7 Things Publishers Want

Does your story have what publishers want? At the recent YA workshop I attended hosted by Jeni Mawter, we discussed what publishers look for in a novel. This was the consensus (for YA fiction):

1. YA appeal - but what appeals to young adults? They want a story they can relate to, but also different enough from the everyday that they can be swept away. Paranormal fiction is so popular because it's dangerous, but the magic element means that the reader is safe - this doesn't happen in real life (unlike thrillers).
2. Morally acceptable - What? I hear you say - sounds boring? No. There can be unethical characters, but the essence of the story will support the societal concept that this is wrong. For example, you can have racist characters, but it will be made obvious in the story that this is not the way to live among each other. 
3. Innovative - Vampirebots? Time-travelling monkeys that can tell the future? Every now and then a novelist hits on something fresh. The irony of this is that the market will then demand a stream of the same type of novels.
4. Characters you can't forget - Who can forget Rue from Hunger Games? (sniff). Write characters that haunt our memories long after we close the last page.
5. Original Voice - The best way to do this (I think) is to write true to your own voice, don't try to imitate someone else's style. The world does not need another Steinbeck, we already have his novels, write your own.
6. Fresh use of language - language evolves radically, in fact 'radically' is not a buzz word anymore, nor is 'buzz word'. Although I see it in a lot of novels, none of the teens at my high school spell out OMG when they're speaking. It's not hard to see how teens and YAs speak, just check out their Facebook pages and blogs (but not in a stalky way).
7. Story that moves the reader - does your story evoke emotion? It doesn't have to be sadness or joy, perhaps fear or anger?

Can you think of anything else to add to this list? I think if I was to ever self-publish I'd still use a list like this to make sure my work measured up.

Writer's Networking Advice

I've just finished reading We Are Not Alone - The writer's guide to social media by Kristen  Lamb. I wasn't sure I'd pick up anything from this book. I already blog, twitter and mildly Facebook. I know what I'm doing, right? Hah.

I believe EVERY writer should have a copy of this book (or the ebook). I downloaded the Kindle version and found myself reading it on my daughter's iPad, on my Kindle and when I was sneaking a minute or two at work (I'm a teacher) on my iPhone (and I had to be reminded by student's in the playground about our 'off and away' code).

This book is accessible (that's one of my big measurements for a nonfiction text - get too tech jargon on me and I switch off) and detailed in its advice. Lamb lets you know what you need to be doing to build your market online, why you need it, and how to do it. Here are just a few tips I picked up - there are so many more, you really do need to read it yourself:

• When Tweeting about your new book, use positive language that lets the reader know what you want them to do. Never say 'don't forget to check out my new book', instead use active verbs, 'make sure you check out my new book' or 'buy my new book here'.
• You are not just connecting with people online, you are building a brand. Make sure your author name is linked to all your content. In all social media you should be using the name you plan to publish with. (When I first started tweeting, I was 'hotdoggy' because this is the name I had when I was a dog groomer - some people thought I was some weird sex spam, so I changed it to charmaineclancy) You can even link your field with your name, I regret not setting my blog name as Charmaine Clancy Writer, but it started out as Wagging Tales, so that has stuck. Also adding to the confusion is the fact that my URL address is clancytales.blogspot - time over, I'd use charmaineclancy.blogspot. So if you are calling yourself writerchick451 - rethink that.
• Don't brand the title of your novel before it is published. If you set up your Facebook, blog and Twitter all to say 'Death in the Shallows' - you might find your title changes once it's published, then you need to rebuild the name - best to work on the author name.
• Are you using Twitter to its best advantage? Have you searched for publishers, agents and well-known writers? You can let their tweets guide your web browsing and you can gain relevant followers from their follower list.

Lamb will show you exactly how to set up a Facebook page, and explain when you need a Fan page. I've only just started my writing Facebook page (I did have a family/friends one) - so feel free to friend me! All the way through this book I kept thinking, oh, that's clever! My only question was Lamb's interest in MySpace - is anyone using this platform, or perhaps it has shrivelled since the publication of this text?

3 Essential Network Markets for Writers

Do you network? I've always found that a funny word - almost predatory, even though my background was in marketing and networking was an intrinsic part of that. I love that Google calls it following (as does Twitter) and Facebook is even better calling it friending.

