Admin note: I know that there are a lot of new readers to the blog, so here's how it works: have a question about the publishing industry (mags or books)? Send it to me via email at allison@allisonwinn.com or post it in the comments section, and I'll answer it here. It's that easy! And don't be shy. Unlike some other bloggers, I won't bite! Promise.
Question of the day: When you were searching for an agent, how many queries did you send out at a time? Some writers I know send out 50+, while another friend has just targeted her top three.
When I began my agent hunt (back on book number one, which did get representation, but didn't sell), I think I started out by contacting about 10-15 agents from the get-go. I felt like this was a safe enough number to assess whether or not my query letter would work (it did - I got a lot of responses), but not too many that I closed off a lot of my top choices should these 10-15 not pan out. And the strategy worked for me. As I quickly discovered, there were dozens of other agents to submit to - beyond my initial 10-15 - and with every rejection that came in, I fired off another query to another agent. I tried to always have about ten queries, partials or fulls in play, so that there wasn't any downtime when I didn't have anyone reading. However, agent hunt number one wasn't perfect, by any means, if only because, as I alluded to above, I could have perhaps better targeted my initial pitches to agents I was truly wild about, rather than firing off emails to agents who fit my general criteria but might not have been great matches for me in the end.
I was better educated the second time I went on my quest - not in terms of quantity, I still stuck to my "ten balls in the air" theory, rather in terms of quantity. This time out, I really focused solely on agents who I knew would be great fits for me. How did I know? A lot of research: seriously, there's very little that you can't find out about an agent online, and if you look long enough and hard enough, you'll be able to pinpoint who you think would work well for you. I was also much more confident in this ms (TDLF), so I aimed the bar high, primarily targeting agents whom I might have been intimidated to contact from the get-go the first time out. Which, when I think about it, is sort of silly. The intimidation part, not the targeting part. It seems to me that you want the best possible agent for your work. Aiming the bar slightly lower because you're concerned that a fabulous agent will reject you is non-sensical. (Even though I did it!) I mean, if he's going to reject you, he's going to reject you! Why not give it a try? Which is what I did this time around, and I was shocked that some super big-time agents not only took the time to respond, but to also read the full and provide lovely feedback.
Though this does bring me to another tangent altogether: just because someone is a super big-time agent doesn't mean that he or she is the right agent for you. In fact, in the end, I intentionally chose an agent who was up-and-coming but not too huge yet because I wanted someone who still had time for me. So when you're making your top 10 or 20 list, don't just go for the big guns; go for the agent who can pull out the big guns for you. This is critical. There is no "perfect" agent; only the perfect agent for you.
But back to your question: I don't think I'd have 50+ queries in play. What if your query letter sucks or what if you decide to revise your ms and you've already burned through most of your choices? I like the 10-15 number because it ensures that someone is always reading the ms (or query), but isn't so expansive that you limit your options in the future.
How have you guys gone about your agent hunt?
PS - SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!! Jim and Pam 4evah! :) (You regular readers know what I'm talking about, and you non-regulars, get thyselves to a TV to watch The Office asap!)
Friday, October 20, 2006
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Thank You Notes
When you were beginning your freelance career and received rejections from editors (one-liner's that basically say "No, but thanks for thinking of us."), did you send an e-mail back saying "thank you for responding" or would editors rather you didn't respond to a rejection?
I always, always write an editor back and thank him or her for responding. Hell, I'd do it even if she just sent me a note saying, "NO." I've never heard that editors find this annoying, and frankly, I think it's the courteous thing to do. Think of it this way: you don't know them, they don't know you. You send them an unsolicited note, which, while technically part of their job to read, really isn't a requirement since you're a stranger, and they not only take the time to read it, they actually respond. The polite thing to do is let them know that you appreciated their time. Yeah, yeah, I know you're reading this and thinking, "hey, they're not doing me any favors by replying to a query, since it's the least they can do," and you're not wrong. But what I'm saying is that since plenty of editors DON'T reply to unsolicited emails, it's nice to genuinely thank the ones who do.
Besides, you can never go wrong by being unfailingly polite....regardless of the situation or industry. In fact, I'd use your thank you note to let this editor know that you not only appreciate his or her feedback and time, but that you'll also be in touch again with new ideas. This forces you to get your rear in gear and generate another query, and also gives him or her the heads-up that you'll be emailing again. This time, maybe you won't be considered such a stranger.
Btw, this same logic applies to agent queries as well. Even if an agent sent me a flat-out form rejection, I'd shoot back a quick note saying, "Thanks for your time. I really do appreciate the response." And you know what? I remember doing this for Jennifer Jackson of the Maass Agency, and the next day, she blogged about how that week she'd gotten thanked from a few writers whom she'd rejected and how professional and courteous we were. So...that's straight from the agent's mouth. It never hurts to leave a good impression, even if they're the ones who are kicking you to the curb.
Anyone else always thank the very people who are rejecting them?
I always, always write an editor back and thank him or her for responding. Hell, I'd do it even if she just sent me a note saying, "NO." I've never heard that editors find this annoying, and frankly, I think it's the courteous thing to do. Think of it this way: you don't know them, they don't know you. You send them an unsolicited note, which, while technically part of their job to read, really isn't a requirement since you're a stranger, and they not only take the time to read it, they actually respond. The polite thing to do is let them know that you appreciated their time. Yeah, yeah, I know you're reading this and thinking, "hey, they're not doing me any favors by replying to a query, since it's the least they can do," and you're not wrong. But what I'm saying is that since plenty of editors DON'T reply to unsolicited emails, it's nice to genuinely thank the ones who do.
Besides, you can never go wrong by being unfailingly polite....regardless of the situation or industry. In fact, I'd use your thank you note to let this editor know that you not only appreciate his or her feedback and time, but that you'll also be in touch again with new ideas. This forces you to get your rear in gear and generate another query, and also gives him or her the heads-up that you'll be emailing again. This time, maybe you won't be considered such a stranger.
Btw, this same logic applies to agent queries as well. Even if an agent sent me a flat-out form rejection, I'd shoot back a quick note saying, "Thanks for your time. I really do appreciate the response." And you know what? I remember doing this for Jennifer Jackson of the Maass Agency, and the next day, she blogged about how that week she'd gotten thanked from a few writers whom she'd rejected and how professional and courteous we were. So...that's straight from the agent's mouth. It never hurts to leave a good impression, even if they're the ones who are kicking you to the curb.
Anyone else always thank the very people who are rejecting them?
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Stolen, Schmolen
I pitched an idea to an editor I'd never worked with before. A few months later, I saw a story in the magazine that was virtually the exact same idea I pitched! I'm irate. Can I do anything about it?
No. And you shouldn't either. WHY?? You might ask/fume? Because the odds are slim to none that YOUR idea inspired this story. Stick with me here, and I'll explain.
At some point in many fledgling writers' careers, they assume that one of their ideas has been ripped off. It's an easy enough assumption: ideas aren't copy-writable (yes, I think I made that word up), and hey, since you sent it into your editor, surely, she read it, loved it, but just passed it on to someone else. Right? Right? Wrong.
Here's the deal: as genius as we like to think of our ideas, most of them, sadly, aren't really that unique. Chances are, if you thought of it, so too did at least one - if not six - other writers. Think about this. We all have access to the same research, news reports and general trends. If you develop a pitch on how yoga can save your life, the odds are very likely that someone else has too. Sometimes, landing a story is simply a matter of who presses "send" first. I can't tell you the number of times that an editor has come back to me and said, "we just assigned a piece on this subject, sorry!" And I'll stew over my keyboard thinking, "why didn't I motivate and get off my ass and send that in sooner??" Ah well, c'est la vie.
The thing is, it really doesn't serve any purpose for your editor to take your idea and run in the other direction. Why would he or she do that? Editors aren't there to screw you, and they're not unethical or amoral. If you deliver a well thought-out and researched query, they'll be impressed. But just as importantly, you have to deliver a unique query. "10 Ways to Lose Weight" is not unique. "10 Ways to Spice Up Your Sex Life" is not unique. Get the picture here? If you send in a pitch like this, well, of course you're going to think that they ripped you off because at some point in the near future, an article will appear on these subjects....but that doesn't mean that the editor took her inspiration from you. In fact, if it was a fairly generic pitch, she probably read it, hopefully responded, and then deleted it. (Sorry, it's true.) It didn't haunt her enough so that she took the time to farm it out to a different writer. Trust me, really, she didn't.
If you're 100% certain that you've been ripped off, because sure, it does occasionally happen, then I'd send her an email saying something like, "I loved the story in the November issue on how to turn your garden into a kibbutz. I remember pitching you something very similar, and that you responded to it positively. I was hoping to, of course, be assigned this piece. Was there a mix-up along the way?" Or something like that. I wouldn't make flagrant accusations because unless she used your intro word for word or cited the exact anecdotes that you provided, you really have no way of knowing what truly happened. Sometimes, you'll send in an idea, it won't be right for them at the time, then several months later, someone else will submit a similar idea, and it will fit. It might LOOK like the editor stole your idea, but, in fact, she'd forgotten about the original pitch and was just struck by this one.
And don't forget: most monthly mags work on at least six months lead time. So if you've pitched something and see similar a story three months later, it wasn't stolen at all. You were simply behind the game.
The bottom line is that you can stew and steam all you want. But moving forward and developing finely-honed and researched ideas is a much better use of your time.
Ever thought you had your idea stolen? How did you react? Editors on this board: want to chime in and explain how often you see the same idea over and over again?
No. And you shouldn't either. WHY?? You might ask/fume? Because the odds are slim to none that YOUR idea inspired this story. Stick with me here, and I'll explain.
At some point in many fledgling writers' careers, they assume that one of their ideas has been ripped off. It's an easy enough assumption: ideas aren't copy-writable (yes, I think I made that word up), and hey, since you sent it into your editor, surely, she read it, loved it, but just passed it on to someone else. Right? Right? Wrong.
