Sorry guys - keeping this post short and sweet. It's just been too damn hot for me, and the soaring temps seem to have sucked out all motivation to get any work done. Truly fried my brain: I've been completely unproductive for the past 48 hours. The good news is that I did clean out my office yesterday - wow, I found reciepts and various crap dating back to 2003. And I keep complaining that we don't have enough storage. When you toss out a few garbage bags worth of useless papers, CDs, old magazines, crap, crap and crap, you realize it's probably not the storage that's the problem, it's you.
Anyway, hubby and I are headed out of town in a few for a nice weekend to ourselves! Yahoo!! I've packed the last Harry Potter installment (never read it) and Jennifer Paddock's A Secret Word. I met Jennifer on MySpace, and she's a fellow Felicity lover, so obviously, it goes without saying that I adore her and assume I'll adore her book as well. We Felicity followers share a certain kinship, you know?
So I'm prepped for some serious R&R - a pre-natal massage, fine sheets, good dining...ooh, I can't wait and feel more relaxed just thinking about it.
If you have some time on your hands because this entry is so short, I'll pass along a few links. For a little inspiration, check out Philip Beard's incredible story about how he went from self-publishing his novel, Dear Zoe, to landing a fat contract at Viking. The book, which was a Book Sense pick in both hardcover and paperback, was previously rejected by 27 editors. Like he didn't have the last laugh. Ha!
And while you're surfing around, be sure to click over to Erin Zammett's blog on Glamour.com. Erin's been in remission from leukemia for several years, and many of us have been following her story via the magazine since she was diagnosed. She's also a cool, fun, witty gal who was kind enough to give me my first shot at writing for Glamour (after four years of pitching....See? It's not easy!). She'll be updating daily, so add it to your favorites.
Anyone else have fun plans for the weekend? Has the heat caused any other serious mental meltdowns or is it just moi?
Friday, August 04, 2006
Thursday, August 03, 2006
How Do I Get Famous When I'm Not?
I have a great non-fiction book idea. I ran it by an agent I'm acquainted with, and she agreed that it could work, however, she told me that it would be a very hard sell because I don't have a platform. Doesn't the quality of the idea or the quality of the book matter? Can you explain what exactly a platform is, and how I go about getting one?
When aspiring writers hear the word "platform," their first impulse might be to jump off of one, because having a platform can indeed make or break you. That said, there's good and bad news to come in answering this question, so let's break it down point by point.
1) What is a platform? A platform is really a synonym for your visibility, your marketability, you contacts, connections and how many people (other than your extended family and high school alumni committee) know who you are. Dr. Phil, for example, has an enormous platform. Your local shrink, however, does not. Even though they technically do the same job.
2) Why do platforms matter? Because your platform helps your publisher sell books. Period. The good news (remember, I said that there was some) is that platforms matter less for fiction than for non-fiction. Publishing houses are willing to take on a first-time novelist with no name for himself, but are less willing to take on your aforementioned local shrink. Why? I'd imagine because when it comes to debut authors, most readers don't expect to have heard of him, but if they're looking for advice on how to save their marriage, they'd like to know that these words of wisdom are actually coming from someone whom they trust. Blame Oprah.
That said, there's no doubt that having a wide-spread platform can help you when it comes to fiction. My advance was much larger than most debut novelists, in part because the editors who bid on my book knew come publication time, I'd be putting in calls (code for: begging, crying and offering up my second born) to all of my magazine editors and various contacts, asking them for a plug or a review. And you can be damn sure that I will indeed be doing so. But did my platform help sell my book? I don't think so. I think it just helped pad the advance. But without a platform in non-fiction, you're much less likely to sell the book at all.
3) What can I do to build a platform?
Ah, the million dollar question. First off, it goes without saying that you need a website. I write off potential interviewees all the time when I can't find them on the web. And regardless of the field you're in, I'd take steps to set you apart from your peers. If you're a child psychologist, look into becoming an APA spokesperson (or whatever organization you're affiliated with); if you're a nutritionist, try to nab a media position with the ADA, etc. Magazine writers frequently tap into organizations such as these when they're looking for expert interviews. And the more widely quoted you are, the bigger your platform. Another excellent tactic is to register at Profnet, which is sort-of the go-to place for magazine writers to find experts for stories. If I'm working on an article on, say, breast-feeding and don't have an M.D. in mind, I might do a search on Profnet to land the perfect source.
Of course, if you can afford it, hiring a PR company might be a good route. If you can't, you're not dead in the water. A writer friend of mine (and a mother of two), Jen Singer, had a wonderful ms called, 14 Hours 'Til Bedtime, that she relentlessly shopped around. She finally landed an agent, and when they sent out the ms, editors loved it, but guess what...she didn't have a platform, so the offers didn't exactly explode in their laps. But she was determined to not only sell the book, but to position herself as a parenting expert. So she launched a website, mommasaid.net, told everyone she knew about it, signed up for Profnet, sent press notices to editors and writers, etc, etc, etc. In other words, it wasn't easy, but she's now a well-known parenting expert who is often quoted in top mags and has even appeared on the morning shows. In fact, she just signed on to be a spokesperson for Similac and has been a spokesperson for Huggies for the past two years.
Here are a few words of advice, straight from the horse's (or Jen's) mouth:
"Building a platform is like building a house: You want to use the best materials possible. I’m careful about which Profnet leads I answer, and where I provide content, because I don’t want to become overexposed. Don’t jump on every “publicity opportunity” that comes your way, and don’t tie up your content or yourself with exclusive contracts unless it’s truly worth your while. Ignore people who wonder why you’re spending so much time on something (like a web site) that might have no immediate and direct income. It takes time to build a platform, but it pays off in the long run if you do it right – and if you stick with it, no matter what other people say."
Quite clearly, Jen built her platform from the ground up...so it can be done. And her tenacity will definitely pay off for her next book: NO ONE will blink when her agent pitches it. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if she sells it at auction. But building a platform requires dedication and a lot of energy. If you're willing to do it and you truly believe in your book's topic (and don't just want to write it to say that you've published a book), then definitely go for it.
Anyone out there working on their platform right now? How are you going about it?
When aspiring writers hear the word "platform," their first impulse might be to jump off of one, because having a platform can indeed make or break you. That said, there's good and bad news to come in answering this question, so let's break it down point by point.
1) What is a platform? A platform is really a synonym for your visibility, your marketability, you contacts, connections and how many people (other than your extended family and high school alumni committee) know who you are. Dr. Phil, for example, has an enormous platform. Your local shrink, however, does not. Even though they technically do the same job.
2) Why do platforms matter? Because your platform helps your publisher sell books. Period. The good news (remember, I said that there was some) is that platforms matter less for fiction than for non-fiction. Publishing houses are willing to take on a first-time novelist with no name for himself, but are less willing to take on your aforementioned local shrink. Why? I'd imagine because when it comes to debut authors, most readers don't expect to have heard of him, but if they're looking for advice on how to save their marriage, they'd like to know that these words of wisdom are actually coming from someone whom they trust. Blame Oprah.
That said, there's no doubt that having a wide-spread platform can help you when it comes to fiction. My advance was much larger than most debut novelists, in part because the editors who bid on my book knew come publication time, I'd be putting in calls (code for: begging, crying and offering up my second born) to all of my magazine editors and various contacts, asking them for a plug or a review. And you can be damn sure that I will indeed be doing so. But did my platform help sell my book? I don't think so. I think it just helped pad the advance. But without a platform in non-fiction, you're much less likely to sell the book at all.
3) What can I do to build a platform?
Ah, the million dollar question. First off, it goes without saying that you need a website. I write off potential interviewees all the time when I can't find them on the web. And regardless of the field you're in, I'd take steps to set you apart from your peers. If you're a child psychologist, look into becoming an APA spokesperson (or whatever organization you're affiliated with); if you're a nutritionist, try to nab a media position with the ADA, etc. Magazine writers frequently tap into organizations such as these when they're looking for expert interviews. And the more widely quoted you are, the bigger your platform. Another excellent tactic is to register at Profnet, which is sort-of the go-to place for magazine writers to find experts for stories. If I'm working on an article on, say, breast-feeding and don't have an M.D. in mind, I might do a search on Profnet to land the perfect source.
Of course, if you can afford it, hiring a PR company might be a good route. If you can't, you're not dead in the water. A writer friend of mine (and a mother of two), Jen Singer, had a wonderful ms called, 14 Hours 'Til Bedtime, that she relentlessly shopped around. She finally landed an agent, and when they sent out the ms, editors loved it, but guess what...she didn't have a platform, so the offers didn't exactly explode in their laps. But she was determined to not only sell the book, but to position herself as a parenting expert. So she launched a website, mommasaid.net, told everyone she knew about it, signed up for Profnet, sent press notices to editors and writers, etc, etc, etc. In other words, it wasn't easy, but she's now a well-known parenting expert who is often quoted in top mags and has even appeared on the morning shows. In fact, she just signed on to be a spokesperson for Similac and has been a spokesperson for Huggies for the past two years.
Here are a few words of advice, straight from the horse's (or Jen's) mouth:
"Building a platform is like building a house: You want to use the best materials possible. I’m careful about which Profnet leads I answer, and where I provide content, because I don’t want to become overexposed. Don’t jump on every “publicity opportunity” that comes your way, and don’t tie up your content or yourself with exclusive contracts unless it’s truly worth your while. Ignore people who wonder why you’re spending so much time on something (like a web site) that might have no immediate and direct income. It takes time to build a platform, but it pays off in the long run if you do it right – and if you stick with it, no matter what other people say."
Quite clearly, Jen built her platform from the ground up...so it can be done. And her tenacity will definitely pay off for her next book: NO ONE will blink when her agent pitches it. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if she sells it at auction. But building a platform requires dedication and a lot of energy. If you're willing to do it and you truly believe in your book's topic (and don't just want to write it to say that you've published a book), then definitely go for it.
Anyone out there working on their platform right now? How are you going about it?
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Getting By (Or Blurbs) With A Little Help From Your Friends
I've noticed that the blurbs on book covers that are written by colleagues (are they called "endorsements"?) usually seem to be from writers from the same publisher. That makes a lot of sense, but what if your best friend is a novelist with another publishing house, she loves your book, and really wants to write a blurb for you? Will your publisher allow it? Will hers?
The quick answer: for sure. In fact, I currently have six blurbs for my book, and only one author is published with my house, and she's not even at my imprint. Of course, I got these blurbs on my own: I reached out via email to authors whom I thought might enjoy the book and with whom I might share an audience. I didn't know any of them beforehand, so I simply jotted down a (very kind and humble) introductory note and asked them if they'd be willing to take a peek. Most said yes. I made it clear that there was no expectation of a forthcoming blurb, and if they hated the book, then they should definitely not endorse it. I've been fortunate that most people accepted and that most have indeed had very nice things to say. (Though I'll admit to being heartbroken when Lolly Winston couldn't fit it in her schedule. Wah! I still love her though! And can't wait to read her new book!)
Remember that blurbing is in some ways a two-way street. Trust me, I was so, so, so, so flattered that these wonderful ladies not only took the time to read the ms, but also to write something so wonderful about the book, but they also get their names on the back of the cover, or on my website or on my blog or in the press kit or wherever. So it only serves the author or the publishing house well to open themselves up to outside authors.
My process of gathering blurbs was a bit unusual - most often, it's left up to the editor, the publicist and the agent, which is why you often DO see authors blurbed from the same house or imprint. But I just wanted to be a bit more involved, and I'm glad that I was.
