. The professionals in the publishing industry need to read something that makes them take notice, either because it's exceptionally written, because they've never seen it done before, or because it's been redone in a captivating way that works.

So when you write, try to stand out. Is there something interesting in your past that you have done or experienced that you could use as a plot for your next novel? Can you incorporate your educational, professional, or personal background into your novels (like John Grisham does with the law and Tom Clancy with the government)? Can you implement a point-of-view that is not used very often? I also know some writers who use specific and unique geographic locations or time periods in all of their novels - anything like that interest you? With all of the information that's available on the Internet, you may not even have to have traveled there before!

Whatever you do, first and foremost, pick something that you enjoy writing about. But after that, if your manuscript can somehow stand out and be a little bit different from everyone else's, you might get noticed more easily.

And that just might pay off in the end.

How about you? Do your manuscripts have any "special touches" that you feel are uniquely yours? Is there anything that you keep the same in each one of your manuscripts, like setting, time period, characters, or topic? Are you trying something new with your writing these days in order to "stand out" more when it comes to the submissions process?

Tell Us About It!

2011-06-01T08:50:00.000-04:00

Has your book recently come out? Or is it coming out in the (near or distant) future?

If so, leave a comment and tell us about it!

What's the title? What's the book about? When is/was the release date?

And congratulations in advance on your publishing accomplishment!

Points on Point-of-View

2011-05-20T10:04:00.001-04:00

If you're just starting out on your path to publication, you'll need to decide from what point-of-view (POV) you're going to write. Here are a few quick examples based on my experience:

Omniscient. This POV lets the reader know everything that is going on. The reader will know what every character is thinking and feeling. I write my stories for Highlights for Children magazine in the omniscient POV because, with the limited allowed word count, I need to get all the story's information out there fast.
For a good example of a novel written in the omniscient POV, check out The Bourne Ultimatum (the book).

Limited third person. This is the POV from which I write novels. I write from the POV of the main character, so the reader only knows what she is thinking and feeling. That way, it leaves some questions and interest as to what the other characters are thinking and feeling and thereby allows for surprises to be revealed and discovered as the story progresses.

First person POV. At this point on my path to publication, I have not dabbled with first person. But it's on my list to try as soon as I get some time.
If you want an example of it done successfully, check out Twilight.

What about you? In what point-of-view do you write? If you write different types of manuscripts (i.e. magazine articles, novels, short stories, poems, etc.), do you write in a different POV for each type of manuscript? If you write one type of manuscript, do you write in the same POV with each new story?

A Question For You

2011-05-08T20:20:00.000-04:00

Here's a quick question for you:

When you started out initially with your writing, which came first: an idea for a story that you wanted to write, or the genre that you wanted to write in?

(For me? An idea for a story came first).

What's the Future of Publishing?

2011-04-28T15:53:00.001-04:00

I have signed two traditional publishing contracts with Highlights. And I have to admit: opening an envelope that contains a publishing contract is incredibly exciting - especially after months and months of writing and submitting.

But will we always have the pleasure of receiving traditional publishing contracts?

E-publishing is being discussed at great length all over the Internet. Jody Hedlund wrote a post about it on her blog (see here). Someone commented in response to her post that e-publishing could turn out to be for the publishing industry what MP3s were to the music industry. You know, how years ago you would go to the mall to buy a $17 CD so you could get the two songs that you liked on the album. Now, you go to iTunes or wherever and pay $.99 to get just the songs you want.

Will that be the future of books?

I think that, at least for the forseeable future, there's room for both paper versions and e-versions of books. There will always be those who prefer to hold a book in their hands or who don't know how to/want to spend their time figuring out how to use a Kindle or Nook. On the flip side, there are those who already own and love their electronic book reading device.

And it's not like you pay $12 or $15 for a paperback book and only read a few pages of it, like you would buy an entire CD for only a couple of songs off it. You want and get the whole book for your money, making it a better value.

Traditional publishers seem to be recognizing that their books need to be available in both paper and electronic formats. Good for them - they're keeping up with the changing industry.

Because the publishing industry is always changing somehow.

What about you? If you have a traditional publishing contract, did your publisher create an e-version of your book to sell online at a lesser price than your paper version? If you e-publish your books, do you also self-publish paper versions of them - and if so, do you price the paperbacks higher?

Take Care of You

2011-04-25T20:32:00.001-04:00

I wrote and edited my first novel from May, 2010 to January, 2011. During that time, I was also nursing my daughter. During those eight months, I stayed up until 9:30 or 10:00 each night to write after putting her to bed at 6:30 - even though I could have fallen asleep with her (being a mom takes a lot of energy!) But I was SO into my novel that I just couldn't wait to write each evening. Anyway, since my daughter was nursing, she would wake up several times during the night. So my sleep was broken on top of staying up late.

The result?

A couple of migraines, total sleep-deprivation, waking up in the morning feeling as tired as I had at bedtime, and trying to function in a daze every day. My temper was short, and I literally could not comprehend the things I was seeing. Like when my son was doing something and I was standing there watching him, my brain couldn't process what I was seeing.

Sounds pretty scary in retrospect.

So you can see why I'm hesitant to start my next novel. I have a couple of ideas in my head, but I want to make sure I can pace myself and not get SO into my writing that I end up where I was a few months ago health-wise.

I finally realized in December that I needed to take better care of me. I weaned my daughter (she was almost two by then), and she began to sleep for hours on end at night. I started going to bed much earlier in the evening. And I started taking Vitamin B12 and 500 mg of Magnesium (as recommended by my doctor) daily to strengthen my nervous system and (hopefully) reduce the occurances of future migraines.

Because I didn't want to get a publishing contract and have to use the money to pay for medical bills from health problems incurred while I was writing. What a sucky paradox that would be.

What's my point?

Take care of you. If you're running on empty, take a break from your writing. If you feel like some of your relationships need more attention, take a break from your writing. If you're sleep-deprived because you're up early and late, take a break from your writing. Take care of you.

How about you? How do you know when you need to step away from your writing and take some time for yourself? How do you relax? How do you know when you're ready to get back to your writing?

When Something Isn't Working

2011-04-15T20:34:00.004-04:00

We've had our townhouse on the market since August. And we were ready to move long before that.

We finally had some showings in January and February (six total) but no takers. Then we stopped having showings altogether.

Something wasn't working.

We reassessed our home and decided that we needed to renovate the kitchen. So my husband installed track lighting and painted the walls, I replaced the hardware on the cabinets, and we had new countertops installed. We even dropped the price. We got all that finished earlier this week. I can't seem to find a "before" photo right now, but here's the end result:

Anyway, if you're writing and something's not working with your manuscript, stop and figure out what it is. And take your time getting it right. Your readers will be grateful.

And by the way: If our house doesn't sell in the next few weeks, we're putting it up for rent! Any of you have experience with being a landlord?

How about you? What have you had to stop doing/writing that wasn't working so you could reevaluate it? Have you had to change something that wasn't working in order to get where you wanted to be (i.e. your genre of writing, your literary agent, your publishing house)? What have you had to change so that you could fulfill your dreams - or just get on with your life?

What It Takes

2011-04-11T18:50:00.000-04:00

Maybe you're thinking about using your writing skills to try and break into the publishing industry. Before you start down your path to publication, let me share with you some of what it takes.

Because to be a writer, you can't just write anymore.

1.) Time. Obviously, you need plenty of time to write then revise and edit. After that, you'll need plenty of time to query literary agents and editors. Once you have a contract, you'll need time to edit (again!) and fulfill all of the requirements of your publishing house. If you choose to self-publish, you'll need tons of time to market, market, market your book.

2.) Perserverence. You will likely hit snags along the way while writing your manuscript. You will likely have days where you don't meet your word count goal. You will likely get rejection letters from agents and editors along the way. Along your path to publication, you will often have to remind yourself how badly you want to be published. (It's often motivating to read the blogs of published authors who are writing about their experiences with the publishing industry.)

3.) Self-discipline. You'll have to be self-disciplined enough to turn off the TV or radio or turn down the phone so you can have an effective writing session (or whatever you do to get into your writing mode.) This is especially true if you're trying to write a particularly difficult part of your manuscript.

