Breaking Up With Your Editor, Part Two

To continue with Friday's post about sticky situations with editors, I thought I'd offer this story.

I received an email from an editor at a huge magazine, one that I'd never written for, and though I wasn't such an avid reader of the mag, I was flattered that they'd thought of and approached me for a story.

The editor laid out what she needed pretty clearly: this wasn't rocket science, rather a dating piece that I could handle without much of a problem. (I think it was on ways to spice up those first few dates or something like that.) She asked, however, that I submit a list of 20 or so scenarios for the story, which they would then whittle down to five to ten. Oookay. Whatever, I did it. I called top dating/relationship experts, got their opinions, came up with a list, and fired it off to my editor.

I got a note back a few days later saying that they'd changed the angle of the story (the story idea that they had come up with in the first place!), and could I come up with a new set of 20 asap, which meant, literally, within a day. I gritted my teeth and made another round of calls, to the previously-used experts, as well as some new ones too.

Guess what? After 40 scenarios - all supplied by experts - my editor still wasn't satisfied. She asked me to scratch all of the already interviewed experts/authors and find new ones who might present different ideas/situations/scenarios. Think I was annoyed yet? They were only paying me about $1.50 per word, and already, the money wasn't worth my time. But, because this was my first time working with this publication AND because they had approached ME, so I didn't want to mar their good impression of my reputation, I kept going.

I made frantic last-minute calls, prodded busy experts, and finally resubmitted some ideas to my editor. Now, keep in mind that at this point, she had well over FIFTY different situations from which to choose - all of which came from or were, at times, pried out of, Ph.Ds and other experts, who seemed to know what they were talking about. So after all of this, my editor gets back to me with a list of ten or so dating scenarios that SHE and HER OTHER EDITORS have come up with - screw my research or what the experts had to say - and she then wanted me to get the experts to agree with what the editors thought.

For example, "Making Yourself Seem Less Intelligent On a Date Will Turn a Guy On."

Ahem. I'm not kidding.

Well, needless to say, I couldn't get the experts to back up most of the editors' ideas. Hell, I was mortified calling these people back for what was now the third or fourth time and saying, "um, is there ever a time when you might advise a patient to tone down her intelligence?" When I explained to my editor that none of the experts were willing to corroborate her (and her other editors') opinions/examples, she told me that I must be a shoddy reporter. Seriously. And then she told me to continue hunting down other experts until I found some who DID agree with her ideas.

Huh.

So I tried...I think we went through three drafts in which the experts' opinions still weren't emphatic enough for my editor. Could it be because, hmmm, her ideas/scenarios were inane and no reasonable expert could support them? You think??

After yet another snarky note by her with yet another last minute revision/request for additional interviews, I'd had it. So, rather than continue on this fruitless quest, what I did instead was send her a note requesting a kill fee, explaining that I couldn't possibly continue with a story that I so strongly disagreed with, and asking that my byline be removed from anything that they might publish in relation to my research. I said it all very politely and professionally, and kept my swearing and vitriol for the ears of my husband and a few writer friends.

In retrospect, I've spoken with another editor at this magazine who said this was a common problem with said editor, and I've spoken with dozens of writers who claim this is status-quo for the mag in general.

All I know is that I'll never write for them again. I have no problem writing fluffy, fun dating pieces. I *do* have a problem with degrading messages, ridiculous editorial demands and condescending editors who ask you to pull a rabbit out of a hat when there isn't a hat there to begin with. (In other words, ask you to invent a story and theories that no reasonably intelligent expert can agree with.)

-Loss of lifetime income from burning the bridge at this magazine: at least several thousand
-Kill fee: $500
-Maintaining both my professional and personal integrity: priceless

Writing Challenge: How's it Going?

So...how'd you do this week? Come on, guys, we only have a few more weeks until we're done! (We're going through the end of Sept.) So get motivated! Since my WIP is currently in with my agent, I devoted my fiction time this week to my copy-edits for TDLF. Oof. NOT FUN. For those who don't know, after you've sold your book and before it goes to the printer, you get a copy of your ms back in which every last error or potential grammatically-incorrect phrase (like slang or creatively used adjectives or whatever) has been red-lined. You then have to go through it and approve or deny each change. Yay, that sounds like a lot of run, right? Only not. Oh well. Means to an end and all of that.

Okay, we had a nutso weekend, so I'm limiting this post to writing challenge updates. I'll be back tomorrow with more on breaking up with an editor and all of that good stuff. In the meantime, can I just say that I finally finished my Entertainment Weekly Fall TV Preview, and my crush on Patrick Dempsey is back in full-force? Wow. If you haven't picked up a copy, do so stat and check out his photo spread. Wow once again. In fact, one of the characters in TDLF is based on him, and it's my wildest dream that he'll play the character in the (potential!) movie. Damn, if that man isn't a picture of aging well, I don't know who is.

Swoon.

I also want to say, on a heavier note, that today marks the 5-year anniversary of what was the most gruesome day in the lives of many NYC-ers, myself included. It's hard to live here and not think of the attacks in some capacity nearly every day, like when my husband rides the subway during rush hour or when you hear a perilously low-flying plane. However you do it, please take a moment today to honor the memory of those who had the horrid misfortune of standing in the paths of men who seem to equate ruthless, mindless murder with their quest for righteousness and martyrdom.

Anyway. How'd you do this week?

Breaking Up With An Editor, Part One

You had mentioned not wanting to burn bridges with editors when freelancing. Have you ever found yourself just not clicking with an editor? Do you try to win them over or just move on? Have you ever ended up in "hot water" or pissing off an editor? I know that there are many different personalities in magazines and sometimes egos can get a little bit big. Do you have any stories from the trenches?

A few caveats before I answer this question. :) First, I've mentioned this before, but I think that often times, writers take things far too personally, and many of us need to develop thicker skins. I definitely know writers who have issues with *a lot* of editors, and I think if you consistently run into problems or are constantly griping about editors, then you should probably do a little self-evaluation. After all, everyone can't be wrong but you. Right? Second, I'm a pretty easy-going person: it takes a lot to ruffle my feathers and chap my hide. A lot. Which I think is part of the reason that editors like working with me - you're not going to hear me complain about much, not because I'm a doormat but because most things really don't bother me to the point of complaining. SO. If I've put an editor on my black list, I probably have a pretty good reason to. And yes, I do have a black list. Third, I want to note that savvy editors - and I work with plenty of them - take your work and enhance it: they push you to be a better writer and a better reporter, and with their help, you can draw out a bang-up article. I have a lot respect for my editors, and I've learned even more from them over the years than they probably realize.

All of this said, certainly, there are both editors and magazines who are easier to work with than others. Many of the women's magazines edit by committee, which means that you get comments back from not just your direct editor, but three or four others as well. Which doesn't necessarily make it more complicated, but certainly CAN make it more complicated. But on the other hand, some of my women's mag editors are dolls, and I'd never give up writing for them.

These days, I'm in the very fortunate position of now being able to pick and choose whom I write for. Specifically, I've axed off all of the pain-in-the-ass editors or magazines who weren't worth my time (or money). But it wasn't always this way. For the first few years of my career, I pitched anyone and everyone and accepted everything that came into my inbox. Thus, yes, I have a few stories from the trenches. I'll post one today and one on next week. Both are good examples of knowing your limits and learning from your mistakes so you don't fall into the same traps the next time out.

Story Number Uno:
I was a very green freelancer and just landed one of my first national assignments. I was ELATED. Big time magazine that I also happened to subscribe to. Yahoo, right? Not so fast. I got the go-ahead call from the editor, only it wasn't quite a go-ahead call. What she wanted instead was for me to draft half of the story on spec, under the guise of "they've never seen me write anything like this before and wanted to make sure that I could do it." Now, what's spec, you ask? Spec is when you write a piece for no money, and then the editor gets to decide if she wants to pay you for it. (Sort of like if someone painted your house, and then you decided whether or not you felt like paying them for it. Seems fair, right? Only not.) I adamantly disagree with writing ANYTHING on spec, but back then, it seemed like a good idea. After all, I wanted to impress said editor more than anything in my life.

So I drafted about half of the piece for her - did a bunch of interviews and wrote it up just as I would have if I'd had a contract in hand. A few weeks later, I received the official go-ahead call. Yahoo, right? Not so fast. While on the phone, the editor proceeded to tell me how she wanted me to approach the piece and where to take the article, only she told me this in the most ambiguous terms possible, which means she didn't tell me anything about the approach or how to tackle the piece. She literally said at least three times, "I'm not really sure what I'm saying here or what I mean, but YOU know what I mean, right?" To which I replied, "of course I know what you mean," even though I had NO FREAKING IDEA what she meant. How in the hell could I have known what she meant or what she wanted when SHE didn't even know what she meant or what she wanted?? I'm an excellent freelancer; I am not, however, an excellent clairvoyant. When we hung up the phone, I was left with a feeling of total malaise - mostly because the editor had failed to give me any real direction on the story, and I, too intimidated or too stupid, had failed to squeeze anything out of her.