This question of blurbing raises a whole other issue: do blurbs matter? I know that as a reader, I definitely take a look at them and and that they can tilt the scale if I'm debating a purchase. And if I've enjoyed a book, I'll often buy a blurber's book because I assume that we have similar taste. Diana Peterfreund blogged about this a few weeks ago: whether or not blurbs really have any influence on readers. They most definitely influence booksellers (i.e, if the press kit is brimming with top shelf blurbs, they'll likely be interested in buying more copies) and get your sales and press teams fired up, but to the average reader, do they really do much? I dunno.
Thoughts?
The quick answer: for sure. In fact, I currently have six blurbs for my book, and only one author is published with my house, and she's not even at my imprint. Of course, I got these blurbs on my own: I reached out via email to authors whom I thought might enjoy the book and with whom I might share an audience. I didn't know any of them beforehand, so I simply jotted down a (very kind and humble) introductory note and asked them if they'd be willing to take a peek. Most said yes. I made it clear that there was no expectation of a forthcoming blurb, and if they hated the book, then they should definitely not endorse it. I've been fortunate that most people accepted and that most have indeed had very nice things to say. (Though I'll admit to being heartbroken when Lolly Winston couldn't fit it in her schedule. Wah! I still love her though! And can't wait to read her new book!)
Remember that blurbing is in some ways a two-way street. Trust me, I was so, so, so, so flattered that these wonderful ladies not only took the time to read the ms, but also to write something so wonderful about the book, but they also get their names on the back of the cover, or on my website or on my blog or in the press kit or wherever. So it only serves the author or the publishing house well to open themselves up to outside authors.
My process of gathering blurbs was a bit unusual - most often, it's left up to the editor, the publicist and the agent, which is why you often DO see authors blurbed from the same house or imprint. But I just wanted to be a bit more involved, and I'm glad that I was.
This question of blurbing raises a whole other issue: do blurbs matter? I know that as a reader, I definitely take a look at them and and that they can tilt the scale if I'm debating a purchase. And if I've enjoyed a book, I'll often buy a blurber's book because I assume that we have similar taste. Diana Peterfreund blogged about this a few weeks ago: whether or not blurbs really have any influence on readers. They most definitely influence booksellers (i.e, if the press kit is brimming with top shelf blurbs, they'll likely be interested in buying more copies) and get your sales and press teams fired up, but to the average reader, do they really do much? I dunno.
Thoughts?
Does Size Matter?
I've read writing tips about how the word count of a novel is guided by genre and by whether or not the book is part of a series. What about where a writer is in their career? Are there guidelines that apply specifically to first-time novelists?
Let be honest: doesn't size always matter? :)
Anyway...from what I was told, both before I submitted my ms to agents and after I'd nabbed one, the sweet spot for debut authors is about 80k words (75k-85k is perfect). This is for commercial fiction...I believe that you can go longer for historicals and perhaps paranormals. Anyone else know? YA is much shorter - somewhere in the 60k ballpark. But whatever you do, try to trim your ms to under 100k words. Anything longer, and from what I understand, agents assume that you've either rambled on too long and/or lack any ability to self-edit.
After you've proven yourself, I'd imagine that you have more flexibility. I mean, if the publishers knows that you have a built-in audience who is going to slap down their credit cards regardless of length, I doubt that they'd balk at your 115k ms. But for first-timers, generally, it's probably best to try to adhere to what the industry prefers.
Just my opinion, of course. Anyone have a different experience or know the desired word counts in other genres?
Let be honest: doesn't size always matter? :)
Anyway...from what I was told, both before I submitted my ms to agents and after I'd nabbed one, the sweet spot for debut authors is about 80k words (75k-85k is perfect). This is for commercial fiction...I believe that you can go longer for historicals and perhaps paranormals. Anyone else know? YA is much shorter - somewhere in the 60k ballpark. But whatever you do, try to trim your ms to under 100k words. Anything longer, and from what I understand, agents assume that you've either rambled on too long and/or lack any ability to self-edit.
After you've proven yourself, I'd imagine that you have more flexibility. I mean, if the publishers knows that you have a built-in audience who is going to slap down their credit cards regardless of length, I doubt that they'd balk at your 115k ms. But for first-timers, generally, it's probably best to try to adhere to what the industry prefers.
Just my opinion, of course. Anyone have a different experience or know the desired word counts in other genres?
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Throwing Out the Baby...and the Bath Water...and the Towel
I recently received some blistering feedback from a well-regarded reader. She did not like the manuscript in the least bit, but at least she was honest and told me what I needed to hear, and what needed work. But now, I am questioning my ability as a writer. I love to write, and I put a lot of hard work, long hours, and expensive editing into this novel, so I am frustrated. At least I know that it's not ready to be shopped around, and don't have to worry about embarrassing myself. Anyway, it leaves me wondering whether to further refine it or to concentrate on a new novel. Any suggestions?
I think this is a more common dilemma than we all realize. When we're sitting at home reading and rereading our completed ms, how can we possibly know whether or not it will amount to anything? After all, if we didn't think it was genius, or at least had potential, we'd never have written it in the first place. Yet nearly EVERY published writer I know - and clearly, I don't know all of them (!!!), so there are obviously numerous exceptions - has an unpublished ms rotting up her hard drive. So...the question of the day is, "how do you know when to throw in the towel?"
I've already shared my experience: it really wasn't until I'd written a MUCH better second book that I understood that my first really was a fairly large pile of crap. Okay, maybe that's not fair. But it certainly wasn't as good as it could have been, and truly, were it now being published, it would probably only serve to embarrass me. Since I'm out of ideas on this question but thought that it merited a discussion, I surveyed some fellow authors to garner their advice. Wise words were offered. It would be smart to heed them.
Melanie Lynne Hauser, author of Confessions of Super Mom and the upcoming sequel, had this to say:
"Well, for me, it was almost a physical thing. (This was for my first completed manuscript that never got an agent.) One day I was fine, working and reworking it for the 100th time, ready to send still more queries out - the next day I woke up, opened the file, felt nothing for the words on the screen, and I closed the file, opened up a new one, and started right in on the next book - not knowing, until that moment, that I had a new book in me. But knowing that I had to move forward, and going back to that old file wasn't accomplishing that. It was like a friendship that you keep nurturing along - a one-sided friendship, actually, where I was the one coaxing it along long after the book had served its purpose. (Which was - to teach me how to write a novel, to let me get all the rookie mistakes and bad habits out of my system.) It was just time to start over again with something new and the most important thing I learned by doing that was - that I could do it again, that I would always be able to do it again. That was a very liberating moment for me, because it helped my writing immensely - it gave me the freedom to edit and chop and remove and start over without any fear that these were the only words I'd ever write that well again.
With books that were agented and I had to give up on them - it was much clearer. The 15-20 rejections that each of them accumulated pretty much made the decision for me. But each time, I was eager to tell the next story, so while it was painful, it wasn't crippling. "
Best-selling Louise Bagshawe, author of numerous books including the upcoming Sparkles, offered this brilliant advice:
"When I started my writing career, I had to junk books several times. I mean complete MS that had been handed in to my editor. She said, 'Unpublishable'. I said 'Fine.' Started over the next day.
The fact is that the market is tough, and if you are your own worst critic, you will be your own best friend. I don't know, but I have a feeling that newbie writers often fall in love with their first effort just because it was such an effort. They confuse the hard work of the process with the quality of the results. That's why spending time apart from your MS when it is finished is SO important. If it doesn't knock you out - if you have any doubts - it's not ready, I don't care if you spent two years on it. Now, I'm sort of in a groove with my novel career. I know what my fans want and I deliver it. I do not expect my MSes to require major rewrites. But at the start of my career it wasn't that way. The remedy for me was and is to go away, read the bestsellers of my rivals/heroes/competition in the same genre and then reread my own book and ask if I'm even in the ballpark. I recommend that to amateurs on my blog, but I always suspect most people skip that step. Just look at the competition. Is your book that good? No? Why not? You can do better, then do better. Especially if you're unpublished, because then you stand a chance of that really big deal when you hand the truly great MS to the enthused agent. You only have one chance at being fresh new talent.
Rachel Cole, who has been published in several literary magazines and who is fine-tuning her third ms, echoes similar thoughts to me. "For me, this has only happened recently, when my latest WIP (my second) really started to click. I realized that my first novel, no matter how much I loved it, had one too many core flaws that no rewrite could fix and that I was now cannibalizing it for the new story. Though all the characters and situations are completely different, there are some very strong similarities in the themes and ''morals'' of the two. So, while I'm not writing the same story again, I feel I'm in a much better situation to say what I wanted to say then, but via a completely different story." Adds Shana Silberberg, who recently wrapped her second ms, "what made me realize the first one sucked was writing my second novel - a novel that was much better, and actually spending the time to fix it up instead of considering the first draft to be the only draft."
A lot of wisdom to be found in the above words, me thinks. Did they ring true to anyone besides me? Anyone have other thoughts on when to move on?
Monday, July 31, 2006
Robbing the Agenting Cradle
I found it very interesting, and affirming actually, that you were looking for a younger agent to represent your book because you didn't think that an older one would get your writing style as well. I've written a chick lit book that, I believe, needs young representation as well. It's a theory that I've confirmed because the younger agents, like yours, have had much more positive feedback. I was just wondering how you were able to find the younger/hip ones to query.
First, just to clarify and so as not to offend any veteran agents (snort, as if they'd take the time to read this blog!), there are definitely some wonderful seasoned agents out there...in fact, these women (and men) have earned their stripes and are undoubtedly great reps. Right? Right. :)
But what you're saying, and what I surmised during my agent hunt, was that they weren't necessarily great reps more me. Agenting isn't a one-size fits all industry, and agents will be the first to tell you that.
Whew, with that out of the way and so as to avoid any "you're an ageist" emails, let's get down to business! How was I able to whittle down my query list to the youngsters? Well, this probably isn't an enormous surprise, given my past posts, but really, it was all through research. Look, I've said it before, I'll say it again: any great writer - be it author or magazine writer - has to know how to dig up morsels and tidbits and information that sets them apart from the average aspiring writer who doesn't take the time or have the sensibility to do so. While I can't remember where I started, at some point in my research, I searched the forums at Writers.net (key words such as "younger," will bring up some threads with info). I also filtered through agentquery.com using the search terms "women's fiction," or "chick lit;" I believe that agentquery sometimes includes their college and graduating year (or shoots you to a link with more information that might). I cross-referenced all of these things with the agent's website, which often includes personal info such as graduation year or something in their bio that could give me a general sense of their age, (i.e, "I enjoy spending time with my husband now that my kids have left for college," or "I spend my non-agenting hours chasing my toddler around the house). I also double-checked my hunches on PublishersMarketplace: if she'd sold a lot of books that focused on younger women, chances were, she related to these heroines on some level, and thus might relate to mine. Oh, and there's always google: type in a name and you'll be amazed at what the engine spits back out...it might require some digging, but you can find 5k races (which list age), wedding announcements, alumni notes, you name it. And it never hurts to ask around: on the various Yahoo writers' loops, other repped friends, etc.
I don't mean to sound like a stalker here. I'm not. I'm just pointing out all of the ways that you can discover information on agents. They're normal people who live lives, and if you want to see if they'll be a good match for you - in terms of age, interests, etc - the information is probably out there.
That said, here are some of the up-and-coming younger/youngish agents whom I discovered on my hunt. (For the women's fic/chick lit category - the only one I looked into.) This list is by no means exhaustive, just some that come to mind.
