As in any business world, referrals matter in publishing. I wish I could say that books are bought by publishers on merit alone, that it doesn't matter who you know. But I've learned the hard way that your network, something you may or may not have developed as you wrote your book, is a very useful element when you release that new baby into the world.
People help people, and no more so than in this tight-knit industry. A fellow writer commented decades ago that everyone knows everyone else at the agented-manuscript level. While this may not be totally true, the marketplace does operate on subjectivity--which comes down to who you know, and what their opinion is.
Of course, there's business smarts too. An editor may love a manuscript but her sales team isn't convinced because of the numbers. But that editor's enthusiasm is still the first spark, the necessary one that starts the process. How does that editor get sparked? Usually, someone presents the book to her, the concept catches her attention, and she reads the manuscript. That someone might be an agent or a fellow editor or even a friend. People helping people.
Friday, February 10, 2023
Friday, February 3, 2023
Five Gates You May Encounter as You Plan, Write, and Develop Your Book
An important lesson I learned as I wrote and published my books was this: there are predictable gates, or passages, in the journey. These are places where the writer can typically get stuck. They must be traversed but often new skills are needed. I've seen many books fail at these gates, so it's often helpful to know about them and prepare.
Writing a book, as you know, is not just serendipity. We don't just sit down and "let it flow." Rather, we may in the early stages, but once the book becomes its own being, it requires structure and refining to grow into a publish-worthy effort.
So this week I'd like to review the five gates and the potential problems that arise at each. Knowing about them lets you recognize where you are, if you're ready to move on, and--at the last stage--when you've finally done enough.
Writing a book, as you know, is not just serendipity. We don't just sit down and "let it flow." Rather, we may in the early stages, but once the book becomes its own being, it requires structure and refining to grow into a publish-worthy effort.
So this week I'd like to review the five gates and the potential problems that arise at each. Knowing about them lets you recognize where you are, if you're ready to move on, and--at the last stage--when you've finally done enough.
Friday, January 27, 2023
The Surprising Benefits of "Download" Writing Every Day
At a gathering this past week, a friend was talking up Morning Pages, the stream-of-consciousness writing activity proposed by Julia Cameron in her Artist's Way books. My friend recently rediscovered the benefit of them to her art.
"It's basically an effective download," she said. "I don't much care what I write; it's the act of cleaning out that makes a difference when I sit down to write, later."
Life is hectic for her. She can get so overwhelmed, "bottled up inside" from news chaos or family trauma or her satisfying but all-consuming job. She gets up early to get in those daily pages. They empty the detritus from mind and emotions, let her process stuff that ultimately distracts from work on her book.
"It's basically an effective download," she said. "I don't much care what I write; it's the act of cleaning out that makes a difference when I sit down to write, later."
Life is hectic for her. She can get so overwhelmed, "bottled up inside" from news chaos or family trauma or her satisfying but all-consuming job. She gets up early to get in those daily pages. They empty the detritus from mind and emotions, let her process stuff that ultimately distracts from work on her book.
Friday, January 20, 2023
Revision Checklists--Super Handy Tools for the Final Stages of Your Book Project
I'm reprinting this post from 2012 because I get more questions about it than almost any other. Enjoy!
This month, my novel-in-progress reached a new level: final revision.
Only a few steps remain before it's ready to send off. These final steps are key: If they go well, the "whole" becomes much bigger than the sum of its islands, or parts.
Most writers feel a sense of urgency at final revision. As the book comes into its own, you can see the good objectively. You've been asking yourself, Is it publishable? for a while. Now you can answer with a hopeful YES!
And this urgency is the danger zone in final revision. We are understandably impatient: It's been a long haul. Get it done, already!
Shortcuts look tempting. Skip a few steps, get it out the door into other hands. Contact that agent, editor, publisher--now! Capture their attention--before your courage flies away or the publishing window closes.
As a professional editor for over twenty years, my job was to put the brakes on--calm the over-eager writer, and remind them what's at stake. What do you stand to lose, if you rush through these final steps?
This month, my novel-in-progress reached a new level: final revision.
