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Marketing to Indie Bookstores

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The following are some considerations when developing a marketing plan for independent bookstores. The primary questions are surprising: “Do you really want to?” and. “If so, how should I do it?”

Do You Really Want To?

The most important question is, “If I sell books to independent bookstores, will I get paid?” The answer is probably, but very slowly. Why? Indy bookstores are fighting for survival against the big box stores and the online retailers. Cashflow and dependable suppliers are very important. When it comes time to pay the bills, many stores will prioritize where their bill-paying money goes. Usually they will pay their primary suppliers first: Ingram and Baker and Taylor Distributors and perhaps a regional distributor. These book sources are their lifeblood. They must make sure they keep them happy, especially because these sources are very hard-nosed about keeping current and have the collection resources to back it up. Lower on the priority list are the major publishers and then finally small/self-publishers. 
 
Understanding this reality necessarily should drive your policies of doing business with the bookselling community. Yes, you should seek their business, but understanding the above realities will help you to develop these. 
  • First, it is imperative that you get accepted by the major distributors so Indy bookstores can easily order your books in whatever quantity they need without having to pay heavy shipping and handling charges. Ordering convenience is paramount to them. One stop shopping is also important—only one bill at the end of the month to keep track of and pay. You can expect to give these distributors a 55 to 65% discount. They, in turn, will sell your books to the bookstores at a 38 to 42% discount.
     
  • If a bookseller orders from you directly, make it easy, fair, and smart. Some small publishers have sell-defeating discount policies. They may have a structure such as this: 1 book= no discount, 2 to 9 books= 20% discount, 10 or more= 40% discount. This is absolutely insane. You may think this will urge booksellers to order more books from you. It really has the opposite effect. Bookstores must be very careful about their inventory. Their display space is limited and valuable. They would rather depend on just in time inventory replenishment than on carrying unnecessary multiple copies. Regardless of how many books an Indy orders, give it the standard 40% discount. Make the process as easy and fair as you can.
     
  • Understanding bookstores’ bill paying priorities makes it imperative that you urge on the spot credit card payments. This makes much more sense than trying to urge multiple copy buying with an unrealistic and restrictive discount schedule. If you want to extend billing privileges after they have gone through a credit application process, you can take your chances with their payment priorities. You also are going to have to establish a collection process. Will it be worth it?
     
  • Offer an additional 5% discount for non-returnable purchases. This makes far more sense than a complex copy vs. discount plateaus such as above. Again, make it easy for the bookseller while protecting your cashflow.
     
  • Match your marketing campaign to the above realities. First priority is to the distributors in terms of announcing new titles and any marketing aids that will make their job easier and more effective to their bookseller community. If you want to conduct a postcard or email campaign to booksellers, stress your books are available through the distributors.

Some effective marketing strategies you might want to consider: 

  • Direct mail to booksellers with postcards
     
  • Emails to booksellers
     
  • ABA (American Booksellers Association) white box program (monthly package sent to 1,200 Indy bookstores with sample books and marketing materials) guaranteed to get you in front of the book buyers.
     
  • Indy regional booksellers marketing email blasts. See my blog post Getting the Attention of IndieBookstores by Bob Spear 
Pot Sweeteners
 
Here are a few marketing aids you might consider using:
  • Bookmarks
     
  • Sell sheets
     
  • Some bookstores have reading groups or support local reading and education groups. Provide a downloadable reading guide or a teacher’s guide for children’s books.
     
  • Indy bookstores are always looking for excuses to have events as a way of standing out from the big box stores and making their store a destination. Provide an event kit upon request, if that is appropriate. That will be more likely for children’s books, but maybe it will work for specialty niches. If you have a touching story about a pet, for instance, maybe you can think of some fun activities that would involve customers bringing in the their pets of at least having a pet themed party about similar pets. If you have a book about dating, provide a speed dating event kit. Your imagination is your only limitation.
In summary, use your head. Make doing business with you as convenient and fair as possible. Support your channels. Provide marketing materials that make sense and set you apart as someone with marketing expertise.

This is a cross-posting from Bob Spear‘s Book Trends blog.

Breaking the Rules Part One: Nothing is Beautiful From Every Point of View

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This post is the first in a series about writing rules and how authors can break them effectively

 
"Nothing is beautiful from every point of view" – Horace (translated from Latin)
 
Most authors of fiction are familiar with the term "point of view" as it relates to writing. In this post, I’ll be using the abbreviation "POV" to mean point of view. POV essentially means the point of view that a story is told from. We are told not switch POV too often, and to firmly ground each section/chapter in a POV. This is good advice, but we’ve all read great books that violated this rule. So when can we get away with violating it and how can we best do so?

Before I start, I want to give a quick link to author L.J. Sellers’ recent blog post about POV. I already had the notion to write this blog post, but reading her blog a couple days ago shook me out of my lethargy. That and the inspiration from my fellow authors over at The Creative Alliance.
 
First, let me quickly outline some of the rules you generally hear about POV. This is not a comprehensive list, nor is it universally accepted, but it will serve as a general summary:
  • Don’t use omniscient POV. Omniscient POV means that you are telling the reader things that none of the characters in the scene know. It’s also been called a "God’s-eye view". One example is spending a couple of pages describing past events that no one in the current time of the story knows about. Here’s a link to a Wikipedia Article with more details.
     
  • Don’t tell anything that the POV character doesn’t know. You can have other characters explain things of course, but if your POV character in a car chase scene doesn’t know that the bad guys he’s chasing have a rocket launcher, you can’t have him worry about it until he actually sees it or learns of its existence. A corollary of this rule is don’t kill off your POV character at the end of a scene.
     
  • Don’t switch POV in the middle of a scene. This is the biggest no-no. People also call it head-hopping. You’re going along telling the story from the POV of Jack the male nurse and suddenly you add something about how Judie the undersexed hospital administrator feels flush when Jack sits down next to her. Usually, such shifts interrupt the flow of the story and lessen the connection between the reader and the character. This obviously violates the previous rule as well.
     