Whatever, I thought. I'm good at this! I'm smart! I don't fail! I'll just do this anyway! And so I did. I wrote what I thought was - and what I still believe to be - a kick-ass story. Cited numerous sources. Culled real life examples. Broke it down exactly as I proposed in my pitch letter. Triple-checked it for grammar. And sent it in.

A month later, said editor called me back. "We're killing your story," she said. "It just didn't work. I can't explain why." Really? Well, no shit! Between your incompetent direction and my cowardice to ask you to actually explain what you wanted, it's no wonder that you weren't pleased. Of course, I didn't say any of this to her. What I said instead was: "I'm mortified, sorry, apologetic, want to kill myself, etc," and then proceeded to never, EVER pitch her again. To this day, I avoid her.

A couple of lessons learned. 1) Always, ALWAYS ask for specific details when getting an assignment. It doesn't make you look dumb; it makes you look smart. Especially when you hand in a story that the editor is pleased with. 2) Learn what is and isn't a fair kill fee. Kill fees are written into your contract: they're a percentage of the total contracted fee that are doled out should the publication ax your story. However, magazines might try hand you a kill fee for terms that have nothing to do with your writing, which isn't kosher: the EIC changed her mind, the story now feels outdated, etc, etc, etc,. In this case, I should have been allowed a rewrite, but it was so clear that the editor had NO idea what she wanted from this piece (in retrospect, this was obvious from the get-go), that she didn't want to salvage it. 3) Snoop around about editors, if possible, before you pitch them. Talk to other writers. Find message boards or writers groups that share info. Turns out that my experience with this editor was not at all unique, and even today, I know plenty of writers who deem her too PIA (pain-in-the-ass) to work with her. And in that same vein, there are plenty of editors who receive good reviews from other writers as well. And trust me, editors are doing the same thing about us.

Years later, I can look back on this and sort of giggle. Sort of. At the time, however, it was horrifying. Simply horrifying. But you know what? In the scheme of things, it didn't matter much. So what if one editor thought my story sucked? I happen to be one writer who thought that SHE sucked, so we were even. And hey, good lessons were learned along the way. Which I can now pass on to you. :)

Hitting an Editorial Bulls-eye

I'd love to hear your advice on how best to track down and connect with the right magazine editors. Writers Market? Or searching on the publications website? Also do you always e-mail query? Do you ever snail mail?

The best way to track down the right editor is to look at the magazine's masthead. Or go to mastheads.org and pay a small fee for access. If you're unsure which editor handles which dept, simply call the magazine and ask. Sometimes, these things are self-explanatory (i.e., the beauty editor), and sometimes, they're not (i.e., senior editor). Now, I know, I know, what could be more intimidating than calling a magazine? Well, to be honest, a lot of things. Seriously, in the overall scheme of things, picking up the phone, heart beating through your chest and asking whom to contact, really isn't THAT big of a deal. So before you talk yourself out of it, have a little perspective: calling and asking won't make you look like an idiot. Who cares if the receptionist is a bitch? Who cares if she's a condescending snarkster? You need this info, so go get it. Chances are, she'll be plenty nice, and besides, it's not like she's taking names and reporting them to editors who then create a blackball list.

Anyway, moving on...I find Writers Market to be terribly outdated and really not that specific. As I've mentioned in the past, someone at the magazine is responsible for including a listing in Writers Market, and it's not like this person is interested in advertising specific names and email addresses so that these editors can be inundated with random emails from potential beginning writers. So they'll often lob in a generic email addy, or worse, a generic snail mail addy, and this automatically serves as a filter. After all, if a query is coming into that addy, they know that the person got the info from WM. It's much, MUCH better to make the extra effort and track down a specific name and address. I've emphasized this before, but part of being a successful journalist is having the skills and the energy to go the extra mile when it comes to researching, and trust me, by sending your query into the generic querys@greatmagazine.com address, you're basically tossing your name (and idea) into the slush pile (read: garbage).

In case you haven't figured this out from the above comments, I only query via email. ONLY. And, in fact, unlike some book agents who are still on the anti-technology horse, magazine editors really rely on email. In fact, none of the successful journalists I know use anything BUT email for their queries. Snail mail is like the horse and buggy in our industry: outdated and pointless. Sure, some editors might ask for a few snailed clips once you've made initial contact, but that's it. Our industry is all about expediency, and snail mail certainly isn't expedient, right? Thus, the nickname, snail mail.

Anyone have any other brilliant ideas as to how to track down specific editors?

The Sale: A Timeline

I was wondering how long it took to sell your book from the time your agent sent it out to when it sold. Also, how often were you talking to your agent during this process? Would you mind sharing?

Happy to share. Officially, it took ten days. Unofficially, it took a little longer. Why? Because my agent was savvy. The ms was ready to go toward mid-December, but she didn't want to send it out during the dead period of the holidays. So what she did instead was call all of the editors who were on her list a few days before they left for their vacation, telling them that it would land on their desks on Jan 3rd, the first day they were back. Her enthusiasm must have transfered over the telephone line because a few editors requested a sneak peek, which meant that they toted it home with them over the Christmas holiday. So by the time everyone got back to their offices and cracked open the ms, we already had a few requests for second reads and a lot of positive feedback. Which meant that all of the other editors, who might normally have tucked the ms at the bottom of their bags and gotten to it when they got to it, read it within a few days. Thus, we had four offers about a week later.

Keep in mind, however, that there really isn't a set timeline for how quickly a ms should or will sell. I remember reading that Meghan Daum's The Quality of Life Report sold in, like, a day (seriously!), and that James Frey's A Million Little Pieces (I know, I know) was rejected by 13 imprints before Nan Talese made an offer. Whatever you think of Frey and his book, it's still an example that it only takes ONE offer, and that offer might be the first or last one you get. Who cares, really? As long as it's an offer.

As far as how much contact I had with my agent during the submission process, well, I had a lot, which I think I've mentioned on the blog before. We emailed or spoke on the phone every day, even if it were only for her to calm my nerves. But again, this will vary. I chose my agent in part because I liked her collaborative approach: I'm a hands-on type of gal, so it was important to me that a) my agent knew this and b) she was cool with my involvement. She was and she still is. We still talk fairly often, whether it's about the cover art or film rights or whatever. If you're on the agent hunt and want to be more actively involved, ASK your agent HOW she feels about this. If you don't, and you find yourself shut out, you really can't complain much.

Any other authors out there want to share their own timelines? I really do think that each one is individual and will vary. So don't panic if your ms hasn't sold overnight!

Writing Challenge: Post Your Progress

Yep, I'm still on vacay, but I've logged on for the first time in five days - a record in our household! - to touch base with you guys on your progress.

Here's mine: I polished my WIP and sent it into my agent with 1000 caveats about how it might suck and how I'm happy to abandon it if she deems it suck-worthy. We had a long convo about how tough the second book is, especially when the first book has been deemed "special," (her word, not mine) by so many people. Hearing her say these things definitely made me feel a bit better, because that's the exact pressure I've been feeling while writing...which hasn't allowed me to enjoy the process so much. I read Happiness Sold Separately this weekend, Lolly Winston's second book, and I suspect she felt much of the same. (I say this because I think I read that she struggled with motivation on #2 as well.) Oh well, at least I'm in good company!

So...I met my goal. How did you do?

I'll be back in a day or so with more questions and answers. Until then, enjoy your Labor Day and any extra vacation time that you can squeeze in! I know that I will.

Quick and Dirty Q and As

Peeps - I know that some of you are waiting (patiently!) for answers. I'm so, so, so, so sorry! This week has been hell, and we're headed out for vacation this afternoon. (Ha, screw you, Ernesto! We're coming anyway.) I promise to answer all of them when I get back. So for today, I'm tacking a bunch of easier questions that I don't have to wax poetic on. Here ya go. Happy long weekend!

Oh, and I'm thrilled to report that I just received my final cover art. I heart it to death! I'm so, so pleased - the art dept at Harper rocks!

How early should I begin sending in seasonal ideas?
If we're talking major monthly mags (and I assume that we are), you'll want about six months. For example, it's now August. I'm working on stories for late-winter and early-spring. So this might be a good time to pitch something on, say, anything from Valentine's Day to Easter. Or anything in between. (Yes, we write our holiday articles in the middle of the summer!)

Okay, so let's say I have a great query and I am ready to send it in. I get the masthead information only to find a bunch of different editors. For example, I am looking at Parents. There is the articles editor, news editor, food editor, associate editor, assistant editors and so on. Who exactly do I send my query to? Take the query you posted on your blog- the one for Parents about gas. Which editor would that have gone to?
The best way to be certain is to actually call the magazine and ask. Parents, for example, is particularly tricky because a different editor oversees each different age group. 0-1, 1-2, 2-3, etc, are all editor by different folks. In general, however, the features editor usually handles the bigger articles that you see toward the middle/back of the magazine, the entertainment editor handles the celeb stuff, and associate or assistant editors might handle FOBs. One person who doesn't assign at all is the managing editor. In fact, the higher up you go on the masthead, the less likely that person is to assign.