Rachel Vater
Andrea Somberg
Elisabeth Weed
Jenny Bent
Dan Lazar
Kristen Nelson
Stacey Glick
Julie Barer
Jessica Faust
Andrea Cirillo
Stephanie Kip Rostan
Maria Massie
Alice Tasman
Nikki Van Der Car
Stephanie Lee
Andrea Barzvi
Joe Veltre
Christy Fletcher
Emma Parry
Jennifer Carlson
Caren Johnson
Nadia Cornier
Meg Ruley
Lucy Childs
Miriam Kriss
Paige Wheeler
This list is definitely not complete - just some of the names that I have in my notes. I don't know these gals personally, so don't write them and say that I suggested contacting them! (In fact, sidenote: it is very, very, very bad form to EVER do this to an established writer without asking him or her for permission to use her name. Even if she's passed you contact info, you simply don't name-drop unless she's told you that you can. I've seen a lot of my friends beyond steamed in these situations, and there's no faster way to burn a bridge. FYI.) I have no idea if any or all are accepting new clients, what their submission standards are, etc. I'm just telling you what I have jotted down.
So...which agents did I miss? And do you think that the age or demographic of your agent really matters?
First, just to clarify and so as not to offend any veteran agents (snort, as if they'd take the time to read this blog!), there are definitely some wonderful seasoned agents out there...in fact, these women (and men) have earned their stripes and are undoubtedly great reps. Right? Right. :)
But what you're saying, and what I surmised during my agent hunt, was that they weren't necessarily great reps more me. Agenting isn't a one-size fits all industry, and agents will be the first to tell you that.
Whew, with that out of the way and so as to avoid any "you're an ageist" emails, let's get down to business! How was I able to whittle down my query list to the youngsters? Well, this probably isn't an enormous surprise, given my past posts, but really, it was all through research. Look, I've said it before, I'll say it again: any great writer - be it author or magazine writer - has to know how to dig up morsels and tidbits and information that sets them apart from the average aspiring writer who doesn't take the time or have the sensibility to do so. While I can't remember where I started, at some point in my research, I searched the forums at Writers.net (key words such as "younger," will bring up some threads with info). I also filtered through agentquery.com using the search terms "women's fiction," or "chick lit;" I believe that agentquery sometimes includes their college and graduating year (or shoots you to a link with more information that might). I cross-referenced all of these things with the agent's website, which often includes personal info such as graduation year or something in their bio that could give me a general sense of their age, (i.e, "I enjoy spending time with my husband now that my kids have left for college," or "I spend my non-agenting hours chasing my toddler around the house). I also double-checked my hunches on PublishersMarketplace: if she'd sold a lot of books that focused on younger women, chances were, she related to these heroines on some level, and thus might relate to mine. Oh, and there's always google: type in a name and you'll be amazed at what the engine spits back out...it might require some digging, but you can find 5k races (which list age), wedding announcements, alumni notes, you name it. And it never hurts to ask around: on the various Yahoo writers' loops, other repped friends, etc.
I don't mean to sound like a stalker here. I'm not. I'm just pointing out all of the ways that you can discover information on agents. They're normal people who live lives, and if you want to see if they'll be a good match for you - in terms of age, interests, etc - the information is probably out there.
That said, here are some of the up-and-coming younger/youngish agents whom I discovered on my hunt. (For the women's fic/chick lit category - the only one I looked into.) This list is by no means exhaustive, just some that come to mind.
Rachel Vater
Andrea Somberg
Elisabeth Weed
Jenny Bent
Dan Lazar
Kristen Nelson
Stacey Glick
Julie Barer
Jessica Faust
Andrea Cirillo
Stephanie Kip Rostan
Maria Massie
Alice Tasman
Nikki Van Der Car
Stephanie Lee
Andrea Barzvi
Joe Veltre
Christy Fletcher
Emma Parry
Jennifer Carlson
Caren Johnson
Nadia Cornier
Meg Ruley
Lucy Childs
Miriam Kriss
Paige Wheeler
This list is definitely not complete - just some of the names that I have in my notes. I don't know these gals personally, so don't write them and say that I suggested contacting them! (In fact, sidenote: it is very, very, very bad form to EVER do this to an established writer without asking him or her for permission to use her name. Even if she's passed you contact info, you simply don't name-drop unless she's told you that you can. I've seen a lot of my friends beyond steamed in these situations, and there's no faster way to burn a bridge. FYI.) I have no idea if any or all are accepting new clients, what their submission standards are, etc. I'm just telling you what I have jotted down.
So...which agents did I miss? And do you think that the age or demographic of your agent really matters?
Friday, July 28, 2006
But Where Do I Come Up With An Idea?
Due partly to your inspiration and partly to my recent reading of Marian Keyes' "The Other Side of the Story," which may or may not be an accurate depiction of the book publishing industry, I'm thinking I'm ready to tackle a novel. Trouble is, I can't make things up. I write decent narrative and I'm great with dialogue, but that adage about your first novel being autobiographical? My biggest fear. So I keep trying to come up with a "plot" out of the air and I just freeze. "Just write" isn't going to cut it for me, I don't think. I've tried that with little success. I need a plan (a "goddamn plan," :) ), or at least a semblance of one so I can know that I'm deviating.
How do I come up with an idea for a plot? Silly as it sounds, the best fiction writing I ever did in college was when a distant friend in another school gave me a one-sentence plot of a play she'd written and I just copied it. Idea plagiarism aside, the story wrote itself once I started. Should I turn to a book about fiction writing? Are any of them actually helpful?
First of all, hee! Can I just say that I read your question and was like, "why does 'goddamn plan' sound so familiar?" And then I realized that you were quoting ME back to me. Ha! I love it.
Okay, I wanted to push this question to the head of the line because I really liked it and because I think it's a really important one. After all, who cares about the intricacies of getting an agent if you can't write your novel in the first place? I'm not sure if I have the best answer for you, so I'm hoping others might chime in too. But the best place for me to start is to tell you my own experience and see if that helps.
For me, the seeds of both books were planted by situations in my own life. For TDLF specifically, I had just lost one of my three closest friends to breast cancer - at 31, six months after her diagnosis - and I needed a way to channel my grief. And as a writer, naturally, what I did was write. HOWEVER. Her situation was just the seed. WhereI went from there was what mattered. I think, as you said in your question, the philosophy of "just write," doesn't always work. Why? Because when you do "just write," you're often times writing aimlessly, and you end up with a bunch of crap that has no purpose in your overall storyline, but you're too blinded to see that.
This is really what happened to me with book #1. Again, I had a seed of an idea - I wanted to explore female friendships, and the nuances, wonders and problems behind them, and I knew how I wanted the story to begin. What I didn't know was where I wanted the story to GO, and thus, not only did the ms stall for a few years, it ended up being filled with a lot of muck on the way to the ending. Why? Because I just wrote. I didn't write with a real purpose in mind.
So...what was the difference between book #1 and TDLF? For starters, I let the idea gestate, which allowed the seed to take root and flourish. Rather than sit down and bang out chapters, I really mulled over who this character would be and all of the potential roadblocks that she'd encounter, not just with cancer but in her every day life. That really helped create a plot. What could go wrong at work? What could go wrong with her love life? What's going on with her family? As I marinated all of these different things, a story arc began to build in my mind, and before I ever took pen to page (or fingers to keyboard, I should say), I had mentally mapped out all of the different figurative places that my heroine would go. She'd deal with cancer, she'd deal with lost love, she'd deal with a distant mother, she'd deal with losing her identity, she'd deal with figuring out how to rebuild herself when she didn't have a choice in the matter. All of these things led me to imagine situations - whether it was having a mini-breakdown at her office or having a monster fight with her mom over her chemo treatment - that evolved into a plot, and eventually, a book.
And this was a really different tactic than with my first time out, where, as I said, I wrote and wrote and wrote, but all I was doing was spitting out words. I hadn't taken the time to let the seed of the idea sink in and see where the characters could take me. And just to reiterate, for me, it was really, really helpful to mentally walk through all of the possible challenges in my heroine's life. In my opinion, too many books meander and lose the reader because there aren't enough obstacles - no one wants to read about someone's boring, placid life. That's not a story. Readers expect change from the characters, they expect to be brought on a journey with the protagonist, and the best way to deliver it (again, in my opinion) is to dredge up conflict. And in these conflicts, you'll often develop your overall story.
A few other notes: when choosing something to write about, whether it's cancer or baseball or friendship or whatever, I do think it's important to choose something that you're passionate about. If you're not, it comes across very clearly in the energy of your writing.
Second, I also think it helps to write about a subject with which you have some level of familiarity - I think this helps fuel that passion and also gives you emotional heft to draw from when you're writing. Sort of like the actor who's going through a divorce and delivers a bang-up, knock-out job in her latest drama because she can go to those deeper, familiar places and tap into the pain that she needs to convey. But I will caution you against writing about your life too literally. Trying to fictionalize 5% of a true story is very difficult (again, my opinion) because your memories are so tied to the real version that they impede your imagination from going to the places it needs to go to create an honest novel. In the initial draft of my first book, I was paralyzed because I had basically lightly fictionalized events from my life, and when those events had played themselves out in the plot, I really couldn't dream up where to take the characters - I couldn't take them where my life had gone, and I wasn't thinking creatively enough to go anywhere else with it. Thus...the multi-year hiatus. For TDLF, I started with a young woman who had breast cancer, and that's really the only similarity that the book shares with the events from my (or my late friend's) life. The character is nothing like my friend and her circumstances couldn't be more different. This allowed me to think of Natalie, my heroine, as an entirely separate person, and I never once thought, "Oh, what would my friend have done in this situation." It was all about what Natalie would do.
I don't know if that answers your question, but I guess, in short, I'd look around your own life and find something that really engages you: why men and women can't be friends, why some people stay married forever and some don't, why your friend's friend was killed in a car accident for no apparent reason...I dunno...and let the seed of this concept sink in while your subconscious explores it for a while. From there, you just might develop a novel.
Anyone have better suggestions? Let's hear 'em.
How do I come up with an idea for a plot? Silly as it sounds, the best fiction writing I ever did in college was when a distant friend in another school gave me a one-sentence plot of a play she'd written and I just copied it. Idea plagiarism aside, the story wrote itself once I started. Should I turn to a book about fiction writing? Are any of them actually helpful?
First of all, hee! Can I just say that I read your question and was like, "why does 'goddamn plan' sound so familiar?" And then I realized that you were quoting ME back to me. Ha! I love it.
Okay, I wanted to push this question to the head of the line because I really liked it and because I think it's a really important one. After all, who cares about the intricacies of getting an agent if you can't write your novel in the first place? I'm not sure if I have the best answer for you, so I'm hoping others might chime in too. But the best place for me to start is to tell you my own experience and see if that helps.
For me, the seeds of both books were planted by situations in my own life. For TDLF specifically, I had just lost one of my three closest friends to breast cancer - at 31, six months after her diagnosis - and I needed a way to channel my grief. And as a writer, naturally, what I did was write. HOWEVER. Her situation was just the seed. WhereI went from there was what mattered. I think, as you said in your question, the philosophy of "just write," doesn't always work. Why? Because when you do "just write," you're often times writing aimlessly, and you end up with a bunch of crap that has no purpose in your overall storyline, but you're too blinded to see that.
This is really what happened to me with book #1. Again, I had a seed of an idea - I wanted to explore female friendships, and the nuances, wonders and problems behind them, and I knew how I wanted the story to begin. What I didn't know was where I wanted the story to GO, and thus, not only did the ms stall for a few years, it ended up being filled with a lot of muck on the way to the ending. Why? Because I just wrote. I didn't write with a real purpose in mind.