  • Firmly ground each scene in a POV. You may have avoided the first three problems, but still have writing that could be made more compelling by addressing POV. It’s easy enough to write a scene that doesn’t include anything that the main character in the scene doesn’t know. But often you will want to actually show that main character’s reactions to what is going on, including inner dialogue. That is firmly grounding the POV, as the way the scene unfolds completely relies on the main character’s interpretation of it. When done well, that can really suck the reader in.
So if you follow all these rules, will you have good writing? You might, but as I mentioned, all of these rules can be broken. The first rule is the most obvious one. In certain types of writing, it is very important to tell things from character POV, but in work with a lot of action or with a sweeping or legendary story, you can break out of it pretty easily. One situation is when you are setting the scene for action, where you lay the groundwork with things the characters may not know, so the readers can more easily picture it. A purist would say that there are alternative ways to do the same thing; there may be, but often the omniscient POV is in fact the best way (IMNSHO-YMMV).
 
You can also use the omniscient POV when giving history. You have to be very careful with this, and usually it should be at the beginning of a whole section of your story so it doesn’t interrupt the flow. Frederick Forsyth does this very well in a number of his thrillers. In "The Afghan," he spends several pages on the history of Afghanistan, and it is so well-written that you can’t put it down, even though most of it doesn’t directly relate to the story.
 
Another great example of the omniscient POV is in Scott Sigler’s horror thriller "Infected." He sprinkles a page or two here and there with stuff that only the omniscient POV knows, and it blends perfectly with the story. In Chapter Three, he shows us some sort of seeds traveling through space, and it helps set the suspense for just what those seeds will do when they get to earth.
 
With switching POV and telling things the POV character doesn’t know, there is no hard-and-fast explanation of when you can violate the rules. I recently read "Shogun" by James Clavell, and sometimes he switches POV multiple times within the same page. Sometimes I think he would have been better off doing it differently, but other times it works very well. A lot of scenes contain characters from very different cultures, but it is critical that they not show their reactions to certain things. Yet it is very effective for the reader to know how those characters are feeling, right when something occurs. Clavell could have done something like show the POV character’s thoughts, knowing how the others probably were reacting. In my opinion that would have worked less well than the way he did it in most cases.
 
The key question you have to ask yourself when considering breaking this rule is how it impacts the flow and the reader’s connection to characters. You don’t want to do it in a scene that is primarily focused on one character’s reactions – switching would be too jarring. As I mentioned, there’s no easy answers, just the need to ask the hard questions about whether violating the rule really improves the story.
 
With the rule about firmly grounding the scene, you have the most flexibility. This is a rule that I have come to appreciate more over the years. Scenes are often better when the reader identifies with one character for the whole scene. The problem that I see – especially in the thriller genre that I read a lot of – is overdoing it. It’s easy for an author to spend too much time in the character’s head and not enough in the story. That’s not strictly a POV problem, but attempting to highlight a character’s POV all the time can result in it.
 
The key thing here is to ask yourself what the "story" is for any given scene. The more a scene needs to be about what happens as opposed to a character’s reactions, the less you want to anchor yourself in point of view. This is one that’s hard to give examples of, because it’s a range, not an either/or. Most writers of fiction today err on the side of too much, in my opinion. Readers obviously are buying it, so I’m not about to tell them to stop! Tom Clancy is one writer I can think of who used to do a good job balancing when to go deep into point of view and when not to. At least, in some of his books.
 
That concludes my initial thoughts on the subject. Above all, if you intend to break the rules, do it consciously. Look at the scene and the characters and decide that it works better without following them. Most of the time, you’ll find you need to follow the rules, but if you choose the right places to break them, that can sometimes be the extra spark a story needs to become really good. So let me know what you think: as a writer or a reader, how do you feel about POV?

This is a cross-posting from the Edward G. Talbot site.

Podcast: Crime Writer Seth Harwood On New Publishing Paradigms And Author Marketing

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It’s great to have crime novelist Seth Harwood on the show talking about the new publishing paradigm for his latest novel, Young Junius available for special edition pre-order on May 5th.

Seth Harwood is the author of several crime novels including ‘Jake Wakes Up‘ published last year and his latest book, ‘Young Junius‘ . Seth is also a podcaster, writing teach and co-creator of the Author Bootcamp program.

In this podcast you will learn:

  • The publishing world does not quickly recognise new novelists, so Seth used podcasting to build an audience for his crime novels.
     
  • Pre-release of ‘Young Junius’ is inspired by Scott Sigler’s self-publishing run of ‘The Rookie’ and now ‘The Starter‘ which his publisher didn’t want to publish as it didn’t fit the genre. Seth has partnered with a small press, Tyrus Books to organise a special edition that is only pre-sold on the internet with tons of special extras, photos, cover art, embossed and more. People pre-order on Amazon so why not skip them as the middleman and do this directly.
     
  • The possibility of mainstream authors doing this is out there i.e. avoid the middleman and publish straight to the market. We will likely see more authors using this model for publishing.
  • ‘Young Junius’ is a crime novel, fans of ‘The Wire’, ‘Dexter’, ‘Law & Order’ and authors Richard Price, David Simon, Michael Connelly will enjoy it. It’s available for pre-order on May5th – Cinco de Junius! If you use promo code ‘PENN’, you’ll get $3 off. Go to SethHarwood.com on May 5th.
  • How podcasting can still benefit new authors by getting your work out there to new fans. You need to have a presence where people can find out about you, and podcasting is ideal as you can podcast your actual work and people can listen when they are doing other things. [Seth has an online workshop with Writer’s Digest, a webinar on podcasting, coming up if you want to know more]. The podcast version of ‘Young Junius’ is here.
     
  • Don’t worry about your voice! Fans like to hear the author’s voice reading the book.
  • How to balance your time between writing, marketing, revisions, online promotion. It varies depending on the phase you are in for your book. But it is definitely tricky!
     
  • It’s important to write well but also sell a lot of books. Write what you love to read and create, not something that is ‘literary’ if that is not the genre you love.

You can order ‘Young Junius’ special edition at SethHarwood.com on May 5th. You can connect with Seth on twitter @sethharwood

 

 

Click here to download, or listen to, the podcast on Joanna Penn’s site.

 

 

This is a cross-posting from Joanna Penn‘s The Creative Penn site.

When Editing & Critiquing, Check Your Personal Opinions At The Door

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I’ve been editing a provocative nonfiction manuscript that contains some ideas with which I agree, some with which I disagree, and some with which I disagree strongly. The author has expressed concern that in the process of editing his work, I may inadvertently or purposely alter his meaning due to its controversial content. This is a reasonable worry for any author to have when handing his manuscript over for edit or critique.