Regardless of what you call it, we've talked before about the need to build an online platform (to make connections and promote yourself as a writer). I find there are three separate areas for a writer to network in, this is my take:

1. Readers/Potential Customers - This is obvious. Identify your market. Are your books for tweens or teens? Mystery lovers or die-hard Sci-fiers? Find where they hang out and join their groups (this is a step I need to start taking). E.g. All of my books have dogs in them, some in a small way and some, well, like DOG SHOW DETECTIVE and MY ZOMBIE DOG. So, I could start following people on twitter in dog groups, animal rights and dog showing.
2. Publishers/Agents - When you query your dream agent or publisher, you want to know if they Google you, they'll get lots of hits about what a great writer you are - not old family Christmas photos where you're drunk and kissing Santa, who turns out to be your Uncle Gary (not a true story - I promise!).
3. Writers - This is the area I started with when I looked at reaching out and connecting with others on the Internet. It may not be the market that purchases my books, but this has been the networks that have informed, guided and motivated me so that my books will be out there for my reader market. The advice you gather from other writers is invaluable. I've taken writing courses through TAFE and completed a BA in Creative and Professional Writing, but my writing has progressed the most since I started blogging and reading writer blogs.

And because I've been attending a few workshops lately, and I want to keep building my circle of writers, I ordered these contact cards. It's a lot simpler than trying to scrawl out your blog address every time you meet someone. And on a budget? I got mine through Vista Print, delivered to my door for about $30. My only tip if you do this, is the card is slightly smaller than a business card and the set text size is a bit small to read, so I enlarged mine by a couple of points. Glad I did.

Have you started networking amongst your reader market yet? Where does your market hang out?

The Post-Rapture Post

Glad to see everyone got through the Rapture (surely that close call will have been enough of a warning to put a stop to my writing procrastinations?).

Yesterday I spent the proposed last day at a YA Workshop hosted by Jeni Mawter (check out her website for her books and writing tips). I'll blog more about that and my trip to Sydney later, but one thing I wanted to raise was this continuous conversation amongst writers about the role of traditional publishing, the gatekeepers and the self-publising options. Perhaps it was just Rapture for those gatekeepers? 

Until yesterday, my position on traditional publishing vs self-publishing for my own situation was that:

It is possible to produce a quality ebook and publish it on Amazon and like sites, you can even have paperback copies produced. The big if, is if you are prepared to put in a LOT of work. Once your book is written, it needs to be edited professionally or at least screened by many readers, until it is as good as you could possibly get it. Then you need great cover art, this is where I find a lot of self-publishers let their book down. You need an online presence and you need your ebook formatted. And of course you have to promote your book with your target market in mind. At least there are no query letters or synopsis' needed.

BUT. Being accepted by a publishing house will lift your status as a writer. There are still many people who are wary of self-publishing. As Jeni Mawter said in her workshop, the problem is there is too much white noise on Amazon, there needs to be a way to sort through the masses to find quality self-published books. This is starting to sort itself out with reviews and blogs to recommend books. The consumer may become the new gatekeeper and you'll have to work even harder to win them over. A publisher will do all the work to produce your product, and it will be available in Bookstores. That was my biggie. I was leaning towards traditional publishing because I loved the idea of seeing my book in a bookstore.

Now my stand is a little shaky. Jeni pointed out that bookstores are in serious trouble. We already knew about the Borders situation (or you can read my blog on Books without Borders). With the ebook outselling paper books, and the introduction of the book apps on iTunes, bookstores may not be the best location for selling books (this hurts), especially for debut writers. I LOVE bookstores, I know most of you LOVE bookstores, but eventually, we might not be enough to keep them :(

So now I'm immersing myself into research and opinions on the traditional publishing vs self-publishing options. Here's what I've found so far - what are your thoughts, or are you as uncertain as me?

The New York Times:

The Case for Self Publishing?

Nathan Bransford:

Self Publishing vs Traditional Publishing: Which way will make you more money?

The Literary Analyst:

Self Publishing vs Traditional Publishing (the pros and cons)

Will the App Replace the Ebook?

The Kindle VS iPad for reading debate is about to heat up again. For some time now bloggers and book people have been discussing the possibility of the ebook completely replacing paper books. I still love both, so can't see that happening, but I do see a shake up of the book industry and a complete revision of how books are chosen and a shift in power. The new book industry will be consumer run rather than publisher run (sorry writers, there'll still be someone to answer to - the customers).