I was wondering if you know anything about film rights? I know I retained mine in my name, but do I then have to use my lit agent as my film agency since the co. does handle film rights? Or do I get a separate Hollywood agent?
What happens most often is that your lit agent farms them out to a film agent with whom he or she is partnered. For example, your agent might have a relationship with CAA, and CAA will handle the rights. One look at Publishers Marketplace makes this clear: nearly all of the film rights say something like, "TDLF sold to Warner Brothers by Genius Agent at CAA on behalf of Genius Agent at Trident Media." Or whatever. I think it's pretty unusual for an author to go seek film representation on her own. If you think that your book has movie potential, I'd simply raise the issue with your agent: she'd know best.

I've written about a hundred pages of a novel, but I'm not sure how to go about finding a good agent. Do I start querying before it's all done? Is there any similarity between querying for a mag. article and querying for a novel?
Bad news: you have to finish your novel completely before submitting it to agents. Why? Because it's a hell of a lot easier to start a novel than to complete it. (Example A: moi. My first ms lingered on my hard drive for FOUR YEARS until I finally banged out the ending.) Not to mention that a book that starts out as brilliant might dissolve into total drivel by the time you've reached the second (or third) act. Agents know this, and they're not going to pin their hopes on a partially written novel: it's simply a waste of their energy (and time). Now, if we're talking non-fiction, then it's a whole different ballgame, but for fiction, you gotta go the distance.

As far as similarities between mag queries and novel queries, well, I think it's really important to show your voice in both. What makes my queries successful (again, I think!), is that editors and agents get/got a real sense of my writing style via the pitch letter, and if they were drawn to that style, they'd probably be drawn to the book (or mag article). So while the specifics of what you include in the letter are obviously going to be quite different, the overall tone probably wouldn't be. Does that make sense?

So...there you have it. Some quick and dirty questions and answers. Anyone have any questions?

Looking For a Few Good Books

Would you mind sharing with me what you think are the best written chick-lit books of the past five years or so? I've started a novel, have decided it's going to be unabashedly chick-lit (for lack of a better term -- talent is talent), and I'm looking for inspiration. I've finally managed to read Good Grief and loved it, and that's the kind of thing I'm shooting for.

You've started off with a good one. Good Grief is one of my all-time favorite books, and I think Lolly Winston's voice and plot are sheer perfection. In fact, TDLF has frequently been compared to GG, and geez, that makes me nervous because it's such a high standard to live up to.

Okay, well, it goes without saying that I have to plug the gals who have all blurbed my novel. Pamela Redmond Satran, Val Frankel, Jen Lancaster, Cara Lockwood, Claire Cook and Johanna Edwards. Each has found a way to stand out in the inundated chick lit/women's fiction market, and in this market, that's saying a lot. I also read two women's fiction novels that stood out this summer: Finishing Touches by Deanna Kizis and London is the Best City in America by Laura Dave.

But beyond those plugs, here are some books that every aspiring author in this genre should read:

-Little Earthquakes by Jennifer Weiner: clearly, Weiner is the queen bee of this catagory, and while Good In Bed launched her career, I actually think that LE is the most complex of her work so far, weaving in four different plot lines and dealing with some very real and hard issues

-How to Be Lost by Amanda Eyre Ward: so good that I read it in one night.

-The Big Love by Sarah Dunn: seemingly simple chick lit that isn't simple but is indeed perfection.

-The Dive From Clausen's Pier by Ann Packer: one of my favorite books of all-time. Period.

-My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult: the best, in my opinion, of Picoult's work. Riveting, so well-written, just incredible.

-Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin: my favorite of Giffin's three book, she took a classic chick lit theme - wanting someone else's guy - and spun it in a totally new way. Really absorbing.

-Sophie Kinsella's books. I admit that I actually haven't read these, but I've heard that they're smart, witty and engaging, and I'm definitely going to pick one up as soon as I get through my must-read pile that's built up on my nightstand.

I know as soon as I post this that I'm going to think of DOZENS more. And I'm annoyed at myself for not being able to rattle others off the top of my head (but I'm admittedly really brain-dead this week).

So I'll let other readers chime in: what have been your favorite books from the past few years?

Plot Poaching

They say that there are only a handful of plots and that everything is in some way a variation of another, but did you ever worry while you were working on DEPARTMENT that someone would come out with a similiar plot? Have you ever been working on a story idea only to find that someone else is working on something very similiar? Is it the plot that sells the story or the writing?

Well, there are a couple of things to address in this question. This first is to define plot. To me, plot isn't the overall idea or theme behind the book, it's the actual action that takes place and the story that unfolds. So...while I do agree that there are only so many themes behind a book - reinvention, redemption, saving the world, finding yourself, etc - there are a gajillion different ways to go about spinning these themes.

To that end, yes, I guess in the back of my mind, I was slightly concerned that someone might write a "breast cancer book" before mine came out. BUT, I also knew that I how I told the story was pretty unique, and I wasn't so worried that someone was going to be able to mirror my plotting or how my heroine's situation unfolded.

Let's be honest: in the world of early chick lit, there were 1000 different (but not so different) books about women who were a) jilted at the altar, b) jilting someone at the altar or c) considering doing either a or b. And along the way, there was a lot of chat about shoes, shopping and various Prince Charmings. I read so many of them that I finally declared a moritorium on anything even remotely similar. One more pink or blue-colored cover, and I'd officially lose brain cells.

The industry caught on too - and now, it's no secret that it's much harder to sell a chick lit or women's fiction book. You have to bring something unique to the table. When my book was being shopped around to editors, we repeatedly heard that they'd never seen anything quite like it. Maybe it was because I broke the book up into chemo rounds, maybe it was because they'd read about 30-year olds who needed life makeovers but never read about one who needed a life makeover because she developed breast cancer...I don't know. The point is that someone could write another breast cancer book and it could completely tank, but it probably wouldn't tank because I've already written one. It would tank for a million other reasons.

Another example: Jennifer Weiner's Good In Bed, was, I think, the first chick lit book with a plus-sized heroine. Since then, plenty of others have come out: some have been successful, some haven't been. Johanna Edwards' The Next Big Thing took the plus-sized heroine idea and played with a totally different plot than GIB - and hers went on to be a bestseller, while dozens of others didn't. Now, I can't claim to have read the dozens that didn't, but it's probably not a huge stretch to think that they really didn't distinguish themselves from each other in any tangible way, whereas Edwards' book did.

To answer your question: have I ever worked on a story to find out that someone else was working on something similar? If you're talking about magazines, of course. There's such an overlap that it's nearly impossible NOT to find a similar story to yours. (Which is why newbie writers often assume that editors have "stolen" their idea, when, in fact, their idea simply wasn't anything unique and someone else came up with it. Happens 400 times a day at magazines.) In terms of fiction, my first book (my current WIP) was shot down at one imprint because it was too similar to one of their upcoming releases, which turned out to be The Myth of You and Me. After I read TMOYAM, I certainly did see the similarities. Shrug. What can I do? The other imprints who read it didn't mention anything like that and now that I'm revamping it, I think the plotting will speak for itself.

Is it the plot or the writing that sells the book? It has to be both. A book can be painfully beautifully written and go absolutely nowhere. You know what that is? A snooze-fest. (And not likely to draw me past about page 40.) Alternatively, a book can read like virtual crap but whiz along in a plot. That book might actually sell (or even become a best-seller, since The DaVinci Code comes to mind), but I think this is still a rarity. Editors and agents are inundated with books that are both well-written and well-plotted. Why should they settle for one or the other? As a reader, I don't.

But the bottom line is this: there are a MILLION things that you can worry about in the publishing process. Whether or not someone else will come out with a similar book really shouldn't be one of them. Why? Because it's absolutely nothing you can control. You can control how tight your writing is, how well you spin your plot, how effectively you target potential agents, how carefully you pour over your revisions, etc. But you simply cannot, cannot worry that somewhere out there, someone else is frantically trying to beat you to the punch. It's wasted energy. And to thrive in this business, you'll need to hone all of the energy you can.

Agree? Disagree? How does one book really stand out from the pack these days? Thoughts?

Conan O'Brien is a Genius (But The Emmys SUCK)

As promised, we're taking a break from the writing world to dish on the Emmys. I know, I know, I swore back in the very first post of this blog that I'd probably boycott due to the total and complete crap nominations, but what can I say? I'm a sucker.

This doesn't mean, however, that you don't have to post your progress from last week's challenge. So...how'd you do? Did you meet your goal? I'm happy to say that I did. The first half of my WIP is nearly wrapped, and will be in my agent's hands before the long weekend. This week, I'm just polishing and fixing a few continuity issues before we leave for a vacation (which may be ruined by that damn hurricane, but that's another rant altogether). So what's your goal for the week? (Note to newbies: come join the challenge. Every week, we post our goal for the following week: whether that's adding a certain amount of words or pages a day or just getting out more queries.)

Okay, Emmy thoughts. I was totally underwhelmed with the red carpet. No one blew me away. Here were some random musings:

The I Have to Get Her Make-Up Artist Award: Heidi Klum. Wow! I'm nearly as prego as her, and well, yeah, let's just leave it at that.

The Who Knew She Was So Pretty Award: Amy Poehler. Totally can't tell that she has that cute little bod on SNL. Runner up: Tina Fey.