Here's the deal: as genius as we like to think of our ideas, most of them, sadly, aren't really that unique. Chances are, if you thought of it, so too did at least one - if not six - other writers. Think about this. We all have access to the same research, news reports and general trends. If you develop a pitch on how yoga can save your life, the odds are very likely that someone else has too. Sometimes, landing a story is simply a matter of who presses "send" first. I can't tell you the number of times that an editor has come back to me and said, "we just assigned a piece on this subject, sorry!" And I'll stew over my keyboard thinking, "why didn't I motivate and get off my ass and send that in sooner??" Ah well, c'est la vie.
The thing is, it really doesn't serve any purpose for your editor to take your idea and run in the other direction. Why would he or she do that? Editors aren't there to screw you, and they're not unethical or amoral. If you deliver a well thought-out and researched query, they'll be impressed. But just as importantly, you have to deliver a unique query. "10 Ways to Lose Weight" is not unique. "10 Ways to Spice Up Your Sex Life" is not unique. Get the picture here? If you send in a pitch like this, well, of course you're going to think that they ripped you off because at some point in the near future, an article will appear on these subjects....but that doesn't mean that the editor took her inspiration from you. In fact, if it was a fairly generic pitch, she probably read it, hopefully responded, and then deleted it. (Sorry, it's true.) It didn't haunt her enough so that she took the time to farm it out to a different writer. Trust me, really, she didn't.
If you're 100% certain that you've been ripped off, because sure, it does occasionally happen, then I'd send her an email saying something like, "I loved the story in the November issue on how to turn your garden into a kibbutz. I remember pitching you something very similar, and that you responded to it positively. I was hoping to, of course, be assigned this piece. Was there a mix-up along the way?" Or something like that. I wouldn't make flagrant accusations because unless she used your intro word for word or cited the exact anecdotes that you provided, you really have no way of knowing what truly happened. Sometimes, you'll send in an idea, it won't be right for them at the time, then several months later, someone else will submit a similar idea, and it will fit. It might LOOK like the editor stole your idea, but, in fact, she'd forgotten about the original pitch and was just struck by this one.
And don't forget: most monthly mags work on at least six months lead time. So if you've pitched something and see similar a story three months later, it wasn't stolen at all. You were simply behind the game.
The bottom line is that you can stew and steam all you want. But moving forward and developing finely-honed and researched ideas is a much better use of your time.
Ever thought you had your idea stolen? How did you react? Editors on this board: want to chime in and explain how often you see the same idea over and over again?
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Copycat!
Besides doing a Google and Amazon.com search of the subject, is there any other way to know if your book idea has already been published?
You can also check out Publishers Marketplace, which, for $20 a month, is well worth the investment: you'll see which agents are making what deals, which houses are buying what books, etc.
But there's something else I wanted to address with this question. I think that if you're writing non-fiction, let's say you're working on a book on weight loss, it's obviously important to know what competition is out there. I mean, there have been a gajillion books written on this subject and you need to ensure that yours stands out from the pack. In fact, when drafting a book proposal for an agent, you'll actually include a section on the potential competition, so yes, doing some research and seeing that you're not merely duplicating a previously published book is important.
However, with fiction, I'd worry less that your idea has already been sold and focus more on actually writing the best book that you possibly can. As we've discussed before on the blog, there are probably only so many variations on overarching themes in books: reinvention, lost love, death, grief, coming of age, etc. But how you develop these themes, how you expand and play out your plot is as individual as your fingerprint. Just because you see a book about a 28-year old widow has sold on Publishers Marketplace doesn't mean that it will in any way echo your manuscript about a 30-year old widow. See PS I Love You vs. Good Grief. Both deal with losing a spouse, but neither really have anything to do with one another. (Or so I think...I'm just starting PS right now, and it feels like a very different work than GG.) Publishers (or agents) aren't going to turn you down because there's already ONE book out there that might have a similar overall idea behind it as yours. They'll turn it down because of a million other factors: the plot isn't strong enough, the writing isn't strong enough, your characters aren't strong enough. You get the idea.
Just write the best damn book you can. That's really all you can do.
Who disagrees? (I'm sure that some of you do!)
You can also check out Publishers Marketplace, which, for $20 a month, is well worth the investment: you'll see which agents are making what deals, which houses are buying what books, etc.
But there's something else I wanted to address with this question. I think that if you're writing non-fiction, let's say you're working on a book on weight loss, it's obviously important to know what competition is out there. I mean, there have been a gajillion books written on this subject and you need to ensure that yours stands out from the pack. In fact, when drafting a book proposal for an agent, you'll actually include a section on the potential competition, so yes, doing some research and seeing that you're not merely duplicating a previously published book is important.
However, with fiction, I'd worry less that your idea has already been sold and focus more on actually writing the best book that you possibly can. As we've discussed before on the blog, there are probably only so many variations on overarching themes in books: reinvention, lost love, death, grief, coming of age, etc. But how you develop these themes, how you expand and play out your plot is as individual as your fingerprint. Just because you see a book about a 28-year old widow has sold on Publishers Marketplace doesn't mean that it will in any way echo your manuscript about a 30-year old widow. See PS I Love You vs. Good Grief. Both deal with losing a spouse, but neither really have anything to do with one another. (Or so I think...I'm just starting PS right now, and it feels like a very different work than GG.) Publishers (or agents) aren't going to turn you down because there's already ONE book out there that might have a similar overall idea behind it as yours. They'll turn it down because of a million other factors: the plot isn't strong enough, the writing isn't strong enough, your characters aren't strong enough. You get the idea.
Just write the best damn book you can. That's really all you can do.
Who disagrees? (I'm sure that some of you do!)
Monday, October 16, 2006
More on Relationships and Persistence
I wanted to share a little story in light of what we've been discussing over the past week or so: how to forge long-term relationships with editors, the power of persistence and the necessity of patience. Thought that this anecdote might really help drive all of these points home.
So I wake up Friday morning to an email in my in-box from an editor with whom I haven't spoken in well over a year. A YEAR! In fact, I don't think I've written for this magazine in at least that long, probably longer.
Now, before I go on, let me backtrack. Remember how I posted a story last week about how it took me three years to land an assignment with one particular editor, and I landed it only after she moved on to a new magazine? Well, for clarity's sake, let's call her editor A. And let's call the editor who emailed me on Friday, editor B. When editor A switched positions and magazines, she started assigning to me, as I mentioned. She also referred me to several other editors within the magazine, one of whom was editor B. I wrote a few articles for editor B, but she soon got promoted to a position at which she no longer assigned pieces. So...that was that.
Until Friday. She's now back assigning, and a year later, she sends me a note out of the blue and assigns me an enormous feature at a top pay rate. See where I'm going with this? The beauty of freelancing is that if you work hard at proving your worth and if you take the time to hone your relationships with your editors (as I did with both editor A and editor B), you can develop career-long ties. What did I do to imprint myself into editor B's memory? I can't be certain, but I'd say it had something to do with delivering well-researched stories, happily tackling a few rounds of revisions, and being cordial, pleasant and friendly the entire time. I mean, isn't that what we'd ALL want from an employee? It doesn't sound like a magic formula (right? I mean, you're reading that thinking, "well, isn't this obvious?"), but you'd be shocked at how many times I hear editors complaining that writers failed on one or more of these levels.
Also, back to editor A, who as of late had also been promoted to a new position within the publishing house...thus my dry-spell in writing for them. She's now helming a few new projects for the publisher, and she too has come to me for story ideas and assignments. Again, this is a relationship that I really took the time to invest in...not because I was assured of any sort of payoff but because a) she was someone whom I admired and wanted to work for and b) regardless of if it paid off, it was the right thing to do for my career. You can never go wrong in attempting to establish strong relationships, even if that editor never sends a single story your way. You never know what you can learn from her or the process, when she'll pass your name along to someone else or when she'll think of you out of the blue.
So...I just thought I'd share. I really thought that this situation drove home a lot of the points we'd been chatting about on the blog.
Unrelated PS - Why, oh WHY, does that spiteful idiot continue to reap prizes and first place on The Amazing Race while that dear open-minded couple pull up the rear?? Is there no justice on reality television??? (Don't answer that. And yes, I tried to keep this intentionally vague for those who haven't yest seen it.)
So I wake up Friday morning to an email in my in-box from an editor with whom I haven't spoken in well over a year. A YEAR! In fact, I don't think I've written for this magazine in at least that long, probably longer.
Now, before I go on, let me backtrack. Remember how I posted a story last week about how it took me three years to land an assignment with one particular editor, and I landed it only after she moved on to a new magazine? Well, for clarity's sake, let's call her editor A. And let's call the editor who emailed me on Friday, editor B. When editor A switched positions and magazines, she started assigning to me, as I mentioned. She also referred me to several other editors within the magazine, one of whom was editor B. I wrote a few articles for editor B, but she soon got promoted to a position at which she no longer assigned pieces. So...that was that.
Until Friday. She's now back assigning, and a year later, she sends me a note out of the blue and assigns me an enormous feature at a top pay rate. See where I'm going with this? The beauty of freelancing is that if you work hard at proving your worth and if you take the time to hone your relationships with your editors (as I did with both editor A and editor B), you can develop career-long ties. What did I do to imprint myself into editor B's memory? I can't be certain, but I'd say it had something to do with delivering well-researched stories, happily tackling a few rounds of revisions, and being cordial, pleasant and friendly the entire time. I mean, isn't that what we'd ALL want from an employee? It doesn't sound like a magic formula (right? I mean, you're reading that thinking, "well, isn't this obvious?"), but you'd be shocked at how many times I hear editors complaining that writers failed on one or more of these levels.