So...what was the difference between book #1 and TDLF? For starters, I let the idea gestate, which allowed the seed to take root and flourish. Rather than sit down and bang out chapters, I really mulled over who this character would be and all of the potential roadblocks that she'd encounter, not just with cancer but in her every day life. That really helped create a plot. What could go wrong at work? What could go wrong with her love life? What's going on with her family? As I marinated all of these different things, a story arc began to build in my mind, and before I ever took pen to page (or fingers to keyboard, I should say), I had mentally mapped out all of the different figurative places that my heroine would go. She'd deal with cancer, she'd deal with lost love, she'd deal with a distant mother, she'd deal with losing her identity, she'd deal with figuring out how to rebuild herself when she didn't have a choice in the matter. All of these things led me to imagine situations - whether it was having a mini-breakdown at her office or having a monster fight with her mom over her chemo treatment - that evolved into a plot, and eventually, a book.
And this was a really different tactic than with my first time out, where, as I said, I wrote and wrote and wrote, but all I was doing was spitting out words. I hadn't taken the time to let the seed of the idea sink in and see where the characters could take me. And just to reiterate, for me, it was really, really helpful to mentally walk through all of the possible challenges in my heroine's life. In my opinion, too many books meander and lose the reader because there aren't enough obstacles - no one wants to read about someone's boring, placid life. That's not a story. Readers expect change from the characters, they expect to be brought on a journey with the protagonist, and the best way to deliver it (again, in my opinion) is to dredge up conflict. And in these conflicts, you'll often develop your overall story.
A few other notes: when choosing something to write about, whether it's cancer or baseball or friendship or whatever, I do think it's important to choose something that you're passionate about. If you're not, it comes across very clearly in the energy of your writing.
Second, I also think it helps to write about a subject with which you have some level of familiarity - I think this helps fuel that passion and also gives you emotional heft to draw from when you're writing. Sort of like the actor who's going through a divorce and delivers a bang-up, knock-out job in her latest drama because she can go to those deeper, familiar places and tap into the pain that she needs to convey. But I will caution you against writing about your life too literally. Trying to fictionalize 5% of a true story is very difficult (again, my opinion) because your memories are so tied to the real version that they impede your imagination from going to the places it needs to go to create an honest novel. In the initial draft of my first book, I was paralyzed because I had basically lightly fictionalized events from my life, and when those events had played themselves out in the plot, I really couldn't dream up where to take the characters - I couldn't take them where my life had gone, and I wasn't thinking creatively enough to go anywhere else with it. Thus...the multi-year hiatus. For TDLF, I started with a young woman who had breast cancer, and that's really the only similarity that the book shares with the events from my (or my late friend's) life. The character is nothing like my friend and her circumstances couldn't be more different. This allowed me to think of Natalie, my heroine, as an entirely separate person, and I never once thought, "Oh, what would my friend have done in this situation." It was all about what Natalie would do.
I don't know if that answers your question, but I guess, in short, I'd look around your own life and find something that really engages you: why men and women can't be friends, why some people stay married forever and some don't, why your friend's friend was killed in a car accident for no apparent reason...I dunno...and let the seed of this concept sink in while your subconscious explores it for a while. From there, you just might develop a novel.
Anyone have better suggestions? Let's hear 'em.
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Trusting Your Gut
I envy you for being able to trust your gut about your second book and to walk away from an agent who didn't believe in it. How do you KNOW, when your manuscript is good, and to keep going with it in spite of the nonbelievers?
First off, I'm really, really tired today, so apologies for only answering one question. I have neighbors who seem not to understand that allowing their kids to run around and jump off the bed and do various such activities that create loud thumps and bumps and lumps at, oh, 12:35 in the morning might disturb those sleeping below...despite repeated notes under their door. So I'm f-ing tired. Sorry. Sometimes I just hate living in NYC. Fortunately, we're moving to a new apt in a few months, and I can only pray that we have more considerate neighbors. Or at least that I can drink a fully caffeinated cup of coffee by then. (Until that time, two words: Stila concealor.)
Back to the question: how did I know? Hmmm, I've thought a lot about this. First of all, I think that some of it certainly had to do with writing a previous book that wasn't as strong. As I wrote TDLF, I was really able to hone in on where I'd made a lot of mistakes with #1 and knew that I wasn't making them this time around. So that, just in and of itself, definitely boosted my confidence.
The second factor was the feedback that I was getting from objective readers, readers who had liked #1 well-enough (or in my brother's case, had tried to say something positive but really struggled to come up with anything remotely praise-worthy - ha!), but who went bananas over this one. I mean, really went nuts. Who are these objective readers? Well, usually it's not recommended that family members be considered "objective readers," since they'll praise just about any drivel that you whip up, but in my brother's case, I knew that wasn't true. He's the most rabid reader I know, as well as one of the smartest people I know, and I trusted him to be critical and offer feedback...and he was. I also farmed it out to a friend who professional edits books: she sees all sorts of crap for a living, and I knew she'd give me the straight skinny. She flipped for it, suggesting a few minor tweaks here and there, but mostly just really loved it.
So it wasn't as if I were totally flying blind when I say that I suspected that it was good. But really, what a lot of it came down to was something inherent that's very hard to explain. I just *knew* that I'd written a book that flowed well, that told an engaging story, that had interesting and sympathetic characters, and that would also be commercially appealing. I think the harder question might be, how do you know when you haven't achieved these things? Certainly, I didn't know that I hadn't with #1, and I suspect that some aspiring writers can't see this with their own work that they're currently shopping around. Which isn't a dig. Hey, I've been there. It's just that sometimes we get too attached to our work to step back and view it objectively, right? If you're really, really not having luck getting representation and exhausted most of your options, maybe one solution is to set the ms aside and start fresh. I never would have seen the flaws in #1 if I hadn't written #2. Never. And there's no shame in admitting that. (Please no that I'm not advocating that anyone throw in the towel...writing a new book is just another options, that's all. I'm a firm believer in persistence, so I'd never tell you to abandon that. God knows that half of the battle of being a successful writer is being determined, but there just might reach a point when you have to surrender some of that.)
Oh, one final note that really just pertains to my personal situation. Remember that my first agent had already told me that she was happy with the ms, and it wasn't until an assistant in her office was ho-hum about it that my former agent wavered. This instinctively told me that it wasn't so much an issue with the ms as it was with my agent being gun-shy about submitting me again, especially with a perhaps less-than-perfect (in her mind) ms. She'd been burned once, and didn't want it to happen again. Screw that. In my mind, I was burned once too, and certainly had no interest in repeating history either.
So...anyone else out there ever trusted their gut? What sort of results did it get you? And when do you know to throw in the towel and start fresh?
First off, I'm really, really tired today, so apologies for only answering one question. I have neighbors who seem not to understand that allowing their kids to run around and jump off the bed and do various such activities that create loud thumps and bumps and lumps at, oh, 12:35 in the morning might disturb those sleeping below...despite repeated notes under their door. So I'm f-ing tired. Sorry. Sometimes I just hate living in NYC. Fortunately, we're moving to a new apt in a few months, and I can only pray that we have more considerate neighbors. Or at least that I can drink a fully caffeinated cup of coffee by then. (Until that time, two words: Stila concealor.)
Back to the question: how did I know? Hmmm, I've thought a lot about this. First of all, I think that some of it certainly had to do with writing a previous book that wasn't as strong. As I wrote TDLF, I was really able to hone in on where I'd made a lot of mistakes with #1 and knew that I wasn't making them this time around. So that, just in and of itself, definitely boosted my confidence.
The second factor was the feedback that I was getting from objective readers, readers who had liked #1 well-enough (or in my brother's case, had tried to say something positive but really struggled to come up with anything remotely praise-worthy - ha!), but who went bananas over this one. I mean, really went nuts. Who are these objective readers? Well, usually it's not recommended that family members be considered "objective readers," since they'll praise just about any drivel that you whip up, but in my brother's case, I knew that wasn't true. He's the most rabid reader I know, as well as one of the smartest people I know, and I trusted him to be critical and offer feedback...and he was. I also farmed it out to a friend who professional edits books: she sees all sorts of crap for a living, and I knew she'd give me the straight skinny. She flipped for it, suggesting a few minor tweaks here and there, but mostly just really loved it.
So it wasn't as if I were totally flying blind when I say that I suspected that it was good. But really, what a lot of it came down to was something inherent that's very hard to explain. I just *knew* that I'd written a book that flowed well, that told an engaging story, that had interesting and sympathetic characters, and that would also be commercially appealing. I think the harder question might be, how do you know when you haven't achieved these things? Certainly, I didn't know that I hadn't with #1, and I suspect that some aspiring writers can't see this with their own work that they're currently shopping around. Which isn't a dig. Hey, I've been there. It's just that sometimes we get too attached to our work to step back and view it objectively, right? If you're really, really not having luck getting representation and exhausted most of your options, maybe one solution is to set the ms aside and start fresh. I never would have seen the flaws in #1 if I hadn't written #2. Never. And there's no shame in admitting that. (Please no that I'm not advocating that anyone throw in the towel...writing a new book is just another options, that's all. I'm a firm believer in persistence, so I'd never tell you to abandon that. God knows that half of the battle of being a successful writer is being determined, but there just might reach a point when you have to surrender some of that.)
Oh, one final note that really just pertains to my personal situation. Remember that my first agent had already told me that she was happy with the ms, and it wasn't until an assistant in her office was ho-hum about it that my former agent wavered. This instinctively told me that it wasn't so much an issue with the ms as it was with my agent being gun-shy about submitting me again, especially with a perhaps less-than-perfect (in her mind) ms. She'd been burned once, and didn't want it to happen again. Screw that. In my mind, I was burned once too, and certainly had no interest in repeating history either.
So...anyone else out there ever trusted their gut? What sort of results did it get you? And when do you know to throw in the towel and start fresh?
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Really, I Don't Bite!
A quick housekeeping note: I've gotten oodles of email from readers thanking me for offering advice (you're welcome!! thanks for reading!!), but saying they're too shy to ask these questions themselves...which defeats the whole purpose of being able to ask anonymously! So go ahead - ask me! I promise to be gentle in my advice and might be able to answer a question that really will help further your career. Think of it this way: if you can't ask moi, how on earth are you going to be bold enough to market yourself aggressively to agents and editors?
Chew on that while you read today's questions. Then email me at: allison@allisonwinn.com
On another note, I went on a Felicity binge last night while my husband was at a work dinner. Le sigh. I highly recommend you tune into the WE and catch it in reruns. There's simply nothing better than the final two episodes of Season One (well, except perhaps the final episodes of Season Two), especially when, seven years later, you know that she picked Ben. :) Oh to watch their first kiss, when Ben leans in and his chair shoots out from under him and they just melt into each other, and afterward, Felicity is so stunned that she bolts for the door and mutters, "it's a flight reaction!" Hee! (Remember the days it felt like you absolutely, desperately, fiendishly had to kiss this person RIGHT. NOW? Ah, college.) And even better: once you have it on your DVR, you can fast-forward through all of the irritating Julie scenes. Now, I zap right through (except for the scenes that she's in with Speedman), and it's like she was never on the show.
PS - Blogger's spell-check isn't working, so if you spot errors, blame the man, not me!
