Agent-Author Day at the Backspace Conference

The following post comes us from Melodye Shore who attended the Backspace Agent-Author Day in May. If this sounds like something you might be interested in, check out the November Agent-Author Conference for further details.

Enjoy!

*****

During Agent-Author Day at the Backspace Writers Conference, we read our pages aloud while the rest of the people in the room (about 40 writers, plus 3 or 4 literary agents) followed along. The agents stopped us at the point where they would have quit reading if our projects had appeared in their inboxes or crossed their desks.

Here’s what I learned during the Query portion of that day:

Structural Hints

· A strong title is a must.

· Put genre, title, word count, and comparable titles up top (“compare, categorize, hint at conflict”).

· Research word-count range for your genre and stick to it.

· Don’t minimize your potential audience (“This would appeal especially to baby boomers interested in the 1960s and 1970s…”

· Don’t exaggerate the number of potential buyers (“XX, about a XX woman, would appeal to the millions of women who buy and read books…”).

· Comps must be contemporary, not classics or authors who are brands unto themselves.

· Platform is an important part of your bio—listen up, fiction-writers, you too!

· Nonfiction queries must answer these Qs: Why this book? Why you as author? Why now?

General (Writing-related) Observations/Tips

· The agents described several plotlines and characters as “overdone” and “stale.”

· Don’t sacrifice clarity at the hand of lyrical writing or literary allusions.

· Point to the character we can empathize with, fantasize about, and/or believe in.

· Include the “inciting incident” and hint at character transformation.

· The query’s voice and plot description should give a strong sense of the flavor of the book.

· Point to the structure of your book—especially if it’s unusual.

· Cut the adjectives and adverbs; bring on the action verbs!

· Novels explore ideas, can’t appear preachy or agenda-based.

· Plot movement should be based on action, not interior thoughts/emotional turmoil, which “aren’t terribly interesting.”

· An effective hook/pitch relies on conflict. Crank it up!

Memoir-related Advice (which may also apply to other genres)

· Many memoirs are based on terrible events (“dark night of the soul”). What is universally interesting about your story?

· We want to see guts on the page!

· The challenge is much greater for memoirists, as it’s a “completely crowded,” “maxed out” category.

· “All happy families resemble one another, but each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” (Tolstoy). How is your family’s unhappiness unique?

· The more particular or peculiar your experience, the more we care about it.

· What was your epiphany? And what is the theme of your book?

· A lot of people defy/go in different direction from their parents. What is unique about your life story?

· Feed the reader’s need/desire to know more about the culture you’re writing about.

The format of the afternoon session replicated that of the morning session, but this time, we dealt with First Pages.

Observations and Lessons Learned: A few projects weren’t yet ready for prime time—and by that, I mean the author struggled with one or more conventions of grammar, punctuation, genre-specific structure, etc. At times, the voice wasn’t fully developed, or the storyline wasn’t incomplete. The agents pointed out these flaws, but they also led writers in a more positive, productive direction. (An aside: I felt enormous twangs of pity for peers who were told, after working for maybe years on a beloved project, that “[Genre] just isn’t selling right now. I’m sorry, but I’d have to pass.”)

Quite a few novelists began with lengthy descriptions of setting and/or character, and some filled the first two pages with back story. Again and again, agents advised us to start our stories in media res—in the middle of the action. And, as one agent said, “You need to point the reader toward the character you want them to root for. Otherwise, that exciting opening scene will fall flat.”

The primary reason agents gave for cutting short a reading? The first pages lacked oomph. And by oomph, they meant page-turning action—including, but not limited to, the kinesthetic definition of that word. (Kristin Nelson blogged about that here: http://pubrants.blogspot.com/2009/05/number-one-thing.html)

General Musings: Some writers openly disagreed with the agents or expressed dissatisfaction when their pages were rejected early. Maybe it’s easier to face rejection when you’re not directly facing your critics? But in truth, while we were fortunate to hear from so many accomplished and respected agents, their opinions were subjective and—as they readily admitted—not always representative of the whole. Like most of us in the room, they got distracted by their Blackberries, longed for a bathroom break lost focus. And at times, they openly disagreed with one another or changed their own minds!

I think most of us learned a great deal from our encounters with the experts—the personal feedback and shared conversation was well worth the price of admission. But I also believe that it’s important to remember that, when it comes to assimilating the information gleaned from this experience, each writer is responsible for separating the wheat from the chaff.

*****

Melodye Shore is currently working on a memoir, CAN I GET A WITNESS: Memoir of a Tent Evangelist’s Daughter. An award-winning writer and public speaker, Melodye’s been interviewed on a variety of topics for publications such as Time Magazine, the Christian Science Monitor, the Los Angeles Times, Sports Illustrated, and USA Today. She invites you to visit her website and take a peek at her blog.

Write a Page a Day or You're Not Serious

By Anthony S. Policastro

My wife and I attended the 2009 Virginia Festival of the Book in Charlottesville, and one of the highlights was hearing native son, John Grisham participate in a panel discussion with Stephen L. Carter.

Both are prolific writers, John Grisham with twenty two novels published and Stephen L. Carter, a William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Law at Yale Law School with nine novels and six books on policy.

During the discussion, moderated by Dahlia Lithwick, there was some valuable advice I garnered from both writers about writing and about being an author.

John Grisham said he never planned to be a writer - his dream was to become a great trial lawyer. He said he started "playing around" with writing fiction later when he was around 35 or so and found it was "fun" and "really gratifying."

His first book, A Time to Kill, had a print run of 5,000 copies of which, "I bought a thousand."
He wrote a second book and that would be the acid test - if it sold well he would continue as a writer; if not, he would continue as a lawyer. "Besides, I was not happy being a small town lawyer and starving." The second book, The Firm, sold well and later became a blockbuster movie.

When he had reached best seller status with the book, his friend, horror writer Stephen King, called him and said, "'Welcome to the big leagues.' That was nice I thought. And then he said if you want to stay on top you have to do a novel a year so that's what I have done."