Also, back to editor A, who as of late had also been promoted to a new position within the publishing house...thus my dry-spell in writing for them. She's now helming a few new projects for the publisher, and she too has come to me for story ideas and assignments. Again, this is a relationship that I really took the time to invest in...not because I was assured of any sort of payoff but because a) she was someone whom I admired and wanted to work for and b) regardless of if it paid off, it was the right thing to do for my career. You can never go wrong in attempting to establish strong relationships, even if that editor never sends a single story your way. You never know what you can learn from her or the process, when she'll pass your name along to someone else or when she'll think of you out of the blue.
So...I just thought I'd share. I really thought that this situation drove home a lot of the points we'd been chatting about on the blog.
Unrelated PS - Why, oh WHY, does that spiteful idiot continue to reap prizes and first place on The Amazing Race while that dear open-minded couple pull up the rear?? Is there no justice on reality television??? (Don't answer that. And yes, I tried to keep this intentionally vague for those who haven't yest seen it.)
Friday, October 13, 2006
I'm Stumped: Short Stories
A few people here have suggested that you try to publish short stories before selling your novel. Do you have any good recommendations on where to submit?
Confession: I'm not a short story reader. I have no idea why, other than for as long as I can remember, they just haven't appealed to me. Even when I was in my voracious Stephen King phase (back in high school, he was, weirdly enough, my favorite author, and I tore through every book I could get my hands on!), I just couldn't bring myself to read his shorts. (TWSS!! To quote my fave show, The Office. Hee.)
Which isn't to say there isn't a ton of merit in writing short stories - there is, and as some posters have suggested, they're a great way to nab great writing credits and boost your confidence. It's only to say that I really haven't the slightest clue where to get yours published.
So...I'm turning this one over to readers. Want to help out a fellow reader and offer up your favorite short story journals or websites?
Confession: I'm not a short story reader. I have no idea why, other than for as long as I can remember, they just haven't appealed to me. Even when I was in my voracious Stephen King phase (back in high school, he was, weirdly enough, my favorite author, and I tore through every book I could get my hands on!), I just couldn't bring myself to read his shorts. (TWSS!! To quote my fave show, The Office. Hee.)
Which isn't to say there isn't a ton of merit in writing short stories - there is, and as some posters have suggested, they're a great way to nab great writing credits and boost your confidence. It's only to say that I really haven't the slightest clue where to get yours published.
So...I'm turning this one over to readers. Want to help out a fellow reader and offer up your favorite short story journals or websites?
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Does Persistence Pay?
What if you have an idea for an article that you absolutely love. You write the query and there really are no bites but you firmly believe it is a good idea. Do you re-write the pitch? Is it bad form to resend a rewritten pitch to an editor who had not responded the first time around? Should you go the extra mile and write the article?
Let's answer the last question first. No - writing the article isn't going the extra mile; it's shooting yourself in the foot. You should never, ever write the article before it's assigned (travel pieces and essays are exceptions). It's the mark of a newbie: an editor wants to shape the story idea and thus the story from the get-go. If you've already done this, you've taken her out of the equation and not only limited the potential scope of the piece, but also limited the market and readers to whom it might appeal. DON'T DO IT.
Okay, with that out of the way, let's talk about persistence and how to go about this. Nearly every established freelance writer I know has been in this position. You have a jewel of an idea - you shop it around - you keep shopping it around - you shop it around some more - and still...no one bites. Sigh. In fact, I'm dealing with this very thing right now. It totally sucks. But you already know that since you asked the question.
There are a couple ways to handle this:
1) Shelve the idea until it becomes more topical. For example, my query deals with breast cancer. Most women's magazines cover BC in October, which is breast cancer awareness month. And, I discovered, most of them don't necessarily tackle many BC stories during other months of the year. (This is a sweeping generalization, but for the most part, it's true.) So...my story came close to getting bites for this year's Oct issues, but nothing happened. And the best thing for me to do is probably to sit tight, knowing that I still have a great nugget of an idea, and repitch it this Feb or March, which is around when mags will assign Oct ideas. So, even if your idea isn't about breast cancer, it might be seasonal or might be better suited to certain world events, I dunno, but you might want to think about setting it aside until it's more timely.
2) You could rewrite the pitch, but if you rewrite it, I wouldn't just reword it, I would reangle it. Chances are, your editor didn't shoot it down because she didn't like the way your query paragraphs read; she shot it down because the story angle didn't work for her. Sometimes, if you're lucky, the editor will come back to you and say, "Hey, this idea on how to save money doesn't quite gel for me, but what about this way of thinking about it?" Most often though, you're left to develop the new angle on your own. One of my editors once told me to try to make my queries as counter-intuitive as possible...as in, okay, we're going to cover the same subjects over and over again, we already admit t that, but can you approach it in a rarely-considered way? Can you take an almost backwards approach to the idea? It's really hard to do this, but if you can, you might be able to recapture an editor's attention.
3) You could also repitch the editor to whom you originally sent. I don't know if you'll have a ton of luck, but certainly, things slip through the cracks and slip even easier through in-boxes. Or double-check to be sure that you sent it to the correct editor in the first place. Call up the mag and ask. If you didn't, aim for a new editor.
4) Expand your potential markets. Look, if you really believe in your story and want it to be told, period, then get thee to Barnes and Noble or to google or even to Writer's Market and try to unearth new-to-you magazines and outlets. The piece doesn't have to be published in a magazine with a 2 million circulation to be of value...or to be sharply-written and edited. For example, a lot of parenting writers query Parents and Parenting. But these mags don't necessarily take edgy, science-y stories. So if you have a more off-beat piece, maybe you should lob in a query to Brain, Child, which isn't nearly as popular, circulation-wise, but certainly is an excellent publication.
So those are my thoughts. I know that there are a ton of writers out there who have struggled to place a stellar story idea, and I'm sure that I'm missing some tips. Want to add in your own?
Let's answer the last question first. No - writing the article isn't going the extra mile; it's shooting yourself in the foot. You should never, ever write the article before it's assigned (travel pieces and essays are exceptions). It's the mark of a newbie: an editor wants to shape the story idea and thus the story from the get-go. If you've already done this, you've taken her out of the equation and not only limited the potential scope of the piece, but also limited the market and readers to whom it might appeal. DON'T DO IT.
Okay, with that out of the way, let's talk about persistence and how to go about this. Nearly every established freelance writer I know has been in this position. You have a jewel of an idea - you shop it around - you keep shopping it around - you shop it around some more - and still...no one bites. Sigh. In fact, I'm dealing with this very thing right now. It totally sucks. But you already know that since you asked the question.
There are a couple ways to handle this:
1) Shelve the idea until it becomes more topical. For example, my query deals with breast cancer. Most women's magazines cover BC in October, which is breast cancer awareness month. And, I discovered, most of them don't necessarily tackle many BC stories during other months of the year. (This is a sweeping generalization, but for the most part, it's true.) So...my story came close to getting bites for this year's Oct issues, but nothing happened. And the best thing for me to do is probably to sit tight, knowing that I still have a great nugget of an idea, and repitch it this Feb or March, which is around when mags will assign Oct ideas. So, even if your idea isn't about breast cancer, it might be seasonal or might be better suited to certain world events, I dunno, but you might want to think about setting it aside until it's more timely.
2) You could rewrite the pitch, but if you rewrite it, I wouldn't just reword it, I would reangle it. Chances are, your editor didn't shoot it down because she didn't like the way your query paragraphs read; she shot it down because the story angle didn't work for her. Sometimes, if you're lucky, the editor will come back to you and say, "Hey, this idea on how to save money doesn't quite gel for me, but what about this way of thinking about it?" Most often though, you're left to develop the new angle on your own. One of my editors once told me to try to make my queries as counter-intuitive as possible...as in, okay, we're going to cover the same subjects over and over again, we already admit t that, but can you approach it in a rarely-considered way? Can you take an almost backwards approach to the idea? It's really hard to do this, but if you can, you might be able to recapture an editor's attention.
3) You could also repitch the editor to whom you originally sent. I don't know if you'll have a ton of luck, but certainly, things slip through the cracks and slip even easier through in-boxes. Or double-check to be sure that you sent it to the correct editor in the first place. Call up the mag and ask. If you didn't, aim for a new editor.
4) Expand your potential markets. Look, if you really believe in your story and want it to be told, period, then get thee to Barnes and Noble or to google or even to Writer's Market and try to unearth new-to-you magazines and outlets. The piece doesn't have to be published in a magazine with a 2 million circulation to be of value...or to be sharply-written and edited. For example, a lot of parenting writers query Parents and Parenting. But these mags don't necessarily take edgy, science-y stories. So if you have a more off-beat piece, maybe you should lob in a query to Brain, Child, which isn't nearly as popular, circulation-wise, but certainly is an excellent publication.
So those are my thoughts. I know that there are a ton of writers out there who have struggled to place a stellar story idea, and I'm sure that I'm missing some tips. Want to add in your own?
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
My Editor, My BFF
After you sold your book, how much contact have you had with your editor? I feel like I go for months without hearing from mine.
First off, I don't know if there is a hard and fast rule about this, but I'm happy to share my experience, and if other authors want to chime in, that's fab too.
I think how much contact you have with your editor depends on several factors: where you are in the publishing process, how proactive you are, and how busy/senior your editor is. (I'm sure that there are other factors too; those are just a few that spring to mind.)
So, to break this down: after we sold the ms, my editor took me out to lunch and explained the general timeline. That, as you mention above, there would be lags in the process, and times when we couldn't get things done fast enough. I appreciated that she did this so I wasn't sitting around twiddling my thumbs, wondering why I hadn't heard from her in a few weeks. And, as she predicted, there have indeed been ebbs and flows. She got me my revision letter in February, a few weeks after we sold the book, so there was a flurry of activity during that time. Once the revisions were complete, things were pretty dead, and I don't think we had much contact...after all, there wasn't much to say! Oh, actually, we DID email about some blurbs, but that was just me firing off a note saying, "here's one from so-and-so." Once we got into art and ARC production (about four-six weeks ago), things picked up again. I imagine that from here through, say, Dec, things will be busy, and then they'll slow down, only to pick up again in Feb-March, as we do more publicity.