4.) Motivation for social networking/platform-building. I'll tell you now before your agent or editor does: you need to have an online presence. Tap into the online tools used by writers: Blogger, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube. Surf around and you'll find lots of other writers (both published and unpublished) doing the same thing.

5.) A thick skin. Know now: rejection is just a part of this business. Rejections may hurt your feelings in the beginning - but don't give up your writing dreams because of them! Your skin will thicken if you push on and keep writing. And maybe some people will write negative reviews and critiques of your book once it's released - but don't let that deter you from writing again in the future. If you love writing, keep at it!

A question for writers already on their paths to publication: What advice did I forget for those who are starting out or thinking about starting out with trying to get published?

A Question for You

2011-04-05T17:07:00.002-04:00

Today's post is short - just a question that I'd love for you to answer:

Why do you write?

E-Publishing vs. Traditional Publishing

2011-03-30T20:16:00.007-04:00

I see why a lot of writers are choosing to self-publish their work in electronic format rather than going the traditional route of publication.

While there are hundreds of literary agents out there, they don't all accept queries from all genres. And a bunch of them don't accept unsolicited queries at all.

Then, if you do land an agent, there's no guarantee that your manuscript will find a home in a publishing house - a topic that you'll find discussed on the blog of many an industry professional.

So writers are turning to self-publication.

How does this new phenomenon affect those who are waiting for their shot at traditional publishing? For one, it helps free up the Inboxes (and mailboxes) of literary agents and editors. :)

In addition, some well-established authors who have enormous fan bases are leaving their traditional publishing houses to try self-publishing (see here). With the audiences that they already have, I’m sure they’ll do just fine.

The perks to self-publishing online are obvious: relatively instant publication, a fair percentage of the sale price (70% at Amazon starting this summer), and the ability to publish more than once a year. However, unless self-publishers hire someone to help them, they are left doing all the marketing on their own - which likely takes an incredible amount of time and maximazation of all the usual online suspects (Blogger, Twitter, Facebook, etc.) Likewise, if they don't hire an editor, they may very well be e-publishing their first drafts.

But if an e-book gets consistently high ratings, a traditional publisher might notice (i.e. Amanda Hocking). However, that's the exception rather than the rule.

I think writers with tons of ideas and time would enjoy e-publishing.

On the contrary, if you are willing to wait, you might just make it through the channels of traditional publishing and land a contract. If so, you will have editors at various levels reading your book with well-trained eyes. You'll have a marketing team behind your book. Of course, you'll be expected to do your share of platform-building online - but at least it's not all you.

And in the end, you'll get to hold your own book in your hands.

Every writer has to decide for him/herself which way to go.

As for me?

Frankly, I can’t imagine putting a $.99 price tag on something that I spent eight months writing. (No offense to those who self-publish!)

So what about you? In what circumstances would you consider e-publishing - or would you ever even consider it? Do you e-publish your work now? If so, what benefits/drawbacks have you found to be associated with self-publishing?

Editing Matters

2011-03-25T19:25:00.001-04:00

Four months after I started writing my first novel, I finished the first draft.

Four months after that, I finished editing it.

For me, editing/rewriting/revising takes undivided attention and focus. Some writers say that about the first draft and not so much about the editing. I bet all writers need extreme concentration for one or the other, though.

Either way, a writer needs to be prepared to edit once the first draft is complete. Otherwise, s/he is less likely to receive favorable responses from literary agents and editors when s/he submits the manuscript.

Bottom line? Editing matters.

Today, I came across three examples of why.

I took my kids (ages 2 and 4) to the library to check out some books. We got about ten books. Once home, I started to read to them.

Of the ten books, I came across three books with editing problems. Without naming book titles, authors, or publishers, here's what I found:

Story/illustration problems. One book is about a dog who finds a lost teddy bear laying on the top of a fence post and gives it to his owner. The dog's owner, in turn, looks all around for the bear's owner - who turns out to be a small child confined to a stroller by its snack tray. So I was left wondering: How did the bear get on the top of that fence post? I mean, even if the kid was out of the stroller earlier and walking around, wouldn't the bear more likely have been left on the ground? It was too bad about that illustration problem because the storyline was pretty good.

Translation problems. A different book also stars a dog as its main character. In this one, the dog's friend is packing for a holiday.

A holiday? You mean, a vacation?

I turned to the back cover. Sure enough, this book has ties to a publisher in London.

Lost in translation, I guess.

Sorry chaps - my wee lads don't know what it means to pack for a "holiday."

Errors. The third book just has a flat-out error. It's a board book, so it's meant for the littliest readers (my two-year-old likes it). On one page, there's an illustration of an octopus. While reading to her, I decided to use this "teachable moment" to tell her about an octopus.

"Look at all those legs!" I said. "Let's count the legs and find out how many an octopus has." I started counting slowly for her but counted quickly ahead in my mind.

My mouth dropped open.

I stopped counting aloud and counted again in my head.

There were nine legs drawn on this octopus.

I couldn't believe it! I mean, I think that a real-life octopus will regrow a leg if one gets detached. But I've never heard of an octopus regrowing two legs for every one.

That's a little heavy for children's literature.

Anyway, my daughter moved right on to the next page without a moment's pause. So I guess I'll find a photo of an octopus, since this nanopus messed up my "teachable moment."

Bottom line? Editing matters. It might take a while to edit your novel, but your readers will appreciate it. They'll stick around. They'll be ready for whatever you publish next.

So do it for them.

What about you? Any editing advice?

Good News!

2011-03-22T15:55:00.000-04:00

I just signed my second contract with Highlights for Children magazine!

(Sorry, this is more like a Tweet, but since I don't use Twitter, here it is on my blog! :)

Building Your Platform - Part Three

2011-03-14T20:19:00.003-04:00

If I may, here are some final thoughts about how you can promote yourself and your work - build your platform:

1.) Bum. Maybe that's not the right word. What I mean is to allow other people to participate in your platform-building and book release campaign. For example, is there a well-known writer in your genre? If so, maybe s/he will be a guest on your blog or write a foreword for your book. The worst s/he could say is no - but maybe s/he'll say yes! Also, around the time of your book release, be a guest on others' blogs (blog tour). Let others interview you about you and your book. That way, we can all learn more about you!

2.) Craigslist. I know this sounds crazy, but Craigslist is a powerful tool. I know from experience. I've sold tons of baby, kid, and household items on there. We sold a car on there. A realtor even told us to make sure that our townhouse is listed on there because people are looking to Craigslist more than to traditional websites, like Realtor and Trulia, to find housing. Advertise (for free) your book on there. If you're having a local book signing, put that on there. You can put anything you want about your book on there - and, you can repost it every 48 hours. The best part? It's all free.

3.) Speaking engagements. I've come across several writer bloggers who make guest appearances to their target audiences. For example, a children's book writer who visits schools or libraries. Try to find ways to make personal appearances so that people can connect you with your work in a real-life way.

4.) YouTube. Make a video trailer for your book and put it on YouTube for free.

5.) Contests and giveaways. I doubt that much else draws traffic to your blog/website like people looking for some fun (and prizes) with a contest or giveaway.

6.) Book clubs. Market to book clubs and maybe see some orders in volume made.

How about you? Have you found that any of these ways work? Are their other ways that I haven't mentioned in my three-part series that have really helped you build your platform and get your book out there?

Building Your Platform - Part Two

2011-03-09T20:14:00.004-05:00

If you're a writer, I guarantee that you have heard all of the following words:

Blogger.

Facebook.

Twitter.

I'm going to briefly give my opinion on each one. Then, I'd love to hear yours.

1.) Blogger. In 2009, I spent much of my free time writing, submitting manuscripts, and researching the publishing industry. At the end of that year, I needed to get all of that information down somewhere because it was clogging my brain. So I decided to start a blog. My intent was to share the information that I had learned and the experiences that I'd had interacting with people in the publishing industry with other writers and hopefully help them as they made their way along their own paths to publications. I sent out some emails inviting people to read my new blog - and people did.

Then, after I guest-blogged on Julie Jarnigan's blog earlier this year (thanks, Julie!) and began reading and commenting more frequently on the blogs of other writers that I had found, I realized that my own audience began to grow.