But what I do see as an interesting innovation is the apps that are appearing in place of ebooks and books. Probably the best known one being Al Gore's Our Choice, as presented by publisher/app creator Mike Matas:

Just shows what books can become. But my favourite was when I came across this app for a children's book. Check this out it is amazing (and an Australian publisher!):

I was blown away by how easy the language could be changed (I'd love these for my Spanish class), the interactivity and the ability to have the book read to you (audiobook style, not Kindle robot style). This book wouldn't work well on my black and grey Kindle, but is a treat on the iPad - have they finally found a way to push Kindle aside? Maybe Kindle will produce a colour touchscreen device (rumoured for mid 2011).

I LOVE the idea of books as apps, although I'm not keen on fiction being distracted with videos and such, but maybe having an audiobook embedded into the ebook, so you could read, but switch to audio when you are driving or tired. It would sync to your place for you. Can you think of any creative ways to turn fiction into book apps?

Want to know more about the publishers of the children's book app? Check out:

Blue Quoll Publishing

Save The Cat - Screenwriting for Novelists

Save the Cat is a book for screenwriters that gets a lot of airtime on blogs. I don't do screenwriting, but I did find Writing Screenplays that Sell contained valuable advice for novelists. You can see my post along with a free PDF download on that book here:

Writing Novels: Formulas and Structures

Save the Cat contained a lot of personal experiences in the movie business and Snyder does go through some of the necessities like creating the perfect logline. In fiction this is usually called the elevator pitch. It's that one or two sentences that sum up your whole story.

So what do you need for a good logline?

• Irony. Think commitment phobic reporter must pretend to be marrying his working partner to get the story of a lifetime from a mobsters wife who happens to be a wedding coordinator. Irony is great for stories, you can see a post here if you need help: Get a Little Irony in your Diet.
• Imagery. You need to be able to see the whole movie in that one sentence. Conceited prince gets turned into an ugly beast is not enough, you need to add 'and must convince someone to love him as the beast to break the spell'. Now we have the whole story.
• Market. The logline should acknowledge who it's aimed at. It should be clear if it is a children's story or a romantic comedy. This will help sell your manuscript.
• Include the title. I'm not sure if this works if you have a working title that will probably change once published. But once the title is set in stone it will help promote your novel.

Snyder also explains the need for a catalyst moment in the first ten pages. That's not the main conflict, it can be as small as a phone call telling Miss Jones she has inherited a fortune, but only if she spends one whole night at terror castle, it can be a kid truanting school only to find that will be the reason they later stumble on a dead body. Or, in the case of a lot of murder mysteries, it can be the discovery of the first victim.

Overall this was a good book for screenwriters with some helpful advice for novelists, but I think Michael Hauge's book is still my favourite.

Now I'm reading:

I hope to find out if I've been doing everything wrong online :)

Dirty Writer

Lilly slipped sensuously out of her long-johns...

Every now and then writers should branch outside of their comfort zone. Work on the areas we're weak in. My stories all contain some humour, a dog and are usually aimed at the kids - YA market. Last year during NaNoWriMo, I wrote the first draft of DIGGING UP DEATH, a paranormal mystery. I surprised myself when my protagonist, being in her early 20s, jumped into bed with a hottie from her dinosaur dig site (who may or may not turn out to be a murderer). Woah. I don't write sex... do I?

I don't know if I do or not. This story might get scaled back to YA level in the edits. What I do know is I don't write romance well, which affects my ability to write passion, which dictates how well I could write a sex scene.

When I saw the ACT Writers group was hosting a workshop called 'Turn up the heat' - I knew I had to take the opportunity to try it out.

Well, you think you know things.... The workshop leader, Nicole Murphy opened my eyes to some important elements and techniques of writing about getting hot and sweaty.

One key piece of advice applies to all types of writing - READ lots of the style of writing you want to write. Find great examples to imitate and find woeful ones to learn from someone else's mistakes (I made quite a few mistakes you could learn from in my writing exercises today, e.g. 'pungent' not a great word for exploring the scent sense in lurve making).

Nicole Murphy also tells us to consider the emotional intensity in any sex scene - how much do your characters have invested in this, does that show (to the reader, if not to the other character)?