The Proves that Motherhood is Still Sexy Award: Mariska Hargitay. How great did she look, just two months after popping out a 10-pound child!

The Tara Lipinski Wore It On Ice Award: Cheryl Hines. I love the gal on Curb, but man, that dress looked like it belonged in the Olympics, not the Emmys.

The Love the Gown, Hate the Make-up Award: Katherine Heigl. Tammy Faye, anyone?

The Best In Purple Award: Evangiline Lily

The Worst In Purple Award: Ellen Pompeo. Really didn't like the hair. So circa-1984 when I was in sixth grade.

The Waaaay Too Close to a Wardrobe Malfunction Award: Virginia Madsen

The His Ego is So Big, He Ignored His Stylist's Advice Award: Jeremy Piven. An ascot?? Enough said.

The Wow Nick Lachey Can Really Do Better Award: Vanessa Minillo. That dress? God f-ing awful. One step shy of ESPN's cheerleading championship.

The Who Let Her Out In Public Award: Paula Abdul's handlers. Seriously? I don't think I've ever seen wasted like that on national TV.

The Looks Better than She Has In a Long Time Award: Debra Messing.

The Tried To Love It But Just Couldn't Award: Sandra Oh. Thought the jewelry was too much upon first (and second glance), and still thought so upon third glance.

The Why Can't My Doctor Look Like That Award: Patrick Dempsey (duh). With Justin Chambers chasing right behind.

The HOLY CRAP That Man Fills Out a Tux Award: Wentworth Miller. HOLY CRAP. Can we get him breaking into a black-tie function or something this season?

Okay, enough with fashion. Seriously, I LOVE Conan. That opening bit had my husband checking in on me to make sure that I was still breathing. A Lost spoof? A 24 spoof? An Office spoof? Could this man be more of a genius?? And then, as if that weren't like Christmas in April, the Tom Cruise spoof. I almost died. DIED.

The awards are still going on as I write this, so I'll chime in tomorrow with more thoughts on those. But needless to say, it's been a snooze-fest. No Jaime Pressley? No Gregory Itzin? Whatevs. If Steve Carell loses, screw it: these awards are dead to me. (Yeah, right.)

Okay, so...sound off! What did you think?

And tomorrow, we'll be back to reality: i.e, more questions and more answers!

Update: TONY SHALOUB??? Tony SHALOUB?? WTF? Ok, that's it. Clearly, these voters don't even watch TV. Why on earth are they voting on it??

Editors Sound Off

I've gotten so many questions in about queries - how to write them, common mistakes, proper etiquette - that I decided to go right to the source, namely, some of my favorite editors. I promised them anonymity, but let's just say that these guys are the cream of the crop: every one of them works at a top tier magazine that you see front and center at a newsstand. They took the time to jot down their dos and don'ts. Take note. You won't often have the luxury of peering inside an editor's brain.

Do Flesh Out Your Query. "My 2 cents is that freelancers worry so much about their queries, and they should worry about their ideas, which are generally lame. 95% of the ideas I get are generic, evergreen, lack sourcing and are too narrow. Make that 99%. So to be honest it doesn't matter how great the letter is -- the idea needs to be better developed." Says another editor: "If you have a genius idea, I don't care if you write it on a dirty cocktail napkin or leave it on my voicemail or send a three sentence e-mail...I just want it. In other words, if the idea ain't great, it doesn't matter how perfect the pitch is...."

Do Read The Freakin' Magazine First! "My biggest pet peeve, whether I'm being queried by a writer or a publicist, is when it's obvious she doesn't read the magazine. For example, I get a million pitches about women starting their own businesses -- great, but a topic we simply don't cover and never have -- which the person would know if she read the magazine once or twice. Perhaps I'm the only one, but when I get a pitch like this I'll automatically disregard every bit of correspondence from the writer forever thereafter. It's my little way of protesting against people who waste my time." This editor isn't the only one to say this. Another echoes this same peeve: "When a writer who's pitching me isn't familiar with the magazine (i.e., pitches a story we'd never run, pitches a story we ran in the last issue, doesn't pitch to a specific department, pitches to a department we don't even have, etc.). If you're going to pitch, sit down with at least three past issues of the magazine and get to know it before you e-mail me." And finally, yet another one wants you to be even more thorough: "Go to the NY public library and read a year's worth of back issues before you pitch."

"Do think about where in the magazine the story will go. Is it a department? An FOB short? If you can't find a home for it, I probably won't be able to either."

"Do consider how you'll package it. Straight narrative? Bulleted list? Infographic? This is particularly important if you're pitching an FOB item. If it's a service story, give me a short list of possible sources. This will help me judge the likely quality of your research." Another editor agrees: "Do have specific examples/people lined up and have already talked to some key sources."

"Do check in with editors periodically -- you never know when an editor might need your help!"

"Do target a specific section or column and pitch the editor who handles it. Doing both of these things speeds up the process because you've already figured out for the editor where your story fits and why, and you're not waiting for your pitch to get passed along to the appropriate person."

"Do send a few links to your nat'l clips at the bottom of your query. And if you don't have nat'l clips, don't pitch a feature. Despite how great a writer you are, it's just not likely you'll get the assignment before showing us you can handle it by writing shorts. So just pitch shorts. And you might want to write the short you're pitching--not just give me a graf--and wow me so much that I accept it on the spot. This will show me you've done your homework, know what we run, and can write the type of stuff we publish." (Note to readers: Several posts ago, I specifically said not to do this for FOBs, but hey, it works for this editor, so it might work for others! I stand potentially corrected. Just goes to show you: what doesn't work for one editor might work for another!)

"Do a Google search or a Nexis search and find out if your idea (or things like it) has been covered anywhere else, and let the editor know when and where. Just because something was covered doesn't necessarily mean we wouldn't do it to (each publication will put their own spin on it, of course), but if it's a trend item and it was a huge story in the NYTimes or God forbid, a competitors mag, that's bad. It just shows that you took an extra step." (Another note to readers: I've never done this! So I learned something new here today.)

Don't Lob an Airball into a Random Editor. "A major pet peeve is when I get a note saying, 'If you're not the right person for this pitch, please pass it along to whomever is." 99 times out of 100 I pass it along all right -- into the trash. It's the pitcher's job to track down the right person, not mine. It's easy to call a magazine and ask, 'Who edits the travel pieces?'"

Don't Be a Nag. "I hate it when a writer calls over and over to ask if i've gotten the pitch. Calling to check once or even twice is fine, but after that, it should be clear that the editor isn't interested. (And I apologize on behalf of all of us -- in a perfect world editors would have time to respond to every pitch, not just those she's interested in.)"

Don't Take Things Personally. "The editor is working for the reader, not for you. The goal is for everyone to be happy but in this order: 1. Reader, 2. Editor-in-chief, 3. You."

"Don't treat the assistant badly. Be nice to the little people." Before you know it, they'll be the ones assigning. (Note to readers: truer words have never been spoken. I can't tell you how many assistant editors I've befriended. We moved up in the ranks together, and they now feed me work.)

So there you go. A few thoughts from the mouths of people whom really matter.

Does that help? Does that open up more questions?

Weird Publishing Abbreviations; Source-Citing

a) Is a FOB the same as a filler? b) When submitting something that pertains to health, do you have cite the source under the written piece?

a) Hmmm, I'm not exactly sure what you mean by "filler," but I'll just do my best to define FOB, and hopefully, that will clear up all of the confusion.

Magazines are divided into several sections - among them, the FOB (front-of-book) section and the feature well. Take out a national consumer magazine. Any one will do. After the letters to the editor and table of contents, you'll come across a group of pages, anywhere from, say 10-50, that are made up of short "articles." I put articles in parenthesis because they're not really articles - they're closer to blurbs, in that they run about 100-400 words each. They're little nuggets that contain spurts of information but not enough to make up a longer story. Often times, they cover recent research reports or focus on new trends. Really - take a look at a magazine, and you'll know exactly what I'm talking about.

Does that help? A few other funny acronyms that mag folks use:

Lede: well, this isn't an acronym, but it means "lead" or "intro" of a story

TK: "to come," as in "TK Tips on Water Safety"

FC: fact check

Graf: short for paragraph

Round-up: type of article that is a "round up" of quotes and only quotes

Hed: headline of the article, ie, "Magical Weight Loss Secrets."

CQ: checked quote, as in, "this quote has been verified as correct" - often used if a name or word has an odd spelling or if a quote sounds slightly weird

Dek: the few sentences that are below a header. For example, the header might read, "Magical Weight Loss Secrets," and the dek will then say, "You don't have to be David Copperfield to shed pounds. We've whipped up our own pixie dust to help you cut the fat." Or whatever.

Have I missed any?

b) I always cite the source if it's a quote/study/etc that's unique to this person/university/association. It's sound journalism, and provides an expert voice for the story. Now, my editors don't always keep the source in - I assume, most often due to word count - but when I file my story, it will always read, for example, "recent research from the Journal of the American Medical Association states, blah, blah, blah." The only time I wouldn't do this is when I'd interviewed several experts and they all said the same thing. Then, in my mind, it's more common knowledge, and I don't necessarily need to attribute it to a source. Again, for example, I'm working on a story right now on toddlers and sleep. Nearly all of my experts said the same thing about the importance of establishing a routine. So...there's a sentence in the story about the importance of establishing a routine, but it's a paraphrase conglomeration of their advice and not attributed to anyone in particular.