Only a few steps remain before it's ready to send off. These final steps are key: If they go well, the "whole" becomes much bigger than the sum of its islands, or parts.
Most writers feel a sense of urgency at final revision. As the book comes into its own, you can see the good objectively. You've been asking yourself, Is it publishable? for a while. Now you can answer with a hopeful YES!
And this urgency is the danger zone in final revision. We are understandably impatient: It's been a long haul. Get it done, already!
Shortcuts look tempting. Skip a few steps, get it out the door into other hands. Contact that agent, editor, publisher--now! Capture their attention--before your courage flies away or the publishing window closes.
As a professional editor for over twenty years, my job was to put the brakes on--calm the over-eager writer, and remind them what's at stake. What do you stand to lose, if you rush through these final steps?
Friday, January 13, 2023
What Are You Reading Right Now? (And Why That Question Is Vital to Your Book)
One of my favorite winter traditions in our book-loving family is the box of books we give each other for the holidays. Sometimes they come from a book-loving sibling. Sometimes from the give-away at our local recycling center or the free library down the street. Or sometimes they are bought new (or used) online.
In December, I posted a question on Facebook and got very lucky. I asked: What's your favorite novel, one you'd recommend? I got dozens of responses, and not just novels. I made a list. Some I'd heard about but an equal number were new titles. I spent a few hours online and found most of them.
Last year, my sister was the gifter and she sent five excellent books. This year, our gift box held fifteen titles. Our shelves are well stocked, so after the holiday, I choose an equal number of books we've already enjoyed to rehome. And begin choosing my first new read.
I got derailed by a surprise from another relative: three super-intriguing nonfiction titles. I allowed myself one. Soon, I'll browse our shelves.
The mix is always eclectic. Classics alongside prize winners alongside indie published but well loved. All genres. With a nice stack of movies on my Netflix queue, this will get me through winter.
What's the purpose of reading, if you're a writer?
In December, I posted a question on Facebook and got very lucky. I asked: What's your favorite novel, one you'd recommend? I got dozens of responses, and not just novels. I made a list. Some I'd heard about but an equal number were new titles. I spent a few hours online and found most of them.
Last year, my sister was the gifter and she sent five excellent books. This year, our gift box held fifteen titles. Our shelves are well stocked, so after the holiday, I choose an equal number of books we've already enjoyed to rehome. And begin choosing my first new read.
I got derailed by a surprise from another relative: three super-intriguing nonfiction titles. I allowed myself one. Soon, I'll browse our shelves.
The mix is always eclectic. Classics alongside prize winners alongside indie published but well loved. All genres. With a nice stack of movies on my Netflix queue, this will get me through winter.
What's the purpose of reading, if you're a writer?
Friday, January 6, 2023
Writing a Series--If You're Called to Connected Stories, Some Important Tips
Every now and then in my classes, a writer would ask about series. it takes a dedicated soul to even consider a clutch of books and plan for their overarching purpose. Most of us have enough challenge with just one, right?
But the question is a good one. There are indeed certain tips or techniques for those who are tempted to try two or more books using the same topic or characters.
I wasn't going to be one of those, but the characters in my first novel wouldn't leave me in peace after it was published. One of them, the narrator's father, made it into a few short stories (notably the just-published "Breathing Room" which I mentioned last post). He was challenging and interesting to write, and I felt he had a lot more to say than just one novel, or as it turns out several short stories, allowed. The young narrator of Qualities of Light also intrigued me, and I was especially taken by her love interest. So I began to wonder: what might happen three or five years down the road with this family? How might they be same, different, tragic?
That's usually what launches a writer into series land.
But the question is a good one. There are indeed certain tips or techniques for those who are tempted to try two or more books using the same topic or characters.
I wasn't going to be one of those, but the characters in my first novel wouldn't leave me in peace after it was published. One of them, the narrator's father, made it into a few short stories (notably the just-published "Breathing Room" which I mentioned last post). He was challenging and interesting to write, and I felt he had a lot more to say than just one novel, or as it turns out several short stories, allowed. The young narrator of Qualities of Light also intrigued me, and I was especially taken by her love interest. So I began to wonder: what might happen three or five years down the road with this family? How might they be same, different, tragic?