There was lots more advice and exercises (which I am hiding well under a stack of literary books so my kids don't find them, partly because they're raunchy, but mostly because they're BAD). If you want some reading to give you some saucy examples, check out Nicole Murphy's paranormal romance novel:

Blogger, the Lover Returns

Okay, sometimes it takes you leaving me before I understand how much I need and love you.

Blogger baby, I'm so glad you're back - now I can go and visit all those blogs and leave comments!

One thing though, and I don't mean to be picky, but where has my scheduled post gone? It didn't go up, but nor did it stay in my draft folder. You didn't hock it while you were on the run for fun money did  you?


How did you survive the apocalypse?

Poke the Writer's Box

There's been a lot of hype about Seth Godin's book Poke the Box. I gave it a whirl and found it a fast and fun read. Motivational books are often left open to interpretation and I read this from a writer's perspective.

The main theme of this book is bravery. Don't be afraid to try things, to start things, to shake things up - in other words poke the box. My dad's an entrepreneur by nature, so my childhood reading included books like Dale Carnegie's How to Make Friends and Influence People and Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich (you can get the Kindle version for under a dollar). They had their own cult followings, this book will be like that. The trick is, it pushes you to act, but is ambiguous enough that everyone can relate to it. Dad would like this book, but maybe because the little man on the cover looks like he might be a distant relative of a Queensland favourite; the XXXX factory headquarters is just around the corner from my Dad's and they still sport their 1960s logo:

There are no secret instructions to success. You won't find them in this book either, but Godin points out, that's not the point of the book. You have to stop waiting for instructions - you need to GO, you need to START SOMETHING. And if it doesn't work? START SOMETHING else, and something else. Always be starting. Godin tells us, don't wait to be picked - PICK YOURSELF.

Writers feeling uncertain about putting their work out there, or considering self-publishing would get a LOT out of this book. Godin has been known to encourage writers to take a risk with their work. This book is part of a self-publishing project, you can learn more by visiting:

The Domino Project

Or, visit Seth's Blog

You might also like Brainwashed -a free ebook about re-inventing yourself.

Now I'm reading Save the Cat

Have you read Poke the Box? Got another Seth Godin book you love? Let me know!

Organisation and the Writer

The Writer's Kanban:

I started reading Personal Kanban. A book about organising your tasks. I'm a big to-do list girl but am always open to new ideas for organisation and project management. The biggest problem I've found with most tools is when you try to combine several projects at once, for me that would be teaching, writing and home life.

This book was easily read in a day and I suspect it is one of those techniques that you have to use for a while before you appreciate it. It seems simple enough; write all your tasks on post it notes, stick them in the backlog (to-do) column, prioritise and move the ones you can work on now to the 'doing' column and move them to 'done' when finished. The key difference that I can spot between writing a to-do list and using this system is in a list all your tasks are there waiting to be done, it can be a bit overwhelming. Kanban insists you limit your WIPs, that is limit the number of tasks you allow in your 'doing' column.

I didn't have a whiteboard handy, so I improvised with my wardrobe pink is writing, blue is teaching (today was Mother's Day, so I felt no need to add domestic chores):

I'll try this for a while and let you know if it turns out to be a life-changer. You can find out more about the Kanban system by visiting the website:

http://www.personalkanban.com/pk/

Or view these slides:

Personal Kanban 101

I've been trying it out along with the Pomodoro technique - you work on a task for 25minutes, take a 5minute break and then move onto a different task for 25minutes. I've blogged about it before in:

8 Ways to Prioritise Writing

Or, you can find out more at:

http://www.pomodorotechnique.com/

Now I'm reading Seth Godin's Poke the Box:

Writer's To-Do List

Weak attempt to make a to-do list seem sexy.

So much to do, so little time to recline in an alluring pose. This week I plan to...

• Buy more Paranormalcy hardcover copies for gifts at the discounted price (click here to see or go to Paper Dolls for a review from 13yr old Milly).
• Check out what local writing events are coming up and whinge a lot that Canberra does not seem to have its own writers festival anymore. *pouts*
• Finish writing Ch3 of MY ZOMBIE DOG - Zane is trying to wash the dog he buried yesterday, but undead is the hardest smell to get rid off.
• Send another Query out for DOG SHOW DETECTIVE.
• Catch up with my Graphic Designer over content data for the website (but really for cups of tea, cake and gossip).
• Get a little (read teeny weeny) bit of editing done on THE COSTUME MAKER.
• Fantasise about getting a new MacBook Pro laptop. Mmmmm pretty....
• Read My Personal Kanban a book I heard about on a new podcast Kindle Self Publishing. This book promises to make me a more organised project manager for my writing, and possibly write better to-do lists. (I'll blog more when I've read it)
• Blog - about something (it'll come to me).
• Catch up on visiting your blogs.