Stephen L. Carter is so well known in law circles that he has a Wikipedia entry. He said when he started his career there were maybe two college professors who wrote fiction. Now, he said he is seeing a lot more writing fiction as well as professional journals and books.

He said "writing fiction fills a need in my soul and it is fun to do. If you want to be a writer, it has to be a job. You have to make yourself do it."

John Grisham agrees. "Write a page a day or you're not serious."


To hear the entire one hour panel discussion at the VA Festival of the Book site click here.

*****

Anthony S. Policastro is the author of two bestselling mystery/thrillers, Dark End of the Spectrum and Absence of Faith and one of the creators of The Writer's Edge, an informative blog for aspiring and just published authors.

Advice for Writers

by David L. Robbins

First, understand voice and structure. Writing well requires the study of your own most personal way of expression. Do not give in to the temptation to write like any successful author. Also, writing well requires the study of language and its construction, from sentence to paragraph to page. Use strong verbs, be selective with imagery and details, never forget that concision is precision. Pace trumps beauty and emotion, but have plenty of all three. Inspiration and talent can only carry you so far; effort and ability will do the rest. Also, be a voracious reader, and read only the best, not necessarily in your chosen genre.

Second, write boldly. Writing is like skiing - you will fall when you hesitate. Also, keep in mind that no one will be interested in anything you say if you cannot say it with verve, personality, and some skew. On this point, resist that old adage about writing what you know. To hell with that. Go learn something new, and come back to tell us about it. You'll find this a much more interesting and energizing platform than your own experiences or expertise. Use your life as a springboard, nothing more. You'll always write better from your soul and heart than from your memory.

Third, keep in mind that imagination is limitless. Do not, therefore, reduce your story to outlines and sketches, notes and 3x5 cards. You will make your story finite this way and it will suffer because it cannot grow beyond your outline. Juggle your story: by this, I mean keep eight balls in the air and only two in your hands. Let the story - the eight balls - float free, dangerously so. That's the beauty of watching a juggler: where will those balls fall? Chase your story, believe in your characters and follow them. Do not predetermine every step they take but record what they do, and do the recording breathlessly but with control, as if you just came inside to report an accident or a marvel you have just witnessed.

Fourth, wrestle to the ground the notion that editing is writing. When someone you trust - or you yourself - advises you to make some changes, and those changes make your story better, get on it with the same will and power with which you wrote the original lines.

Fifth, never write when you are tired, hungry, distracted, angry. Write only when you are at your best, when you are rested and fed, when it is quiet and you are focused, because the words you put down will be the reflection of everything you carry behind them. Make that reflection on still water, not ruffled.

Sixth, do not throw in the kitchen sink. Let some stuff that you think is interesting drop away. (see above: pace trumps everything). Do not write to impress your reader. Write to elevate, educate, and entertain. Let your reader think your story is smart or sensitive or brave, and forget making them think you are. This is a major earmark of an inexperienced writer.

Seventh, there is plenty to go around. In workshops or writers' groups, do not be jealous or harsh. One person's talent or good luck does nothing to diminish yours. Rejoice for your fellows who get a break or who write a wonderful piece. Give your best and gentle efforts to help a fellow writer learn, improve, and keep writing. If someone does well, or even gets published, they prove something important: that it can be done. This is the beauty of art: it is not a zero sum game. Be worthy of the work, and of your desire to write it. You can always be next.

Eighth, and most importantly, learn to accept the word No. Understand that No does not mean stop, it means only Not this direction. When an editor or agent says No, they are simply telling you to go another way, you cannot go through me. But there are other ways. No one must have the power to make you stop writing, learning, experimenting, or hoping.

© 2006 David L. Robbins

David L. Robbins was born in Richmond, Virginia, on March 10, 1954. He grew up in Sandston, a small town east of Richmond out by the airport, for his father was among the first to sit behind the new radar scope in the air traffic control tower. Both his parents, Sam and Carol, were veterans of WWII. Sam saw action in the Pacific, especially at Pearl Harbor.

In 1976, David graduated from the College of William & Mary, in Williamsburg, Virginia, with a B.A. in Theater and Speech. He didn’t know what to do for a living, having little real theatrical talents, so he decided to attend what he call the “great catch-basin of unfocused over-achievers,” law school. He received his Juris Doctorate at William and Mary in 1980. Robbins practiced environmental law in Columbia, S.C. for a year to the day (his father demanded back the money for law school if David practiced for less than one year – he quit two weeks before the anniversary but got Sam to agree that two weeks vacation he’d accumulated could be included) before turning his energy to a career as a freelance writer in 1981. He began writing fiction in 1990.

Robbins has published five novels: Souls To Keep, a cosmic love story (published by HarperCollins in 1998); War Of The Rats, set during the battle of Stalingrad (published by Bantam in 1999); The End of War, about the fall of Berlin at the end of WWII (Bantam in 2000); Scorched Earth, placed in the American South, about a church burning and contemporary racism (Bantam, 2002); Last Citadel, about the great tank battle of Kursk on the Eastern Front of WWII (Bantam in 2003), and Liberation Road, a tale of the battle for France in WWII told through the perspectives of two minorities in the U.S. Army, a black truck driver and a rabbi chaplain. His next novel, The Assassins Gallery, to be published in July of 2006, is an alternate history political thriller supposing the assassination of FDR. The novel has been tabbed Bantam’s lead book for summer. He is currently at work on something he swore he would never write, a sequel.

The audio version of War Of The Rats was nominated for an Audie, as one of the top three unabridged novels of 2000. His books have appeared on the NY Times Bestseller lists several times.

Robbins is an accomplished guitarist, playing blues for years, but now he studies Latin classical. At six feet six inches tall, he stays active with his sailboat, shooting sporting clays, weightlifting, traveling to research his novels, and as founder and board member of the James River Writers, a non-profit group in his hometown of Richmond that helps aspiring writers and students work and learn together as a writing community. He resides in Richmond.

An Interview With Quinn Cummings

Quinn Cummings, author of Notes From The Underwire and the author of the widely popular blog, The QC Report, was kind enough to sit down with us for a brief Q&A.