And, I realized that I was learning a lot about writing.

And I wasn't just commenting on others' blogs to get them to comment on mine. Their posts were genuinely interesting and helpful as I traversed down my own path to publication.

In a nutshell, my experience with blogging has been a great one. I've met lots of wonderful friends and learned a ton about writing and publishing from them. I've got relationships with people who know exactly what I'm going through as a writer.

Really, I never thought I'd get this much out of blogging.

Obviously, I recommend creating and maintaining a blog if you are a writer. Update it with new posts as often as you can. Read and comment on the blogs of others so that you can learn and build friendships. Ask others questions. If anyone asks you to guest blog, do it! All of this will help you build your platform - but more importantly, it'll help build relationships.

2.) Facebook. I use Facebook to direct people to my blog.

3.) Twitter. I don't use Twitter - and that's simply a personal preference. When I see an interesting point on someone's blog post and I want to commend him/her or ask him/her more about it (past leaving a comment), I'll send him/her a good "old-fashioned" email.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts and opinions. If I've left something out about one of these three, please let me know. And if you disagree with what I've written, you're welcome to say so. You won't hurt my feelings.

What do you think about Blogger, Facebook, and Twitter? Which one(s) do you use? Do you find that one of the three helps you build your platform more than others? Are there other sites out there that have helped you build your platform more than these?

Building Your Platform - Part One

2011-03-07T11:18:00.004-05:00

Much is written, both online and in print, about ways to build our platform as a writer - especially when our first book is soon-to-be-released. Building our platform helps market/sell our work. I've read writers' thoughts and industry professionals' thoughts on the subject.

Now, you get my thoughts. :)

Over my next several posts, I'll be blogging about ways that you can build your platform as writer. Today, I'm starting with creating a professional website or author's blog.

For those with a book scheduled for release, and for those who are working to make a book release a reality in the future, creating a professional website is a good idea. It helps your readers know more about you personally - but especially professionally.

Here are the things that I would include on a professional website:

1.) A personal photo. When I connect with people on their blogs and websites, I like to see their personal photo. It helps me make a mental connection between them and their work. Subsequently, it helps me feel like I have a relationship with them, even if we never get to meet in real life. I'd suggest using a professional-looking photo on your website, even if you haven't paid a photographer to take it.

2.) Professional information. When I go to an author's website, I am interested to learn about his/her professional history and experience -but not his/her entire professional story. Include the most interesting facts on your website about how you got to where you are today as a writer.

3.) Limited personal information. When I go to an author's website, I want to learn a bit more about him/her on a personal level. But I don't need to know everything about him/her. Choose the most relevant and relatable information about yourself for inclusion on your website.

4.) Information about your books. If you ask me, this is the most important thing to include on your professional website. Readers want to know what books you have on the shelf now. They want to know what books you have coming out and when. They want to know what you're currently working on. Including a synopsis of each of your books on your website is great, but personally, I would like to see an excerpt from each of your books. That way, I can see your style of writing. If I've never purchased one of your books before, but I can read an except from one and I like the way you write, I will definitely be more inclined to purchase it.

Maybe your publisher will even print the address of your professional website on the inside flap or back cover of your book. That way, readers will easily be able to find you on the Internet and learn more about you.

And honestly, I don't see the need to spend thousands of dollars to create your professional website (unless you just have extra money lying around)! Your website can be aesthetically-pleasing and effective without having to drop a ton of money.

Addendum: Maggie brought to my attention in my "Comments" section that you can do most of the things on your blog that you can do on a website. Just utilize tabs and make each one for a different subject: Author's Bio, Books, Contact Info, etc.

So what about you? Do you have a professional website or author's blog? What did you hope to accomplish when you created it? Do you feel that is it helping you build your platform?

Cake Mania

2011-03-03T20:21:00.000-05:00

Have you ever played Cake Mania?

I got a new computer for Christmas, and it came with a lot of free sessions of games.

My 4-year-old son wanted to try them all.

One game we found is called Cake Mania. It's the perfect game for someone who thrives on multi-tasking (me!) Basically, you have to attend to each new customer, bake the cake exactly as the customer wants, and serve enough customers within the given time to earn your "baking goal."

It's so much fun.

But these games are for my son, not me. Because I really don't have time to be playing computer games. So I let him play.

Sometimes my son plays correctly...for a few minutes. Then, after serving a couple of customers, he decides he wants to burn cakes or deliberately bake the wrong cake so he can watch it go into the trash can.

It makes me cringe.

Because I know I could easily be reaching the "baking goal" and getting to the next level.

But these games are for my son, not me. So I let him play.

As I watch him and do my best to keep from asking, "You want me to play so you can watch more customers come through the door?", I realize that Cake Mania reminds me of my daily life. It's busy, non-stop, and multi-tasking to the max.

And I wouldn't have it any other way.

But it's not exactly the best environment for writing.

So at night, when my son and my 2-year-old daughter are falling asleep, and things get quiet, the ideas start coming to my head.

And that's when I do my best writing.

And that break from being a mama helps me look forward to doing it all over again in the morning.

So what about you? Does your life feel like a scene from Cake Mania? If so, when do find time to write? When do your best ideas come to you? What's your ideal setup for a productive writing session?

Titles

2011-02-28T19:44:00.000-05:00

As writers, we have to be good at every part of the writing process.

But as individuals, there may be a part of the process that we like more than others or are especially good at.

Maybe storylines come easily to you. Maybe you're good at naming your characters. Maybe you're good at nailing your word count goal.

Me? I like giving titles to my manuscripts.

Once I come up with an idea for a new manuscript, the next thing I come up with is the title. It's fun and satisfying for me, and it gives me an idea of where I'm going with the story.

So if you're having trouble giving your manuscript a title, feel free to drop me an email with your synopsis, and I'll try to offer you a title. You don't have to use it, and I understand that a publisher has the last word on titles, but hey - anything I can do to help you along your path to publication!

What about you? What part of the writing process do you particularly enjoy? Is there any part that you're especially good at?

The Query

2011-02-20T20:24:00.005-05:00

In December of 2009, I wrote a query for the first children's book manuscript that I submitted to literary agents. In my post today, I am using this query as an example of what not to do when you write your query. I have included comments about why I don't agree with this query format that I came up with at the beginning of my path to publication. (Note: I have changed the name and subject of the manuscript for this post because I hope to submit it to publishers one day - with a better query, of course).

Dear Sir or Madam, This is a proper greeting if you don't know an editor's name, but it's usually easy to find a literary agent's name online.

How are you? My name is Lauren F. Boyd, and I am submitting my photographic children's book for your possible representation. Its audience is children aged two – early elementary. The working title is The Sunny Sun. Now I start my queries with a catchy sentence or two and leave out the greeting and my name. As you see here, ALWAYS include your target audience and manuscript title (obviously) somewhere in your query.

My book photographically shows how the sun can be especially beautiful when it is illuminating children recreating outside. The book's format sets it apart from other children’s photographic books, such as City Signs (by Zoran Milich), I Read Symbols (by Tana Hoban), and Signs (by David Bauer). Each page features a photograph of a young chlid doing something outside, while the sun shines in the background. Now in my queries, I don't refer to my submission as "my book" anymore, but rather "my manuscript." It's not a book yet (and maybe not ever). Also, I have made the decision not to include my competition when writing children's book manuscript queries.

The things featured in my book may seem ordinary to adults who have seem them their entire lives. However, these photographs display things that are incredibly interesting to young children, for whom the world is still a relatively new place. Books like this help satisfy and encourage a child's natural inclination to learn.

The Sunny Sun is a book that children can look at and learn from on their own. Parents and guardians can give this book to their children when they need to do other things, and their children will benefit even while looking at it alone.

I invite you to view my book at my website:

www.thesunnysun.com This is made-up. Don't waste your time.

I am happy to retake, add, delete, change, or edit any photographs as you recommend.

My inspiration for this book came from my three-year-old son, who loves to ask and learn what signs and words say. My husband and I also have a nine-month-old daughter. I don't include personal information anymore unless it is relevant to my writing. For example, now when I write queries for children's book manuscripts, I include my Highlights publishing credit.