The next factor: how hands-on you are. I think there's a fine line between being proactive and being annoying. (And I hope I toe this line accordingly!) As I've mentioned, I've been pretty proactive in terms of blurbs, publicity, etc. So I've kept my editor in the loop as I've made progress...so in this respect, we've had perhaps more contact than other writers might have had with their editors. But really, only because I was updating her, not because she needed me for something or was initiating contact.
The last factor: you have to remember that your editor is handling a gajillion other things, not least including several other books. In my case, my editor is very senior and buys almost all of the books for one of Harper's paperback imprints, in addition to buying hardcovers for Morrow. So the gal is busy. Very busy. And it would be silly of me to think that she can devote time to me each day (or hell, even each week), even though her enthusiasm for the book is boundless. I can't speak to other editors' schedules, but I do imagine that most of them are overworked. I was AMAZED to learn about all of the various things that they handle - it seems like they juggle at least 5 different jobs. What's important, I think, is that your editor is there for you when you need her, i.e., during the crucial times to get your book launched successfully, not just because you want to know that she has you or your book on her brain. If you have nagging questions or outstanding issues, take them up with your agent...she can probably handle them, and if not, she'll direct you to your editor. Everyone wins.
So, other authors out there, how frequently do you speak with YOUR editor?
First off, I don't know if there is a hard and fast rule about this, but I'm happy to share my experience, and if other authors want to chime in, that's fab too.
I think how much contact you have with your editor depends on several factors: where you are in the publishing process, how proactive you are, and how busy/senior your editor is. (I'm sure that there are other factors too; those are just a few that spring to mind.)
So, to break this down: after we sold the ms, my editor took me out to lunch and explained the general timeline. That, as you mention above, there would be lags in the process, and times when we couldn't get things done fast enough. I appreciated that she did this so I wasn't sitting around twiddling my thumbs, wondering why I hadn't heard from her in a few weeks. And, as she predicted, there have indeed been ebbs and flows. She got me my revision letter in February, a few weeks after we sold the book, so there was a flurry of activity during that time. Once the revisions were complete, things were pretty dead, and I don't think we had much contact...after all, there wasn't much to say! Oh, actually, we DID email about some blurbs, but that was just me firing off a note saying, "here's one from so-and-so." Once we got into art and ARC production (about four-six weeks ago), things picked up again. I imagine that from here through, say, Dec, things will be busy, and then they'll slow down, only to pick up again in Feb-March, as we do more publicity.
The next factor: how hands-on you are. I think there's a fine line between being proactive and being annoying. (And I hope I toe this line accordingly!) As I've mentioned, I've been pretty proactive in terms of blurbs, publicity, etc. So I've kept my editor in the loop as I've made progress...so in this respect, we've had perhaps more contact than other writers might have had with their editors. But really, only because I was updating her, not because she needed me for something or was initiating contact.
The last factor: you have to remember that your editor is handling a gajillion other things, not least including several other books. In my case, my editor is very senior and buys almost all of the books for one of Harper's paperback imprints, in addition to buying hardcovers for Morrow. So the gal is busy. Very busy. And it would be silly of me to think that she can devote time to me each day (or hell, even each week), even though her enthusiasm for the book is boundless. I can't speak to other editors' schedules, but I do imagine that most of them are overworked. I was AMAZED to learn about all of the various things that they handle - it seems like they juggle at least 5 different jobs. What's important, I think, is that your editor is there for you when you need her, i.e., during the crucial times to get your book launched successfully, not just because you want to know that she has you or your book on her brain. If you have nagging questions or outstanding issues, take them up with your agent...she can probably handle them, and if not, she'll direct you to your editor. Everyone wins.
So, other authors out there, how frequently do you speak with YOUR editor?
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Write, Edit, Repeat
I wrote what I thought was a great story for a new-to-me magazine. The editor seemed happy, and I didn't have that many rewrites. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to get another assignment out of her. What am I doing wrong?
The short answer? Probably nothing.
The long answer? It can take years to develop strong relationships with your editors, but it sounds, at least to me, that you're off to a good start. One of the key ingredients in being a successful freelance writer is patience. Patience when it comes to breaking in to a magazine, patience when it comes to seeing that story in print, patience when it comes to landing a repeat assignment, patience when it comes to FINALLY have editors bring story ideas to you, not vice versa. So, at the risk of sounding trite, be patient.
Here's one example from my experience: a senior editor at a huge magazine saw one of my articles and called me. Asked me to send in some clips, along with story ideas. I was over the moon. This was a dream magazine, and one to which I'd subscribed since the dawn of time. So I sent everything that she requested. Ideas didn't fly. Sent more. Still didn't fly. Repeat, repeat, repeat. THREE YEARS later - I kid you not - I was still sending in ideas. She left to tackle a new position at a different magazine. Guess what? She called me when she landed there and promptly assigned me three stories. I'm still writing for both her and the magazine today. Oh, and I DID eventually manage to break into the other magazine too...another year down the road. Yes, that's FOUR YEARS of pitching until I found success. But the key here is that I took the time(or dealt with the time) to really cultivate a relationship with the editor, and it did pay off in the end.
So...back to you. Keep sending this editor ideas, even if they're near-misses, even if they don't pan out. Chances are, she now knows that you're a strong writer, she just needs the perfect story idea from you. Other ways that you can impress her: don't be needy, clingy, whiny or pushy. I can't tell you how many editors have told me that these above characteristics (even if they're subtle) turn them off. Do be flexible, easy-going, thorough and amiable: while I don't mistake my relationships with my editors for true friendships, in fact, many of them are my friends - I know what they like to watch on TV, I know tidbits about their personal lives, I know some of their quirks and funky habits. And they know mine. But that's because over the years, they opened up to me, and I did to them...just as would happen in nearly any other relationship. But, it takes time. I mean, you don't blurt out certain things on a first date, and you don't blurt out certain things when you're still proving yourself to an editor. But once you've proven yourself (see above paragraph), DO take the time out to get to know them as people, not just drones who tweak your writing. Not only might this pay off in repeat assignments, even better, it might mean that you'll enjoy the process a whole lot more. I know that I adore working for the editors with whom I've become friends...and I'm pretty sure that they feel the same way.
Any other tips on nailing repeats from editors?
The short answer? Probably nothing.
The long answer? It can take years to develop strong relationships with your editors, but it sounds, at least to me, that you're off to a good start. One of the key ingredients in being a successful freelance writer is patience. Patience when it comes to breaking in to a magazine, patience when it comes to seeing that story in print, patience when it comes to landing a repeat assignment, patience when it comes to FINALLY have editors bring story ideas to you, not vice versa. So, at the risk of sounding trite, be patient.
Here's one example from my experience: a senior editor at a huge magazine saw one of my articles and called me. Asked me to send in some clips, along with story ideas. I was over the moon. This was a dream magazine, and one to which I'd subscribed since the dawn of time. So I sent everything that she requested. Ideas didn't fly. Sent more. Still didn't fly. Repeat, repeat, repeat. THREE YEARS later - I kid you not - I was still sending in ideas. She left to tackle a new position at a different magazine. Guess what? She called me when she landed there and promptly assigned me three stories. I'm still writing for both her and the magazine today. Oh, and I DID eventually manage to break into the other magazine too...another year down the road. Yes, that's FOUR YEARS of pitching until I found success. But the key here is that I took the time(or dealt with the time) to really cultivate a relationship with the editor, and it did pay off in the end.
So...back to you. Keep sending this editor ideas, even if they're near-misses, even if they don't pan out. Chances are, she now knows that you're a strong writer, she just needs the perfect story idea from you. Other ways that you can impress her: don't be needy, clingy, whiny or pushy. I can't tell you how many editors have told me that these above characteristics (even if they're subtle) turn them off. Do be flexible, easy-going, thorough and amiable: while I don't mistake my relationships with my editors for true friendships, in fact, many of them are my friends - I know what they like to watch on TV, I know tidbits about their personal lives, I know some of their quirks and funky habits. And they know mine. But that's because over the years, they opened up to me, and I did to them...just as would happen in nearly any other relationship. But, it takes time. I mean, you don't blurt out certain things on a first date, and you don't blurt out certain things when you're still proving yourself to an editor. But once you've proven yourself (see above paragraph), DO take the time out to get to know them as people, not just drones who tweak your writing. Not only might this pay off in repeat assignments, even better, it might mean that you'll enjoy the process a whole lot more. I know that I adore working for the editors with whom I've become friends...and I'm pretty sure that they feel the same way.
Any other tips on nailing repeats from editors?
Monday, October 09, 2006
Happy Columbus Day
Folks,
Since everyone else in my industry is taking the day off, I figured that I would too. So...um...go do whatever you would do to celebrate the fact that good old Chris sailed the ocean blue and discovered us in 1492 and all of that.
My squee moment of the weekend? Making my own discovery: my book is up on Amazon! Doesn't look like the page is finalized, so I'll be sure to keep you guys updated when the final page comes in. But wow, it really made things feel official.
Until tomorrow...happy celebrating!
By the way, if you're new to the blog (or an old-timer, for that matter), don't be shy...feel free to send me any or all publishing-related questions. I'm here to answer 'em!
Since everyone else in my industry is taking the day off, I figured that I would too. So...um...go do whatever you would do to celebrate the fact that good old Chris sailed the ocean blue and discovered us in 1492 and all of that.
My squee moment of the weekend? Making my own discovery: my book is up on Amazon! Doesn't look like the page is finalized, so I'll be sure to keep you guys updated when the final page comes in. But wow, it really made things feel official.
Until tomorrow...happy celebrating!
By the way, if you're new to the blog (or an old-timer, for that matter), don't be shy...feel free to send me any or all publishing-related questions. I'm here to answer 'em!
Friday, October 06, 2006
Nabbing a Star
Could you explain how you go about interviewing a celebrity? What's the process?