Enjoy!

*****

1) I read on Sara Henry's blog that your blog (which is hysterical, btw) caught the eye of an editor at Hyperion, after an article in USA Today, and a short time later they offered a book deal. Most writers would jump at the opportunity, but, of course, most writers would already have at least a rough copy of a manuscript. What challenges did this present? How did you decide where to start? Other than your blog, did you have any experience writing? Short stories, essays, anything like that?

I tried being a sitcom writer for a couple of years, not quite understanding that sitcom writing gigs are only slightly less common than acting jobs. I’ve written a few short stories in my time. Mostly, I found the style which makes me happiest when I started writing emails to friends, bringing them up to speed on my life. I love emails; they split the difference between my minimally social side and my maximally hermetic side. When the book deal first came up, my marching orders were to keep it from being a book made up of a blog. This meant no “Today, I got the kid some shoes.” Books, the editor insisted, should speak of less temporary things. I certainly respected that but without that rough copy, I slogged for a couple of months. In some ways, I wrote that rough copy in my head, because I kept asking myself, “Yes, Quinn, but what the hell are you going on about?” When I decided what it was that has been my underlying motivation, to use an acting term, knowing what stories stayed and the order they should be in got pretty simple.

2) Outlines, outlines, outlines...whenever I attend a writing conference, or an author's booksigning, it seems someone always asks, "Do you outline before you start writing the book?" So, did you find yourself outlining Notes From the Underwire, or did you dive right in and start writing?

It sounds incredibly unprofessional but I just plunged. Actually, this isn’t that far from my usual writing style, which is to hold half an idea for a while and see if it attaches to something larger. Does my unwholesome affinity for toast attach to a larger need for comfort or is it just about the butter? If I were writing something where I had an expectation of my outcome, I’d outline like a maniac. But I revise my expected outcome in all ways hourly, so the writing ends up reflecting that.

3) In addition to outlines, writers always seem to be fascinated with the other processes of writing and creating a book. Did you set a schedule and say, "I'm going to write x amount of words, or x amount of pages, everyday?" Did you write at a certain time everyday, or certain days every week. Or, would you put yourself in that spontaneous category, of sort of writing when the inspiration hits?

If there’s a format, I’ve tried it for this book. There was “At eight hundred words a day, I’ll be done with the draft by October 12^th” and there was the “Just write an hour a day, after getting the kid to school” and there was the “ALL RIGHT QUINN JUST PUT YOUR BUTT IN THE CHAIR AND WRITE SOMETHING I DON’T CARE WHAT IT IS” phase. The style which eventually worked for me was what has always worked for the blog; ruminating, followed by dread. I spend less time writing a first draft than most of my writing friends. Less time than I should, I’m quite certain. My only excuse is that I’m constantly writing in my head, working out the paragraph which is the core of whatever the hell it is I’m trying to say. Eventually, I shame myself into writing by trying to imagine having to explain to someone with an actual job how I couldn’t write a story about toothpaste because my work is so hard.

4) I find it fascinating that you were essentially offered a book deal, before you had a book. Just to go back to how this all came about for a moment, were there any stipulations that your editor insisted upon? For instance, did they want you to write about your childhood as an actor? Or, were you given free reign to write about what you felt mattered most? If so, how did you decide?

I’m surprised to say that I was never told to write about my childhood experiences. I wasn’t even subtly encouraged in that vein. When it came to tone, my editor pointed my nose more in the Sedaris direction than the Dana Plato direction. Now that you mention it, I really should write her a thank-you note for that.

5) Just to get off the book idea for a minute, I think when most people consider child actors and what's become of them, we look to Drew Barrymore as an example of someone who overcame that early popularity and the pressure that goes along with it. Obviously, she struggled with it in her teen years, as did you. Why do you think child actors have such a tough time later in life? Are they perhaps not conditioned to enter the *real world,* so to speak, or perhaps the real world is a bit of a let down when they finally get there?

I think what saved me is what doomed a lot of them, which is an upside-down dynamic within their family. Here’s a hint; if the parent is hovering at the edge of any interview being done with a child actor and is described as “Parent/Manager,” the family is hosed. If the parent’s income relies on the child working, then the child will continue to work whether it’s the right thing for them to do as a person. If the parent is a manager, then the child is a commodity. My mother never confused me with an ATM.

6) And, how do you think it affected your writing. Obviously, you survived with your sense of humor intact.

I’m not sure how much, if at all, if affected my writing. Without a Control Quinn who had a completely different childhood, one without acting, I really can’t say. I will say this; I don’t know writers who didn’t spend a lot of their formative years feeling really weird. And being a child actor, and then a former child actor, is pretty weird.

7) Who are your favorite authors? If I sat next to you on a plane, or spread my blanket beside yours on the beach, which authors would I most likely catch you reading?

At the moment, I’m pretending I’m well-bred. My summer reading consists of Louis Auchincloss and Edith Wharton. It’s like the mental version of air-conditioning.

8) Now that your book is out, do you have any regrets? Is there anything in the book you wish you included, or even wish that you hadn't?

There are a few lines where I think “Oh, I wish I had done that better,” but I can’t think of what better might mean, so that’s kind of a mercy. I guess that means I worked to the current limits of my ability.

*****

Quinn Cummings is a former child actor. By the age of ten, she was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe. Her blog, the QC Report, has received accolades from publications like Newsweek and USA Today. She is the creator of the HipHugger, a stylish sling for carrying a baby, and a full-time mom. She lives in Los Angeles with her family.

The Unpubbed Writer's 7 Deadly Sins

by Therese Walsh

The following comes to us from the archives of the very popular writer's blog, Writer Unboxed. At the time it was written, Therese was an unpublished writer, though the blog post marked the first time Writer Unboxed was picked up by Stumble Upon. Since, Therese's first novel, The Last Will of Moira Leahy, sold in a preemptive two-book deal to Random House (Coming October 2009 - pre-order yours today!).