I’ve been on the receiving end of revisionist edits and notes which were based entirely in matters of the reader’s personal sensibilities, and it’s an experience that’s annoying at best, downright offensive at worst. Imagine having your independent, feminist protagonist watered down by a reader who feels such traits are unattractive in a woman. Or getting the note that there are too many references to liquor and bars from a reader who happens to be a recovering alcoholic. Such notes aren’t helpful, because while they demonstrate very clearly how to alter the manuscript to better suit one specific reader’s tastes, they don’t offer any guidance on how to improve the manuscript in a way that will make it more appealing to the general public.

Editing and critiquing demand judgment calls from the reader, but it’s a very narrow kind of judgment which should be based only in matters of linguistics and literary form. For example, it’s fine to suggest the author eliminate a lengthy passage of navel-gazing on the part of the indecisive protagonist because it brings the story’s pace to a crawl, but it’s not okay for the editor to make the same suggestion merely because she has no tolerance for indecisive people in real life.

It can be a very fine line to walk, because the nattering observations of an indecisive person truly will seem to bring the story to a crawl for a reader with no patience for such people. But it doesn’t mean a reader who doesn’t share that particular pet peeve would suggest the same change. This is one of the many reasons why authors should seek out multiple reads from different people, and one of the many reasons why those readers should approach their task with self-awareness and humility.

In the end, matters not specifically pertaining to rules of grammar, spelling and proper usage are all matters of opinion, and this is something authors, editors and critiquers alike should never forget. What one reader finds distasteful, another will find fascinating. What one finds boring, another will find lyrical.

For authors, the trick is to work toward some kind of majority consensus. For editors and critiquers, the trick is to remember that their proper role is merely to bring the author’s vision of his ideal manuscript into sharper focus, not to alter it, editorialize on it, or make it more closely resemble whatever vision the editor or critiquer may have in his own life or philosophy.

So, while I may not agree with an author who says [insert viewpoint to which you are strongly opposed here], it’s still my job as editor to ensure his message is communicated as clearly and forcefully as possible. If I’ve done my job well, by the time I’m finished I will have helped the author win some converts to his cause—just as I’ve been won over to various causes by well-written treatises. And if I have a problem with that, I shouldn’t be editing his manuscript in the first place.
 

This is a cross-posting from April L. Hamilton‘s Indie Author blog.

Writing A Book: What Are Some Different Approaches?

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You know, since I’ve started to work on a new book, I’ve been sitting here thinking about what sort  of methods I would use.

I mean for the novel I wrote, I sort of started with the "discovery writer" method and later did some chapter by chapter break downs – or my own unique outlining method. I know that some of my fellow writers would object to casting out a line to catch all the different methods for putting a book together from concept to finished pages. It may not be because you’re loathe to share your "secrets" but rather about burdening future writers with an outline of the convoluted ways you may have gone before you settled upon a collection of methods that worked well for you – at least on a book-by-book basis.

The Jungle

What you’re going to discover very quickly is that there are so many cobbled together methods, so many gimmicks being peddled out there, both on the web and in the books you might find in the library that to settle upon a fair selection of what would be called the top methods may seem a foolish errand. Perhaps, it is. But, hey, I’m a creative writer. Why should I little such nagging details stop me from the attempt?

Really, what this post is about if the solicitation of thoughts and ideas on the subject. That’s right folks, I’m asking you, my fellow wordsmiths (and others who may be reading this) to help me narrow down some of the top ideas for crafting books that you come up with. I’m interested in having a list as well as a bunch of comments.

This is post will only be effective if you answer so please don’t leave me hanging. If I get a good turn out here, then we can continue the conversation through comments and subsequent posts. That’s the idea anyway.

By The Way

Part of the incentive for me is also to get some better ideas about the book I’m currently writing. It’s a piece of non-fiction. I think I could call it a memoir but it could also be an inspirational story about real life. It tells an intimate story that mixes hope with tragedy.

I’m looking for ways to put this material together. I’ve thought about using straight chronological order, but it may make for drier reading, but it would get all of the story out there for readers to see from point A to point B. Otherwise, I could mix the details and facts with a more flexible thematic structure that addresses different parts of the story on a chapter-by-chapter basis. Then I would take this and weave it together as a whole.

Like I’ve mentioned before this book represents my entrance to a whole new level of professional writing as well as a golden opportunity to add the second book to my publishing company list. I hope to hear some feedback from my colleagues in the writing world.

Thanks again. Good luck with your writing projects!

 

This is a cross-posting from Shaun C. Kilgore‘s site.

Book Sales on Ebay

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About a year and a half ago, after I self published, I decided to try selling my book, Christmas Traditions – An Amish Love Story, on Ebay Fixed Price at an affordable price and see what would happen. Buyers pay the postage. I pay 15 cents to list for a week and $1.50 more when the book sold.

 At first, sales were slow. I’m an unknown author. Buyers weren’t sure they should take a chance on me. What helped my sales was the fact I had written an Amish story. That’s why out of fifteen books, I picked the Amish story to sell on ebay. My reasoning was 15 cents a week to advertise my book wasn’t too much to pay in a market that has as many viewers as Ebay does. Even if the book didn’t sell, I was getting noticed as an author.

There are a lot of Amish book consumers around the world. I’ve hit on a market with fewer authors to buy from. I hear quite often from readers that they have read all the Amish books in the stores. They don’t buy anything but Amish stories and eagerly await the latest book from any of the Amish authors, including mine now.

I had a few customers that have continued to email me just to visit. At least one recommended my book to someone else so I’m sure there are others talking about my books now. By the time my next Amish book, A Promise Is A Promise – Nurse Hal Among The Amish, was for sale, I’d saved a long list of emails from my ebay customers that bought Christmas Traditions. I sent a notice to each of them before I put the book up for sale on ebay. The customers that choose to buy from me directly saved me Ebay’s selling fee. After I put the book on ebay, sales continued to grow.

By the time my next Amish book, The Rainbow’s End – Nurse Hal Among The Amish, was ready to go, I had an even longer customer list. As a way to increase sales, I asked each buyer to send me a review of the book if they had time. The reviews I immediately put on Ebay in my book descriptions so other buyers could see them.