Ah, the seemingly glamorous part of a freelancer's job: landing that interview with an A-lister, then becoming BFFs with said A-lister and eventually being named said A-lister's child's godparent. Ha! Right.
Celebrity interviews are tricky for several reasons.
A) Publicists. Publicists are the gateway to the stars, but often times, they keep those gates firmly shut. If the celeb doesn't have something to promote - a movie, a show, a product, you're likely to get shot down. If the publicist doesn't like the media outlet or deems it too small-time, you're likely to get shot down. If the publicist doesn't recognize your name or think that you can deliver a cushy interview, you might get shot down too (though not always). The point is that publicists, bless their hearts, are hired solely to protect and finesse a celebrity's image, and if your potential interview doesn't fit into their overall game plan for the star, you're likely to be turned away before you can even turn on your digital recorder.
B) The Chicken or the Egg Syndrome. Which should you do first? Nab the celeb or nab the assignment? This conundrum further entangles the situation. Most publicists aren't interested in speaking with you unless you have an assignment, and most editors don't want you to make promises that you can't keep (i.e, "oh, I'm sure that I can get Patrick Dempsey.). So...as I said, conundrum.
C) Logistics. Despite the bountiful pictures on People.com of celebs dining at the Ivy and shopping at Kitson, celebs are busy people. Nailing them down for a phone interview can be tough; getting them in person can be even harder.
So, despite these obstacles, how do you nab a celeb interview? Well, I'll preface this with the statement that there are certainly other writers out there who are far more experienced in this arena than I am, but I'll offer what I know...which is at least a decent amount.
1) Try to get your editor to set up the assignment. If you already have a good relationship with your editor or the magazine, it can't hurt to lob in a celeb idea - "hey, how about a Q/A with Patrick Dempsey on race car driving for the 'hobbies' column" - and have them contact the publicist. This is the route most likely to ensure success, though it isn't a slam-dunk. I was supposed to interview a several-time Oscar nominee, per my editor's suggestion, yet after he'd gone about setting everything up, she still had to pull out at the last minute.
2) Run the idea by your editor, and if she gives you the green light, go after the interview with all that you have. This might mean repeated follow-ups with the publicist or finding a different route to the celeb (through a charity he's involved with or through his network's publicist, etc). It also means not being intimidated by fancy, powerful H-wood publicists who have definitely been known to intimidate. (See: Kingsley, Pat.) The truth of the matter is that editors know that these things fall through, often by no fault of your own, so she probably won't hold it against you if you can't land that big fish.
3) Get creative. See above for other ways/routes to the celeb. While their personal publicist is usually the first stop, it doesn't have to be the only stop. Is the celeb a friend of a friend? Did you go to the same high school? Does he have a book out and thus a book publicist? Etc. If you really, really want to interview him, then you might be able to take a back route into doing it.
Anyone out there a celeb interview expert and want to suggest his or her own tips?
Ah, the seemingly glamorous part of a freelancer's job: landing that interview with an A-lister, then becoming BFFs with said A-lister and eventually being named said A-lister's child's godparent. Ha! Right.
Celebrity interviews are tricky for several reasons.
A) Publicists. Publicists are the gateway to the stars, but often times, they keep those gates firmly shut. If the celeb doesn't have something to promote - a movie, a show, a product, you're likely to get shot down. If the publicist doesn't like the media outlet or deems it too small-time, you're likely to get shot down. If the publicist doesn't recognize your name or think that you can deliver a cushy interview, you might get shot down too (though not always). The point is that publicists, bless their hearts, are hired solely to protect and finesse a celebrity's image, and if your potential interview doesn't fit into their overall game plan for the star, you're likely to be turned away before you can even turn on your digital recorder.
B) The Chicken or the Egg Syndrome. Which should you do first? Nab the celeb or nab the assignment? This conundrum further entangles the situation. Most publicists aren't interested in speaking with you unless you have an assignment, and most editors don't want you to make promises that you can't keep (i.e, "oh, I'm sure that I can get Patrick Dempsey.). So...as I said, conundrum.
C) Logistics. Despite the bountiful pictures on People.com of celebs dining at the Ivy and shopping at Kitson, celebs are busy people. Nailing them down for a phone interview can be tough; getting them in person can be even harder.
So, despite these obstacles, how do you nab a celeb interview? Well, I'll preface this with the statement that there are certainly other writers out there who are far more experienced in this arena than I am, but I'll offer what I know...which is at least a decent amount.
1) Try to get your editor to set up the assignment. If you already have a good relationship with your editor or the magazine, it can't hurt to lob in a celeb idea - "hey, how about a Q/A with Patrick Dempsey on race car driving for the 'hobbies' column" - and have them contact the publicist. This is the route most likely to ensure success, though it isn't a slam-dunk. I was supposed to interview a several-time Oscar nominee, per my editor's suggestion, yet after he'd gone about setting everything up, she still had to pull out at the last minute.
2) Run the idea by your editor, and if she gives you the green light, go after the interview with all that you have. This might mean repeated follow-ups with the publicist or finding a different route to the celeb (through a charity he's involved with or through his network's publicist, etc). It also means not being intimidated by fancy, powerful H-wood publicists who have definitely been known to intimidate. (See: Kingsley, Pat.) The truth of the matter is that editors know that these things fall through, often by no fault of your own, so she probably won't hold it against you if you can't land that big fish.
3) Get creative. See above for other ways/routes to the celeb. While their personal publicist is usually the first stop, it doesn't have to be the only stop. Is the celeb a friend of a friend? Did you go to the same high school? Does he have a book out and thus a book publicist? Etc. If you really, really want to interview him, then you might be able to take a back route into doing it.
Anyone out there a celeb interview expert and want to suggest his or her own tips?
Thursday, October 05, 2006
The Long and Winding Road
Can you explain why the publishing process takes so long? I see sales on Publishers Marketplace, and then the books don't come out for a year. Why is that?
You know, I really don't know the official answer to this, but I'd love to hear it, so if anyone knows, please chime in!
I can tell you that in my situation, it will be a year and a half (!!!) from the time we sold the ms to the time it will be published. There's been a lot of lag time but things are picking up now. For a little breakdown - we sold in January, I got my revision letter in mid-February, turned in the revisions in March...and then didn't do that much between March and the summer. In August, I got my cover art, last month, we dealt with catalog copy and copy-edits, and in the next few weeks, we're getting the ARCs, which is when the fun really begins. Once I get the galleys, I'll send them out to my editors/contacts/reviewers, and my agent, editor and PR person will send them out to every person whom they deem important too.
I guess part of the reason for the lag is that some magazines/reviewers need about six months lead time, so if you rushed a book to print, you'd miss out on some big plugs. So, for example, I'll get my women's magazine editor the ARCs by Nov/Dec to ensure that the book could receive potential placement in the May or June issues. Additionally, I know that publishers tend to set their release dates about a year in advance, so if you sell your book and hope that it can come out nine months later, the publisher isn't likely to have a slot for it. Now WHY they work this far in advance, I'm not sure. Maybe it just takes that long for the ms to go through all the steps of the process: the editing, the art, the copy-editing, the promotion, the sales to stores, etc. I imagine that some of it also has to do with getting catalogs and the actual BOOKS into booksellers' hands - the sales team needs time to do that, though how long, I really don't know.
Shrug. That's my best guess. Anyone know something that I don't?
You know, I really don't know the official answer to this, but I'd love to hear it, so if anyone knows, please chime in!
I can tell you that in my situation, it will be a year and a half (!!!) from the time we sold the ms to the time it will be published. There's been a lot of lag time but things are picking up now. For a little breakdown - we sold in January, I got my revision letter in mid-February, turned in the revisions in March...and then didn't do that much between March and the summer. In August, I got my cover art, last month, we dealt with catalog copy and copy-edits, and in the next few weeks, we're getting the ARCs, which is when the fun really begins. Once I get the galleys, I'll send them out to my editors/contacts/reviewers, and my agent, editor and PR person will send them out to every person whom they deem important too.
I guess part of the reason for the lag is that some magazines/reviewers need about six months lead time, so if you rushed a book to print, you'd miss out on some big plugs. So, for example, I'll get my women's magazine editor the ARCs by Nov/Dec to ensure that the book could receive potential placement in the May or June issues. Additionally, I know that publishers tend to set their release dates about a year in advance, so if you sell your book and hope that it can come out nine months later, the publisher isn't likely to have a slot for it. Now WHY they work this far in advance, I'm not sure. Maybe it just takes that long for the ms to go through all the steps of the process: the editing, the art, the copy-editing, the promotion, the sales to stores, etc. I imagine that some of it also has to do with getting catalogs and the actual BOOKS into booksellers' hands - the sales team needs time to do that, though how long, I really don't know.
Shrug. That's my best guess. Anyone know something that I don't?
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Talk to the Hand
I'm feeling a bit discouraged. I'm searching for an agent, and so far, have gotten a few nibbles, including three requests for partials and one for a full, but mostly, I'm getting rejected or not hearing anything at all. I'd like to pretend that the rejection doesn't bother me, but it does. Any tips for hanging in there?
Okay, well, the first thing I'd do - if you feel like your query letter isn't getting the response rate that you'd like - is run it past other writers whom you trust. Don't know where to find other writers whom you trust? Check out Backspace (bksp.org) or even one of the Yahoo writers' groups or writers.net. (Though there are a lot of aspiring authors on writers.net, and I can't vouch for whether or not they'll give you sound advice.) I think that a lot of authors aim for about a 20% success rate from their query letter (correct me if I'm wrong, I could be!), so if yours is coming in waaaaay lower than that, you might want to rethink your pitch. Remember: it's not supposed to be a synopsis of the entire book. It's supposed to highlight your voice, tantalize the agent by offering morsels of an intriguing plot, and ensure them that as a writer, you stand out from the pack.