Sometimes it’s hard coming up with a blog post. After all–unlike Marsha, Juliet, Allison, Vicky and Jason–I am a pubbed nonfic writer but not a published author. So what the heck do I know, really, about writing books? Aren’t I just guessing at what’s required to make it in this business? Some days I just don’t know. But here’s what I do know, for sure: I know what can kill a drive, what has held me back and tied me up in knots. So that’s what today’s post is about.

The 7 Deadly Sins of the Unpubbed Writer:

1. A weak concept. Let’s write a book about a guy and a girl and a dog, and love and a peach pie. And maybe an eye patch. Or not. A STRONG concept will not only increase the likelihood that you’ll be successful in the end, but it can actually help you to finish your wip. How? It’ll inspire you to sit and work on it for hours at a time. Like a body, prone and needing CPR, your manuscript needs your help. If you love it–really, really love it–and see value in it, you will keep breathing life into it until it starts breathing on its own.

2. No deadline. My kids’ school has asked my hubby and me to write a song as their new anthem. Cool, eh? They asked two months ago, and we’ve yet to work on it. I was joking with the secretary about it recently. “You should give us a deadline,” I said. “It’s all right,” she said, “you can’t rush creativity.” I smiled, shook my head. “Oh, you’d be surprised.” As someone who’s had the benefit of the hot-iron push of deadline, I’m here to tell you that it’s a truly motivating factor. But how to impose a deadline on yourself when there isn’t anyone waiting for the script on the other end, prod in hand, check in the other? You just do. You entrust an editor-like authority to those who understand your desire to reach The End–like a critique partner or buggy sister–and then let them use a pseudo-prod to bother you regularly. You mark your calendar with your deadlines–”finish part 1″…”wrap up first draft”–and you reward yourself when you meet the mark. Push yourself, and let others push you too. Don’t let your wip become an unsung song.

3. A bad critique group. Having a bad critique group can set you back even further than having a bad agent, because a bad group might mean the script is never finished in the first place. What makes for a bad group? No one knows anything more than you do. Snark (not Miss) tops the agenda at every meeting. Advice flies faster than the Wicked Witch’s gaggle of monkeys on a bad day. You edit your manuscript to please three people and set off three more. You wind up feeling utterly depleted, confused and strangely addicted to the experience–because you’re writing, after all, maybe more than ever, and people seem to want to read what you’ve written and– Stop. Set yourself free. Find some writers who you can trust and who can truly teach you something. About how to tell a good story. About the craft. About the business. And then learn and grow so that you can be an asset to them as well.

4. Relying overmuch on anyone but yourself. Even the best critique group in the world cannot write your manuscript for you. They cannot get you an agent, an editor, a contract or a check. Don’t expect them to, even if they have connections. Your writerly friends cannot and should not be expected to pat your hand and soothe your ego every time you hit a snag; there will be lots of snags, and you will burn out your valuable allies if you burden them with every one. So you dig deep. You take what you’ve learned and you find a way to become your own toughest critic and best cheerleader. And when things are very rough or when you have some joy to share, then you reach out. Writing can be a lonely occupation, but it will be less so if you listen first and foremost to your inner voice and the many voices of all the characters sprung to life on your pages.

5. Flying blind. I wrote my first novel-length manuscript without doing any craft work. I had James Frey’s How to Write A Damn Good Novel, II (not I) on my bookshelf because I felt cool having it there. But I didn’t crack it. I had books on publishing children’s books on my shelf too, but I’d never done much with those either. What I had was ego. I thought I knew how a story would unfold, so I let the characters take me on a wild journey. I learned, through writers’ loops, that I was a pantser. Cool, I thought; that’s my style, it’s how I’ll succeed. Or not. Because even though the agents I sent my script to liked my voice and many of my story’s elements, the plot itself was about as holey as a nine-year-old-boy’s socks after a season of baseball. (You know what I’m talking about.)

I have craft books now–30+ books on novel writing and screenplay writing: books to inspire, to churn ideas; to help with editing and block; easy-breezy reads and bicep-straining tomes–and I’ve read all or some of most of them. I try not to overdo it. I try to reach for these books only when I know I need the help, because I’m fearful of overwhelming the creative side of my brain with Too Many Rules. But the thing is, you need to know the rules if you’re going to play the game to win. Sure you can play the game without rules–you can even have fun doing it. But don’t be surprised if, at the end of the day, you find yourself swinging that bat alone, the others up and quit on you, sick of saying, “No, no! Second base is THERE!”

6. Not doing the hard edit. No one likes doing major edits. Wait. Can’t it work if X? Don’t you understand that his motivation is Y? Okay. It’s your story. You either see the need for work or you don’t. But if you have three people telling you they don’t understand your protagonist’s motivations, or that there’s no chemistry between a pair of would-be lovers, or that the plot skips like your dad’s old Star Wars album after you left it to bake on the dashboard of your car (oops), then you should really think about listening. And cracking one of those editing books. And doing a Hard Edit. You might not want to do it; in fact, you’d be a rare breed of writer if you did. You might even believe it would be easier just to quit and start another story all together–especially if this advice comes once you’ve finished a full draft. You might even be right. But if you love your story as you should (see rule 1), then you shouldn’t give up on it at the 11th hour. No one said this was going to be easy, and if they did you should go on and hit them with a cream pie or something. Right in the eyeball.

7. Quitting. I was torn about whether to list this one as “Not Believing” or “Quitting,” but really these vices go hand in hand. If you don’t believe in your story or your abilities as a writer, you will be more inclined to quit before you’ve finished your script or done the Hard Edit. If you feel you have compelling reasons not to believe in yourself–say you’ve received a rash of rejections lately, and none of them were favorable–you STILL can’t quit. Sorry; I’m not going to make this easy on you. It just means you’ve fallen victim to one of the deadly sins. Maybe you need more craft work or a new critique group or a better concept. Figure it out and keep going. Because EVERYthing you learn, EVERY critique you’re able to ingest without defense and grow from, EVERYtime you alone push yourself out of the dumps and carry on with your script, you become a better, stronger writer.