Chew on that while you read today's questions. Then email me at: allison@allisonwinn.com
On another note, I went on a Felicity binge last night while my husband was at a work dinner. Le sigh. I highly recommend you tune into the WE and catch it in reruns. There's simply nothing better than the final two episodes of Season One (well, except perhaps the final episodes of Season Two), especially when, seven years later, you know that she picked Ben. :) Oh to watch their first kiss, when Ben leans in and his chair shoots out from under him and they just melt into each other, and afterward, Felicity is so stunned that she bolts for the door and mutters, "it's a flight reaction!" Hee! (Remember the days it felt like you absolutely, desperately, fiendishly had to kiss this person RIGHT. NOW? Ah, college.) And even better: once you have it on your DVR, you can fast-forward through all of the irritating Julie scenes. Now, I zap right through (except for the scenes that she's in with Speedman), and it's like she was never on the show.
PS - Blogger's spell-check isn't working, so if you spot errors, blame the man, not me!
Exposing My Worst Nightmare
Here is a question for you- are you worried about second book syndrome? Do you have one written? This is not intended to stress you out- but merely taps into my own primal fears. Am I worried?
DOES THIS (cue: frantic, hair-pulling, sleep-deprived, cuticle-chewing, rabid, sweaty pregnant woman) LOOK LIKE SOMEONE WHO IS WORRIED TO YOU??????!!!??!?
Phew. Okay then. Yes, I am totally and completely suffering from SBS. I'm relieved to know that I'm not alone - Jen Lancaster has blogged about this recently, and I guess I find comfort in numbers. For whatever reason, the second book is 10000000000000x harder than the first. Perhaps it's the pressure of knowing that you delivered once and that you could totally, completely and utterly bomb the next time out, or perhaps it's just that I was so inspired by the idea behind TDLF that it flew out of my brain without much effort, but either way, my second ms has stalled at about 35k words (more on that below). In fact, I'd committed myself to writing 1k words a day over the summer and having a draft completed by Sept, but that was before I discovered blogging. :) Now, the time I spend doing this should be the time I spent doing that. Ah well. Just don't let my agent know! (She's away this week, so I can slip this in!)
Anyone out there working on his or her second book? Got any tips (besides Xanax?) to help?
DOES THIS (cue: frantic, hair-pulling, sleep-deprived, cuticle-chewing, rabid, sweaty pregnant woman) LOOK LIKE SOMEONE WHO IS WORRIED TO YOU??????!!!??!?
Phew. Okay then. Yes, I am totally and completely suffering from SBS. I'm relieved to know that I'm not alone - Jen Lancaster has blogged about this recently, and I guess I find comfort in numbers. For whatever reason, the second book is 10000000000000x harder than the first. Perhaps it's the pressure of knowing that you delivered once and that you could totally, completely and utterly bomb the next time out, or perhaps it's just that I was so inspired by the idea behind TDLF that it flew out of my brain without much effort, but either way, my second ms has stalled at about 35k words (more on that below). In fact, I'd committed myself to writing 1k words a day over the summer and having a draft completed by Sept, but that was before I discovered blogging. :) Now, the time I spend doing this should be the time I spent doing that. Ah well. Just don't let my agent know! (She's away this week, so I can slip this in!)
Anyone out there working on his or her second book? Got any tips (besides Xanax?) to help?
Returning to the Scene of the Crime
Do you ever think you'll come back to your first book, or is it done?
I have a rule...or at least I do now that I'm married. My single girlfriends should never, ever revisit their past - ergo, when their ex-boyfriends come knockin' on their door, begging for them back (which they invariably do), rather than opening said door, they should lock it, bolt it, triple check it, and run to the farthest closet so they're never tempted to let the scoundrel in. Now, it's not like I ever applied this tough love theory to my own dating life, so it should come as no surprise that I'm having a tough time applying it to my writing life too. It's a shame really, that I'm more of a "preach but don't practice" type of gal, because if I were, I'd probably have not only spared myself hours upon days upon weeks of heartbreak (in my single days), but I'd also presently be sparing myself the grueling process of overhauling book #1...which is now turning into book #2.
The problem is that not unlike those exes who held so much allure when they rapped on my figurative front door, the first ms holds too much promise, too much blood, sweat and tears for me to merely abandon it. So...yes, I've come back to it. Whether or not this is the smart move, only time will tell.
The hard part about returning to an old ms (or an old boyfriend) is that with time, I'm able to see the flaws much more clearly. Of course, I'm also able to see a few of the dazzling nuggets, which is why I can't let go of it in the first place. I still love the overall story idea, which focuses on the intricacies of female friendships, and I still love some of the scenes and writing. But with a much better novel under my belt, some of it also feels almost amateurish.
So what I'm currently in the process of doing is breaking down the ms and then rebuilding it. Which is sort of like rebuilding your house when you've left your living room and bathroom intact but the rest is in shambles. In other words, it might have just been easier to start over. (Find a new house, get a new boyfriend: choose your metaphor - I'm on a roll today!) I've nuanced the characters and have rejiggered some of the plot but left the overall arc of the story...to a point. And it's hard, VERY hard. Because, as I said, I'm fitting pieces back into the ms rather than writing it organically.
That said, when I go back and reread what I have, I'm really happy with it...so something must be working, I guess. (Don't tell that my single girlfriends!) But like those rekindled relationships with exes, only time will tell.
(Sidenote: I've actually had the good fortune to date some wonderful guys, some of whom I'm still good friends with - and who read this blog, so I don't mean to bust on them in this post! The analogy just worked too well not to run with it.) :)
Anyone else out there overhauled a previous ms? Any dos and don'ts?
I have a rule...or at least I do now that I'm married. My single girlfriends should never, ever revisit their past - ergo, when their ex-boyfriends come knockin' on their door, begging for them back (which they invariably do), rather than opening said door, they should lock it, bolt it, triple check it, and run to the farthest closet so they're never tempted to let the scoundrel in. Now, it's not like I ever applied this tough love theory to my own dating life, so it should come as no surprise that I'm having a tough time applying it to my writing life too. It's a shame really, that I'm more of a "preach but don't practice" type of gal, because if I were, I'd probably have not only spared myself hours upon days upon weeks of heartbreak (in my single days), but I'd also presently be sparing myself the grueling process of overhauling book #1...which is now turning into book #2.
The problem is that not unlike those exes who held so much allure when they rapped on my figurative front door, the first ms holds too much promise, too much blood, sweat and tears for me to merely abandon it. So...yes, I've come back to it. Whether or not this is the smart move, only time will tell.
The hard part about returning to an old ms (or an old boyfriend) is that with time, I'm able to see the flaws much more clearly. Of course, I'm also able to see a few of the dazzling nuggets, which is why I can't let go of it in the first place. I still love the overall story idea, which focuses on the intricacies of female friendships, and I still love some of the scenes and writing. But with a much better novel under my belt, some of it also feels almost amateurish.
So what I'm currently in the process of doing is breaking down the ms and then rebuilding it. Which is sort of like rebuilding your house when you've left your living room and bathroom intact but the rest is in shambles. In other words, it might have just been easier to start over. (Find a new house, get a new boyfriend: choose your metaphor - I'm on a roll today!) I've nuanced the characters and have rejiggered some of the plot but left the overall arc of the story...to a point. And it's hard, VERY hard. Because, as I said, I'm fitting pieces back into the ms rather than writing it organically.
That said, when I go back and reread what I have, I'm really happy with it...so something must be working, I guess. (Don't tell that my single girlfriends!) But like those rekindled relationships with exes, only time will tell.
(Sidenote: I've actually had the good fortune to date some wonderful guys, some of whom I'm still good friends with - and who read this blog, so I don't mean to bust on them in this post! The analogy just worked too well not to run with it.) :)
Anyone else out there overhauled a previous ms? Any dos and don'ts?
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Writers' Guidelines, Schmiter's Guidlines
I have an article I have been working on that would be great for a bridal magazine, however I am not sure where to find writer/submission guidelines for any of them. I have tried finding them online. Do you know of a resource to find magazine markets?
This seemingly simple question raises a whole slew of smaller questions that I want to address. The first of them covers writers' guidelines. Okay, now, just like I told you before, in terms of emailing agents, I'm going to tell you to toss writers' guidelines out the window. (Pause for the collective gasp of readers.) Yes, really. I know of very few established freelance writers who read them, much less seek them out. The true guidelines for most magazines are these: write a great query, email it to the appropriate editor (check the masthead for the correct name and dept), then follow-up a few weeks later. If they don't want to use it, they won't. WGs are often written to weed out the riff-raff (a word I've now used twice in one week, which has to be some sort of record). Don't know if the section you're interested in takes freelancers? Check the articles: if there's a byline there that doesn't match up with an editor's name on the masthead, it's probably freelanced. And even if it's not, so what? You sent a query, and if they can't use it, no real loss.
Before you complain that you don't know how to find email addys for editors, I'll tell you two things: 1) what makes a great freelance writer is not only his or her ability to write, but to research. This information is out there, it's up to you to find it. One great place to start is mastheads.org. Another is at the magazine's parent company's website, such as Conde Nast or Hearst. You can often track down the generic forumla somewhere on there (check the press releases or media kits), and then just plug in the name of the editor. 2) Because you're faithfully reading my blog, I'll make it a little easier for you. Here are some formulas for major publishing companies:
American Media: firstinitiallastname@amilink.com
Conde Nast: firstname_lastname@condenast.com
Hearst: firstinitiallastname@hearst.com
Meredith: firstname.lastname@meredith.com
Rodale: firstname.lastname@rodale.com
TimeInc: firstname_lastname@timeinc.com
Love me yet?
Writers Market is obviously another way to find new markets. A word of caution, however. Many of their listings are outdated. And many of them aren't entirely accurate. For example, they'll give you a generic email address or tell you to snail mail your query or whatever. Again, riff? Meet raff. Whomever submits this info to WM figures that a lot of beginners are using WM, and they're simply trying to weed you out from the get-go. You are MUCH likelier to have success if you contact someone with a real name and real email address, rather than a general email inbox (or snailed address). I do think that WM is a good place to research potential new markets, especially when you've exhausted all of the ones you can think of on your own, but google might work just as well.
The other thing that your question brings up is the bridal market. I think that wedding writing is a wonderful, wonderful way to break into regional and online magazines. There are SO many out there: everything from, I dunno, Northern California Winery Brides (I made that up) to The Knot to a gazillion in between, and I know a lot of writers who happily toil for these mags and sites. They're a great way to build reputable clips and have some fun. I actually got my first national clip from Bride's, and I'll forever be indebted to my wonderful editor there for allowing me a shot at the big time.
Does anyone use writers' guidelines anymore? Care to prove me wrong?
This seemingly simple question raises a whole slew of smaller questions that I want to address. The first of them covers writers' guidelines. Okay, now, just like I told you before, in terms of emailing agents, I'm going to tell you to toss writers' guidelines out the window. (Pause for the collective gasp of readers.) Yes, really. I know of very few established freelance writers who read them, much less seek them out. The true guidelines for most magazines are these: write a great query, email it to the appropriate editor (check the masthead for the correct name and dept), then follow-up a few weeks later. If they don't want to use it, they won't. WGs are often written to weed out the riff-raff (a word I've now used twice in one week, which has to be some sort of record). Don't know if the section you're interested in takes freelancers? Check the articles: if there's a byline there that doesn't match up with an editor's name on the masthead, it's probably freelanced. And even if it's not, so what? You sent a query, and if they can't use it, no real loss.
Before you complain that you don't know how to find email addys for editors, I'll tell you two things: 1) what makes a great freelance writer is not only his or her ability to write, but to research. This information is out there, it's up to you to find it. One great place to start is mastheads.org. Another is at the magazine's parent company's website, such as Conde Nast or Hearst. You can often track down the generic forumla somewhere on there (check the press releases or media kits), and then just plug in the name of the editor. 2) Because you're faithfully reading my blog, I'll make it a little easier for you. Here are some formulas for major publishing companies:
American Media: firstinitiallastname@amilink.com
Conde Nast: firstname_lastname@condenast.com
Hearst: firstinitiallastname@hearst.com
Meredith: firstname.lastname@meredith.com
Rodale: firstname.lastname@rodale.com
TimeInc: firstname_lastname@timeinc.com
Love me yet?