Think I'll climb back into bed now and cover the reading part.

What's your to-do list looking like?

10 Ways to find Time to Write



Think you have no time to write? I'm finding some of these tactics helpful to get me through writing MY ZOMBIE DOG.

1. LOVE your WIP. Seriously, this is the best way to find time to write, if you can't wait to get back to it, you think about it all day long, then you'll find a way.
2. PRIORITISE. Stop thinking you need to find 'spare' time to write. There is no spare time, everyday only has the same 24 hrs. Start deciding to write before you take on daily chores.
3. MORE HOURS. There's the get up early or stay up late method. Even if it's just 30 minutes and you get a couple of hundred words in, it's a start to get you motivated.
4. NOTEBOOKS. Take one with you everywhere, you'll be amazed how many words will add up when you add a few on the bus, waiting in line at the supermarket or sitting in the pub waiting for your mate to get back from the bar.
5. DON'T COMPARE. If you start focusing on how many words other writers get in, you'll feel disappointed.
6. MINIMUM LIMITS. Sometimes I set a time I'll be on a break and I'll say, ok, just have to get ONE sentence in, then leave it. Of course once you get that one sentence, you'll be motivated to write more.
7. REWARDS. I've done this before where I want a book on writing or to attend a workshop. I'll set myself a wordcount I have to reach before I'm allowed to purchase/book it. I think everyone should have a nice big reward for finishing a draft. That's a big deal!
8. TURN OFF the Internet. I could be writing now.
9. Write BETWEEN tasks. I have a 20 minute  cleaning routine. The whole family runs around madly cleaning for 20 minutes. From now on, I'll extend that routine to 10 minutes writing, 20 cleaning, then 10 writing. Once it becomes part of the routine, it'll have to be done (those are the rules).
10. SHORT SPRINTS. Even if it's 5 minutes. If you can sneak in ten of those a day, you'll find you write faster and more productively if you know you don't have much time.

How's your writing coming? I've been squeezing in time in my lunch breaks to write, Zane has now found the smelly undead dog back in his room, after burying it yesterday. And it seems to like him.

How to Write Fiction from Life

Some of my real life inspirations

Most of my stories have grown from an experience in my life. Not specifically, I haven't seen dragons, uncovered a murder mystery or owned a zombie dog (wait, I have done the last one), but I've heard a conversation, watched a behaviour or been in a situation I've found laughable enough to write about.

When my eldest daughter started getting interested in dog showing, we'd attend the shows and I started to think it would be a great micro-culture for a murder mystery. The Pirate Girl included a character based on the tenacity and passion of my youngest daughter. And of course, there's our zombie dog.

Fossil has never been right in the head. She's one of those typical tiny dogs that feels the need to prove themselves against every other dog, visitor, postman or vacuum cleaner. We have three dogs, but have to keep the little one away from our Border Collie, Zoe. Fossil starts many fights with her, but Zoe's able to finish them. I can't tell you how many times I've been convinced Fossil was done for. I always tell the rest of the family the dog's been dead (she certainly looks it) for years, and is just waiting for someone to dig the hole. This fluffy psychopath has been the inspiration for my new WIP - My Zombie Dog.

Chapter one of My Zombie Dog begins with a dog burial after Zane's mum brings home a mutt that instantly dies. I remembered having to bury my last dog, Scruffy, after 17years of friendship. Matilda was only about four and was caught shortly afterwards dragging a shovel towards the grave. When asked what she was doing, she informed us she wanted to play with Scruffy. Funny, creepy, but funny. A little sister does a similar thing in My Zombie Dog, except with a plastic spade (just a little less creepy).

You have to be careful not to stick too closely to real life for fiction for several reasons:

• It's usually not quite as funny as your imagination can make it.
• Just because it really happened, doesn't make it believable for the reader.
• You could offend someone if you depict them in a way that is obvious (this could also be a legal issue).

Where do you get your ideas? I've blogged about other ways to find inspiration in:

Plot Ideas from Headlines

I is for Ideas