You cannot quit. You cannot. Not as long as you believe in your story and feel its pulse beneath your fingers. You cannot quit as long as you feel the drive in your gut to tell the tale. Because it will eat away at you if you do–until you dust off your notes and your keyboard, and try, try again.

I may not know much, but I know this.

Write on, all!

*****

Therese Walsh's debut novel, The Last Will of Moira Leahy, will be published on October 13th, 2009 by Shaye Areheart books (Random House). She’s currently hard at work on her second novel—another story about self-discovery, acceptance and magical journeys—at her home in upstate New York.

Therese is the co-founder of Writer Unboxed, a blog for writers about the craft and business of genre fiction. Before turning to fiction, she was a researcher and writer for Prevention magazine, and then a freelance writer. She’s had hundreds of articles on nutrition and fitness published in consumer magazines and online.

She has a master's degree in psychology.

Aside from writing, Therese’s favorite things include music, art, crab legs, Whose Line is it Anyway?, dark chocolate, photography, unique movies and novels, people watching, strong Irish tea, and spending time with her husband, two kids and their bouncy Jack Russell.

Therese Walsh's debut novel, The Last Will of Moira Leahy, will be published on October 13th, 2009 by Shaye Areheart books (Random House). She’s currently hard at work on her second novel—another story about self-discovery, acceptance and magical journeys—at her home in upstate New York.

(photo by: Gary Hodges / www.jonreis.com )

What Can You Do With a Book Trailer?

By Karen Dionne

Authors post them on their websites. They upload them to Google Video and YouTube. If they’re particularly savvy, they search out display sites like Book Screening and Preview the Book. Even websites that aren’t primarily intended to showcase trailers like the Backspace homepages have a section where users can upload them.

The jury’s still out as to whether or not book trailers help sell books. But perhaps the bigger question is: Is anybody watching?

Most authors admit that the trailers on their websites aren’t attracting potential readers, since viewers land at the website because they’ve already heard of the book. And when authors post their trailers to YouTube, they know even the coolest production is likely to get lost in the sea of others. As for the display sites, aside from researching book trailers while preparing your own, when's the last time you spent ten minutes sampling book trailers? Thought so.

So the question isn’t so much “What can authors do with a book trailer?” It’s “How can authors get total strangers to view their trailer and pass the link along?"

Think about the last time someone sent you a link to a video. Then think about what made you send the link to someone else. Odds are, something in the video touched your emotions.

Maybe the video was cute, like the 8-year-old Irish girl making her prank phone calls, or maybe it was awesome and scary, like the El Caminito del Rey hiking trail in Spain. Maybe it made you laugh, like Mitchell and Webb’s agent-author parody or Dennis Cass’s how NOT to promote your book monologue.

Of course not everyone can create a work of comic genius that ends up going viral, but with so many authors using book trailers, yours needs to offer something different in order to stand out.

Instead of settling for three or four minutes of slowly panning still shots, and fade-in, fade-out text tedious enough for a six-year-old to read, try stretching your imagination.

For example, there are dozens of video sharing websites where users post how-to videos. If you've written a book on dog training, the potential of such sites will be obvious. But who's to say a novelist with a book that features a dog can't do the same? There are video sharing websites that focus on sports videos, or funny mishap videos. Zero in on the most interesting aspect of your novel, and get creative.

Alternatively, you might use your trailer in new and interesting ways. The original trailer for my science thriller FREEZING POINT was a compilation of purchased video clips with voiceover, with five still shots at the end of my family posing as if they had died suddenly from the story's unknown, deadly disease.

My “Star in My Book Video” contest invited folks to take similar pictures (nothing gory or gruesome). A week before the book launch, people voted their favorites, and my webperson changed out the shots.

Because participants were invested in the outcome, they posted about the contest on their blogs, and passed the link along. The contest generated interest outside my target audience (teenagers LOVE the contest parameters, I discovered, and why not? I liked to read Michael Crichton and similar adult thrillers too, when I was a teen). And five winners got a signed copy of my novel, a bottle of genuine iceberg water, and fifteen minutes of fame when the version starring them was unveiled at my online book launch party.

If you've done something interesting and inventive to promote YOUR book trailer, feel free to share!

Karen Dionne is the author of Freezing Point (October 2008, Berkley), a thriller Douglas Preston called "a ripper of a story," with other rave endorsements from David Morrell, John Lescroart, and many others. Her next novel, Boiling Point, will be published by Berkley in October 2010. For more information about her, go to www.karendionne.net.

Do Amazon Reviews Count?

By Richard Curtis

As originally posted on E-Reads. Reprinted by permission.

If you were browsing a book in a store and the jacket blurb said, "This is one of the best books of the year!" – amazon.com ...would you be inclined to buy it?

Before you say no, here's something to think about.

Any author who wants to get published successfully must run a gauntlet of "gatekeepers" who judge whether the work has artistic and commercial merit. Among the Cerberuses guarding the franchise on taste are literary agents, editors, bookshop and chain store buyers, critics and reviewers. Today's Big Publishing establishment is dominated by such gatekeepers. They also guard tradition and guard it fiercely, and who can blame them? If the gates are breached a way of life comes crashing down.

Like a walled city, the gates enclose a world of tangible books produced in physical offices and distributed to brick and mortar stores. Until recently there was no other world, and as stupid and clunky as it is, somehow we've all managed to find a way to make a living in it. But now the Digital Revolution is eroding that world, just as it has done to so many business models that depended on middle agencies for distribution of tangible products. Today's publishing model is a virtual one, and can be reduced to a simple formula: A Writer, A Reader, A Server. Absent from this formula, you will readily note, is A Reviewer. The question arises, in a world where books are sold virtually, do we still need reviewers?

After all, one of the keystones (to use a tangible image for an intangible concept) of Internet marketing is the way that public opinion can be instantly and virally created and marshaled into an economic force. Do we need gatekeepers to help us judge whether we should buy or read a book?