I have not been published in the past. Don't ever say this. Ever. If you've never been published, don't tell the agent/editor that - just don't mention your publishing history at all.

For your information, here are other photographic children’s books that I plan to develop in the future: Don't include tons of your manuscripts ideas in your query. From what I've read, agents/editors normally just want you to submit your single best manuscript. If an agent/editor does ultimately ask to see more of your work or hear more of your ideas, then lay it on him/her. (Incidentally, I've abandoned all of these ideas since I submitted this query).

*Book Two-
Subject: This book will show photographs of opposites facing each other on the left- and right-hand pages. A one-word explanation will be printed under each photograph.

*Book Three-
Subject: This book will showcase doors that a child sees in his/her neighborhood and town/city. Its format will be similar to What Things Mean: The left-hand page will feature a photograph of a closed door, and the right-hand, facing page will show the door in an opened state to reveal what is behind it. Or, the format could be "lift-the-flap", with a photo of the door on top of a photo of what is behind the door.

*Book Four-
Subject: This book will follow a package from its origin to its destination via United Parcel Service (UPS). It will be a photographic journey of the delivery process. A photograph of the package at each stage of the process will be on each page, accompanied by simple text describing what is happening at that point in the process.

*Book Five-
Subject: This book will be similar in nature to Book Four, only it will follow a stamped envelope from its origin to its destination via the United States Postal Service.

*Having majored in Spanish, I am also starting to formulate a children's fiction book storyline in Spanish.

My email address is mixingspoons(at)gmail(dot)com.My phone number is (555) 555-5555. Make sure, sure, sure that you include your email address and phone number. I would include my mailing address as well.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Lauren F. Boyd These last three lines are okay.

Do you agree with my critique? Did I leave anything out? Do you write something different in your queries? What information are you sure to include/exclude from your queries?

The Competition

2011-02-17T09:41:00.002-05:00

My young kids and I frequent the library, so over the last several years, we have read a ton of children's books. During that time, I kept coming up short when we were trying to find one certain type of book. So I thought I'd write some picture book manuscripts to try and fulfill that need. I began in September of 2009.

Through research and practice, I've learned some things about what to write (and not write) and what to include (and not to include) in my queries. For example, with the first three picture book manuscripts that I submitted, I researched Amazon and the library to find my competition. In the query for each of those three manuscripts that I submitted, I wrote how my manuscript was like none other that I had found. I did go on to mention a couple other books that I had found during my research that were comparable to mine and could be considered its competition.

I don't do that anymore.

And here are four reasons why:

1.) I didn't find that listing my competition made any positive difference in an editor's decision.

2.) I imagine that editors have more access to what the competition would be for a potential new book than I ever will.

3.) I have since read that you're not supposed to write negatively about a published book that's your competition in your query. I did that with one of those three queries.

4.) Most convincingly, one literary agent responded to one of my queries that listed my competition by saying that he didn't see much difference in the books I had named as my competition and my manuscript. Yikes.

In conclusion, I think it can be good to know what your competition is. But if you include your competition in your query, it might end up doing you more harm than good. At least, I've found that to be true for myself.

How about you? Do you research your competition before writing a manuscript? Do you include your competition in your queries?

Length vs. Content

2011-02-05T13:41:00.002-05:00

Here's the truth: my adventure novel didn't break 50,000 words.

But there's no fluff, no filler, in it. I feel like everything that's in the story needs to be there.

But what about word count? Isn't there a minimum in order for a manuscript to be considered a "novel?" Should I have added material to my manuscript - at the risk of sacrificing quality - just to have been able to say in my query, "My novel is x words" - with "x" being a number well above 50,000?

How about you? Do you write until your story is told and that's when your manuscript is finished? Or do you have a word count goal in mind and you don't stop writing until you've met that goal?

Guest Blog, Part 2

2011-01-26T07:42:00.003-05:00

Check out the second part of my post at Julie Jarnigan's blog, http://juliejwrites.blogspot.com/.

Guest Blog, Part 1

2011-01-24T08:35:00.004-05:00

Julie Jarnigan was kind enough to host me as a guest blogger on her site, http://juliejwrites.blogspot.com/. The first part of my post appears today, and the second part will appear on Wednesday. Thanks, Julie!

To SASE or Not to SASE?

2011-01-19T16:41:00.001-05:00

When I started writing and submitting children's picture book manuscripts in September of 2009, I found about 20 publishers that I could submit my work to without an agent. But most of them required submission via US mail. I sent a SASE (pronounced "say-zee") with each manuscript, which meant a total of two stamps per submission. Sometimes I heard back through my SASEs; sometimes not.

But several manuscripts into my path to publication, I decided to stop including SASEs. For one, it was getting a bit costly with all the stamps. But more than that, I decided that if a publisher wanted my work, they would contact me via email or phone. So if months go by and I don't hear from a publisher via email or phone, I assume they have passed on my manuscript. And, if all of a sudden I hear back from one of them one day wanting my work, it'll be a nice surprise.

There is one exception, and that's manuscript submissions to magazines. You need to include a SASE with each one of those because that's how they either return your manuscript with a rejection, return and ask you to revise and resubmit your manuscript, or send you a contract to purchase your manuscript. So it's your connection with the magazine.

Have I left out a reason why or why not to include a SASE with your manuscript submission?

Here We Go

2011-01-05T08:48:00.001-05:00

I finished the manuscript for my adventure novel on Sunday!

The next step was to find the names of literary agents and publishers to submit to. I only found four publishers that accept unsolicted manuscripts. This was different from publishers of children's books: I found at least 20 children's books publishers who accept unsolicted manucripts.

Since I only found four publishers that I could submit to on my own, I decided to query literary agents as well. Another difference I found between publishers of children's books and literary agents/publishers of adult's books is that, with children's, the publishers want the complete manuscript (for picture books) at the time of submission, and they want it mailed. When it comes to literary agents and publishers of adult's books, most of them will accept a query - and maybe even a chapter or two - via email. Which is nice.

While researching the publishing industry, I read that you should try and submit your manuscript to everyone at the same time - which makes sense, because that will give everyone a fair chance to evaluate it. With that in mind, I mailed a query to a publisher and one to a literary agency on Monday, both of which will not accept submissions via email. I imagine that those two envelopes will arrive this afternoon. So, this afternoon, I plan to submit email queries that I have prepared for ten agents and publishers. That way (in theory), everyone will get my submission around the same time today. I'm starting with thirten submissions, just because that's how much time I've had to research names this week and because I'm READY to get this manuscript out the door. And if no one from this group of thirteen is intersted, I'll go round two with more literary agents.

So here we go. I'll keep you posted!

My First Contract

2010-12-15T09:58:00.004-05:00

For the greater part of this year, I checked the mailbox (eagerly) everyday. I couldn't wait to see if I had a reply from one of my manuscript submissions.

Over the last couple of months, I stopped checking it so regularly. As you might imagine, rejection after rejection will wane your enthusiasm!

Then yesterday, on my way to the grocery store, I stopped by the mailbox for the first time in a few days. One of my SASEs was in there.

When I opened it, I first noticed that there was another envelope enclosed. Without slowing down to see what it was, I next noticed a slip of paper. Then I saw the Highlights for Children letterhead - on which I saw the name of my manuscript! That's when I allowed myself to stop and process what this was: a contract!

I submitted this manuscript to Highlights for the first time on July 21. After two revisions as recommended by the editor, I went months without hearing anything. Then I found the contract in the mailbox yesterday, December 14 - almost five months later. The lesson here is that the publication process takes time! Be patient!

Because it's worth the wait!

2010-12-14T14:43:00.001-05:00

What I wanted for Christmas was to break into the publishing industry.

Merry Christmas to me.

(Did you notice the name-change of my blog?)

More to come soon...!

2010-11-24T21:02:00.001-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Remind Yourself

2010-11-11T21:18:00.000-05:00

I thought I was a little bit closer to being ready to submit my novel than I actually am. That's because when I began to edit one of the final and most important chapters in the manuscript, I decided that it needed to be stronger.

But UGH! I was tired of writing about this subject! I didn't know if I had it in me to rewrite this chapter. I just wanted it to be done with it!