Brad Pitt and I are BFF

What creative ways do you say you have an inside track with an interesting interviewee? I write about music and musicians. Always looking for graceful and effective ways to say that.

I usually just come right out and say it. I mean, you want the editor to be impressed with the fact that you have the inside edge, so why not just let her know that? So, I've said things like, "I have a relationship with Famous Celeb's publicist and am certain that landing an interview wouldn't be a problem." Or "I've been lucky enough to befriend Huge Movie Star and feel confident that I could grab the interview." Or whatever. I don't think you need to be particularly graceful about it - after all, this is a brag moment for you! A moment to distinguish yourself among the gajillion other writers who would die to interview Huge Movie Star, so just put it out there!

How Many is Too Many?

a) When you were beginning your freelance career, how many queries would you send out on a daily basis? b) And did you shop the same query around to several different editors?

a) Ooh, I have no idea what the exact number would be (and that was two computers ago, so I really can't check my archived emails), but I can tell you that it was A LOT. I was incessant about pitching. That one didn't work? How about this? No? I got more. My husband would joke that I was a master hustler because I was always, always, always vying for more work.

While I can't give you an exact number, I can say that the best way to get out as many queries as possible - and potentially land assignments - is to keep your eyes out for great stories. Brilliant advice, right? Well, guess what? It is! :) What I mean by this is that great story ideas aren't going to just fall in your lap. Part of my job is to read every last thing that I can: health research, new trends, medical reports, local papers, national news, pop culture blogs, etc, etc. These are the things that are going to generate ideas and nab you assignments. If you keep your fingers on the pulse of what's going on in the world, you're probably not going to lack for ideas. And once you have ideas, the number of queries that you send is limitless.

Why not try setting a goal for yourself? My writers group has a query challenge every couple of months, in which people see how many possible queries they can get out each week. I've seen people shoot off 20+. Remember that, especially as a new writer, very few of these are going to pan out. (Cold, harsh truth. Sorry.) So you're not going to be too swamped to handle the work. But you'll be getting your name in front of an editor, and ideally, making a great impression, and that will lead to future work. Freelancing is a constant work-in-process. Getting on the query wagon is a smart first step.

b) As far as simultaneous submissions, gulp, well, freelancers and editors have very different takes on this. These days, I'd never, ever do it because a) I know my editors personally, and I feel like I owe them something and b) because I do know them, I also know what they're looking for, so have a greater chance of landing a pitch. BUT, as I mentioned above, the reality of the situation is that as a newbie, it is very, very unlikely that you'll land a ton of initial assignments. So, the logic follows that you should cast your net as wide as possible. And many freelancers I know - including myself at one point - do. Not often. Not with every pitch. But yeah, occasionally. I'm not advocating this as a practice, but is it done? Yes. Freelancing is a business: why would you commit yourself to one editor (whom you don't know and who doesn't know you), when there are so many other possibilities out there? So yes, early in my career, I definitely submitted to multiple places. And let me tell you: never once did more than one editor beat down my door for a story. In fact, I hear of this situation very, very rarely.

Of course, there are ways to make everyone happy. The most obvious is to tweak the query so that it's slightly different for each magazine. For example, if I had a great metabolism-related idea, maybe I'd pitch a straight exercise angle to FITNESS, a diet/food angle to COOKING LIGHT, and something on kids and obesity to PARENTS. Do note that none of these magazines are competitors. These days, I'd never pitch the same idea to FITNESS, SELF and SHAPE, but again, that's because I have pre-established relationships with these editors. Plenty of other freelancers do indeed fire off the same query and see who bites (if at all) first. Note that should more than one editor want the idea, you most likely will find yourself in hot water (with the steaming mad snubbed editor) and might burn a bridge. I guess you have to decide upon the likelihood of more than one person vying for it, and if they do, if you'd care.

Another solution is to send in a query, wait a reasonable amount of time - a week or two - then send it elsewhere, all the while following up with the original magazine. This way, you know that you've given them first crack, but you're also covering all bases by pursing other options. This is usually how I handled things when I did occasionally simultaneously submit - I'd assume that if an editor were really salivating for an idea, she'd let me know pretty quickly, and if she were ho-hum, then she wouldn't balk if I sold it elsewhere.

A third solution is to send the query with a comment stating, "if I don't hear from you by October 1st, I'll assume you're not interested." I know several writers who do this, though I might wait until the follow-up email to set a deadline. Then, at the set date, you know that it's safe to move on, and should the editor eventually get back to you with a yes, it's not as if you haven't said, "hey, I'm not waiting around forever."

Look, the bottom line is that you have to do what's right for you. When I was just starting out, what was right for me was building my database of clips and landing assignments. And sometimes, that meant sending out simultaneous submissions. Not often, but when it was a really timely or hot idea. These days, what's important to me is honoring and preserving the relationships that I have. I adore my editors and wouldn't in any way want to tarnish those ties. Period.

On another note, I'll be dealing with queries again later this week. Only this time, I've surveyed a slew of my editors to garner their dos and don'ts. And guess what? They had a lot to say! So tune back in!

Mucking Through the Writing Process

You mentioned that the plot of The Department of Lost and Found was easy to write because it was based on something you had experienced in life. a) How did you come up with the plot for what you are working on now? b) Did you run the idea by your agent and ask for her advice before you started writing it? c) What is the process for coming up with a book? Also, when you wrote DEPARTMENT, did you outline it first or just dive right in?

a) The plot of my current WIP also stems from some real life experiences, but only very tangentially. I touched on this in another post, but I really think it helps to have some personal or emotional connection with some aspect of your story idea: it gives your writing heft and believability. The WIP explores female friendships, and the concept of why we're drawn to various people in our lives...and why we stay attached to them long after the relationship has dwindled to an end, which are questions that I've long wondered about. I guess the idea took its roots from several friendships that I've had over the years, and what these relationships gave me: the incredible bonds, but also the complications that some of those bonds have brought.

b) As I've mentioned before, this was actually the first ms I completed, which never sold. I've completely gutted that ms, leaving only traces of what it once was and am rebuilding. So my agent, who had read that ms after she signed me for DEPARTMENT, already had an idea of what I was going to write about. I'm lucky: she trusts me. I think, for her, she loves my writing style and believes in me enough that she'll let me do my thing and only step in if I veer wildly off-course. (If say, I wanted to write a backpacking guide to Nepal, which really wouldn't address my strengths.) That doesn't mean, however, that I fully trust myself. Thus, I bounced the first 10k words off of her and am about to send her the first 40k words. Just to ensure that I'm on track.

c) This ms is much slower-going than DEPARTMENT. With both of them, however, my writing process is much the same. I tend to map out the next three or so chapters from where I am in my writing, and don't plan a big outline from the get-go. The books start with an overall concept or question or character - something or someone whom I can clearly see in my mind and that I know I want to explore - and I spin from there. For DEPARTMENT, I had a very clear vision of my heroine right away. I knew who she was, what drove her and where her faults could be found. I didn't know exactly where she was going to take me (or where the book was going to go), but by starting with a clear understand of her, I let her lead me.

Some authors definitely set up the entire story arc before they begin. But I know that I'd feel too constrained by this. I know that this sounds weird (and I say this b/c I've read similar things from other authors and always think that it sounds a little touchy-feely, but it's true!), but I really let my characters take over and dictate where they want to go. In DEPARTMENT, for example, one of the men who becomes a critical part of my heroine's life was never intended to be more than a bit player! But as soon as I started writing his scenes, it became obvious that he was a great potential match for her. If I'd established all of these preconceived notions about exactly who he was and the role he needed to play, the book would have taken on an entirely different angle. And, needless to say, wouldn't have been as good.

So basically, I keep a piece of paper beside me as I go, and when I'm done with a chapter or a chunk of the writing, I'll jot down the next few entanglements and scenes. It's worked pretty well for me so far. That's it. Nothing fancy at all.

So that's my process. What's yours?

I Don't Have the Slightest Clue

I know that published authors can declare all of their expenses (mailings, phone calls,
editing, copies of manuscripts, etc), but, can an unpublished author do the same? What I mean is, I have written a manuscript, unpublished, but can I still declare all of my expenses in my taxes?

Truly, I'm stumped. Part of me wants to say, of course, because there are a million waiters/aspiring actors out there who have yet to land a part, but who, I'm sure deduct their headshots, but part of me also thinks that this is a slippery-slope. I mean, what if I wanted to become a professional hang-glider? Can I deduct the purchase of said hang-glider? I doubt it.

So, really, I don't know. I went here: http://www.irs.gov/faqs/index.html#12, but couldn't find any clear answers.

Thus, I'm putting this up on the board in case someone has a wise answer. My wisest advice? Speak with your accountant. Because God knows, you don't want the IRS chasing you down over the cost of a stapler when you should have just forked over the money in the first place.

Tally Ho! The Writing Challenge Continues...

So, how'd you do this week? List your progress here.