I happen to think that not only do we need them, we really can't exist without them. And the interesting news is, we are creating a new class of pundits. Though their taste, judgment and experience may be no better than yours, we listen to what they have to say and, like it or not, we're influenced by them. In particular I'm referring to the people who review for Amazon.com.

The idea that your next-door neighbor's opinion may affect your decision to buy or pass up a book seems unlikely. True, word of mouth has always been a factor in the fate of successful books, but usually the mouth that the words come from belongs to someone you know, not an anonymous name on a website. But wait -- when you search your Zagat guide for a restaurant recommendation, do you know who has written the review? No, but in all likelihood it's a restaurant patron with no more professional reviewing credentials than yourself. That doesn't stop you from saying, "Let's go here!" Some of your neighbors thought the food was good, the place clean, the atmosphere pleasant, the service excellent, and the prices right, and that's good enough for you.

In short, we live in an age when peer review is meaningful if not significant, and Amazon.com has used this fact to create a cadre of reviewers who must be taken seriously. Go to Amazon, click on any recently published book and page down beyond the official reviews (Publishers Weekly, New York Times, etc.). You'll find Customer Reviews, and note that many of the reviewers identify themselves as the authors of a number of reviews. If they regularly review or blog about specific genres you may in time come to the conclusion that this person's judgment is reliable and enlightening. Thereafter, when you see his or her name next to a review of a new book, you may very well be motivated to buy it.

It's worth your time to click on the link that says "See all my reviews", or on the badge beneath the reviewers name. Amazon has created a badge system to help you identify the reviewers credentials and review-worthiness.

I haven't seen too many traditional books with Amazon.com quotes blazed on the cover, but I won't be surprised if that changes before long. The first time you see one, let me know, and remember you heard it here first.

© 2007 Richard Curtis

Richard Curtis, president of Richard Curtis Associates, Inc., is a leading New York literary agent and a well known author advocate. He is also the author of numerous works of fiction and nonfiction including several books about the publishing industry.

He graduated from Syracuse University in 1958 with a BA in American Studies and also from the University of Wyoming with a Masters degree, again in American Studies. He joined Scott Meredith Literary Agency after graduation, and was foreign rights manager there for seven years. In 1967, he launched a freelance writing career, and has had some fifty books published by many major houses. In the early 1970's, he began his own literary agency, and in 1979 incorporated it. Richard Curtis Associates, Inc. currently represents over 100 authors in all fields. The agency reports more than $8 million in annual sales for its authors.

Richard Curtis was the first president of the Independent Literary Agents Association and President of the Association of Authors' Representatives. He has had a long and active participation in the Science Fiction Writers of America, including fifteen years serving as agent for the organization. In 1994, he was named recipient of the Romance Writers of American Industry Award for Distinguished Service to Authors. He is married and has two children. He currently resides in Manhattan. His hobbies are sports, music and painting.

In 1999, his interest in emerging media and technology led him to start E-Reads, now a leading e-book publisher. He has lectured extensively and conducted panels and seminars devoted to raising consciousness in the author and agent community about the future of publishing.

Bookmarks

By Jack Getze

HOUSTON, TEXAS -- Beside me is a friend, a writing chum, but I’m still nervous, apprehensive. Murder by the Book on Bissonnet Street here is rated one of America’s top mystery book stores. EVERYbody comes here. Michael Connelly, Carolyn Hart, Janet Evanovich, James Patterson, Anne Perry, and--today only--Jack Getze.

Gulp. Thanks to some fancy gab by PJ my PR Lady, I am talking today about my new novel at the center of American Mystery Fiction. Well...it’s a big, famous store, anyway. And The Big Stage is certainly what it feels like, shaking hands with storeowner David Thompson, and my co-author at today’s event, Baron Birtcher.

“Tell me you had Chinese for lunch,” Baron says. “Because if that’s not a noodle on your beard, I don’t want to know.”

My gaze finds an intimidatingly large stack of books David has pre-ordered for this event. A fine sheen of moisture dampens my collar. Hopefully, I’ll sell a few books for the store, get a few new readers for myself. My business plan calls for early round losses. I’m not worried about making money yet. Good thing.

I wander toward the table where Baron and I will blab about our new releases. First time ever, there are more than 10 people gathered. Baron must be a hit.

“I loved your first book, Big Numbers,” a man in the front row says to me. Baron and I aren’t even seated. “I can’t wait to read this new one. Big Money. It’s a great series.”

I swoon. The store’s floor-to-ceiling racks of multicolored books swirl in a blurred jumble. The floor rolls like a Jersey Shore amusement ride. Baron has to grab my shoulder.

“It’s a fan, dude,” Baron says.

When it’s over, I’ve sold and signed more books than I’ve ever sold in a bookstore. Ever sold anywhere, really, except for the kickoff I threw, where purchase of the book was the price of admission to a cruise ship, with steak and lobster dinner, all-you-can-drink open bar, and a live concert by Madonna.

I did well at Murder by the Book, but I didn’t entirely deplete that stack of pre-ordered books. “Sign what’s left and send me some bookmarks,” David says. “Why don’t you have bookmarks?”

“I thought they were like, for collectors. Not much good, really, there being so many other bookmarks around.”

He hands me the book I’ve just purchased, Megan Abbott’s Edgar winner, QUEENPIN. “Look inside,” he says.

Oops. Now I get it. Bookmarks with enticing blurbs about Megan Abbott’s other two books are stuffed between the pages. Duh! Bookmarks are a great form of one-on-one advertising--for the bookstore, AND the author.

“When a customer buys a book by another funny mystery author, I’ll stick one of your bookmarks inside,” David says.

My knees tremble. I almost pass out for the second time in an hour.

“Expect a box next week,” I say.