But it was pretty much the last chapter that needed a lot of work. If I could get through it, I would be on my way to the submissions process.

So I took a step back and reminded myself why I wanted to write this adventure novel in the first place. It's based on something I've always been interested in. So tonight, I searched You Tube and found videos about the subject (I'll reveal my subject to you one day!) And watching those videos rejuvenated me.

So if you're lost or bored with your manuscript, take a step back and remind yourself why you started writing it in the first place. What do you like about its subject? Can you find inspiration somewhere to get you back on track? If not, read some blogs of others who have a book coming out. That always motivates me.

After trying that, try writing again. I bet it'll be easier!

Satisfaction

2010-11-06T20:11:00.003-04:00

Writers, you'll know what I mean when I say this. And you'll know I'm not trying to be conceited when I say it:

You know you've written something good when you want to go back and read it again.

Not because it needs editing.

Not because it needs reworking.

But just because it's darn good.

And rereading it is so satisfying.

Originality

2010-10-21T20:47:00.001-04:00

Based on my research of the publishing industry, it seems there is something that can really get your manuscript noticed: originality. Even the agent I talked with over the weekend said that your manuscript needs to be different. She actually said it a couple of times. So when you're picking your next subject, try to pick something that hasn't been done before. Or, figure out how to redo something in a new way.

It's a challenging thing. But as writers, we're up for the challenge, right? :)

Good luck!

Editing Part 2

2010-10-16T17:22:00.000-04:00

I have been editing my adventure novel for several weeks. As this is the first time I've edited a manuscript for a novel, I recently made a discovery.

What I've learned is that there's editing. You know, using this word instead of that word or rephrasing a sentence here and there.

And then there's editing.

What I mean by editing is rewriting. As in, "I thought it was terrific when I first wrote it, but now that I read it again, it's not working." At that point, rewriting is required in order to make it right. And it's taxing, so be prepared.

Hopefully in the end - if I ever get to the end - it'll be worth it.

Q & A

2010-09-29T10:26:00.001-04:00

I am on the e-newsletter mailing list of Noah Lukeman (president of Lukeman Literary Agency). I received this question and answer in the latest e-newsletter and wanted to share it with you.

Q: Do most agents stay with a book until it finds a home, no matter how low the advances might be? I honestly don't care about the advance. I just want to get published. But I've heard some agents bow out if the book doesn't sell to someone in the first round of submissions. Is this true?"

Thanks!
Barbara

A: This is another good question, and one which demands a thorough response.

To begin with, one cannot offer a blanket answer on behalf of every agent in the industry: some agents will indeed give up after a few submissions, while others will work tirelessly for months or even years. It is very much agent specific, and manuscript specific.

It is also genre specific: certain genres allow for a higher number of submissions. For example, if your work is narrative non-fiction, there may be 30 or 40 (or more) potential editor submissions, while if your work is commercial fiction, that number may shrink to the vicinity of 20. There tend to be more imprints setup to acquire non-fiction than fiction (particularly commercial fiction). But if your work is prescriptive non-fiction (such as popular psychology), there may be fewer potential imprints than for narrative non-fiction, and thus fewer potential submissions. If your work will be a trade paperback original, that, too, can limit the number of potential submissions, as fewer imprints publish trade paperback originals as do hardcovers and paperbacks. If your work is destined to be a mass market original, that will limit potential submissions even further. If your work is academic, that, too, will limit the playing field.

Thus a well-intentioned and hard-working agent may simply be unable to submit beyond a certain number of editors and may exhaust a submission quickly, depending on the genre. There are only a finite number of publishers, and if they all reject your work, then the agent cannot create options where there are none. So lack of success is not always the agent's fault: if the agent has exhausted all submissions methodically, he has still done his job well (assuming, of course, he has chosen the most appropriate editors within each publisher).

That said, the converse may be true: an agent might give up after only submitting your work to 5 or 10 editors, when he could have submitted to 40. Such an agent's motivation may be financial: it may be that he chooses his "A List," the 5 or 10 publishers he thinks might pay the biggest advance, and when they all pass, he assumes that the B or C Lists won't pay as much, and thus gives up. Or it may be that the agent is just easily discouraged, and that when 10 trusted colleagues tell him a book won't sell, he believes them and sees no point in trying further. Or it could be that the first 10 rejections all tell him of a directly competing project of which he was unaware, and as a result he decides submitting further would be a waste of time. It may be that the agent is not as knowledgeable of the industry as he should be, and only knows 10 publishers, or only has contacts in those houses. Or it may be that the agent becomes unhappy with the author during the first round of submissions (if, for example, the author is pestering him) and uses the first round of rejections as an excuse to end the relationship. Or the agent may simply be lazy.

No matter what the reason or motivation, there is no excuse for an agent to give up and not exhaust a submission, submitting to every last possible player. If an agent commits to a manuscript, then he should see it through, should stay with it whether it's been rejected by 5 editors or by 45. He should stay with it whether it takes a week or a year, whether it sells for an advance of one million dollars or one thousand.

The majority of legitimate agents will indeed exhaust a submission. Sometimes a termination of a submission is initiated by an author: an agent may work in good faith for months while the author, impatient, may fire the agent. As a rule of thumb, most proposals on submission (if submitted thoroughly by a legitimate agent) will sell within a matter of 4 months. But there are always exceptions. I've sold one book in a submission that lasted two hours, and I've sold another after a submission that lasted 14 years.

Unfortunately, once you sign with an agent, you cannot control his methodology. What you can control is who you decide to sign with. As I've said many times, you must spend months researching potential agents before deciding who to approach and sign with. If you choose a legitimate agent who represents great authors and who has a track record of recent sales to major houses, then you will have little to worry about. If you choose an agent who you know little about, or whose record is not as reliable, then you may have more cause for concern; in that case, make sure (as I've discussed before) that you have an out clause in your agency agreement, so that you can fire him if you are unsatisfied.

But even if you fire a bad agent, once he has already submitted your manuscript, it will be tarnished in the eyes of most new agents, who will likely not want to take it on. So while it's good that you'll at least be able to get free of the old agent, the damage (for that manuscript) is already done. You will likely have to give your new agent a new work and/or wait a few years until the editors who've rejected your first work have left the industry. So, again, choose carefully. Spending more time upfront on research will save you from worrying throughout the process.

Thanks, Mr. Lukeman!

Time

2010-09-19T10:44:00.001-04:00

When I first read that it can take a year or more to finally get your work published, I didn't believe it. I mean, come on - it couldn't really take that long.

That was one year, seven days ago.

In honor of how I am apparently taking the scenic route on my path to publication, I'd like to share with you my first ever email query. In retrospect, it was more of a pre-query email, but I didn't know that at the time.

I emailed this to children's literary agent on September 12, 2009:

Hi Ms. (name removed),

My name is Lauren, and I have an idea for a three-book, photographic, nonfiction series for children ages 1-early elementary. If you might be interested in my idea, please feel free to reply to me at this email address.
Thanks so much for your time and consideration!

Sincerely,
Lauren

Yikes.

Now I can see why I didn't get a positive response on that one.

Publication takes time, so stick with it! How long will it take, you ask? It's hard, if not impossible, to know.

I imagine that when it does happen, though, it'll be worth all the time you spent on it.

Editing

2010-09-06T21:24:00.001-04:00

Here's my advice to those of you who have just finished the first draft of your manuscript: edit it.

I have heard that you should continue to read through and edit your work until you read through it and don't find anything else to change. Then it's ready.

I know that you might have a great feeling as you finish your first draft - it is an exciting milestone! In your excitement/thankfulness/relief/etc. to be finished, you might be tempted to submit your manuscript to editors and agents with minimal or no editing.

Please resist this temptation.

When I finished the first draft of my adventure novel, I felt good about the manuscript as a whole. But as I began to edit, I found that I had room for improvement when it came to nailing the perfect wording.

Subsequently, I have spent the last four evenings editing two chapters. But now, those two chapters are solid.

You may think that it's an editor's job to edit your work. Maybe so - at some point. But your manuscript will never get past the editor's desk if it's S.O.A.

Sucky On Arrival.