After that, I'd take a look at your numbers. You don't mention how many agents you've pitched, but plenty of folks have to query well over 50 agents (and higher!) before they find a good match. If you're feeling discouraged after, say, 10 rejections or even 20, then you likely have unrealistic expectations of this process. Yes, I know that everyone thinks that his or her own book is genius, but the truth of the matter is that often times, it's not. Or at least not everyone else will agree that it's genius. (The same can be said of most published books too - it's all subjective, right?) Finding an agent is all about finding that one other person who agrees that your work is indeed genius...and that can take time. Sort of like finding the right person to marry.
Now that you've done the math, it's time to think about your mental health. I've mentioned this before but being a writer requires having a thick skin. A VERY thick skin. And I'm not just talking about during the agent hunt. I'm talking about getting critiques from your writing partners, dealing with editorial comments from the publishing house, recovering from scathing reviews, coping with disappointing sales, writing a second book and not having it sell. Need I go on? If you're going to get demoralized at every turn, this isn't the profession for you.
Which isn't to say that you don't have the right to wallow. You do. What I mean by the above paragraph is that you have the right to wallow, but then you have to pick yourself up and move on. So you're getting rejected. Fine. We know that. But the question becomes: what are you going to do about it? Are you going to tweak your query letter or drown your sorrows with booze? Are you going to refine your agent hunt or cry into your pillow? Are you going to ask for objective criticism and consider that it might actually improve your work or are you going to work yourself up into a defensive frenzy and insist that your writing is spun in gold?
I'm of the belief that rejection is just a stepping stone to making your writing (or your attitude) that much better. Use it to your advantage rather than let it sink you. Because if you do let it sink you, your potential writing career is going to go down the tubes with it.
So how do you guys deal with rejection?
Okay, well, the first thing I'd do - if you feel like your query letter isn't getting the response rate that you'd like - is run it past other writers whom you trust. Don't know where to find other writers whom you trust? Check out Backspace (bksp.org) or even one of the Yahoo writers' groups or writers.net. (Though there are a lot of aspiring authors on writers.net, and I can't vouch for whether or not they'll give you sound advice.) I think that a lot of authors aim for about a 20% success rate from their query letter (correct me if I'm wrong, I could be!), so if yours is coming in waaaaay lower than that, you might want to rethink your pitch. Remember: it's not supposed to be a synopsis of the entire book. It's supposed to highlight your voice, tantalize the agent by offering morsels of an intriguing plot, and ensure them that as a writer, you stand out from the pack.
After that, I'd take a look at your numbers. You don't mention how many agents you've pitched, but plenty of folks have to query well over 50 agents (and higher!) before they find a good match. If you're feeling discouraged after, say, 10 rejections or even 20, then you likely have unrealistic expectations of this process. Yes, I know that everyone thinks that his or her own book is genius, but the truth of the matter is that often times, it's not. Or at least not everyone else will agree that it's genius. (The same can be said of most published books too - it's all subjective, right?) Finding an agent is all about finding that one other person who agrees that your work is indeed genius...and that can take time. Sort of like finding the right person to marry.
Now that you've done the math, it's time to think about your mental health. I've mentioned this before but being a writer requires having a thick skin. A VERY thick skin. And I'm not just talking about during the agent hunt. I'm talking about getting critiques from your writing partners, dealing with editorial comments from the publishing house, recovering from scathing reviews, coping with disappointing sales, writing a second book and not having it sell. Need I go on? If you're going to get demoralized at every turn, this isn't the profession for you.
Which isn't to say that you don't have the right to wallow. You do. What I mean by the above paragraph is that you have the right to wallow, but then you have to pick yourself up and move on. So you're getting rejected. Fine. We know that. But the question becomes: what are you going to do about it? Are you going to tweak your query letter or drown your sorrows with booze? Are you going to refine your agent hunt or cry into your pillow? Are you going to ask for objective criticism and consider that it might actually improve your work or are you going to work yourself up into a defensive frenzy and insist that your writing is spun in gold?
I'm of the belief that rejection is just a stepping stone to making your writing (or your attitude) that much better. Use it to your advantage rather than let it sink you. Because if you do let it sink you, your potential writing career is going to go down the tubes with it.
So how do you guys deal with rejection?
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
I'm Feeling Like a Slug
I'm new to freelancing and am lucky enough to have found some work already. But there are days when I find myself really lacking motivation. How do you keep up your enthusiasm?
Ah, excellent question. And here's my first secret: there are days when I DON'T manage to muster up any enthusiasm. That just like any other worker bee, I want to crawl back into bed or hang out in the company of my Tivo or surf gossip sites all day. More on this later.
But most of the time, yeah, I manage to tackle my work and my assignments with, if not a cheerleader level of energy, then certainly, an adequate amount of enthusiasm that translates into my writing. The first thing I keep in mind (and please forgive me if this is too much of a Hallmark moment for you guys) is how DAMN lucky I am to not only be writing for a living, but to enjoy the fact that I write for a living. How many people trudge off to work every morning with the knowledge that they're really doing what they want to do? Not many, I'd guess, and whenever I'm feeling uninspired, tapping into my good fortune helps spark a little ounce of motivation. The thing is: I KNOW how lucky I am to be in this position - to make a good living working out of my house, to have the flexibility to spend more time with my son, to start with a blank piece of paper and put words on it and spin it into a story and get paid for it. I KNOW this. And reflecting on this every once in a while certainly helps me appreciate things.
The second thing that helps, and I blogged about this a while back when we were just getting started here, is sticking to a schedule. If you're haphazard about when you write, you're probably going to find 100,007 reasons not to write. By establishing a schedule, you'll get yourself into a groove - sort of like going to the gym at a set time - and this can really help boost your motivation. KNOW that you have to work from 10-1, for example, and you're much likelier to do so.
The next thing, and this isn't always possible, is to take on only projects that goose your juice. In other words: if you find an assignment boring, you're probably not going to go at it with your guns a-blazin'. Again, I know this isn't always possible - hell, some of my assignments still bore the hell out of me - but even if it's just one or two that really float your boat, you'll be able to translate that energy over to your other stories.
Finally, and this gets back to my first paragraph, the one about pulling the covers back over my head and bunkering down with Felicity reruns all day, if you really, REALLY can't muster even an iota, a cell, a spark of enthusiasm, then don't. Blow off your day entirely. Give yourself a chance to recharge. I did this one day last week: I simply COULD NOT get myself into first gear, much less fifth. At ten, I swore I would start writing. I read every last spoiler (want to know what's going to happen on ANY show, even shows I don't watch? ask me!) on TelevisionWithoutPity.com instead. At eleven, I swore I would start writing. I drained my brain on YouTube.com instead. At noon, I SWORE I would start writing. Really. I shopped online for new maternity jeans and clothes for my son instead. By one, I gave up, surrendering to the fact that this was simply a freebie day. Hell, I barely had the energy to walk the dog, much less turn around a 1500 word piece that was due a few days later.
And you know what? I woke up the next morning and was raring to go: I got more done in those first few hours of my day than I had in the past few days combined. I just needed to step back, give myself a break and return refreshed. So when in doubt, call in a personal day, even if you're just calling it in to yourself. No one will really mind.
What do you guys do to boost your energy and motivation?
Ah, excellent question. And here's my first secret: there are days when I DON'T manage to muster up any enthusiasm. That just like any other worker bee, I want to crawl back into bed or hang out in the company of my Tivo or surf gossip sites all day. More on this later.
But most of the time, yeah, I manage to tackle my work and my assignments with, if not a cheerleader level of energy, then certainly, an adequate amount of enthusiasm that translates into my writing. The first thing I keep in mind (and please forgive me if this is too much of a Hallmark moment for you guys) is how DAMN lucky I am to not only be writing for a living, but to enjoy the fact that I write for a living. How many people trudge off to work every morning with the knowledge that they're really doing what they want to do? Not many, I'd guess, and whenever I'm feeling uninspired, tapping into my good fortune helps spark a little ounce of motivation. The thing is: I KNOW how lucky I am to be in this position - to make a good living working out of my house, to have the flexibility to spend more time with my son, to start with a blank piece of paper and put words on it and spin it into a story and get paid for it. I KNOW this. And reflecting on this every once in a while certainly helps me appreciate things.
The second thing that helps, and I blogged about this a while back when we were just getting started here, is sticking to a schedule. If you're haphazard about when you write, you're probably going to find 100,007 reasons not to write. By establishing a schedule, you'll get yourself into a groove - sort of like going to the gym at a set time - and this can really help boost your motivation. KNOW that you have to work from 10-1, for example, and you're much likelier to do so.
The next thing, and this isn't always possible, is to take on only projects that goose your juice. In other words: if you find an assignment boring, you're probably not going to go at it with your guns a-blazin'. Again, I know this isn't always possible - hell, some of my assignments still bore the hell out of me - but even if it's just one or two that really float your boat, you'll be able to translate that energy over to your other stories.
Finally, and this gets back to my first paragraph, the one about pulling the covers back over my head and bunkering down with Felicity reruns all day, if you really, REALLY can't muster even an iota, a cell, a spark of enthusiasm, then don't. Blow off your day entirely. Give yourself a chance to recharge. I did this one day last week: I simply COULD NOT get myself into first gear, much less fifth. At ten, I swore I would start writing. I read every last spoiler (want to know what's going to happen on ANY show, even shows I don't watch? ask me!) on TelevisionWithoutPity.com instead. At eleven, I swore I would start writing. I drained my brain on YouTube.com instead. At noon, I SWORE I would start writing. Really. I shopped online for new maternity jeans and clothes for my son instead. By one, I gave up, surrendering to the fact that this was simply a freebie day. Hell, I barely had the energy to walk the dog, much less turn around a 1500 word piece that was due a few days later.
And you know what? I woke up the next morning and was raring to go: I got more done in those first few hours of my day than I had in the past few days combined. I just needed to step back, give myself a break and return refreshed. So when in doubt, call in a personal day, even if you're just calling it in to yourself. No one will really mind.