Writers Market is obviously another way to find new markets. A word of caution, however. Many of their listings are outdated. And many of them aren't entirely accurate. For example, they'll give you a generic email address or tell you to snail mail your query or whatever. Again, riff? Meet raff. Whomever submits this info to WM figures that a lot of beginners are using WM, and they're simply trying to weed you out from the get-go. You are MUCH likelier to have success if you contact someone with a real name and real email address, rather than a general email inbox (or snailed address). I do think that WM is a good place to research potential new markets, especially when you've exhausted all of the ones you can think of on your own, but google might work just as well.
The other thing that your question brings up is the bridal market. I think that wedding writing is a wonderful, wonderful way to break into regional and online magazines. There are SO many out there: everything from, I dunno, Northern California Winery Brides (I made that up) to The Knot to a gazillion in between, and I know a lot of writers who happily toil for these mags and sites. They're a great way to build reputable clips and have some fun. I actually got my first national clip from Bride's, and I'll forever be indebted to my wonderful editor there for allowing me a shot at the big time.
Does anyone use writers' guidelines anymore? Care to prove me wrong?
Is Your Agent On Your Speed Dial?
How often do you speak with your agent? What's a standard level of communication between an agent and a client?
Standard? Well, I'm not sure. But I can tell you about my own experience. When my agent and I were on submission, we were talking or emailing every day, often a few times a day. As I mentioned in a previous post, I like to be kept in the loop, and we had fun calming our nerves and swapping "fingers crossed!!!" emails. Once the book had sold, our daily correspondence slowed - after all, she had other clients to deal with or else she'd never be a successful agent with juicy deals to post on Publishers Marketplace.
These days, we probably email about once a week, but this is almost always related to the book - blurb getting, potential film news, etc. Occasionally, one of us picks up the phone just to catch up, but I'm well-aware of the demands on her time. That said, I do think it's important to have an agent whom you trust will get back to you within a day (or so). Mine almost always does, and to me, at least, it's a sign of both her professionalism and her respect for me as a client.
I should also note that I'm fortunate enough to consider my agent a friend. I really do like her as a person (and vice versa). Now, not every writer wants this in an agent, and certainly not every agent wants this in a client (see: Snark, Miss), and while it wasn't a requirement for me, I rather like it. Are we friends enough to do girls' poker night every Wednesday? Of course not. But we're friends enough that I know what's going on - to a certain point - in her life (and vice versa), and it's bred an intangible camaraderie that makes me value her more as an agent. Certainly, some authors and agents will caution you against this. First and foremost, the agent-client relationship is that of business. Without a doubt. But it's always nice when you actually enjoy the company of those with whom you work, is it not? That's no crime.
So how often do you hear from your agent? Am I the norm?
Standard? Well, I'm not sure. But I can tell you about my own experience. When my agent and I were on submission, we were talking or emailing every day, often a few times a day. As I mentioned in a previous post, I like to be kept in the loop, and we had fun calming our nerves and swapping "fingers crossed!!!" emails. Once the book had sold, our daily correspondence slowed - after all, she had other clients to deal with or else she'd never be a successful agent with juicy deals to post on Publishers Marketplace.
These days, we probably email about once a week, but this is almost always related to the book - blurb getting, potential film news, etc. Occasionally, one of us picks up the phone just to catch up, but I'm well-aware of the demands on her time. That said, I do think it's important to have an agent whom you trust will get back to you within a day (or so). Mine almost always does, and to me, at least, it's a sign of both her professionalism and her respect for me as a client.
I should also note that I'm fortunate enough to consider my agent a friend. I really do like her as a person (and vice versa). Now, not every writer wants this in an agent, and certainly not every agent wants this in a client (see: Snark, Miss), and while it wasn't a requirement for me, I rather like it. Are we friends enough to do girls' poker night every Wednesday? Of course not. But we're friends enough that I know what's going on - to a certain point - in her life (and vice versa), and it's bred an intangible camaraderie that makes me value her more as an agent. Certainly, some authors and agents will caution you against this. First and foremost, the agent-client relationship is that of business. Without a doubt. But it's always nice when you actually enjoy the company of those with whom you work, is it not? That's no crime.
So how often do you hear from your agent? Am I the norm?
Monday, July 24, 2006
I Want To Write for Vanity Fair! Tell Me How.
I have a Ph.D. in education and before I quit working to be home with kids and pursue fiction writing, I taught at a major university, was part of research projects, and worked in countless classrooms all over the country...but my work being class-room based, I don't have publishing credits. Now I'm looking to parlay my experience into writing--Parents, Brain Child, etc. I'm just starting to think about querying and wonder how hard is it to break into major magazines, even with credentials?
I've gotten several variations of this question, so I'm basically going to address the overall question that was asked: how hard is it to break into the majors, and how can I go about doing it?
Well, listen, here's the bad news: it's not easy. I can't really sugar-coat that. I think of freelance writing a lot like acting: there are thousands upon thousands of writers who probably ooze talent and are entirely competent, but only a few crack the upper tier. And cracking it just isn't that simple, even though the job might seem like anyone can do it. (Trust me, I get those emails from friends of friends of friends: "Hiya! I want to do what you do - it seems so easy and perfect! Can you get me an assignment!?!?" Ha! If only. (**ETA: I don't mean to imply that I mind getting asked for help from friends of friends! This happens all the time, and I'm always happy to help. It's the ones that have the assumption that they can just slide into my position that give me pause...and a chuckle...and annoyance.**) But a lot of people can't do it. Freelance writing isn't a snap: it requires constant hustling, more social skills than you'd imagine, dealing with the ebbs and flows of the marketplace, meeting deadlines (often rigid ones), managing demands of editors, delivering revisions per an editor's (often times multiple editors') requests, developing unique story ideas (yes, I know, you often feel like these stories aren't that different than one another, but sending an editor an idea called, "The Ten Healthiest Foods for Your Body," won't cut it...trust me), finding the right experts and research to back up your writing, knowing the tone of each distinctive magazine (i.e., I write for both Women's Health and Woman's Day...not exactly the same voice or readership), etc, etc, etc.
So with those illusions out of the way, let me offer a glimmer of hope! The first thing that you'll need to start freelancing is some clips. Now, how the hell do you gather clips when you've never been published, and yet you need the clips to GET published? Well, yes, that's a little tricky. The catch-22 my friend. Here's the honest answer: you're probably not going to land your first clip at Glamour, Parents or Men's Health (or wherever). These editors get dozens of dozens of queries each week, and they're not going to take a chance and pay an unknown commodity $2 a word. They simply don't have to: they have a pool of writers whom they know can deliver what they need. (Not to say that they don't use writers outside of the pool - they do - but even those writers have similar credits. Or they get referrals from other editors...and yep, these editors are at other major mags, so the problem for a newbie remains.)
What I suggest instead (and I teach an annual workshop on this for Woman's Day, and I know that some attendees have had success with this route) is gathering clips in regional, local or online publications. The web is a fantastic way to get your start. Sites constantly need fresh content, and because the turnover rate is so high (and the pay rates a little lower), they work with a diverse pool of writers. Ditto newspapers (your local paper is a gold mine) or regional magazines. Start there. Build your portfolio of clips. Then, when you develop a perfect query for InStyle, you have something to prove to the editor that you can deliver.
Another smart route is to pitch the FOB section of the magazine. FOB stands for front-of-book, and it's a literal term: this is the first 1/3-1/2 of the magazine that contains those quick little articles that you read while on the treadmill. When you pitch an editor an FOB, you can often pitch him or her multiple ideas, and he'll pick and choose what might work for him. (Good places to find FOB ideas are in recently released research, studies or newly released books.) Assigning you a 200 word FOB involves much less risk for a new-to-you editor...Essentially, if you suck, he can rewrite it (or reassign it), and he isn't out a lot of time or money. But if you come through, you can build a relationship with him, which might eventually lead to bigger and more lucrative assignments. I got my start at Cooking Light and Men's Health, among others, in the FOB depts, and have since graduated to features.
I wish I could say that your background - whether it's a Ph.D or as a top chef - gives you an automatic in. While it might help you hone your pitches and sway an editor if she's unsure about assigning to you, it won't really open doors. Why? Because editors at the major magazines need someone who can write. And until you've shown them that you can, the rest of it is irrelevant.
I've gotten several variations of this question, so I'm basically going to address the overall question that was asked: how hard is it to break into the majors, and how can I go about doing it?
Well, listen, here's the bad news: it's not easy. I can't really sugar-coat that. I think of freelance writing a lot like acting: there are thousands upon thousands of writers who probably ooze talent and are entirely competent, but only a few crack the upper tier. And cracking it just isn't that simple, even though the job might seem like anyone can do it. (Trust me, I get those emails from friends of friends of friends: "Hiya! I want to do what you do - it seems so easy and perfect! Can you get me an assignment!?!?" Ha! If only. (**ETA: I don't mean to imply that I mind getting asked for help from friends of friends! This happens all the time, and I'm always happy to help. It's the ones that have the assumption that they can just slide into my position that give me pause...and a chuckle...and annoyance.**) But a lot of people can't do it. Freelance writing isn't a snap: it requires constant hustling, more social skills than you'd imagine, dealing with the ebbs and flows of the marketplace, meeting deadlines (often rigid ones), managing demands of editors, delivering revisions per an editor's (often times multiple editors') requests, developing unique story ideas (yes, I know, you often feel like these stories aren't that different than one another, but sending an editor an idea called, "The Ten Healthiest Foods for Your Body," won't cut it...trust me), finding the right experts and research to back up your writing, knowing the tone of each distinctive magazine (i.e., I write for both Women's Health and Woman's Day...not exactly the same voice or readership), etc, etc, etc.
So with those illusions out of the way, let me offer a glimmer of hope! The first thing that you'll need to start freelancing is some clips. Now, how the hell do you gather clips when you've never been published, and yet you need the clips to GET published? Well, yes, that's a little tricky. The catch-22 my friend. Here's the honest answer: you're probably not going to land your first clip at Glamour, Parents or Men's Health (or wherever). These editors get dozens of dozens of queries each week, and they're not going to take a chance and pay an unknown commodity $2 a word. They simply don't have to: they have a pool of writers whom they know can deliver what they need. (Not to say that they don't use writers outside of the pool - they do - but even those writers have similar credits. Or they get referrals from other editors...and yep, these editors are at other major mags, so the problem for a newbie remains.)
What I suggest instead (and I teach an annual workshop on this for Woman's Day, and I know that some attendees have had success with this route) is gathering clips in regional, local or online publications. The web is a fantastic way to get your start. Sites constantly need fresh content, and because the turnover rate is so high (and the pay rates a little lower), they work with a diverse pool of writers. Ditto newspapers (your local paper is a gold mine) or regional magazines. Start there. Build your portfolio of clips. Then, when you develop a perfect query for InStyle, you have something to prove to the editor that you can deliver.