My customer service approach has been each time I sold a book to a new customer I put a list of all 17 of my books with a synopsis of each in with the book. Each book is signed. Extra postage is refunded. After the first book when the customer buys another book, I slip one of my business cards in the book as a reminder. I wrap each book to protect it from getting scuffed in the mail before I package it and stick on a colorful sticker that matches the holiday or season. For a follow up, I email the buyer to announce the book is on the way so watch for it. If the book gets lost in the mail, I will send another book to replace it. Last year, I found out paying for insurance to the postal service doesn’t do me any good. I lost $250 worth of books between two shipments. The last one of those shipments was insured.

I filed a claim, and I’ve never been reimbursed.

Ebay asks for feedback about the service between seller and buyers. My reviews from buyers have all been good. The sales are handled through Paypal and happened fast most of the time. So I started using my feedback review to advertise. After saying this was a speedy transaction, I write Thanks for buying my Amish book Enjoy Author Fay Risner. This review got me in google search at least once that I know about. I hadn’t expected that but I knew that first time buyers would be checking out my sales reputation. The reviews from buyers does help with sales when they leave remarks like they liked the book, and I do a good job of packaging.

A few months back, I decided to try my mystery series, Amazing Gracie Mysteries – five books, on ebay now that I am better known. These books are cozy mysteries about a Miss Marple character in Iowa. As I’ve been told, the story line is now known as Geezer books. At first, sales weren’t going so hot. I had to do something to get some interest for the books.

I had three of my proof books in the series I hadn’t given away to relatives. I put them in the ebay auction for 99 cents. Starting at 99 cents meant that I didn’t have to pay an insertion fee, but ebay doesn’t mention they expect to have the seller fill in the buy it now fee box. For that the charge is 5 cents. Then if the books sold the charge is 9 percent. No one bid on the books the first week so this last week I listed in Fixed Price for $4.00. All three books sold to the same person. I sent a reminder email that I still have two more in the series priced at $10.00 if that person wants to continue reading those books. The proof books were ones that I would never have sold otherwise so I think I put them to good use.

The buyer of the mysteries had bought one of my Amish books the week before at the Fixed Price, a proof for $4.00. The Rainbow’s End-Nurse Hal Among The Amish. I wondered why she let such a bargain on the four mystery books go from 99 cents to $4.00. When I found the notes on the ebay invoices I knew why. One of the notes was a practical reason. The buyer wrote, "I am ordering several of your books, hopefully to save on postage. I love your books." (The more books in the package, the cheaper the postage is, so I do refund any postage I don’t use. Out of almost $10.00 ebay took for postage on all four books, I used $3.16.) After that the buyer’s notes were, "I am so excited to find another author that I know I am going to love all your books." "Can’t wait to get this one too. Thanks so much."

What happened to spark the added sales to this buyer? The buyer waited until she read the Amish book. When she found out she liked that book, she was positive she was going to like the mystery books, because she likes the way I write.

This last week I added a couple more of my books to ebay. Both books are in genres that are popular for sales – a children’s book – My Children Are More Precious Than Gold and a Civil War story based on true facts – Ella Mayfield’s Pawpaw Militia- A Civil War Saga In Vernon County, Mo. Besides the proof books, I had a box of books I’d read over the winter laying around. I put those used books on Ebay a few at a time for 99 cents in the auction. Am I making money at this? No not a cent by the time I deliver the used book to the post office, but in each sale is a list of my books and how to buy them. Selling the books I no longer have a use for is just another way to promote my own books.

Re-listing the books at the end of seven days took time when I had 8 books, and now I’m adding two more. So I listed the books until I decide to cancel them, and that is for a month at a time at 50 cents. I save 10 cents in that four weeks each time, and the time it took to list the books is cut down.

If you take the time to go to my online bookstore, http://www.booksbyfaybookstore.weebly.com, and look at my customer site map, you’ll see I’ve sold to customers all over the United States and three International in this last sixteen months. I haven’t had one bad review yet from buyers and plenty of return emails that want me to hurry up and get the next book done. I’m happy with the way my book sales have progressed. I’m getting somewhere with my books. After waiting years to get discovered by a publisher or agent, I’d say this is an improvement that can only get better.

 

This is a cross-posting from Fay Risner‘s BooksByFay blog.

Results of my submission to Writer's Digest Self-Published Awards

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Last year, I submitted Don’t Mess with Earth to the “Writer’s Digest 17th Annual Self-Published Book Awards” and a couple of weeks ago, I received in the mail, the results of entering into the competition. I know it was almost a month ago, but, I’m busy with finishing up my last semester of college. I have to type in the Commentary Sheet because there is no digital copy, which I wish they had, so here goes:

Author: Cliff Ball
Title: Don’t Mess With Earth
Category: Genre
Judge: 57

On a scale of 1 to 5 , with 1 meaning “poor” and 5 meaning “excellent,” please evaluate the following:

Plot: 3
Grammar: 4
Character Development: 2
Cover Design: 3

Judge’s commentary:

What did you like best about this book?

Ball covers a long period of time in the book, from biblical times to present day. He does a nice job weaving all of this human history into a sci-fi story.

The opening scene is compelling and draws readers right into the story. The author does a great job creating interest from the start.

The author’s passion for the story creates a story that entices the reader to keep reading to find out what events he will next tie into the story.

It can be difficult to remain consistent with the point of view. Third-person was the only plausible point of view for this story. This made for a richer story.

The author’s grammar and spelling make for an easy read.

How can the author improve this book?

It’s obvious the author spent time working on the plot. However, covering such a large expanse of time made it difficult to create a protagonist with whom the reader identifies. Readers need a character or group of characters to root for — someone to tie the story together.

The Terrans and Ragnor seem extremely forthright when talking with the humans. They seem extremely trusting of a planet they want to conquer.

The cover image portrays the essence of the story. With a few tweaks or the help of a professional designer, it could easily sit on the fiction shelves with other covers.

http://www.writersdigest.com/article/self_pub_genre17/
Check out the link, and you can find me near the bottom if you do a search/find on your web explorer.

 

What Every Self-Publisher Ought to Know About Editing

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New self-publishers are often confused about how the editorial process works. They want to know what takes place at each stage of their book’s development.

It seems that if you have a map, even if it’s a sketchy one, it’s easier to understand where you are on the road to getting your book into print. Let’s take a look at the stages through which your book moves.

Keep in mind that the entire editorial process may be long, extending from before the completion of the manuscript through proofreading of the final page proofs. Self-publishers need to understand the whole process so they can hire people with the specific expertise needed to complete their project.