You may find that editing is slow-going and tedious, like I do (although I also find it somewhat enjoyable - at times). But stick with it! Keep editing until you can say that the manuscript you're submitting reflects your best work. Then it's ready.

And hopefully, you'll have the opportunity to go through it again one day with an editor!

Nervousness

2010-08-31T17:26:00.002-04:00

I have spent most evenings for the past 3 1/2 months writing my adventure novel. Tonight, it looks like I'll be writing the last chapter. (Not the last chapter of the novel - I wrote that a few weeks ago. It's just the last chapter that I need to write). Anyway, I have looked forward to most evenings that I was going to write with excitement.

But today, I am unexpectedly nervous!

As I thought about it, I guess it's for a couple of reasons:

1.) After the manuscript is finished tonight, I want to edit it at least twice. So at some point in the near future, I will have to decide that I have edited it enough and prepare to submit it to agents and editors. I am nervous about finding that sweet spot - and curious as to how long it will take to get there.

2.) I want any reader to be satisfied. I hope the manuscript will live up to their expectations.

Does any part of the writing and/or submissions process make you nervous?

Take a Break

2010-08-16T17:25:00.000-04:00

Several weeks ago, I was really into writing my adventure novel. I'd spend a couple hours most nights writing (except for the occasional evening of mindless television watching, just to take a break and hang out with my husband). I finally got to the point where writing almost wasn't as enjoyable as it had been in the beginning.

Around that time, my husband and I decided to put out house on the market. We had talked about it for months, then one day, we finally decided to just do it. As a result, we've spend lots of time working on that endeavor.

Also as a result, I've spent less time writing.

And as a result of that break from writing, I feel unexpectedly rejuvenated. Now that things have settled down from all the preliminary work that is required for preparing and listing a house, I am looking forward to spending some evenings writing again. I feel excited about it, and I think that enthusiasm will reflect in my writing, thereby yielding a better product for my (future, potential) readers.

So if you're burned out from writing, take a break! I've heard that your mind continues to process and work through things even when you're not thinking about them. And who knows? Maybe you'll have a better manuscript in the end as well.

And by the way, if you're moving to Cary, NC, I have a fabulous townhouse that you've just gotta see.

Helpful Websites

2010-07-28T18:48:00.003-04:00

I have come across several blogs maintained by literary agents and editors. On each one, I continue to find helpful information about the publishing industry, dos and don'ts of manuscript submissions, and tips for better writing.

Here are the ones I follow (in no particular order):

http://rejecter.blogspot.com/

http://askaliteraryagent.blogspot.com/

http://kidlit.com/

http://editorialanonymous.blogspot.com/

Please feel free to list any more blogs or websites that you find helpful in the "Comments" section. In the meantime, I hope you find the above links helpful!

The Exception

2010-07-26T19:00:00.000-04:00

I bet you've seen it.

The website of almost every literary agency and publisher out there has a commonality under their submission guidelines.

"No phone calls."

Believe it or not, I came across what could be the one exception to this "no phone call" rule.

An assistant literary agent, known as "The Rejecter" at http://rejecter.blogspot.com/, blogged what she considers to be the time when it would be okay to contact a literary agent by phone:

You have submitted your manuscript to both editors and literary agents. Suddenly (and miraculously), you receive an offer from a publisher! "The Rejecter" blogs that you could call any agents to whom you have submitted this manuscript and from whom you have not received a response. In your phone call/message, indicate that you submitted a manuscript to them (I would include my manuscript title and submission date) and now have an offer from a publisher. Ask if s/he wouldn't mind taking a look at your work and letting you know if s/he would like to represent you. (Knowing me, I would also send him/her a quick email with the same information).

If you have ever contacted a literary agent or editor by phone, what was your experience like?

My Third Chance

2010-07-20T20:20:00.007-04:00

Remember three weeks ago when an editor from a certain children's magazine returned one of my submissions, suggesting that I rewrite the ending? Well, I did and mailed it back.

Yesterday, three weeks later, I received my submission back again in the mail! The same editor had written that she liked my revision but wanted to see one change in it. She even graciously invited me to resubmit with the new revision! I worked on it this evening, and I plan to put it in the mail tomorrow.

I had mailed a third submission to the same magazine - the same editor - and I received it back yesterday as well. She had written that it wasn't quite right for their magazine. There was no invitation to revise and resubmit.

So if you're trying to break in like me, maybe my experience can help you better understand the publishing industry:

* If you submit your work to an editor, and s/he replies with suggestions and an invitation to resubmit once you've revised, that's a good sign you're close to nailing what this particular publisher wants to see. As long as you agree with the editor's suggestions, I would rewrite and resubmit without hesitation!

* If you submit your work to an editor, and s/he replies with wishes of luck in finding the right home for your work, it's time to submit your work elsewhere. The editor is saying that your submission is not right for them. That's okay - if you feel strongly about your work, just submit it elsewhere! If not, just start fresh with a new idea!

Give Us Hope!

2010-07-12T17:15:00.000-04:00

As you probably already know, a literary agent's livelihood depends on the success of his/her clients. So taking on a previously unpublished author is risky.

So maybe it should come as no surprise that almost all of my research indicates that a children's book author secures his/her first contract with a publisher on his/her own.

So, please give hope to those of us who are unpublished! Feel free to leave a comment if one of the following applies to you:

* You are a published children's book author, and your first book deal was secured by a literary agent.

* You yourself are a literary agent, and you have taken on the manuscript of a previously unpublished children's book author (with or without an ultimate contract).

If you are the author, you don't have to identify your literary agent or his/her agency, unless you want to. We just want any glimmer of hope that you can provide!

Thanks!

I'm Still Here!

2010-07-07T21:27:00.002-04:00

I'm sorry I haven't posted lately! July 4th weekend was busy (incidentally, I hope yours was nice)!

Here's my status update:

*I'm still working on my adventure novel. The word count on that one is still sometimes daunting because I want to keep the story moving and not "pad it" for the sake of length. So I hope it'll be within a good word count range when I'm finished.

*This evening, I typed out my seventh children's book manuscript. It was on my mind for a large part of the day, so I wanted to get it written down tonight.

*And still no word from that children's magazine. That's okay - I'll keep waiting!

BTW: If your magazine submissions were accepted and published, did you have better luck with editors and agents showing interest in your book manuscript submissions with those publishing credits under your belt? I'm curious to hear about your experience!

My Second Chance

2010-06-26T21:44:00.002-04:00

Remember how an editor at a certain children's magazine emailed to inform me that they were considering my submission? Well, I haven't heard anything back yet.

BUT...

Shortly after I mailed in that submission, another idea came to mind, so I wrote and submitted it as well. Since poetry doesn't seem to be in great demand, I also wrote this one in prose.

Today, about seven weeks after I mailed it (May 3 - June 26), I got it back in my SASE. BUT...the same editor who emailed me about my first submission had written a brief critique at the bottom of the form letter! She said she liked it but that the ending could be rewritten to be stronger.

And then, there was my second chance.

At the end, she had written, "Try us again!"

So I've already rewritten it (like I could sleep with that excitement on my mind), and I'll be putting it in the mail on Monday.

I'll keep you posted!

Magazines - and a Glimmer of Hope

2010-06-11T20:24:00.005-04:00

While researching the publishing industry earlier this year, I kept coming across the same advice: if you want to break in, start with magazines. It sounds so easy: write magazine articles, get them published, build your resume, and Voila! Now you can get more attention for your book manuscript.

Really?

I decided to give it a try, since it could only help my writing. So, in February, March, and April, I submitted tons of poems among three well-known children's magazines. One of these magazines sent everything back that I offered them (a few of my submissions were clearly unread, so I'm likely not submitting to them again).

Anyway, I began thinking that poems must not be in high demand, since no positive responses were coming from my submissions. So at the end of April, I decided to submit something other than a poem to the most well-circulated (based on their numbers) of these three magazines, just to "test the water."

Today, I got an email from an editor at that magazine.

This email contained two sentences: one thanking me for submitting my story, and the other indicating that it is still under consideration and that I will hear from them again soon.

I am cautiously optimistic. I'm not celebrating yet because I'm not published until the answer is, "Yes, we want it."