What do you guys do to boost your energy and motivation?
Monday, October 02, 2006
A Day of Reflection
I'm not a particularly religious person, but I am taking today, Yom Kippur, to reflect on my past year and how I could perhaps strive for a bit more kindness in my life. Given the state of our world, we could all probably stand to do the same, however you choose to worship or whatever your religion. My husband spends the day (or at least the morning!) in synagogue, but I like to be alone with my thoughts, take a long walk and just sort of meditate.
So that's what I'll be doing.
While I know that I'll need some time to mull over my list, here are a few things that I could improve on:
*Be nicer to my husband. We love each other dearly but do tend to fall into the trap of taking each other for granted.
*Be nicer to my parents. Ditto.
A short list, but an important one. And hey, I'm still thinking...
Back tomorrow with more writing insights!
So that's what I'll be doing.
While I know that I'll need some time to mull over my list, here are a few things that I could improve on:
*Be nicer to my husband. We love each other dearly but do tend to fall into the trap of taking each other for granted.
*Be nicer to my parents. Ditto.
A short list, but an important one. And hey, I'm still thinking...
Back tomorrow with more writing insights!
Pre-Interview Query Rehash
When writing a query, do you interview your prospective experts? Do you tell them that you are working on an article or that you are pitching an article? What is the correct way to explain what you are working on to prospective experts?
All good questions. I answered 'em here:
http://allisonwinnscotch.blogspot.com/2006/09/putting-interview-cart-before-query.html
If this doesn't help or you have further questions, definitely let me know! Happy to elaborate if you'd like me to.
All good questions. I answered 'em here:
http://allisonwinnscotch.blogspot.com/2006/09/putting-interview-cart-before-query.html
If this doesn't help or you have further questions, definitely let me know! Happy to elaborate if you'd like me to.
Friday, September 29, 2006
Oops, I Missed It Again
Thanks to everyone for weighing on on the great fall TV choices! I'm sorry I haven't had a chance to respond to all of the comments - crazy day in my parts - and needless to say, I had to settle in to watch The Office (sob, poor Jim!!!), Grey's and Ugly Betty tonight. :) But I'll try to respond tomorrow....
Question of the day: I'm curious to hear how much trouble you think I caused for myself. I got my first assignment from a pretty big magazine, and due to a variety of circumstances, I missed my deadline. My editor said that she understood, and I did get the story into her a week later, but she hasn't assigned anything to me since. How badly did I screw up?
On the richter scale of badly? Well, if I were your editor, I'd say pretty badly. (And that pains me to say because this blog is all about being supportive to writers, but sometimes, I have to deliver the cold truth.) The good thing is, is that I'm NOT your editor, so I can't say for sure.
But I will tell you this: for me and to me, deadlines are non-negotiable. If you've agreed to meet one, then you meet one. Barring major out-of-your-hands catastrophes such as childbirth, a death in the family, complete and total computer meltdowns, being sent off to war...you get the idea...there's really no excuse to miss a deadline. I've been freelancing for about five-six years, and I can honestly say that I have never missed one. Really. I have had two situations in which experts bailed on me at the last minute (this, over the course of half a decade), and immediately informed my editors of the situation, and got the story to them within 24 hours of the pre-established deadline. So really...you're not going to get a lot of sympathy from me for blowing past yours. (Wow, I feel like Miss Snark here with the tough love.)
Here's the thing: deadlines are there for a reason. Editors work on a schedule, and they count on you to help ensure that this schedule hums along. When you fail to file your story on the designated day, you risk throwing your editor's life (okay, not life, but at least day or week) to the dogs. And really, who wants to be the one to do that? And meeting deadlines also gets back to something I've mentioned earlier on the blog: to be taken seriously as a writer, you have to be a consummate professional. Guess what? Not delivering when you said that you would is the opposite of professional, and if I were the editor, I wouldn't work with you again. (God, I'm harsh today!)
One thing that successful writers know in the back of their minds is that, like actors or even athletes, for whom there is a full bench of players waiting to take their place, we are expendable. If you don't have the gusto or the savvyness (is that a word?) or the wherewithal to come through for your editor, someone else will. So don't be the one to drop the ball. End of discussion.
Now, if you really, really want to get back in this editor's good graces, I suppose that it wouldn't hurt to send her a note of apology, explain the circumstances that led to your error, and promise that it won't happen again. If she's kind (and she likes your work), she just might move past it. But if she doesn't get back to you, consider it a lesson learned and then move on. And don't let it happen again.
What do you think? Am I being too hard on this reader? Have you guys blown deadlines and lived to tell about it?
Question of the day: I'm curious to hear how much trouble you think I caused for myself. I got my first assignment from a pretty big magazine, and due to a variety of circumstances, I missed my deadline. My editor said that she understood, and I did get the story into her a week later, but she hasn't assigned anything to me since. How badly did I screw up?
On the richter scale of badly? Well, if I were your editor, I'd say pretty badly. (And that pains me to say because this blog is all about being supportive to writers, but sometimes, I have to deliver the cold truth.) The good thing is, is that I'm NOT your editor, so I can't say for sure.
But I will tell you this: for me and to me, deadlines are non-negotiable. If you've agreed to meet one, then you meet one. Barring major out-of-your-hands catastrophes such as childbirth, a death in the family, complete and total computer meltdowns, being sent off to war...you get the idea...there's really no excuse to miss a deadline. I've been freelancing for about five-six years, and I can honestly say that I have never missed one. Really. I have had two situations in which experts bailed on me at the last minute (this, over the course of half a decade), and immediately informed my editors of the situation, and got the story to them within 24 hours of the pre-established deadline. So really...you're not going to get a lot of sympathy from me for blowing past yours. (Wow, I feel like Miss Snark here with the tough love.)
Here's the thing: deadlines are there for a reason. Editors work on a schedule, and they count on you to help ensure that this schedule hums along. When you fail to file your story on the designated day, you risk throwing your editor's life (okay, not life, but at least day or week) to the dogs. And really, who wants to be the one to do that? And meeting deadlines also gets back to something I've mentioned earlier on the blog: to be taken seriously as a writer, you have to be a consummate professional. Guess what? Not delivering when you said that you would is the opposite of professional, and if I were the editor, I wouldn't work with you again. (God, I'm harsh today!)
One thing that successful writers know in the back of their minds is that, like actors or even athletes, for whom there is a full bench of players waiting to take their place, we are expendable. If you don't have the gusto or the savvyness (is that a word?) or the wherewithal to come through for your editor, someone else will. So don't be the one to drop the ball. End of discussion.
Now, if you really, really want to get back in this editor's good graces, I suppose that it wouldn't hurt to send her a note of apology, explain the circumstances that led to your error, and promise that it won't happen again. If she's kind (and she likes your work), she just might move past it. But if she doesn't get back to you, consider it a lesson learned and then move on. And don't let it happen again.
What do you think? Am I being too hard on this reader? Have you guys blown deadlines and lived to tell about it?
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Must See TV?
Taking a break from the writing world to talk about my other favorite thing...TV! Hee! How sad is it that a voracious reader such as moi would be such a TV addict? What does it say about the state of our world? Hmmm, let's not ponder that too much, especially since I know that plenty o' readers of this blog love the boob-tube as much as I do. So in that spirit, I thought I'd 'fess up about my new fall tv habits: which shows I'm watching, which I'm loving, which I'm totally not feeling. The new tv season always starts out like this - with my Tivo on overdrive, and then I gradually whittle down my options until I settle into the shows I'm obsessed with (which will promptly be canceled by idiot studio execs). Feel free to chime in and let me know what you're loving (or not), and if I'm missing anything good!
Oh, and fear not: I'm not the ultimate couch potato. I tivo nearly all of these, then watch them when I'm working out, folding laundry or doing some other brain-draining task.
Though, this actual conversation did occur tonight in my household.
Me: "Let's watch some of The Office DVD episodes. I'm caught up on all of my shows from the DVR."
My husband: "Wow, that's like saying that you've read every book in Western literature."
That hubby! Such a jokester.
So here we go:
Monday: (aka, my new second-favorite night of TV)
Prison Break: Love it, love it, love it, even if it is totally preposterous and inane. Watch it with the hubby, which makes it more enjoyable. (Though the last two epis have actually sucked.)
Heroes: Tivoed the premiere but will now be watching live. One word: AMAZING.
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip: Tivo - never watched West Wing, but did catch the premiere and thought it was pretty sharp. Matt Perry is a sure bet for an Emmy nod: you heard it here first.
Tuesday:
Veronica Mars: Tivo and sometimes watch live. Feel compelled to love the show, but I'm not sure if I really do.
House: Don't really watch it, but my husband loves it, so will tune in if I'm totally, totally bored.
**Friday Night Lights: It's gotten good reviews, so I'm intrigued, but don't know if I can tackle another show.
Wednesday:
Lost: Live. (Duh!)
The Nine: Cannot WAIT for this show. I've adored Scott Wolf ever since he was Bailey.
(And I'm happy to report that I've finally kicked my America's Next Top Model habit!)
Project Runway: Tivo. At least for the next few weeks until the winner is crowned.
Thursday:
The Office: Live: if you've followed this blog at all, you'll know that I'm obsessed. OBSESSED. Also now watch with the hubby.
Ugly Betty: Tivo: This has gotten rave reviews, and I love the fact that it's set at a magazine.
Grey's: Live (Duh again!). Mmmmm, McDreamy. That's all I need to say.
Friday:
I got nothin'. I debated taking on Men in Trees, but I just don't have the space for it in my schedule. Instead, I usually catch up on something that I've taped.
Saturday:
Ditto.
Sunday:
The Amazing Race: Live. Love it! Want to be on it! Could never deal with the sleep impairment and would promptly be declared a whiny bitch!
Desperate Housewives: Tivo. Totally lost interest last year, but might muster the energy to give it a second try.