*****

Jack Getze spent nine years as a reporter for the Los Angeles Times, a total of twelve years covering national business and economic issues for the Times, the L.A. Herald-Examiner, and the London Times. Getze later sold stocks and bonds for a regional securities firm on the New Jersey Shore. BIG MONEY, published by Hilliard & Harris, is the second installment in his Austin Carr Mystery Series. BIG NUMBERS, the first, debuted in January, 2007.

www.jackgetze.com
http://austincarrscrimediary.blogspot.com

The Safest Way to Search for an Agent

By Victoria Strauss

From the Backspace Homepages. This article may be reproduced, with permission, for distribution to writers' groups. Contact Victoria.This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Searching for an agent is difficult enough without worrying about whether the agent is dishonest. Unfortunately, you do need to worry. Too many agents engage in abuses--charging up-front fees, participating in kickback referral schemes, urging writers to pay for expensive editing services--for you to assume that every agent who expresses interest in your manuscript is reputable.

To give you some idea of the magnitude of the problem: Writer Beware, a publishing industry watchdog group of which I'm a staff member, has assembled documentation on more than 300 agents in the US, UK, and Australia who engage in the practices mentioned above. This is just the tip of the iceberg. In the US, for instance, there may be as many as 900 people doing business as literary agents, but only about 400-450 of these can be considered reputable (about 350 members of the Association of Authors' Representatives--the only professional trade group for agents in the US--and perhaps 50-100 more who choose not to join). The problem is less widespread in other countries, but it does exist.

Most aspiring writers know the basic drill: assemble a list of agents, prepare and polish a synopsis and sample chapters, write a dynamite query letter, send out submission packets...and wait. To this must be added another step: weeding out the questionable agents who will inevitably wind up on your query list.

The Procedure

1. Begin with a couple of good market guides. For US-based writers, I recommend Literary Marketplace (available in your local library), Jeff Herman's Writer's Guide to Book Editors, Publishers, and Literary Agents, and Rachel Vater's Guide to Literary Agents. In the UK, Writers' and Artists' Yearbook and Writer's Handbook are both comprehensive resources. I suggest you use more than one guide, because all have a different mix of information (and some can be out of date).

Also very helpful is John Baker's Literary Agents: A Writer's Introduction--not so much for the agent listings, which though useful are somewhat idiosyncratic, but for the insight it provides into the way agents work.

Unfortunately, there's not a market guide in existence that doesn't contain at least some questionable agents--hence the steps below--but the ones listed above seem to have fewer than others. I don't recommend Writer's Market, which contains a lot of marginal and amateur agents, as well as a good number of fee-chargers hiding out in the non-fee section.

2. Use the information in the guides to make a list of agents who are appropriate for your work. This list can be as big as you like.

3. Expand your list by picking books you think resemble yours, and finding out who agents them. This is not as difficult as it might seem. Some writers thank their agents in the Acknowledgements sections of their books, or name them on their websites. A websearch on the author or the title may yield the information--through a newspaper interview reproduced online, for instance--as may a search of Publisher's Weekly or Publishing News, which regularly report on who's selling what to whom. If you're a genre writer there are even more resources--for instance, both Locus Magazine and Chronicle report on science fiction/fantasy/horror sales. Also, some publishers maintain rights guides on their websites, where agents for recently-published books are listed. (For links to some rights listings, see my related article, Researching an Agent's Track Record.)

4. Obtain the membership roster of the Association of Authors' Representatives (US) or the Association of Authors' Agents (UK). You can obtain these rosters by visiting the AAR website or the AAA Website. Membership in these organizations is an indication of legitimacy: agents must meet competency requirements in order to join, and abide by a code of practice that excludes many common abuses, such as referral kickback schemes.

5. Place a question mark beside any agent who isn't a member. Non-AAR or -AAA membership doesn't necessarily indicate a lack of reputability--a number of successful agents choose not to be members, or are still too new to have fulfilled the membership requirements. But it's wise to do some extra research on agents who aren't members.

6. For agents with a question mark, do any or all of the following:

• E-mail me.This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ( beware@sfwa.orgThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ) I'll go through Writer Beware's complaint archives, and let you know what I find.
• Check the agent listings at Preditors & Editors. This website hosts a large agent listing, with "not recommended" notations to indicate agents who charge fees or engage in other abuses.
• For US writers: use Agent Research & Evaluation's free agent verification service. AR&E maintains an extensive database of agent sales information, and also collects complaints.

The above steps should ensure that you have a list of agents to whom it's appropriate to send your work, and make it less likely you'll query a questionable one. It's not an infallible method, but it does offer more protection than sending out submissions based solely on the information you find in market guides.

7. Some additional recommendations:

Don't use the Internet as your primary source of information. The Internet is an invaluable research tool, but it shouldn't be where you begin your agent search. Lists of agents on the Internet have usually been compiled by people without much knowledge of publishing, or else are databases where anyone can enter information. Most are full of questionable agents. A good print guide like the ones mentioned above is a much better place to start.

Learn the warning signs of a questionable agent. Pay a visit to the Literary Agents Page of Writer Beware. If a questionable agent does slip through your screening process, the tips and information here will help you to identify him/her.

Read trade publications. Knowledge is your best defense. Magazines like Publisher's Weekly and Publishing News report regularly on agents and the deals they make--plus, you'll learn a lot about the publishing industry. Both are available in libraries, or in shortened versions online. There are also some excellent free electronic newsletters, such as Publisher's Lunch.

Some Practical Advice on Querying

1. Queries should be precisely targeted. Pick only agents whose interests and specialties are a good match for your work (apart from the fact that you're more likely to find representation this way, it's simply a waste of time and postage to query an agent if your work doesn't match his/her tastes). Be sure to take the future shape of your writing into account--ideally, your agent won't represent just this one book, but your writing career as a whole.

2. Use up-to-date sources. Print market guides are expensive. I often hear from writers who've picked up a two- or three-year-old edition at a used bookstore as a way to save money. But things change fast in publishing, and even a year-old guide may contain a lot of outdated information. Bite the bullet and spring for a new copy.

3. Be businesslike. Your query letter is your chance to snag an agent's attention. It needs to provide a dynamic and intriguing snapshot of your work--but remember that it's also a business document. Keep it professional, and keep it brief (a single page if possible). Really unusual or inventive or passionate query letters that break the business mold can also work, if you're able to write them--but not many people can. Unless you're really sure you have the skill to carry this off, stick to a business format.