Although publishing houses vary widely in how they implement the editing process, and change has also come over time, this schematic is intended to be a simple and helpful “map” to the journey of your book from manuscript to printed books. 

Manuscript: Developmental Editing

Before you even finish your book, perhaps before it’s more than an outline, a sample and an idea, you may start the editorial process. The first kind of editing you will encounter is developmental editing.

Developmental editing, as the name implies, helps develop the author’s concept, the scope of the book, the intended audience, even the way elements of the book are arranged. The relationship between author and developmental editor is intimate, and their work is something of a collaboration.

It can require a great deal of time, as the author responds to the editor’s suggestions, and may require a good deal of patience and tact, since the editor may be instrumental in helping to shape the final work.

Developmental editing can be assigned to specific editors, or some of these functions may be done by either the author’s agent or an acquisitions editor at a publisher. Self-publishers who make use of this type of editing will hire freelance editors to help with the development of their project.

Manuscript: Copyediting

When the author and developmental editor have finished organizing the manuscript, and the editor considers it complete and ready to take the next step, it will go to a Copyeditor.

Copyediting is accomplished by editors who examine the manuscript line by line, word by word. It takes people who are meticulous, excellent at spotting errors, and who mostly don’t mind working without interference or accolades from the world outside.

Copyeditors have vast knowledge of English vocabulary and usage, command over style resources such as the Chicago Manual of Style or other style guides in use at the publishing house. In reviewing the manuscript, they will be paying attention to and correcting:

  • Punctuation, capitalization, spelling, and grammar
  • Errors in word usage
  • Subject-verb agreement
  • Consistency in treatment of material
  • Adherence to establish standards of style and formatting
  • Accuracy and completeness of citations, references, notes, tables, figures and charts
  • Amgibuity, incorrect statements, lapses in logic, libelous comments, and so on.

In the course of editing the manuscript, most copyeditors will also produce a style sheet for the book listing the correct spellings of any unusual names, the proper format for each element in the manuscript, and any other usage or style guidelines that will be useful to other people reviewing the book farther down the production line.

When the copyeditor has finished her work, the manuscript goes back to the author for clarification of any remaining open questions, and then the changes are input into the manuscript.

Manuscript to Book Page Proofs: Production Editor

The manuscript is next routed to a Production Editor who will be responsible for the entire production process. The tasks of the production editor include:

  • Scheduling the project and tracking its progress
  • Hiring and coordinating the work of the book designers, illustrators, indexers, proofreaders and other professionals needed to complete the book
  • Getting estimates from printers or print brokers for the physical production of the book
  • Making sure the books are properly printed and delivered on time.

Book Page Proofs: Proofreading

The last stage in the editorial process is proofreading the book. This step can be easily overlooked in self-published books, to their detriment. The proofreader is the last guardian of the publisher’s reputation for accuracy and care, the protector of the author’s reputation for diligence, and sometimes the least noticed professional to handle the book in its journey.

Proofreaders examine the book’s complete and final pages for more than typographical errors, although that’s a big part of the proofreading job. In addition they will be on the lookout for:

  • Inconsistent line, word, or page spacing
  • Misnumbered list items and mislabeled captions
  • Improper word breaks
  • Page break problems like widows and orphans
  • Irregularities in the use of the books type fonts
  • Accurate and consistent page headers, footers and page numbers
  • Accuracy and completeness of tables, figures, charts, and graphs
  • Consistent use of abbreviations and acronyms.

The End of the Line

When the proofreader is finished with their work, the book is corrected for the last time. Once the pages are set, the final page proofs can be sent to an indexer, if one is being used on the project, and the book will be ready to go to press.

In brief: Developmental editors help shape the work in progress; Copyeditors correct the language, usage, and consistency of the manuscript; Production editors manage the physical manufacturing of the book, and Proofreaders hunt down and fix any errors that have crept into the book. All are necessary to produce a top-quality book.

This is a reprint from Joel Friedlander’s The Book Designer site. Click the ‘reprint’ link to access a podcast version of this article.

Book Sales On Ebay

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About a year an a half ago after I self published, I decided to try selling my book, Christmas Traditions – An Amish Love Story, on Ebay Fixed Price at an affordable price and see what would happen. Buyers pay the postage. I pay 15 cents to list for a week and $1.50 more when the book sold. At first, sales were slow. I’m an unknown author. Buyers weren’t sure they should take a chance on me. What helped my sales was the fact I had written an Amish story. That’s why out of fifteen books, I picked the Amish story to sell on ebay. My reasoning was 15 cents a week to advertise my book wasn’t too much to pay in a market that has as many viewers as Ebay does. Even if the book didn’t sell, I was getting noticed as an author.

There are a lot of Amish book consumers around the world. I’ve hit on a market with fewer authors to buy from. I hear quite often from readers that they have read all the Amish books in the stores. They don’t buy anything but Amish stories and eagerly await the latest book from any of the Amish authors, including mine now.

I had a few customers that have continued to email me just to visit. At least one recommended my book to someone else so I’m sure there are others talking about my books now. By the time my next Amish book, A Promise Is A Promise – Nurse Hal Among The Amish, was for sale, I’d saved a long list of emails from my ebay customers that bought Christmas Traditions. I sent a notice to each of them before I put the book up for sale on ebay. The customers that choose to buy from me directly saved me Ebay’s selling fee. After I put the book on ebay, sales continued to grow. By the time my next Amish book, The Rainbow’s End – Nurse Hal Among The Amish, was ready to go, I had an even longer customer list. As a way to increase sales, I asked each buyer to send me a review of the book if they had time. The reviews I immediately put on Ebay in my book descriptions so other buyers could see them.

My customer service approach has been each time I sold a book to a new customer I put a list of all 17 of my books with a synopsis of each in with the book. Each book is signed. Extra postage is refunded. After the first book when the customer buys another book, I slip one of my business cards in the book as a reminder. I wrap each book to protect it from getting scuffed in the mail before I package it and stick on a colorful sticker that matches the holiday or season. For a follow up, I email the buyer to announce the book is on the way so watch for it. If the book gets lost in the mail, I will send another book to replace it. Last year, I found out paying for insurance to the postal service doesn’t do me any good. I lost $250 worth of books between two shipments. The last one of those shipments was insured. I filed a claim, and I’ve never been reimbursed.