If you're just tuning in, please feel free to join us. Here's the deal: each week, we publicly commit to a writing goal for the next seven days. On Monday, we report.

I added another 5k - more or less - this week. My goal for the next week is to get to a break in the action (one that I already have mapped out in my mind), at which point, I'll be sending the ms to my agent for a quick review. I imagine this will take me less than 5k words, but I dunno. We'll see.

So how'd you do?

Query Virgins

When you query an editor for the first time, how much information do you give about yourself? I have heard that you are selling yourself. What is the right approach without coming across too strong, or tacky? And any other tips for first time contact with magazine editors?

First of all, you're on the right track from the get-go: I love that you already realize that you're selling yourself. I can't tell you how many writers lose track of this and don't understand that they're marketing themselves and that they are a commodity. It would be lovely and fine and dandy to think that writers can simply wile the way away smoking hash pipes and scribbling down prose whenever the mood strikes them, but let me tell you, if that's your attitude, you ain't making any money in this business.

The last word in the previous paragraph is a good lead-in to answering your questions. Business. Conduct your writing career as you would a business. To that end, I promote myself as I would a product. I try to be approachable and warm, yet still smart and professional. And I do this in a few ways:

1) The tone of my writing. I've already posted several examples of old query letters, and I think that you can see that none of the writing comes off as stiff or overly formal, but I also don't cross the line into assuming that I'm IM-ing with my best friend.

2) My queries are mistake free. I can't tell you how simplistic this sounds, and yet I have so many editor friends who complain that they receive emails littered with poor grammar, poor spelling, poor writing. So for the love of God, proof read your emails and spell-check them too!

3) Explain why YOU are the one who should write this article. I write a lot of parenting articles these days, and one of the reasons why is because I'm living and breathing the research and ideas behind my pieces. So, maybe I'll start out a query saying, "this past week, my son became a fashion diva: no more allowing mommy to pick out his clothes for him. While I was thrilled at this sign of independence, the allure quickly faded when he insisted on wearing his (dirty) fire-truck shirt three days in a row. So how do parents cope with the burgeoning independence that comes along with toddler-hood? This article would explore how...blah, blah, blah." I just made that up, but you get the point: I'm giving an editor a reason to hire ME over some schmo who hasn't dealt with this personally. Another example: I've been actively pursuing several stories on breast cancer. My link to it - via my late friend - has really expanded my interest in the subject, and when I tell editors why I'm so invested, they're much more invested in ME, and in me writing it. Or maybe you have an inside-edge with an interesting interviewee or hot tickets to a sold-out concert that you want to cover. I don't know - the point is, sell the editor on why YOU should write this piece.

4) Don't threaten, beg, or brag. Again? This is a business. Any query letter that says something along the lines of, "your magazine is really going to miss out without me," "please, people keep saying 'no,' and I'm desperate to break in," or "you'll never find a better writer than me," is just asinine. No editor wants to work with a narcissist or whiner, so don't present yourself as one from the get-go. Again, you'd be amazed at what people include in their queries. (This goes for book queries too!)

5) Do list your credits and list them proudly! If this is a new-to-you editor, you might try listing them in the opening paragraph. Not a necessity, and everyone has his or her own preferences, but part of me thinks that an editor is more likely to keep reading if she's impressed by what you've done than if she's not yet aware of what you've done (and thus might only skim your email and glance at your credentials at the bottom of the query). So you might say, "Dear Fabu Editor, I'm a freelance writer and have written for XX, XY, XZ. Did you know that recent research shows that the world is set to implode in approximately 423 days? Here's why. Etc, etc, etc."

6) Follow up! Writers are waaaay to intimidated by editors. They're people just like us! And if you're new-to-them, they might not give your query top priority. So for God's sake, follow up!! You're not being pushy, you're running your business. Period. You have every right to check in with an editor if you haven't heard back. I'd wait two weeks from when you sent your initial email, then send a quick note (I usually just forward the original query) saying, "I just wanted to follow up to the below email. Please let me know if you're interested." Or whatever. True story: I landed my first assignment at SELF after three follow-ups. If I'd been more shy or more lazy, I'd never have broken in. I'm still writing for them today and have a piece coming out in the November issue.

Whew! I think I've listed most of the nitty-gritty here. Any questions? Anyone want to add his or her own advice?

The (News)Paper Chase

I would like to do some freelance writing for the local paper back home here. I was wondering two things.
1) Should I have my article written before I query the editor? Or should I wait to see if they're interested?
2) How much do I charge for that?

1) I touched on this earlier in the week in one of the "comments" sections, but I thought I'd reiterate this here. Never, ever, EVER send in a completed story before you've received an assignment. Never. (Was that clear enough?) The only exceptions to this rule are essays and some travel pieces.

Why not? Wouldn't this save everyone some time? No. Here's why.

An editor is there for a reason. Part of his job is to choose which stories will work in his magazine (or paper) and why. Thus, when you send him a germ of an idea, it's only a germ. He's the one who gets to choose the angle, advise you how to write it, and assess how it can best blend into the rest of the magazine. If you've already written the whole piece, how on earth can he do this? Believe it or not, every magazine strives to differentiate itself from its competitors. You might think that SELF, SHAPE, FITNESS, WOMEN'S HEALTH, and HEALTH are interchangeable, but trust me, the editors at each magazine do not. (And as a writer for these mags, neither do I.) In fact, a story works for SELF might not work for FITNESS...I'm not talking about the story idea, I'm talking about the completed story. Yes, they're both going to cover weight loss, but SELF might do it by running a piece that features tips from real women, while WOMEN'S HEALTH might do it by featuring top experts in the field and breaking it up into body type. See where I'm going with this? Unless you've permeated your editor's brain, there's no way that you can know how they want a piece covered. Maybe they like your story idea but have recently covered a similar angle - they'll want to take that story idea and come up with something fresh. Or maybe the angle is working, but they'll want you to list which experts you'll interview before they give you the green light. Who knows? There are a million variations on these hypotheticals...the bottom line is that if you've already sent in the completed story, you're not giving the editor a chance to make the piece fit his particular niche. And he'll shoot you down faster than you can say, "Jack Bauer."

Finally, I should note that sending in a completed piece is a blatent sign of a newbie. Because it's so verboten, seasoned writers would simply never do it...and those who do wave their beginner flag all too clearly. So take my advice: draft a kick-ass query - detailed enough to grab the editor's attention, complete with why this story is right for him, why it needs to be told now, how you would tell it, and why you're the one to tell it, then send it off. That should impress him just fine.

2) Payment. You don't tell him how much you charge, he tells you how much he pays. Which doesn't mean that there isn't room for negotiation, only that the editor/paper/magazine sets the standard and you use this as a launching point. (There are some exceptions for this - start-ups might ask me how much I usually get paid, but again, they're the exception, and I'd never pitch a story and add in, "I expect $XX for this piece.") Newspapers don't pay that well - I'll be blunt. I don't write for them, but I'd guess that you'll get a couple hundred bucks for a story - max, somewhere in the ballpark of, say, 10-35 cents a word. But that's not the point for you right now. You want to build clips, as well as your portfolio, and local papers are a great way to start.

Anyone out there write for papers and want to share his or her general rates?

Co-authoring Conundrums

I am working on a book with a famous beauty expert. We are only at the proposal stage (still doing some revisions)... We just got an agent (both have the same one), and I have not signed any sort of collaborative agreement yet. Was just wondering if you might know the answers to the following:
a) If I need to get a lawyer
b) How much an advance for a non-fiction book might be (any sort of ballpark number??)
c) As a "writer-for-hire" how much % should I consider asking for without looking like a idiot?

a) Do you need a lawyer? Hmmm, it's not a bad idea, but I guess it depends on what you want to use him for. If you want the lawyer to look over the collaboration agreement between you and your collaborator, then yes. I'd do it. But your agent will be the one who can look over the contract from the publisher, so you wouldn't need a lawyer for that. I guess it depends on how well you know your collaborator and how much you trust him. Even so...it never hurts to have a lawyer look over the fine print and make sure that you're not getting screwed. You can never protect yourself enough. (I speak from personal experience here.)

b) The advance question is SO tough - and I'm really just guessing here. So take all of this with a grain of salt. Depending on the size and scope of your collaborator's platform, the advance could be anywhere from 10k to six-figures. It also depends on how many offers you get: this seems obvious, but if you're able to generate an auction, the $$ is obviously going to be bigger than if you can't.

I just did a quick search the deal section on Publishers Marketplace for books that would be similar to yours, and it looks like most of the deals are for less than 50k. But that doesn't mean that yours couldn't go for more, especially because of your job (note to readers: this email came in from a writer with a good platform, so that's what I'm to referring to here). I'm not sure what the average non-fiction advance is, but the average fiction advance is very small - around four figures small, and certainly no bigger than 10k. But because you guys have a platform, you'll probably get more...I certainly did for my novel and this was in no small part thanks to my platform and the auction.