So, this is a glimmer of hope! I will keep you posted.

Have you had a similar experience, where an agent or editor let you know that s/he was considering your work? If so, how did it turn out?

Discouraged

2010-06-03T20:04:00.000-04:00

It's one of those days of emotions that I imagine we all as writers face at some point: discouragement, frustration, lack of motivation. Silence from editors and agents wears on you, though I knew patience was a requirement when I started this journey. So I respect their need for time. At the same time, while I love to write for the sake of writing - and I'll do it with or without a contract - I do wonder if I'll ever see the likes of one.

Also, I'm working through a tough part of my adventure novel, where all the sentences especially need to be consistent and accurate because they have a non-fiction basis. I've been muddling through this part for days, and I'm ready to move on to a more exciting part. So I'm off to work on that now and hopefully finish that chapter.

Do you ever have days like this?

Search for Literary Agents

2010-05-21T20:18:00.003-04:00

As I am writing my first manuscript for adults, I am also looking for an agent. I can't wait to have an agent that will take care of the business side of things, so all I "have" to do is write.
Anyway, here's a website that searches for agents based on their genre of representation. I think it will save me a lot of time as I search as well:

http://agentquery.com/

Look in the left margin to type in your genre and search that way.

Thanks to Mary Kole at kidlit.com for this website suggestion!

Good Signs

2010-05-20T19:43:00.000-04:00

Wouldn't you like to know what agents and editors say about your submission when they read it? I would! Since I can't know what they're thinking, I try to look for signs in the feedback I do (or don't) receive.
Here are four good signs that I have come across thus far on my path to possible publication. Maybe I'm stretching this, but hey- in my mind, these signs give me hope that this path is indeed a path I should be traveling.
I think you can take it as a good sign if:

* Any manner of personalization is in your rejection letter (other than your name and manuscript title inserted in the letter);
* Your rejection letter is from the literary agent you queried, rather than from his/her assistant. Many agents let their assistants go through the queries first and put through only the ones with potential.
* You receive a rejection letter that lags behind others from the same publisher. This applies to magazine submissions. For example, I submitted six poems to a children's magazine all at the same time. I got back five of those poems several weeks later (rejected) all on the same day. However, the sixth poem came back a few weeks after the others, like maybe the editor had considered it (before ultimately rejecting it).
* Rejection time differs from the same publisher. For example, I submitted my fourth manuscript to a children's publisher. Five weeks later, I received a form rejection letter in the mail. I submitted my fifth manuscript to the same publisher and haven't heard back. That was six-and-a-half weeks ago.

Have you come across any reassuring "signs" from agents or editors along your path to publication?

Writing for Adults?

2010-05-18T19:53:00.004-04:00

I write for children. As I mentioned in a previous post, I submitted my fifth children's manuscript to publishers and agents last month.

I want to give these folks ample time to consider my submission. In the meantime, I still feel the desire to write. This past weekend, an idea came to me - for a fictional adult adventure novel! Whoa! My mind turned this idea over and worked through it for a couple of days. Would I really like writing for adults or be any good at it? I've always written for children because I feel that is my strength. Should I venture outside my "comfort zone" to pursue what I believe to be a great manuscript idea - for adults?

Today, I had a block of time during which I could write, so I decided to put pen to paper and give this thing a try. After all, like my mama always says, "The hardest part is getting started."

Anyway, I found that I really enjoyed working on this manuscript for adults! I was pleasantly surprised that the words flowed more easily than I thought they might. It was like I was watching a movie in my head and writing down what happened as it went along. Amazing!

I must say, I am a bit intimidated by the length of an adult novel. The longest manuscript I've written was 1.222 words (for children). So writing a 50,000-100,000 word manuscript (depending on the publisher) will be quite different for me. But I'm up for the challenge - and I'm actually excited, based on my writing experience today.

Did you formerly write for children and now you write for adults - or vice versa? What were some of the challenges you experienced?

Rejections

2010-05-14T20:17:00.001-04:00

Some writers break in with their first manuscript. For the rest of us, rejection letters pave our paths to publication.

You can probably imagine how a rejection letter reads. It thanks you for your submission but regrets to inform you that this agent/editor is unable to take on your manuscript.

Most of these are form rejection letters. However, sometimes an agent/editor adds a personal note to your letter. That's quite encouraging for you- heed their advice if you can. I had this happen on a few rejection letters that I received for poems that I submitted to a children's magazine.

I was disappointed upon receiving my first rejection letters. At first, I took it personally. So I more intensely researched (online and in my recommended books) the types of manuscripts that agents and editors are (and are not) looking for. I would recommend that you do the same - it helped me. Also, read lots of books in your genre to familiarize yourself with your competition.

Now when I get a rejection letter, I let it roll off my back and keep moving forward. Of course, I wish it was an invitation to publication, but I take rejection better now. And it means that I get to write some more!

I really enjoy writing. My favorite part of the whole process is coming up with a brand new idea to develop. I like thinking about it for days and having it form in my mind, then typing it out and watching it grow. I'm sure you other writers understand what I'm taking about.

So bring on the rejection letters! Wait, no, I don't mean that! I just mean I've grown a thicker skin, and when rejection letters come my way, I take them in stride. They're just another part of the path to publication!

My Manuscripts Thus Far

2010-05-12T20:53:00.002-04:00

Let me bring you up to speed on where I have been and where I am now with my manuscripts:

First manuscript:
- wordless photographic children's book
- submitted to thirty literary agents September 2009 - December 2009
- I put this manuscript aside because the only agent that showed interest in it has not contacted me again.

Second manuscript:
- 1,047 words
- written in rhyme
- submitted to six literary agents in January 2010
- I put this manuscript aside once I realized that I hadn't targeted a specific audience when writing it. I picked it up again today and began revisions to target young readers aged 8-12. More to come on this manuscript in another post...

Third manuscript:
- 1,222 words
- target audience: children aged 5-8
- written in rhyme
- submitted to both literary agents and editors in February 2010
- I put this manuscript aside after I thought about it some more and realized that it was overwhelmingly filled with detail (pedantic).

Fourth manuscript:
- 818 words
- target audience: children aged 3-7
- started writing it in rhyme but switched to prose for something different
- submitted to both literary agents and editors in March 2010
- I put this manuscript aside once I read online that many children's publishers are tired of talking animals in manuscripts (anthropomorphism). Not only that, but my main character was a balloon that also talked...

This is where I am now:

Fifth manuscript:
- 155 words
- target audience: children aged 3-7
- written in prose
- submitted to publishers and exclusively to one agent (rejected by him) in April 2010
- I am currently waiting to see if this manuscript gets a bite. I think it's the best candidate so far.

How many manuscripts did you go through before you landed a contract? If you haven't yet been published, what number manuscript are you on now?

Editors

2010-05-12T20:22:00.005-04:00

In February of this year, I received a (rejection) email from an agent I had queried with my second manuscript. He wished me luck in finding an agent or publisher who would take on my manuscript.

A publisher? What did he mean by that?

I did some research using the books that I mention in my post "Helpful Books." Sure enough, the authors of those books all said that most first-time. previously unpublished writers break in alone with a publisher.

I also discovered the book Writer's Market around that same time. In that book, I found a section listing book publishers and tons of info about each one. After checking out the websites of a few of these publishers, I found out that many accept unsolicited submissions! That was me!

Note: Not all publishers accept unsolicited and/or unagented submissions. Just focus on the ones in your genre that do.

When you submit to a publishing house, your query will go to an editor there. Depending on the size of the publishing house, s/he will decide alone or with a team whether or not to pursue your manuscript for possible publication.

The publication process is very involved. If you would like to know all of the details, you can find them in the books that I recommend in my post "Helpful Books." It would take me all night to type out that much information! Sorry to leave you on your own with that one, but it's an easy process to understand, if you're interested.

Anyway, with this new-found information, I submitted my third manuscript to both agents and editors. This was a manuscript in rhyme, with 1.222 words, for young readers. After querying only a few agents and editors, I decided that my manuscript was too pedantic. So I put it aside to develop a new idea that I had. (No one ended up showing interest, in case you're wondering).

Note: I found that word - pedantic - on a writer's website not long ago, and I love it. It basically means "too much detail."