Without a Trace: Tivo. Started watching after I interviewed Hank Steinberg a few years back. Totally nice, normal guy. Also watch this one w/the hubby, so we usually fire it up on a Friday or Saturday when we don't have a sitter. /lame/
So that's my sched...you?
Oh, and fear not: I'm not the ultimate couch potato. I tivo nearly all of these, then watch them when I'm working out, folding laundry or doing some other brain-draining task.
Though, this actual conversation did occur tonight in my household.
Me: "Let's watch some of The Office DVD episodes. I'm caught up on all of my shows from the DVR."
My husband: "Wow, that's like saying that you've read every book in Western literature."
That hubby! Such a jokester.
So here we go:
Monday: (aka, my new second-favorite night of TV)
Prison Break: Love it, love it, love it, even if it is totally preposterous and inane. Watch it with the hubby, which makes it more enjoyable. (Though the last two epis have actually sucked.)
Heroes: Tivoed the premiere but will now be watching live. One word: AMAZING.
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip: Tivo - never watched West Wing, but did catch the premiere and thought it was pretty sharp. Matt Perry is a sure bet for an Emmy nod: you heard it here first.
Tuesday:
Veronica Mars: Tivo and sometimes watch live. Feel compelled to love the show, but I'm not sure if I really do.
House: Don't really watch it, but my husband loves it, so will tune in if I'm totally, totally bored.
**Friday Night Lights: It's gotten good reviews, so I'm intrigued, but don't know if I can tackle another show.
Wednesday:
Lost: Live. (Duh!)
The Nine: Cannot WAIT for this show. I've adored Scott Wolf ever since he was Bailey.
(And I'm happy to report that I've finally kicked my America's Next Top Model habit!)
Project Runway: Tivo. At least for the next few weeks until the winner is crowned.
Thursday:
The Office: Live: if you've followed this blog at all, you'll know that I'm obsessed. OBSESSED. Also now watch with the hubby.
Ugly Betty: Tivo: This has gotten rave reviews, and I love the fact that it's set at a magazine.
Grey's: Live (Duh again!). Mmmmm, McDreamy. That's all I need to say.
Friday:
I got nothin'. I debated taking on Men in Trees, but I just don't have the space for it in my schedule. Instead, I usually catch up on something that I've taped.
Saturday:
Ditto.
Sunday:
The Amazing Race: Live. Love it! Want to be on it! Could never deal with the sleep impairment and would promptly be declared a whiny bitch!
Desperate Housewives: Tivo. Totally lost interest last year, but might muster the energy to give it a second try.
Without a Trace: Tivo. Started watching after I interviewed Hank Steinberg a few years back. Totally nice, normal guy. Also watch this one w/the hubby, so we usually fire it up on a Friday or Saturday when we don't have a sitter. /lame/
So that's my sched...you?
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Conquering the World Wide Web
I'm building my first portfolio website and feel like I'm lacking direction. Are websites more helpful for certain kinds of writers? I'm planning on using my site to easily present my work to editors, but can a website really help sell you? Also, would I be violating copyrights by posting the text or images of pages of articles I've had published?
In my mind, and I couldn't feel more strongly about this, a website is a MUST for anyone who is serious about building her platform and taking her business (because remember, writing is a business, people!) to the next level. So you're definitely on the right track.
Let's break down your questions: are website more helpful for certain kinds of writers? Well, unless you want to be the kind of writer who is invisible, then I'd say no. I've surfed over to dozens of fiction writers' websites to learn more about them or their books (or to contact them), and trust me, plenty of magazine editors have surfed over to mine (or other mag writers like me) to learn more about me and my work. And the same logic applies going the other way: I've often tried to hunt down a book author for a magazine interview, and when I couldn't find him or her online, I'd move on to someone else. Your website makes you instantly accessible, and if you're not instantly accessible, and someone needs you NOW or is interested in you NOW, he'll move on to someone whom he can find stat. You know how it goes...snooze = lose.
In addition to this instant access, my website has been an invaluable place to showcase my work to editors. (Something you alluded to above.) If they're interested in hiring me, but haven't seen my clips? Hey, check out my website! If they want to know what sorts of subjects I cover? Hey, check out my website! Not to mention that editors definitely google you when your name has been passed to them by someone else or when they're looking for a specific type of writer (say, a health writer), and they'll track you down this way too.
As far as copyrights, I'll admit that I know zilch about that. This issue comes up every once in a while in one of my writer's boards, and no one ever seems to nail down the right thing to do. I'm sure that someone will chime in here and tell me that I'm breaking the law by posting links/scanned articles, but (and maybe this isn't a good defense!), I can tell you that dozens of editors have seen my site, and no one has complained. And most writers I know who have websites post the articles too, so I dunno, maybe there's safety in numbers? (Or is this akin to jumping off a bridge because your friends are all doing it?)
Want to sing the praises of your website? Or narc me out to the writing police? Sound off.
In my mind, and I couldn't feel more strongly about this, a website is a MUST for anyone who is serious about building her platform and taking her business (because remember, writing is a business, people!) to the next level. So you're definitely on the right track.
Let's break down your questions: are website more helpful for certain kinds of writers? Well, unless you want to be the kind of writer who is invisible, then I'd say no. I've surfed over to dozens of fiction writers' websites to learn more about them or their books (or to contact them), and trust me, plenty of magazine editors have surfed over to mine (or other mag writers like me) to learn more about me and my work. And the same logic applies going the other way: I've often tried to hunt down a book author for a magazine interview, and when I couldn't find him or her online, I'd move on to someone else. Your website makes you instantly accessible, and if you're not instantly accessible, and someone needs you NOW or is interested in you NOW, he'll move on to someone whom he can find stat. You know how it goes...snooze = lose.
In addition to this instant access, my website has been an invaluable place to showcase my work to editors. (Something you alluded to above.) If they're interested in hiring me, but haven't seen my clips? Hey, check out my website! If they want to know what sorts of subjects I cover? Hey, check out my website! Not to mention that editors definitely google you when your name has been passed to them by someone else or when they're looking for a specific type of writer (say, a health writer), and they'll track you down this way too.
As far as copyrights, I'll admit that I know zilch about that. This issue comes up every once in a while in one of my writer's boards, and no one ever seems to nail down the right thing to do. I'm sure that someone will chime in here and tell me that I'm breaking the law by posting links/scanned articles, but (and maybe this isn't a good defense!), I can tell you that dozens of editors have seen my site, and no one has complained. And most writers I know who have websites post the articles too, so I dunno, maybe there's safety in numbers? (Or is this akin to jumping off a bridge because your friends are all doing it?)
Want to sing the praises of your website? Or narc me out to the writing police? Sound off.
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
More on Blurb Etiquette
After I asked someone I really wanted to blurb me and who I felt would blurb me, I found out she only had a month if I wanted her blurb on the cover. Needless to say with her crazy writing schedule I didn't feel like this was fair to her and apologized. Is it worth it to get blurbs knowing they won't make it on the cover?
I wanted to pull this question out from the comments section because I thought it was juicy enough to ask other folks to weigh in on, and feared it might get lost if I didn't.
Here's what I would do (or would have done): I would have still asked said author for the blurb, but with many, many caveats. The first being that you are truly respectful of her time and if she couldn't get to it in less than a month, absolutely no big deal. (I say this to all potential blurbers anyway, since obviously, whether they have a month or six, I'm still asking them to give me their time.) I'd also then include something about how, if she can't make the tight deadline, the blurb would still be included on your website, the press materials and the inside pages of the book. This would then give her the option of whether she felt that reading the ms was a worthwhile use of her time. Why not let her decide rather than dinging yourself from the get-go?
I definitely still have some other authors in mind whom I'd love from whom I'd love to garner blurbs. And if we do get more, that means that someone might not make the back cover. (Right now, I think all six are going to be squeezed on.) But when I asked both my agent and my editor if we should stop soliciting blurbs, they said no - that we'd use them in other capacities, like some of the ways mentioned above. I think - and I'm only speculating here, so please, authors feel free to weigh in- that when you blurb, you do it with the hope that you'll get the back cover, but also recognize that you might be placed inside the book, along with a website, etc. Like anything else in publishing, there are no guarantees. At least, that would be my attitude if I gave someone a blurb...
So those are my thoughts? Would you have handled the situation differently? And for those of you who have been asked for blurbs, how would you like to be informed of a scenario like this? Do you expect the back cover? (I could be totally wrong, frankly.)
I wanted to pull this question out from the comments section because I thought it was juicy enough to ask other folks to weigh in on, and feared it might get lost if I didn't.
Here's what I would do (or would have done): I would have still asked said author for the blurb, but with many, many caveats. The first being that you are truly respectful of her time and if she couldn't get to it in less than a month, absolutely no big deal. (I say this to all potential blurbers anyway, since obviously, whether they have a month or six, I'm still asking them to give me their time.) I'd also then include something about how, if she can't make the tight deadline, the blurb would still be included on your website, the press materials and the inside pages of the book. This would then give her the option of whether she felt that reading the ms was a worthwhile use of her time. Why not let her decide rather than dinging yourself from the get-go?
I definitely still have some other authors in mind whom I'd love from whom I'd love to garner blurbs. And if we do get more, that means that someone might not make the back cover. (Right now, I think all six are going to be squeezed on.) But when I asked both my agent and my editor if we should stop soliciting blurbs, they said no - that we'd use them in other capacities, like some of the ways mentioned above. I think - and I'm only speculating here, so please, authors feel free to weigh in- that when you blurb, you do it with the hope that you'll get the back cover, but also recognize that you might be placed inside the book, along with a website, etc. Like anything else in publishing, there are no guarantees. At least, that would be my attitude if I gave someone a blurb...
So those are my thoughts? Would you have handled the situation differently? And for those of you who have been asked for blurbs, how would you like to be informed of a scenario like this? Do you expect the back cover? (I could be totally wrong, frankly.)
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