But you just can't count on it, you know? When I was younger (and stupid), I agreed to collaborate on a book (more about this below), because the agent promised me that it would sell for at least 75k. Ha! Looking back on it today and now that I'm better versed in what is and isn't industry standard, she had no idea what she was talking about. (More on that below!) Not only did the book NOT get 75k, it never even sold!! So...I'm just wary about shooting off numbers, and any decent agent would be too.

c) Ok, the terms of the contract are where I REALLY went askew in my collaboration agreement. The above agent strong-armed me into a 60-40 advance agreement (with me getting 40%), and NO royalties. I argued with her, but she wouldn't budge, and I didn't know any better. I rationalized that doing the book was more important than the money. Now, in your case, it sounds like your collaborator is bringing a lot to the table, in terms of name recognition, but in my case, this was simply an unknown (more or less) M.D., and in retrospect, I was the one bringing all of my contacts and my platform to the table. After doing some research in the past few years, I probably should have gotten 75-100% of the advance and then some portion - up to 50% - of the royalties. Yep, I know that sounds like a lot, but most of the other writers I know who have co-authored books with (unknown) experts have gotten something around that...not least because the bulk of the work of writing the book falls on the writer. Now, in your case, you both have a lot to offer, so I wouldn't settle for less than 50% of the advance and 50% of the royalties. I'd think that you wouldn't feel short-changed with this agreement.

Two other quick thoughts: You can also specify that you won't write the book for less than a certain amount: if, say, you expect the advance to be 75k, and the offers dribble in at about 20k, you're not tied to a lot of work for not a lot of money. OR, and many writers do this as well, you can insist that you're paid for writing the proposal, regardless of if it sells. I can't tell you how much I regret not doing this in the aforementioned situation. I simply didn't know any better, but it's actually pretty standard. After all, why should you work for free?

Has anyone out there co-authored a book? Want to weigh in on your contract terms or have any other advice for this writer?

The Who, What, Where, When and Why, Or...How the Hell Does a Book Get Sold Anyway?

Everyone says that getting your book published is nearly impossible, but I'm curious why. Once you have an agent, shouldn't this be an easy process? Don't they just have to find an editor who likes it too?

Ha! Excuse me while my husband breaks out the defibrillators because I just nearly died laughing.

***insert zapping sounds here****

Okay, now that I've fully (or nearly) recovered, let me explain how the process works, taking you from pitch to (hopefully) sale. Sure, to answer your first question: having an agent helps. No doubt. Without an agent, you're swimming upstream and likely to drown. With an agent, you're lucky enough to be in a boat, but you're still heading upstream, and who knows if your boat has paddles. Which is to say, that representation aside, selling your book is still damn hard. Here's why.

Once your agent deems the ms ready to go out, she (or he) compiles a list of editors whom she suspects will adore your book. She calls them and pitches the book. Some of these editors might not adore your book at the very sound of the premise and will decline the ms, but most - if your agent has done her homework - will say, "send it on over. I wait with baited breath." So she sends it on over within the next few days.

From there, you'll wait anywhere from several days to several months for feedback. The rate at which you hear answers largely depends on a) how well your agent pitched the book (i.e, if they're frothing at the mouth, they'll most likely read it asap) and b) how much other interest is generated and how quickly that comes in. For example: when we sold TDLF (The Department of Lost and Found, my novel, for newbies), we were lucky enough to have a few editors request a sneak peek over the Christmas holidays, and when everyone returned to their desks on January 3, we already had really positive feedback. You can bet your butt that my agent was then on the phone letting all of the other editors know this...which meant that everyone else read within a week.

Regardless of when your ms gets read, if the initial editor likes it, that's just the first step. Getting published is not unlike a hurdle race: you have to jump over a hell of a lot of them before you reach the finish line. From there, this editor sends it to 2-4 (on average) "second reads:" other editors at her imprint who have to agree with her enthusiasm in order for the book to move on. Additionally, if this editor is a hardcover editor, she needs to get the paperback editor to adore the book as well. (Though the paperback editor might also be one of the second readers.) So...as of now, we have anywhere from say, 3-5 people who all have to greet your book with unbridled passion. Don't believe me? Here's an example: we got a very positive first read from an editor at a huge imprint at a huge house. From the get-go, both my agent and I thought she'd be perfect. Her second reader agreed. Her third reader agree. Her fourth reader, "liked it, but found it a little depressing." Guess what? Ding! The buck stopped there. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200.

Okay, but assuming all of the second reads fawn and flutter over your ms, what happens next? An offer, right? Nope. From there, the ms or concept (as well as your platform - remember, we discussed this last week?) is run by marketing, who assess how likely your book is to actually sell and if it will sell, how well it will sell. If you've written about a lesbian Eskimo who decides to venture to the mainland and have a sex change, and marketing decides that no one wants to read the saga of a lesbian Eskimo who decides to venture to the mainland and have a sex change, then...ding! After all, money talks in this industry. (You might not actually know that they've dinged you immediately, however, because - and I'm not 100% clear on this - I believe that the marketing team presents their opinions at...the all important acquisition meeting, which we're moving on to below.)

So...now, we're up to what? At least half a dozen folks who have to be smitten with the book. See how this gets tricky? And now, we're into the all important acquisition meeting. You've cleared all the aforementioned hurdles, and this is where the original editor lobbies to buy the book. Should be a breeze, right? Ah, not so much. See, publishers only buy so many books and they only have so much money to spend, so they literally go in front of their peers and argue why the imprint must. have. this. book. now. If this editor is armed with strong second reads and positive marketing feedback, she'll likely get the green light. But not always. Again, real life example. A few days before my offer deadline (the day that my agent had set for all offers to be on the table), one editor insisted on calling me to "woo me" to her imprint. She was rabid for the book. Her second readers backed her up. Marketing was on board. Slam dunk. My agent was hesitant - normally, you don't speak with editors until they've decided to definitely offer - but this editor's enthusiasm spoke for itself, so my agent passed her my number. The convo went swimmingly. I was elated - this imprint would be my new home! I was sure of it.

Guess what? Said editor (for whom I harbor no ill-will - this really wasn't her fault!) got into the acquisition meeting and couldn't get her boss - the head of the imprint - to sign off. He "didn't want to publish a book about cancer." Ding!

The good news is that if your editor can push your book through the acquisition meeting, you'll get a call or email from your editor with a formal offer. And there's nothing sweeter.

Whew! I'm exhausted just posting about this whole process. You can see how tough it is, and why, in my opinion, most books that get published really do deserve some respect - it's not an easy road to navigate. (Which doesn't explain your next question: how does so much crap slip through the cracks? I dunno. But there must be a market for it, so maybe some editors buy crap because they know that crap sells.) Frankly, it's hard to imagine, given the diligence of this process, that anyone gets published at all! I mean, what are the chances that everyone at a given imprint is going to love your book? Slim, right? Right.

How TDLF got four offers is beyond me. Truly. I mean, I love, love, love my book, but really, I feel very fortunate. One offer is a blessing. Anything beyond that - which means that your agent gets to conduct an auction - is a miracle. I'm not even kidding. Up there with the parting of the red seas.

I didn't write all of this to intimidate you guys or daunt you! Only to inform. It can be done. Just walk into Barnes and Noble if you don't believe me: all of those authors went through similar processes (though, I'm sure, there's some variance from house to house and book to book, etc...I'm not claiming that what I wrote here is set in stone, just a general idea), and hey, they came out on the other side. You can too.

Did I scare you off? Or was this educational? It's good for me to know for future posts!

I Want My FOBs

Could you talk about FOB pitches and how you approach those? Samples (if not too much?)
Sure thing. I don't pitch FOBs that often anymore - really just because I don't have the time - but as I mentioned in a previous post, I used to tackle them all the time, and not only are they a great way to break into a new market, they're a great way to prove to a new-to-you editor that you're the real deal.

(Sidenote for newcomers to the blog: FOB stands for front-of-book, and an FOB is one of those shorter stories/blurbs that you'll read in the literal front of the magazine. Thus, the name.)

In the past, I often used new research, studies or books to develop FOB ideas. Since I cover health and lifestyle (and everything that falls underneath those vast umbrellas), I'd troll websites such as newswise, medlineplus, and intelihealth for the latest research. When I'd hit a study that I thought could be spun into a short piece, I'd whip up a fun little blurb and send it into a targeted editor. I'd usually aim to send about 4-5 at a time, knowing that most likely, 1-2 would hit. Another good place to look for ideas is the "upcoming release" section of Amazon or Barnes and Noble. Keeping in mind that most major mags work about six months out, I could often find future books (and their authors) that could be profiled in 200 word FOBs.

Here are a few examples that I sent in a few years ago. I really don't save the published FOBs, so I can't remember which of these made the cut, but regardless, you'll get a good idea of how to write them up and grab an editor's attention.

1. If you can't pass on the ice cream, try the gym. The American Physiological Association reports that after exercise, athletes would rather indulge in salty, not sweet, treats, and that their perception of the sweetness of an item had diminished. You'll reap two benefits: one, you've burned calories and two, the Ben and Jerry's might not be as tempting!

2. Researchers state that volunteering or giving to charity is a great way to reduce stress and improve your happiness. Yet while many of us think it's a great idea in theory, few of us put it into practice. How about, just in time for the holidays, tips on becoming more involved in charity and websites where people can donate to their favorite organizations. (There are some great ones out there that list thousands of charities; you only have to enter a credit card number.) Both December and January are great times to get into the giving spirit and start the year off right.