Ebay asks for feedback about the service between seller and buyers. My reviews from buyers have all been good. The sales are handled through Paypal and happened fast most of the time. So I started using my feedback review to advertise. After saying this was a speedy transaction, I write Thanks for buying my Amish book Enjoy Author Fay Risner. This review got me in google search at least once that I know about. I hadn’t expected that but I knew that first time buyers would be checking out my sales reputation. The reviews from buyers does help with sales when they leave remarks like they liked the book, and I do a good job of packaging.

A few months back, I decided to try my mystery series, Amazing Gracie Mysteries – five books, on ebay now that I am better known. These books are cozy mysteries about a Miss Marple character in Iowa. As I’ve been told, the story line is now known as Geezer books. At first, sales weren’t going so hot. I had to do something to get some interest for the books. I had three of my proof books in the series I hadn’t given away to relatives. I put them in the ebay auction for 99 cents. Starting at 99 cents meant that I didn’t have to pay an insertion fee, but ebay doesn’t mention they expect to have the seller fill in the buy it now fee box. For that the charge is 5 cents. Then if the books sold the charge is 9 percent. No one bid on the books the first week so this last week I listed in Fixed Price for $4.00. All three books sold to the same person. I sent a reminder email that I still have two more in the series priced at $10.00 if that person wants to continue reading those books. The proof books were ones that I would never have sold otherwise so I think I put them to good use.

The buyer of the mysteries had bought one of my Amish books the week before at the Fixed Price, a proof for $4.00. I wondered why she let such a bargain on the four mystery books go from 99 cents to $4.00. When I found the notes on the ebay invoices I knew why. One of the notes was a practical reason. The buyer wrote, "I am ordering several of your books, hopefully to save on postage. I love your books." (The more books in the package the cheaper the postage is so I do refund any postage I don’t use. Out of almost $10.00 ebay took for postage on all four books, I used $3.16.) After that the buyer’s notes were, "I am so excited to find another author that I know I am going to love all your books." "Can’t wait to get this one too. Thanks so much."

What happened to spark the added sales to this buyer. The buyer waited until she read the Amish book. When she found out she liked that book, she was positive she was going to like the mystery books, because she likes the way I write.

This last week I added a couple more of my books to ebay. Both books are in genres that are popular for sales – a children’s book – My Children Are More Precious Than Gold and a Civil War story based on true facts – Ella Mayfield’s Pawpaw Militia- A Civil War Saga In Vernon County, Mo. Besides the proof books, I had a box of books I’d read over the winter laying around. I put those used books on Ebay a few at a time for 99 cents in the auction. Am I making money at this? No not a cent by the time I deliver the used book to the post office, but in each sale is a list of my books and how to buy them. Selling the books I no longer have a use for is just another way to promote my own books.

Reenlisting the books at the end of seven days took time when I had 8 books, and now I’m adding two more. So I listed the books until I decide to cancel them, and that is for a month at a time at 50 cents. I save 10 cents in that four weeks each time, and the time it took to list the books is cut down.

If you take the time to go to my online bookstore, http://www.booksbyfaybookstore.weebly.com, and look at my customer site map, you’ll see I’ve sold to customers all over the United States and three International in this last sixteen months. I haven’t had one bad review yet from buyers and plenty of return emails that want me to hurry up and get the next book done. I’m happy with the way my book sales have progressed. I’m getting somewhere with my books. After waiting years to get discovered by a publisher or agent, I’d say this is an improvement that can only get better.

Interview With Victoria Mixon

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Occasionally I have the good fortune of running into wonderful people in the writing business who have important things to say to the writing community. [Victoria Mixon is one of them]. Her blog is called A. Victoria Mixon, Editor, at http://victoriamixon.com. She also maintains an online magazine, the Art & Craft of Fiction, at http://victoriamixon.com/art-and-craft-of-fiction-magazine.

Victoria, there are several types of editors. Where would you place yourself?

Oh, I’m one of the good ones. I’m just kidding. I do all three types: developmental, line, and copy editing. However, the copy editing is a very minor aspect of my work. I sort of throw that in with the line editing because it would make no sense to craft someone’s language into the best possible form and then leave the grammatical and punctuation errors. Besides, typos escape everyone. They’re like mice in the house. You need multiple readers to catch them all.
 
I have a lot of background in organizing nonfiction for publication. That’s developmental work of a very straight-forward kind. I help nonfiction writers find the principles that form their topics and create an intuitive flow from overview to tasks, with clear, logical Table of Contents, index, and reference sections.
 
Developmentally, I do a lot of work with fiction writers on shaping their novels—the characters and plots. We talk a lot about what the writer intends, what they have in mind for their characters, what they sense around the edges, what’s still out of their line of vision but waiting to be taken into account. We talk a HUGE amount about proper structure and inevitable cause-&-effect, how it’s all about the reader’s experience. I analyze the plots of what they send me and return them with outlines showing what’s there and what’s yet to be envisioned.
 
It’s very fun. Writers get so excited about working with someone who takes their novels as seriously as they do and even pushes them beyond what they thought were their limits. It really gives them the validation they crave. They take themselves more seriously as writers after we’ve worked together. I hear that a lot—they understand for the first time what it is to be an author, to write on a professional level.
 
I do the line editing on my own. Again—it’s an aspect of the work that I love. There’s nothing like a few decades of pulling your hair out trying to polish your own writing to make you seriously appreciate objectivity. A writer simply can’t line edit their own work. God knows I’ve tried. You can be the most brilliant storyteller in the world, and you will not see the bumps and inconsistencies in your own language.
 
I love being able to bring out what the writer means with their language, particularly in fiction—to eliminate everything extraneous and reveal the snap and sparkle and flow that’s really there. Writers typically clutch their hearts and reel back in their seats when they see the number of Track Changes—I always tell them to read it through the first time with Track Changes turned off—and one of my best writers admitted recently that when she first saw all the edits I’d made she thought she’d been scammed. But as soon as they recover from the surprise of learning how much can be trimmed, they fall in love with their words the way they’ve always dreamed of.

I understand your blog focuses primarily on fiction issues. What are three areas that seem to be common trouble spots for writers? Are there any others worth mentioning?
I’d say not delving deeply enough into your story. Particularly in this day and age, the hustle to get that book written and fired off to agents is so pressing that writers typically underestimate how much is really in the story they want to tell. They get hung up on throwing those words on the page and moving on. It’s only when we go through their manuscripts together step-by-step and ask, “Why this? Why that? What was your thinking here? What did you intend there? What’s going on elsewhere while this is happening?” that they realize how deep and complex and multifaceted their imaginary worlds are. The words—they’re just the surface refraction of what’s really going on.
 