That's usually what launches a writer into series land.
Friday, December 30, 2022
Setting New Year's Goals for Your Writing--Tips, Ideas, and Why It's Fun and Helpful
In a past post, I wrote about the helpful triad of the creative artist's life: will, vision, and comfort. I heard about this from a songwriter friend many years ago, and it's helped me make sense of the sometimes-crazy artist life I lead.
Will is the drive, the push to do, the action part of the creative process. Actually sitting down in the chair in front of the laptop or notebook. Sketching out scenes, writing pages, organizing your book structure, all the activities that are required to actually produce a book. Not enough will and nothing gets done. We've all been there!
(Writer's block, though, which some feel is purely procrastination, isn't a problem of will but of the other two aspects. Read on!)
Will is the drive, the push to do, the action part of the creative process. Actually sitting down in the chair in front of the laptop or notebook. Sketching out scenes, writing pages, organizing your book structure, all the activities that are required to actually produce a book. Not enough will and nothing gets done. We've all been there!
(Writer's block, though, which some feel is purely procrastination, isn't a problem of will but of the other two aspects. Read on!)
Friday, December 23, 2022
Rest Breaks and Nonproductive Periods--How They Benefit a Book
I enjoy Loft teaching colleague Elizabeth Jarrett Andrews' occasional newsletter, PenFeathers. Her recent issue was about the challenges and benefits of rest and fallow periods in the life of the writer. She spoke about the difficulty they bring for some of us--and I immediately related. I am a poor patient, not enjoying enforced rest when ill, while my spouse loves it--the reading, the naps, the staring at nothing. I want to be up, to be productive. That trait has its blessings--I rarely get stuck with my writing goals--but easy acceptance of fallow periods is not one of them.
Sometimes life brings just what we need, not what we want. Post-Thanksgiving, I spent two weeks with covid. Nothing like some experience but still very unpleasant. Many days I could do nothing but stare. Our two dogs loved it--for once, I was motionless. Eventually, I was able to read and watch a movie. But write? No way. Everything got put on hold.
Sometimes life brings just what we need, not what we want. Post-Thanksgiving, I spent two weeks with covid. Nothing like some experience but still very unpleasant. Many days I could do nothing but stare. Our two dogs loved it--for once, I was motionless. Eventually, I was able to read and watch a movie. But write? No way. Everything got put on hold.
Friday, December 16, 2022
When to Give Up on a Book Project--and How to Tell
This isn't an easy subject to write about. It's simpler for writers working on short projects---essays, stories, articles, blog posts--to consider setting aside or trashing what they've done so far. Much more agonizing for writers working on books. All that effort, time, tears just wasted?
But there are books that are what I call "practice" projects, and they are important in the growth of the writer if not in the productivity. How do you tell if your current struggle is a sign to let the project go or a sign that you need more skills?
But there are books that are what I call "practice" projects, and they are important in the growth of the writer if not in the productivity. How do you tell if your current struggle is a sign to let the project go or a sign that you need more skills?
Friday, December 9, 2022
Story Cycles and Essay Collections--How to Think about Order, Flow, and Transitions
Books, being the long and onerous journey that they are, often benefit from the break of shorter writing projects.
I've written about this before here. I'm a writer who benefits from an occasional pause to the slog of a book. Although I used to feel mildly guilty about this sidetrack into short stories or essays, I usually come away refreshed and ready to sink into the long haul again.
Right now, as I've also shared, two of my novels are making the rounds of contests and publishers. There's nothing I can do to accelerate or make the process more successful. So I'm distracting myself with short pieces.
I've written about this before here. I'm a writer who benefits from an occasional pause to the slog of a book. Although I used to feel mildly guilty about this sidetrack into short stories or essays, I usually come away refreshed and ready to sink into the long haul again.
Right now, as I've also shared, two of my novels are making the rounds of contests and publishers. There's nothing I can do to accelerate or make the process more successful. So I'm distracting myself with short pieces.
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