3. Fast Food Nation: too good to be true? This week, McDonalds announced plans to launch a healthy happy meal, and KFC and other joints have already implemented supposedly "lite" items on their menus. But are they for real? I was shocked to read that the "low-fat" blueberry muffin at Dunkin' Donuts actually has 15 grams of fat. Sheesh, that's hardly good for me! So which items to experts give the thumbs up to, and which are only clever marketing tools? This could be done in the form of a chart.

4. Social Drinking isn't Fun After All: At least not for your brain. Vanderbilt University researchers report that heavy social drinkers, those who consume more than 100 drinks a month, 80 for women, (which given portion size at some bars, may not be that hard and can be deceiving), show the same brain impairments as alcoholics. Only because they're not drinking "heavily," they don't recognize the symptoms. I'd speak with the researchers and get their tips on curbing alcohol intake and recognizing signs of impairment and problems.

Thickening Your Skin

Just a quick follow-up to yesterday's post. Larramie asked, "How do you let the "nos," not bother you?," and I think she got some great answers in the comments section.

I just wanted to add my own two cents. I do believe that certain people are born with thicker skin than others (or develop it as they grow up). In fact, studies have shown that some people are inherently more resilient than others - recovering more quickly from illnesses and events that might leave them grief-stricken. So, for starters, I really think that some of us - perhaps armed with false confidence or I don't know what - simply let rejection roll of our backs easier than others. This isn't better or worse than any other personality trait; it's simply a fact of life. The exact same agent rejection will quickly be forgotten by one writer and internalized for days by another. No real explaining it other than genetic make-up or upbringing.

But if you're not naturally one of those people, I do think, as MTV reiterates in the comments section, that repeating the phrase, "it's just business," can help. Because at the end of the day (or the beginning or the middle), that's all it is. And editor (or agent) isn't rejecting YOU; she's saying, "this idea or this story or this book doesn't work for me." She's not saying that your writing sucks or that you'll never amount to anything or whatever all of those other voices in your head are telling you. She's saying, "hey, for my business, this doesn't cut it." Interestingly enough, I once interviewed a Ph.D. who told me that women are much more likely to personalize business dealings compared to men. And, I mean, isn't that so easy to believe? My husband would never come home from a shitty day at the office and say, "A deal blew up today, and it was clearly because the CEO didn't like me." No, he'd say, "A deal blew up today," and then proceed to list all of the reasons why - that he knew of - that it had. And trust me, none of them would be about him.

Think about this the next time you get rejected. There are a MILLION reasons why a magazine editor, for example, will turn down an idea. Here are some: they recently ran something similar, a competitor recently ran something similar, it doesn't fit their demographic, they've already filled the issue for which you're pitching, another writer has already been assigned the story, she's having a crappy day, her boyfriend just left her, her boss just chewed her out, she never got your email, the study you're basing the idea on has been disproven, her shoes hurt, her mother is driving her crazy...who the hell knows? I could go on for days.

The point is that rejection is almost never about you. And even if it IS about you, you'll probably never know. So why not chalk it up to any of the above reasons and enjoy your day instead?

How YOU Doin'?

Okay, 'fess up: now's the time to detail your progress in the writing/fiction challenge. I'll start. I'm happy to report that I added about 5k words to my WIP since Tuesday. I definitely wouldn't have added anything if not for the challenge, so I'm really pleased with how things are ticking along. Even better, I've started to think about my characters and plot outside of my office, which means that things will really start kicking into gear for me. There's nothing like being at the gym or walking down the street and suddenly realizing exactly what you want to write next.

So, as Joey Tribbiani would say, "how you doin'?"

Taking the Plunge

I totally feel you on the soul sucking office - the bleak beige cubicle make me want to run the other way, but here i am sitting in one, writing you! So here's my question how did you transition from the office to writing full time? Can you talk about how, when, and why you started your career? For me that transition is the most daunting part.

I totally understand: leaving the security of a regular salary and health insurance for a career in which there are no guarantees of success sounds inane. When put that way, why would anyone take the leap? Well, I don't have any better answer other than to say that I've found enormous satisfaction in what I do...but I also recognize that I'm tremendously lucky in the level of success that I've achieved. As I've mentioned before, for every writer in my position, there are plenty of those with similar talent (or whatever word you want to use to describe what I do) who just aren't as successful.

So...how did I get here? I'm not sure that my story will be entirely helpful to tell, but I'll tell it anyway. I never intended to be a full-time writer. There, I said it. Not that I wouldn't have LOVED to be a full-time writer - there's a difference - I just never imagined how someone actually made a living at it. I'd always written for high school and college papers, had teachers and professors encourage me to keep at it, etc, etc, etc, but for a living...it seemed too ridiculously hard. I mean, seriously? People paying you to write? Ha! As if. In fact, at one point during my senior year in college, a few people suggested that I should pursue it (back when we were brushing off our finest suits and interviewing for jobs that would eventually bore us all to tears), and to this day, I remember thinking, "What an esoteric and unfeasible dream."

So, what I did instead, was act. :) I'm not kidding! You know, because breaking into the acting world is sooooo much easier than breaking into the writing world. Hee. Actually, first, immediately after graduating from college, I worked in PR. Hated it. Hated every freakin' second of it. That was probably because I spent most of my time stuffing gift bags and calling editors to push products that I thought sucked ass, but still, I hated it. I'd always loved to act and done a lot of it all my life...so...I quit my job (insert heart attack from parents), and hit the boards of NYC. I temped to pay the bills (and, after my parents recovered from their disappointment - I mean, they wanted me to be a banker at Goldman Sachs, not a secretary at Goldman Sachs, they generously offered to be of some financial help), and I eventually found some success in theater and commercials (hello, SAG card!). I'd made my way to Los Angeles and was busy draining my brain out there, when a college friend called and asked for some help launching a website. Maybe I was just fried from the LA sunshine or maybe I just needed to reverse the mental atrophy that had set in, but either way, I packed my bags and moved back to New York to help found and run the site. (This was during the internet boom.)

I wrote all of the web copy and press releases/kits for the site, as well as many of the articles that we had in the on-line magazine, and we got a lot of coverage in numerous national magazines (Self, InStyle, People, etc), so as it happened, a lot of our partners on the site approached me to write their web copy and press releases. So when the site was sold, I'd already built up a list of clients...and never really considered returning to the 9-5 grind. From there, I was fortunate to be hired at Rubenstein PR - a huge PR firm here in NYC - as their lead consumer writer and celeb ghostwriter, but on a freelance basis. So I had a built-in salary from Rubenstein (they paid me for three full days of work per week), plus my outside clients. (And this time, all I was doing was writing, which was 1000000000 times better than my first PR job.)

Ok, so, at the same time, my then-boyfriend finally came to his senses and proposed. I took this opportunity to begin to pitch bridal magazines and sites. I knew that I didn't want to write web copy/press releases forever, so I fired off some story ideas based on what I was going through with my wedding planning. As luck - and I do mean luck - would have it, The Knot was looking for a writer with ghostwriting experience to pen their second book, The Knot Book of Wedding Flowers. They liked my style, so had me draft a few chapters, and then they hired me. To write a freakin' book! I almost died.

The pay was crap and the situation itself turned out to be less than ideal (for long and varied reasons), but with that credit under my belt, I was taken a lot more seriously at the national mags. I landed my first feature at Bride's almost immediately, and from there, worked my way up to where I am now.

See...I told you that my story wouldn't necessarily help because there wasn't an exact moment when I took the leap. However, I still think that there are a few things to be gleaned. 1) I wouldn't leave your day job unless you had a plan - both financial and career - for the future. 2) To this end, I'd attempt to gather a few clips (or clients) before telling your boss to kiss your ass. This ensures that you'll at least have a little work (and some clout when pitching new places) and you won't be sitting on your couch for the next nine months wondering what the hell you were smoking. 3) There's probably never an ideal time to take this type of leap. At a certain point, you just have to jump. 4) Certain personalities thrive in the freelance world; certain do not. I say this not condescendingly; I say it from experience. I belong to a large writers group, and inevitably, the writers - talented as they may be - who deal poorly with rejection, with the ebbs and flows of the marketplace, with self-motivation, and with personalizing business when it's just business, are miserable...and don't succeed. Think about who you are before you hand in your resignation. If rejection bothers you, this isn't the route for you. I can't emphasize that enough. You will get 100 "nos" (at least) for every "yes" you get. That's a lot of "nos"...and each one can eat away at your self-esteem if you allow it to. By the time you've gotten 20 "nos," you're wondering what on earth made you ever think that you'd be successful at this - and you still have a lot more "nos" to go before you hit a "yes." I'm not trying to be grim: I'm being honest. If this is you, there's no shame in it. Not at all. I'd just suggest finding a way to work your love of writing into other aspects of your life, rather than ditching a safer path for something that will likely make you miserable (and chip away at your confidence).

All of that said, I count my blessings every day. And if you're the type of gal (or guy) who lets those nos roll right off of her back and then keeps chugging away, by all means...come join me!

So...who else is thinking of taking the leap? And how did others get their starts?