Not educating yourself on proper grammar and punctuation is a fairly common problem. If you’re a writer, you have to learn how to write. Writers need to learn the proper punctuation for dialog, what you can and cannot use for dialog tags, where to put commas (not between a subject and its verb!), what a pluperfect is and where to use it and where to go straight for the perfect. It’s all part of the craft.
 
The biggest issue, though, is probably not understanding just how much work goes into writing a book. Books are big. Books are enormous. Seventy thousand words is a whole LOT of words. And it all has to be revised and reworked over and over again. Are you prepared for that kind of workload? Can you appreciate the different tasks for what they are and pace yourself, without pressure to finish, so it’s a joy to work on—maybe not every day or every page—but so your motivation for doing all this work is the sheer pleasure of being a writer? Because that’s the payoff. And it’s an enormous payoff. But an aspiring writer needs to understand the magnitude of what they’re attempting.
 
There are all kinds of very particular trouble spots writers can fall into, and I try to give readers and potential clients as much information as I can through my blog and magazine, so we can focus specifically on the unique issues in their individual manuscripts when we work together. Wordiness—that’s a biggie. Everyone, even the most consummate artist, uses more words than they need to. Shaky plot structure, insufficient character development, missing motivation, loose threads, awkward writing—all of these are things I see in every manuscript, even (sometimes especially) those that have been through heavy peer critiques and workshops. Yet most of them are things a writer should be able to avoid in the first place if they’re properly educated. And when they’ve handled that on their own, then we have room to go really deep with the editing.
What advice would you give to new writers starting from scratch?
Have fun with it. Don’t go looking for a whole lot of advice. There’s way too much out there, and the bad stuff conflicts with the good. It will give you a massive headache and make you hate everything you write. And it will steer you wrong. Find people whose voices and common sense you trust and listen to only them.
 
Write what you want to write when you want to write it, and let yourself love what happens when you translate what you see in your mind’s eye into words. That’s what it’s all about.
 
Also: DON’T READ CRAP. I can’t emphasize this enough. Read really good literature. Read Raymond Chandler and J.D. Salinger for atmosphere, Hemingway for clarity, Flannery O’Connor for humor and insight, Emily Bronte for passion, Ivy Compton-Burnett for dialog, Isak Denisen for symbolism and depth, Paul Bowles for beauty of language. Analyze mystery writers like Erle Stanley Gardner for plot—even if you don’t write mysteries, they’ll teach you about plot twists and foreshadowing and writing toward the climax (not the resolution!). Read Henry James if you’ve got a strong heart and head, because he knew absolutely everything about language and plot, he just made it really hard to follow his sentences. All of that stuff was edited by real professionals, so it’s almost word-perfect. When in doubt, read Shakespeare.
 
Especially in the early stages, bad writing will work its way into your language without you even noticing, and it will take years, if not decades, to work it back out again. Don’t let bad writers poison your well.
 
What advice would you give to writers who have been out of the business for a long time and are considering trying it again?
Remember why you did it in the first place and why you want to go back. Writing fiction is a great high. It’s a joy to throw yourself into. It makes you feel more alive.
 
Don’t read too much contemporary fiction, and when you do be very aware of where the language fails to live up to the standards of earlier decades. A lot of contemporary writers do well with plot. That’s what sells. The language, though, isn’t always line edited properly anymore, and you can find yourself reading really glib, cliche stuff in otherwise good novels.
 
Take advantage of your experience. You’ve already done a certain amount of splashing around in the water. Set yourself the task now of apprenticing to the craft. Learn proper structure. Learn techniques. Take the work seriously. You will never master it—nobody ever masters it before they die. All you can do is dedicate yourself to it to the best of your ability and bow to the extraordinary power of words.
 
Are there any traps out there waiting for naïve, unsuspecting writers?
You bet. Bad advice. Lots of expensive bad advice. An entire industry has grown up around milking aspiring writers of their cash. Especially now that the Internet allows anyone who’s ever survived a critique group to hang out their shingle, writers really have to do their due diligence before hiring anybody for anything. The cheap editors are copy editors and guessers. You really need to understand that.
 
Yes, a writer has to spend money for really excellent, specific advice. Yes, it will be totally and absolutely worth it. . .IF they make sure they know what they’re going to get before they pay for it!
Writers need to look for those people who speak intelligently, thoughtfully, and with humanity and stick with them. Don’t listen to the high-pressure marketers—they have nothing to offer that you can’t get more reasonably and, generally, free from someone else. For heaven’s sake, don’t spend money on them. They’re high-pressure for a reason. Don’t choose your help by how cheap it is—you’ll get what you pay for. And watch out for dangling carrots. Learn to recognize them when you see them. It’s an epidemic these days.
 
The publishing industry is in serious flux right now. Parts of it are in serious trouble. You’ll hear a lot of advice about how to deal with that in the traditional arena. Most of it is wild guesses, but an inexperienced writer can’t tell because sometimes it comes from big names. Don’t worry too much about it. Things will eventually shake down. And you’ll still be here when it does. Your novel will still be here. Don’t be in a hurry—I mean, where are you going to go?
Should writers consider self-publishing and why?
Heck, yes! This is a fascinating time to be writing and publishing on the rogue wave. Indie publishing is really cutting edge. Writers need to just be sure to 1) hire a really good editor, and 2) hire a really good designer. They should also seriously consider hiring a really good marketer/promoter if they have any doubts about their own ability to keep up with the work on that end.
 
The self-publishing world is full to overflowing right now with early draft stuff that’s been published, in all innocence, by people who don’t know how to write books. It’s a waste of their money and a crying shame.
 
I think that will clear up as the whole indie publishing industry becomes more stabilized and it becomes more common knowledge that a writer needs professional help in order to do a professional job. Every single word a journalist writes is edited. Always has been. The great authors you love were edited. You don’t try to bind your books yourself. Don’t try to edit them, either, or design their covers (unless you already are a designer; but even an editor can’t edit their own work).
 
Writers just need to accept the simple facts of publishing, and once a good number of them do I think we’re going to see a jaw-dropping amount of incredible literature hitting the airwaves. I see it in my clients’ work right now. I think it’s going to alter our perceptions of literature itself. Truly—it’s an amazing time to be alive.
 