Another smart route is to pitch the FOB section of the magazine. FOB stands for front-of-book, and it's a literal term: this is the first 1/3-1/2 of the magazine that contains those quick little articles that you read while on the treadmill. When you pitch an editor an FOB, you can often pitch him or her multiple ideas, and he'll pick and choose what might work for him. (Good places to find FOB ideas are in recently released research, studies or newly released books.) Assigning you a 200 word FOB involves much less risk for a new-to-you editor...Essentially, if you suck, he can rewrite it (or reassign it), and he isn't out a lot of time or money. But if you come through, you can build a relationship with him, which might eventually lead to bigger and more lucrative assignments. I got my start at Cooking Light and Men's Health, among others, in the FOB depts, and have since graduated to features.
I wish I could say that your background - whether it's a Ph.D or as a top chef - gives you an automatic in. While it might help you hone your pitches and sway an editor if she's unsure about assigning to you, it won't really open doors. Why? Because editors at the major magazines need someone who can write. And until you've shown them that you can, the rest of it is irrelevant.
While We're on the Subject of Magazine Queries
a) How do you get your ideas for your articles? Are you given the ideas like writing about brides buying sleeved dresses or do you track trends? b) Once you get/given the idea, how many words do you approx. write? c) If you have a certain idea, do you pitch the idea to mag editors then write the story or do you write the story then pitch that?
a) I get my ideas from every day life, as simple as that seems. Right now, I do a lot of parenting writing, and one of the easiest ways for me to come up with a story idea is just to observe my son. Now, I touched on this a bit in the previous post, but the hardest part of developing a query idea is coming up with a unique angle for it. Why the italics? Because unique and fresh come out of an editor's mouth as often as oxygen. "What makes this fresh?" "We've covered this before, can you come up with something unique about it?" Etc. Querying is a lot easier in theory than in reality. If you've thought of the generic overall story idea, so too have the editors, not to mention 117 other writers who have pitched it. You need to peg it to a new study or a new trend or a new something to grab an editor's attention.
I'm fortunate enough these days to have many of my assignments brought to me, so I don't query too, too often anymore. But I've been freelancing for a long time: in essence, I'm the actress who finally gets scripts sent to her after years of auditioning for B-movies. But I'm only afforded this luxury because I busted my ass proving to my editors that I'm their go-to gal. I'm lucky to be in this position, but I've also earned it.
b) Editors give you the word count when they assign you the story, whether it was your idea or theirs. An average feature story can run anywhere from 1200 on up (though the major consumer magazines rarely assign over about 2500), while an FOB is usually about 150-400 words.
c) NEVER, EVER write the entire story and send it into the editor BEFORE he or she has assigned it. You're gonging yourself before you've even had the chance to step onto the stage: this is the ultimate sign of a newbie. Editors like to be able to put their own stamp on the story - what you envision is most likely not entirely what they envision. They want to give you nuggets to include, angles to follow, studies to track down. Writing a completed piece before they've even AGREED that it's for them is just totally and completely wrong. I can't really say it any other way. (The exception to this rule, however, is for essays. Essays are almost always written in full and sent in. And occasionally travel pieces as well, though that varies from newspaper to newspaper.)
a) I get my ideas from every day life, as simple as that seems. Right now, I do a lot of parenting writing, and one of the easiest ways for me to come up with a story idea is just to observe my son. Now, I touched on this a bit in the previous post, but the hardest part of developing a query idea is coming up with a unique angle for it. Why the italics? Because unique and fresh come out of an editor's mouth as often as oxygen. "What makes this fresh?" "We've covered this before, can you come up with something unique about it?" Etc. Querying is a lot easier in theory than in reality. If you've thought of the generic overall story idea, so too have the editors, not to mention 117 other writers who have pitched it. You need to peg it to a new study or a new trend or a new something to grab an editor's attention.
I'm fortunate enough these days to have many of my assignments brought to me, so I don't query too, too often anymore. But I've been freelancing for a long time: in essence, I'm the actress who finally gets scripts sent to her after years of auditioning for B-movies. But I'm only afforded this luxury because I busted my ass proving to my editors that I'm their go-to gal. I'm lucky to be in this position, but I've also earned it.
b) Editors give you the word count when they assign you the story, whether it was your idea or theirs. An average feature story can run anywhere from 1200 on up (though the major consumer magazines rarely assign over about 2500), while an FOB is usually about 150-400 words.
c) NEVER, EVER write the entire story and send it into the editor BEFORE he or she has assigned it. You're gonging yourself before you've even had the chance to step onto the stage: this is the ultimate sign of a newbie. Editors like to be able to put their own stamp on the story - what you envision is most likely not entirely what they envision. They want to give you nuggets to include, angles to follow, studies to track down. Writing a completed piece before they've even AGREED that it's for them is just totally and completely wrong. I can't really say it any other way. (The exception to this rule, however, is for essays. Essays are almost always written in full and sent in. And occasionally travel pieces as well, though that varies from newspaper to newspaper.)
Saturday, July 22, 2006
Just What Can I Expect from My Agent for 15%?
First of all, thanks everyone for the congratulatory wishes! So sweet of you. Sadly, we were rained out at the zoo, but we still had a fun day. (Though mommy is no contest compared to elephants.)
I also wanted to point out this fabulous blog post by my friend, Lauren Baratz-Logsted. She talks about managing expectations as an aspiring writer. (And yes, she mentions my blog, but that's not why it's so good!) Here's the blog.
Now, back to the questions:
Should one expect an agent to do edits of a book? And if so, how much editing do they really do?
This is a tricky question. Why? Because you should never expect your agent to help you fine-tune your ms. If you do, you probably already realize that the book needs work, in which case, you shouldn't yet be sending it out.
That said, yes, most agents will walk you through some changes. How in-depth these changes will be depends on a) how much work your ms really needs (through the eyes of an objective resource - not your mother, who has already doled out lavish praise), and b) how much time the agent has to devote to you.
When my agent offered representation for TDLF, she said that we could send it out "as is," or that we could really make sure that every last detail was perfect... a light edit of tweaks here and there, and then it would go out. Obviously, I chose the perfection route. And as a result, my actual editor (once the book was sold) had very few changes for me. (Something that truly freaked me out. I mean, it finally hit me that people would be reading what I wrote...I'd figured that my editor would take an ax to it, then put it back together, thus reassuring me that it was truly ready to roll.) There's also the sad reality that editors at publishing houses have so many other demands on them these days that they have less and less time to, you know, actually edit. So many agents truly put the ms through the ringer before it goes out.
I also wanted to point out this fabulous blog post by my friend, Lauren Baratz-Logsted. She talks about managing expectations as an aspiring writer. (And yes, she mentions my blog, but that's not why it's so good!) Here's the blog.
Now, back to the questions:
Should one expect an agent to do edits of a book? And if so, how much editing do they really do?
This is a tricky question. Why? Because you should never expect your agent to help you fine-tune your ms. If you do, you probably already realize that the book needs work, in which case, you shouldn't yet be sending it out.
That said, yes, most agents will walk you through some changes. How in-depth these changes will be depends on a) how much work your ms really needs (through the eyes of an objective resource - not your mother, who has already doled out lavish praise), and b) how much time the agent has to devote to you.
When my agent offered representation for TDLF, she said that we could send it out "as is," or that we could really make sure that every last detail was perfect... a light edit of tweaks here and there, and then it would go out. Obviously, I chose the perfection route. And as a result, my actual editor (once the book was sold) had very few changes for me. (Something that truly freaked me out. I mean, it finally hit me that people would be reading what I wrote...I'd figured that my editor would take an ax to it, then put it back together, thus reassuring me that it was truly ready to roll.) There's also the sad reality that editors at publishing houses have so many other demands on them these days that they have less and less time to, you know, actually edit. So many agents truly put the ms through the ringer before it goes out.
Am I At My Agent's Mercy?
Did you have any say in which houses your agent contacted on your behalf?
Yes. But I should say that this was an important factor to me when choosing my agent, so I knew that I would from the get-go. Certain writers have no desire to be part of the submission process or to be kept abreast of it. They'd probably love to be repped by Miss Snark. I, however, like to know the nitty-gritty - both the good and the bad - and thus, looked for an agent who was more collaborative. (I should also note here that I'm sure that Miss Snark wouldn't want someone like me as a client - she's said as much on her blog - so I'm certainly not slamming her here. It's just a reality and what works best for different personalities.)
So, when I was speaking with agents, this was one of the questions I asked: will you let me know which imprints you submitted to and which editors? Not only did my agent happily agree, she asked for my input, since I'd been through the submission process before. I already knew the names of a few editors who loved my work (and a few who didn't, ha!), and she readily submitted to them. Just one reason that my agent and I click so well.
Yes. But I should say that this was an important factor to me when choosing my agent, so I knew that I would from the get-go. Certain writers have no desire to be part of the submission process or to be kept abreast of it. They'd probably love to be repped by Miss Snark. I, however, like to know the nitty-gritty - both the good and the bad - and thus, looked for an agent who was more collaborative. (I should also note here that I'm sure that Miss Snark wouldn't want someone like me as a client - she's said as much on her blog - so I'm certainly not slamming her here. It's just a reality and what works best for different personalities.)
So, when I was speaking with agents, this was one of the questions I asked: will you let me know which imprints you submitted to and which editors? Not only did my agent happily agree, she asked for my input, since I'd been through the submission process before. I already knew the names of a few editors who loved my work (and a few who didn't, ha!), and she readily submitted to them. Just one reason that my agent and I click so well.
Friday, July 21, 2006
Paying It Forward
No, this isn't the post where I pontificate on that abysmal Kevin Spacey-Helen Hunt flick, but rather the post where I take a moment to talk about doing something generous simply because it feels like the right thing to do.
I've been thinking a lot about this concept as of late, not least because in the past month or so, six very, VERY benevolent authors have offered to read TDLF and provide blurbs for it, for no reason other than I sent them emails and asked them to do so. These gals are surely busier than I am: they're established novelists with undoubtedly complicated lives who didn't know me from Adam, but they all took the time to write me back and say, "send it over, and if I like it, I'm happy to provide you a blurb." Sure, they get some free PR on the back of my book and my website and wherever, but really, that's not why they did it. I suspect that they did it because they were each once debut novelists themselves, and they're happy to lend a hand to a newbie such as moi. And I just think that's so f-ing cool. (Not that I didn't spend countless, countless days - and nights - anticipating nary a blurb would float in because they would all loathe the book so damned much. Seriously, ask my agent and editor, I'm not lying. It wasn't pretty.)
Anyhoo, their generosity was part of my inspiration behind this blog. As an experienced magazine writer, I'm not often in the position of having to ask for help, and when I did, it was humbling. To have received such an overwhelming chorus of support from these amazing, established writers was both inspiring and touching. And while they didn't do this for any sort of pay-back, I hope that in some way, I can reciprocate. Maybe that just means that I keep paying it forward by helping out you guys or helping out someone else, I dunno, but I really, sincerely appreciate their kindness. So...big shout-outs to Cara Lockwood, Val Frankel, Jen Lancaster, Claire Cook, Pamela Redmond Satran and Johanna Edwards. These ladies rock. (And stay tuned for more shout-outs because our fingers are crossed for a few more.)
In other news, I'm taking a breather from the Q/A for the day because a) I have a pressing deadline today and b) I'm taking my son to the zoo. Whee! I love the zoo, really, I do. Especially when it's not 100 degrees, and there aren't all sorts of crazy and foul scents floating in the air. The weather should hold up, and I love watching him get all worked up over the monkeys or seals or polar bears. (Seriously, they have polar bears in the middle of Central Park...it's so surreal, not unlike an episode of Lost until you realize that you've actually paid an entrance fee to gawk at these animals because, you know, you're in a zoo. Reality check.)