4. Pay attention to the agent's submission requirements. How-to-write books often give general guidelines for what to send (query letter, synopsis, first three chapters). This is fine when an agent doesn't have specific preferences--but many do, and don't want to see all of this initially. Sending a submission that doesn't conform to agents' stated preferences may provide a good reason to set your submission aside. Also, don't send submissions electronically unless the agent's guidelines specifically say you can do so. Most agents still want to receive work in hard copy, via snail mail.

On a related note: keep it plain. Fancy packaging such as colored paper or elaborate binders, or extras such as author photos or mockups of your book cover, are not welcome. They will make your submission stand out--in the wrong way.

5. Spread a wide net. If an agent asks for your entire manuscript, s/he will often request an exclusive reading, but you can query and/or send partials to as many agents as you want.

6. Be bold. Query every agent who might be appropriate, no matter how established and successful they may be. Many new writers limit their queries to small or new or never-heard-of-'em agencies because they believe, or have been told, that established agents don't work with first-time writers. But this is the best way of getting stuck with a scammer or incompetent.

Certainly it's hard to attract the attention of an established agent. But while agents do sometimes close to new submissions (if their lists are full, for instance), no agent worth his or her salt will turn away a promising manuscript simply because the writer has never published anything before. Agents' lists are always in flux: writers move on, retire, die, or crash and burn. An agent who isn't willing to look for new talent will soon be out of business. Plus, agents are well aware that future literary stars and bestsellers often come from the ranks of the previously unpublished. A quick check of the news and reviews in trade magazines like Publishers Weekly will show how many writers are selling first novels via well-established agents.

Here's another way to look at it. If you wanted to put your home on the market, would you use a real estate agent who'd been trying for years but had never actually managed to sell a house? It's no different with literary agents. You want someone with demonstrated competence--i.e., a verifiable track record of commercial sales. If an agent has been in business for some time and has no real track record (or won't share sales information--a major red flag) it's a strong indication that she doesn't have the skills or the contacts needed to get editors' attention. And if she isn't having much luck selling her other clients' work, the odds she'll sell yours are pretty slim.

Many writers believe that the words "literary agent" on a letterhead is a guarantee of editors' attention, and that having an agent--any agent--will automatically open doors that are closed to unagented writers. But this really isn't so. Editors are well aware of how many incompetent and/or fraudulent agents there are; it's one of many reasons they prefer to work with agents they know, either personally or by reputation. Unknown agents may receive a little more attention than unagented writers, but not much. And if--as many amateur or fraudulent agents do--the agent uses obviously unprofessional methods (submitting substandard or inappropriate material, "blitz" submitting to a dozen or more editors at once, using form letters, using the client's own query letter, including a "marketing" plan with a novel submission, "bundling" several queries in a single submission...the list goes on) the editor will immediately tag them as questionable and toss their submission onto the slush pile.

So do query that successful agent--not just because you can, but because he's the only kind of agent worth having.

7. On a related note--be careful with new agents. First-time writers are often advised to query new agents just setting up shop, since these agents are usually actively looking to build their lists. This is good advice, with one caveat: not all new agents are created equal. Contacts and an inside knowledge of the publishing industry are essential. Someone with these assets will probably start making sales right away, but someone who's coming to agenting from a non-publishing-related field is going to have a much tougher time getting up to speed--if indeed they ever do.

If you're thinking of querying a new agent, make sure s/he has either solid commercial publishing experience (as an editor, say), or has previously worked for another (reputable) agency. Make sure also that s/he really is new--in business a year or less--and not just using a "new to the business" claim to cover up several years of pitiful track records (a common tactic among incompetent agents). As a general rule of thumb, a new agent should begin making sales within six months to a year of starting up.

Resources Mentioned in This Article

The Association of Authors' Representatives. The professional trade group for US agents. Their website hosts a membership roster and the AAR Canon of Ethics.

The Association of Authors' Agents. The professional trade group for UK agents. Their website hosts a membership roster and the AAA Code of Practice.

Agent Research & Evaluation News. Informative articles on agents and the deals they make.

Publishers Weekly. The online version of the print magazine, very useful for news about agents and publishing in general. It's mainly US-focused, but covers international publishing as well.

Publishing News Online. Also the online version of the print magazine. Comprehensive news about the UK market.

Publisher's Lunch. A fantastic free newsletter that provides the most up-to-date information about the publishing world. A feature is the weekly Deal Lunch, which covers recent agent/publisher deals.

Publishers Marketplace. An extensive professional website where many established agents have listings. Apart from the AAR and the AAA, this is the most reliable agent listing on the Internet; but as with all Internet listings, there are a few bad eggs.

Writer Beware. I maintain this website for SFWA. There's detailed information about literary agents here, as well as sections on book doctors, subsidy publishers, contests, copyright, electronic rights, and online publication.

Preditors & Editors. Agent listings, with notations as to which agents aren't recommended.

Agent Research & Evaluation Verification Service. Another place to check up on agents. AR&E will search their database for sales the agent has made, and let you know if there've been any complaints.

Literary Agent Watchdog. This site posts complaints about agents, some of them pretty detailed.

Researching an Agent's Track Record My article suggests a procedure for researching track records, and offers some resources.

Landing an Agent. This article by science fiction author Robert Sawyer includes advice on querying plus a list of agents who represent SFWA members.

The Complete Nobody's Guide to Query Letters. An excellent article on crafting query letters, from author Lynn Flewelling.

Copyright 1999-2004 Victoria Strauss

Victoria Strauss is the author of seven fantasy novels, including (most recently) The Burning Land and The Awakened City. She reviews science fiction and fantasy for several publications, including SF Site, and her articles on writing have appeared in Writer’s Digest and elsewhere. In 2006, she served as a judge for the World Fantasy Awards. She's an active member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, where she serves as Vice-Chair of the Committee on Writing Scams and the webmistress of the Writer Beware website.