Was your first contract with a publisher?

Literary Agents

2010-05-10T20:15:00.010-04:00

You have a great idea for a book. Maybe you've already written some of your manuscript. You have a rock-solid query letter. Now what?

You can send your query out to literary agents. A literary agent represents you and your writing. S/he gets your manuscript ready to submit to publishing houses. If s/he lands you a contract with a publishing house, s/he guides you through the publication process. All the while, you are freed up to do what you do best: write.

Sounds like an amazing asset on the path to publication, huh? Well, you're right. You would be well-served to have a literary agent on your side.

The tricky part is getting one.

I have found that getting a literary agent to represent your work is not like getting a realtor to represent you when you sell your house. While most realtors can/will take you on as a client, this is not so with literary agents.

It's not that literary agents are trying to be mean if they read your query and pass on your manuscript. In fact, all of the rejection emails and letters that I have received have been incredibly optimistic and encouraging.

I think that many good manuscripts are rejected due to a lack of time on the agent's part. Each agent already has a list of authors that s/he represents. Manuscripts under contract go through an incredible process before ever reaching the bookstores - and the agent oversees each manuscript for each client all the way through.

Literary agents, like everyone else in the publishing industry, are completely swamped. Subsequently, there are only so many clients that each agent can take on at any given time.

There's also the matter of money. Much like realtors, literary agents do not make money unless a contract is signed (and then they make the industry standard of around 15%). Therefore, agents can only take on manuscripts that they think will be successful, since their livelihoods depend on it.

It is easy to find reputable literary agents that represent your genre of writing. Below are three websites that I used. One contains names of literary agents/agencies and the genres that they represent, and the other two give more information about agents/agencies:

http://www.1000literaryagents.com/

http://pred-ed.com/

http://absolutewrite.com/forums/

There are many other websites with names of literary agents/agencies; you can do Google searches to find them. Use Writer's Market for more listings as well. Look for agents accepting first-time and previously unpublished authors. Of course, agents are inundated with queries (as their websites point out), so don't be discouraged if you get a lot of rejections. I will post on rejections another time - they are incredibly common when trying to break in.

I probably sent out thirty queries to agents for my first manuscript, a photographic children's book. As I mentioned in my previous post, only one agent showed interest. I have not heard from her since our brief email exchange earlier this year.

I only queried six agents regarding my second manuscript before deciding that I hadn't really written it for a target audience. However, one of those six agents emailed me back with positive comments about my manuscript. Unfortunately, her client list was full. However, her encouraging email came at a time when I was getting discouraged, so it got me back on my path to possible publication.

I've read about now-famous authors receiving an incredible amount of rejection letters before breaking in. They stuck with it. You stick with it, too!

What's your experience with literary agents?

The Query

2010-05-09T20:52:00.007-04:00

OK, you have a great idea for a book. You might even have part or all of your manuscript already typed out. Now what?

For all of us who have never been published, a lot rides on the query letter that we write. We need it to be just right.

But what's a query?

A query is a short letter that you write to literary agents and editors to whom you submit your work for their consideration (I will write more about literary agents and editors in coming posts). Please read on for a comprehensive list of what makes a strong (and weak) query.

Some agents and editors only want to read a query in your initial contact. They are not interested in reading any of your manuscript until they read your query. If your book sounds like a project they might like to pursue, they will contact you and ask to see some/part/all of your manuscript. I can't tell you exactly what they'll ask to see: it varies with each literary agency and publishing house. For children's picture books, they usually want the whole manuscript. For longer works, they usually want sample chapters or x number of pages. For chapter books or non-fiction, they usually want a table of contents, sample chapters, and/or x number of pages.

Only one literary agent has requested a full manuscript from me; it was for my first children's book. I queried her in December 2009, and she emailed me to request my full manuscript in February 2010. I was SO excited for weeks after her email! My excitement waned as time went on and I didn't hear back from her. I still haven't heard from her, so I guess she decided to pass on my manuscript. I think this happens often in this business, though, so don't take it personally if it happens to you on your path to possible publication.

I wrote my "best" query for the first few children's book manuscripts that I submitted. As I kept getting (politely and repeatedly) rejected, I started to research what a good query letter needs and doesn't need. My query was way off.

Note: I still get rejected, but at least now I know my queries rock.

Here are components that, from my research, make a strong query letter:

* Any legitimate connection that you have with the person you're querying. Referring to a conversation that you two had at a conference or workshop is good; saying, "My third cousin works where you buy your morning coffee" probably won't cut it;
* A catchy introduction (a question, statistic, shocking fact);
* How your manuscript addresses this question/statistic/shocking fact;
* The purpose of your manuscript;
* Why you're the one to write this manuscript (usually for works of non-fiction);
* Your manuscript's word count or approximate word count if your manuscript isn't complete;
* target audience;
* The approximate date when you manuscript will be complete (if applicable);
* Whether you are submitting to other agents/editors, as a matter of courtesy. Exclusive submission means that you are only submitting to one person. Simultaneous submission means that you are submitting to more than one person. I will post more on this difference later.
* Your background information related to writing and publishing. Don't mention it if you don't have any.
* Publishing history, if you have any. If you have never been published, don't even bring up this part. There's no need to say, "I have never been published."
* Books that are similar to your idea. I spend a little time researching other books out there that are similar to my idea. You can find books in your genre at the library, in bookstores, and on Amazon. You don't necessarily have to buy them all, but look through and read as many as you can. It will help you see what has already been done and how. From what I understand, it's OK if something has already been done - just try and do it in a fresh, original way;
* Your contact phone number and email address.

DO NOT include:
* unrelated personal information (kids, profession, education);
* a list of other manuscript ideas;
* photos of yourself;
* a manuscript if their website says, "No manuscripts";
* items of bribery (for snail mail queries).

For the sake of professionalism, I recommend that you use the old-school letter format that we all learned, like this rough one here:

Benjamin Franklin
465 Prescott Road
Cloverleaf, CT 17945

Day and date

Dear Ms. Smith, (Use Mr./Ms. and the person's last name, if you have it. This person is not your buddy - yet! - so show some respect, and don't address them by their first name).

(Pertinent information goes here)

Thank you for your time and consideration. (or something similar)

Sincerely,
(sign your name here)

Benjamin Franklin

Above all else, make your query as short as possible, while including all of the pertinent information. These people are unbelievably busy. One page is best.

Once you send out your query, you have to be patient. Don't call or email to check on your status. For me, waiting is the hardest part.

That's it! That's a lot of information, huh?

If you are reading this and you are an agent, editor, publisher, or anyone else in the publishing industry, please feel free to comment on this post. Did I leave something out or make a mistake? We're all here to learn, and we're ready to hear what you have to say!

Helpful Books

2010-05-08T20:21:00.007-04:00

Writer's Market is THE book to get your hands on for places to which you can submit your work. My public library has one for 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010, so maybe your library will as well. Here is a link to the 2010 Writer's Market on Amazon, so you can see what it looks like:

http://www.amazon.com/2010-Writers-Market-Robert-Brewer/dp/1582975795/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1273416933&sr=1-1

Here are two books about the publishing industry that I have read. These books helped me understand the submission and publication processes. A lot of the information that I share with you on this blog comes from these two books, Writer's Market, and other websites.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Publishing Children's Books by Harold D. Underdown

Getting Your Book Published for Dummies by Sarah Parsons Zackheim and Adrian Zackheim

Writing Children's Books for Dummies by Lisa Rojany Buccieri and Peter Economy

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Getting Published by Jennifer Basye Sander; Sheree Bykofsky

Let me know if you have any book or website suggestions!

Welcome!

2010-05-08T19:56:00.001-04:00

Hi, my name is Lauren! Welcome to my blog!

I enjoy writing as an outlet from my day job. In September of 2009, I submitted my first manuscript for a children's book to literary agents accepting new clients. That started my journey!

I will use this blog to share what I have learned since then about the publishing industry. I will incorporate my own experiences as well. If you have related information that could help readers, please feel free to comment!

I don't have a contract right now, but that is my goal. You can share my path to possible publication right here- and hopefully find some information to help you as you work towards publication as well!

Let's get started!