And it also seems that a few friendly gals here on the blog have outed me. :) No...not outed, outed me, especially since I wasn't really keeping it a secret, but yes, I'm nearly 20 weeks pregnant! Which probably explains the odd John Krasinski dream I had last night. Not that kind of dream...don't worry...but yep, he was there, and we were in college, and I was new, so he became my best friend until I realized that he was in love with me, and I was in love with him, and so I burst into the men's bathroom in the middle of the night to tell him. Hmmm, I probably shouldn't watch The Office right before I go to bed. (Not that I'm complaining about having the lovely John show up nocturnally.)
So, anyway, back to the subject at hand, paying it forward. Do something nice for someone this weekend! Even if it's putting away your husband's stinking dirty dishes (what? does that sound like it's from personal experience?) or calling your mom when she's driving you batty. As they say on My Name Is Earl: karma. It's all about the karma.
I've been thinking a lot about this concept as of late, not least because in the past month or so, six very, VERY benevolent authors have offered to read TDLF and provide blurbs for it, for no reason other than I sent them emails and asked them to do so. These gals are surely busier than I am: they're established novelists with undoubtedly complicated lives who didn't know me from Adam, but they all took the time to write me back and say, "send it over, and if I like it, I'm happy to provide you a blurb." Sure, they get some free PR on the back of my book and my website and wherever, but really, that's not why they did it. I suspect that they did it because they were each once debut novelists themselves, and they're happy to lend a hand to a newbie such as moi. And I just think that's so f-ing cool. (Not that I didn't spend countless, countless days - and nights - anticipating nary a blurb would float in because they would all loathe the book so damned much. Seriously, ask my agent and editor, I'm not lying. It wasn't pretty.)
Anyhoo, their generosity was part of my inspiration behind this blog. As an experienced magazine writer, I'm not often in the position of having to ask for help, and when I did, it was humbling. To have received such an overwhelming chorus of support from these amazing, established writers was both inspiring and touching. And while they didn't do this for any sort of pay-back, I hope that in some way, I can reciprocate. Maybe that just means that I keep paying it forward by helping out you guys or helping out someone else, I dunno, but I really, sincerely appreciate their kindness. So...big shout-outs to Cara Lockwood, Val Frankel, Jen Lancaster, Claire Cook, Pamela Redmond Satran and Johanna Edwards. These ladies rock. (And stay tuned for more shout-outs because our fingers are crossed for a few more.)
In other news, I'm taking a breather from the Q/A for the day because a) I have a pressing deadline today and b) I'm taking my son to the zoo. Whee! I love the zoo, really, I do. Especially when it's not 100 degrees, and there aren't all sorts of crazy and foul scents floating in the air. The weather should hold up, and I love watching him get all worked up over the monkeys or seals or polar bears. (Seriously, they have polar bears in the middle of Central Park...it's so surreal, not unlike an episode of Lost until you realize that you've actually paid an entrance fee to gawk at these animals because, you know, you're in a zoo. Reality check.)
And it also seems that a few friendly gals here on the blog have outed me. :) No...not outed, outed me, especially since I wasn't really keeping it a secret, but yes, I'm nearly 20 weeks pregnant! Which probably explains the odd John Krasinski dream I had last night. Not that kind of dream...don't worry...but yep, he was there, and we were in college, and I was new, so he became my best friend until I realized that he was in love with me, and I was in love with him, and so I burst into the men's bathroom in the middle of the night to tell him. Hmmm, I probably shouldn't watch The Office right before I go to bed. (Not that I'm complaining about having the lovely John show up nocturnally.)
So, anyway, back to the subject at hand, paying it forward. Do something nice for someone this weekend! Even if it's putting away your husband's stinking dirty dishes (what? does that sound like it's from personal experience?) or calling your mom when she's driving you batty. As they say on My Name Is Earl: karma. It's all about the karma.
Thursday, July 20, 2006
To Email or Not Email: That is the Question
Your exclusive email queries in searching for Agent1 surprised me. Did you follow the same method in finding Agent2?
Yup. I'm an email-only type of gal. Whether or not I should admit this, email (and IM) are really my primary sources of communication (does that make me pathetic? maybe...), and when on my agent hunt, I decided that I wanted one who felt the same way. So...I stuck solely to agents who accepted email queries.
Now, before you jump up and down and tell me that I eliminated an entire batch of grade A agents, let me share a little secret with you: a lot of the agents who list "don't accept email" on agentquery.com, do, in fact, accept emails. This doesn't mean, however, that you should fire them off at random, unless you want to incur the wrath of Miss Snark (who hates them and won't accept them), should you happen to fire one off to her. No. What this means is that you have to do your homework. Go to an agency's website. Is the agent's email listed there? If so, then have at it. Google said agent. Often times, you'll find interviews with him or her that cite his or her preferences. This is how I discovered that Deborah Schneider really and truly WILL NOT take emailed queries - no ifs, ands or buts - and thus, she received my sole snailed query. (I never heard back.) Go to writers.net, search the forums and see which agents other aspiring novelists have had success with via email. (Type in "e-query" and you'll find a thread that echoes much of my same advice.) Go to writersmarket.com and read archived Q/As with agents to gauge their preferences.
I also did some additional research and discovered, unsurprisingly, that people had higher response rates to e-queries. AND I liked being able to put a return receipt on my note, so even if I didn't hear back, I knew that the agent had received it, which reduced my anxiety. I mean, if it passed in front of their eyes, that's all I could really do. The rest? Out of my control.
Now, don't send this note to Miss Snark and say, "she told me to do this, and tell her that she's wrong." I know how much MS hates emails. I do. Really. And I know that what I'm telling you goes against her countless posts on the subject and thus, is ripe for controversy. But plenty o' agents say "don't email" as a way of weeding out the riff-raff. The question is: are you the riff-raff or are you going to dig deeper?
(And now, I'm going to duck to avoid flying tomatoes.) So - thoughts? Rants? Have I gone terribly astray by countering MS's advice?
Yup. I'm an email-only type of gal. Whether or not I should admit this, email (and IM) are really my primary sources of communication (does that make me pathetic? maybe...), and when on my agent hunt, I decided that I wanted one who felt the same way. So...I stuck solely to agents who accepted email queries.
Now, before you jump up and down and tell me that I eliminated an entire batch of grade A agents, let me share a little secret with you: a lot of the agents who list "don't accept email" on agentquery.com, do, in fact, accept emails. This doesn't mean, however, that you should fire them off at random, unless you want to incur the wrath of Miss Snark (who hates them and won't accept them), should you happen to fire one off to her. No. What this means is that you have to do your homework. Go to an agency's website. Is the agent's email listed there? If so, then have at it. Google said agent. Often times, you'll find interviews with him or her that cite his or her preferences. This is how I discovered that Deborah Schneider really and truly WILL NOT take emailed queries - no ifs, ands or buts - and thus, she received my sole snailed query. (I never heard back.) Go to writers.net, search the forums and see which agents other aspiring novelists have had success with via email. (Type in "e-query" and you'll find a thread that echoes much of my same advice.) Go to writersmarket.com and read archived Q/As with agents to gauge their preferences.
I also did some additional research and discovered, unsurprisingly, that people had higher response rates to e-queries. AND I liked being able to put a return receipt on my note, so even if I didn't hear back, I knew that the agent had received it, which reduced my anxiety. I mean, if it passed in front of their eyes, that's all I could really do. The rest? Out of my control.
Now, don't send this note to Miss Snark and say, "she told me to do this, and tell her that she's wrong." I know how much MS hates emails. I do. Really. And I know that what I'm telling you goes against her countless posts on the subject and thus, is ripe for controversy. But plenty o' agents say "don't email" as a way of weeding out the riff-raff. The question is: are you the riff-raff or are you going to dig deeper?
(And now, I'm going to duck to avoid flying tomatoes.) So - thoughts? Rants? Have I gone terribly astray by countering MS's advice?
Got a Bite: Should I Keep Fishing?
My son is the author in question here. He wrote and self published his first book in May 2005 (young reader book). Finished a spy novel November 2005, and I have been sending email queries since then. We think we might have a bite from an agent. Asked for the complete manuscript and received it last week. After she received the manuscript she sent me an email with the question, "I need to know whether the ms has been sent to any publishers; if so, to whom. Is it currently with any other agents?"
I replied the truth and said no one has the full manuscript at this time and only one other agency had asked to see the whole manuscript back in December. Should I continue to send out emails? The vast majority of emails have not replied back. Of the roughly 4% I did receive back, it is always the same story; good luck but too busy to take on new clients.
A note right off the bat: it's none of this agent's damn business how many other agents are salivating over the ms. FYI, for the future. If she wanted to ask for an exclusive, which I'm totally opposed to, that's one thing, but she's feeling out her competition by putting you in a position of full disclosure, and I don't like it. Agents assume that you're getting other reads - that's what queriers do - and I don't see why she "needs to know," other than to be nosy.
Ok, whew, with that out of the way, yes, yes, YES, by all MEANS keep submitting! One bite, and I'm sorry to say this, is NOTHING. Do the math: of all of the letters you've sent out, 4% have been interested. Now, what are the odds that this sole agent is going to love the ms so much that she'll want to sign your son? Certainly not 100%. Certainly not even close to 100%. I say this not to be rude but to be realistic. When you're on the agent hunt, you have to get your ms in front of as many readers as possible. I wasn't content unless 5-10 agents had my work, whether as a partial or a full, at any one time. Someone dinged it? Out went another query (or five). Because, the odds were, that only a small percentage - if that - would fall in love with it enough to want to rep it.
Agents have to be absolutely SMITTEN with a ms to offer on it. Don't bank on this one swooning. Not because she might not, but because if she doesn't, you're up a creek without a fishing rod and no bait. Instead, keep the rod in the water, and if she bites it, well, then all the better. Besides, consider this: isn't it better to have two offers than one? The more agents you dangle bait (i.e. queries...I'm getting carried away with this analogy, me thinks) in front of, the more likely it is that you'll land another fish.
I replied the truth and said no one has the full manuscript at this time and only one other agency had asked to see the whole manuscript back in December. Should I continue to send out emails? The vast majority of emails have not replied back. Of the roughly 4% I did receive back, it is always the same story; good luck but too busy to take on new clients.
A note right off the bat: it's none of this agent's damn business how many other agents are salivating over the ms. FYI, for the future. If she wanted to ask for an exclusive, which I'm totally opposed to, that's one thing, but she's feeling out her competition by putting you in a position of full disclosure, and I don't like it. Agents assume that you're getting other reads - that's what queriers do - and I don't see why she "needs to know," other than to be nosy.
Ok, whew, with that out of the way, yes, yes, YES, by all MEANS keep submitting! One bite, and I'm sorry to say this, is NOTHING. Do the math: of all of the letters you've sent out, 4% have been interested. Now, what are the odds that this sole agent is going to love the ms so much that she'll want to sign your son? Certainly not 100%. Certainly not even close to 100%. I say this not to be rude but to be realistic. When you're on the agent hunt, you have to get your ms in front of as many readers as possible. I wasn't content unless 5-10 agents had my work, whether as a partial or a full, at any one time. Someone dinged it? Out went another query (or five). Because, the odds were, that only a small percentage - if that - would fall in love with it enough to want to rep it.
Agents have to be absolutely SMITTEN with a ms to offer on it. Don't bank on this one swooning. Not because she might not, but because if she doesn't, you're up a creek without a fishing rod and no bait. Instead, keep the rod in the water, and if she bites it, well, then all the better. Besides, consider this: isn't it better to have two offers than one? The more agents you dangle bait (i.e. queries...I'm getting carried away with this analogy, me thinks) in front of, the more likely it is that you'll land another fish.
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