I understand you’re in the process of producing a book titled: THE ART & CRAFT OF FICTION: A PRACTITIONER’S MANUAL. Who is it directed toward and how should it be used?
Oh, gosh, thanks for asking about that! Yes. I’ve collected all the advice I was putting out on my blog for the benefit of my fiction clients and readers last year and crafted it into an overall manual on creating fiction.
 
It was really hard to organize. I’d just been throwing stuff out there. But once I got the organizational principles down, I realized this book is something aspiring writers can keep on their desks as they work—it’s not only inspirational stuff to kick-start their writing day, and not only textbook information on what constitutes good writing, but both, and organized in a way that allows them to either read it for the sheer enjoyment of the conversation or to use it as reference when they come up against a stonewall with their work. I’ve gotten a lot of feedback over the past year from clients and readers, telling me what helps them the most. That’s been enlightening and, really, very gratifying.
 
My book is literally a manual. I want writers to be able to talk intelligently about the fundamentals that editors understand—developmental issues, line issues, copy issues. Hook, development, climax. Character motivation. Point-of-view techniques and what they achieve. Sentence parsing. Everything. I want writers to know what revision is, what to expect from it, how to do it. And I want them to know what it means to be a writer and what it doesn’t mean. There’s so much hype floating around out there. I’m not going to lie to them or feed them false hopes, inflate their egos. Now more than ever, they need someone to deal with them honestly. I want them to be able to stand with their feet on the ground. There’s also a section at the end on surviving the special despair of writing. We all know about it—it’s part of the craft—we might as well help each other deal with it.
 
I want writers, most of all, to feel welcomed into the world of serious writing. There are lots and lots of good books out there that will teach you helpful things. But, so far as I know, only Anne Lamott has said, “Come, walk with me. I’ll be funny and smart and use profanity. Let’s chat.” I’m not too profane—not on the page, anyway. But I do want to offer that warmth, that feeling of welcome. Walk with me, talk with me. There are so many things to learn. It’s a nearly infinite art. The love of crafting fiction is a wonderful glue between human beings.
 
I also have pretty high standards for what I consider good fiction. I’d like to see standards go back up. If it works properly, my book should become dog-eared and worn out just hanging around a writer’s desk. That’s my dream—to see my book smudged and coffee-stained! Maybe people can send me pictures.
 
Do you have any other ideas for writer books?
By me? I’ll tell you, I’m still writing posts on the craft of fiction on my magazine, two or three a week. A few I wrote because I found gaps in the organization of my book that I needed to fill. But the bulk of them will probably become Volume II next year. I love thinking about this craft. I love writing about it. I love helping writers. I could keep this up indefinitely.
 
I’ve also gotten advice recently on creating additional material to bundle with the book. Readers love that. They’re so hungry for real guidance, real concrete methods for developing their skills and understanding. So I’ll be putting together workbooks on craft, specific hands-on exercises focused on specific areas, stuff to you can really sink your teeth into, for the hardcore serious writer.
 
Of course, there are canonical books out there, which I mention throughout mine so writers can gain a sense of the help that’s available to them. Flannery O’Connor’s MYSTERY AND MANNERS—possibly the single greatest book on fiction ever. John Gardner’s ON BECOMING A NOVELIST. Syd Field’s SCREENPLAY. Anne Lamott’s BIRD BY BIRD. Virginia Woolf, E.M. Forster, Edith Wharton, Henry James, Bernard DeVoto, Eudora Welty, Annie Dillard, Jerome Stern, Natalie Goldberg, Jack Bickman, Dave King and Renni Browne, Donald Maass, Raymond Chandler. . .I have three packed shelves of books on writing over my desk, but I’m downstairs by the fire right now, so I’m just reeling these off the top of my head. I can get you a complete list if you’d like. I’m probably forgetting somebody brilliant.

How should people contact you for editorial work?
I try to make it easy! There are Contact buttons at the top of my website and magazine. There’s an email link on my Services page and another on my About page. Nothing’s more frustrating that finding a blogger—particularly an editor—you’d really like to contact and not being able to find their contact info. Leave a message in my comments. I’ll get it!

This is a reprint from Bob Spear‘s Book Trends blog.

Preferred Shelving: Trotskyite Traitor v. Capitalist Pig

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This is going to be short, because I hope to generate a dialogue here (as always).

Trotskyite Traitor: Selling preferred space in bookstores to the highest bidder is disingenuous. Readers are not made aware that what they are looking at is a paid advertisement, and so they are led to believe that the most prominently displayed books are "bestsellers," and therefore have a legitimate high ranking by critics and readers alike.

Capitalist Pig: Are you kidding? It’s been like that for ages, and it’s not just bookstores. You think Cocoa Puffs just happen to be stacked at kids’ eye level in the grocery store? It’s all planned and paid for. Don’t be so naive. When you have money and you’ve made an investment, you must protect that investment and give it the best shot in the marketplace.

Trotskyite Traitor: Aside from fundamentally disagreeing with your worldview, I find it amazing that you sidestepped the issue of honestly to the consumer. Where in the store–grocery, bookstore, or otherwise–is it disclosed that they are viewing advertisements? That’s the fulcrum issue here, I believe.

Capitalist Pig: How much handholding do you need for consumers? They are sophisticated enough to do their own homework. And moreover, not every advertisement is disclosed to consumers, so why should bookstores?

Trotskyite Traitor:  Because there is an assumption of trust between the literary world and consumers. It is above the fray.

Capitalist Pig: You can’t honestly say that and keep a straight face. This conversation is getting increasingly ridiculous.

Trotskyite Traitor: I am saying what people truly believe.

Capitalist Pig: Then if book buyers are so sophisticated, why the need to beat them over the head with the obvious?

Trotskyite Traitor: Because it is NOT obvious, that’s the problem. Mainstream publications like the New York Times use the term "bestseller" and it’s bullshit. Mainstream retailers put books on visual displays according to these rankings. It’s a betrayal of trust. It’s a lie.

Capitalist Pig: It is not a lie when everyone knows the truth.

Trotskyite Traitor: First, that’s a philosophical debate that we just don’t have time for. And it’s also a political debate that isn’t appropriate for this forum. So don’t get inflammatory. People do not know that bestseller lists are bullshit. People do not know that the preferred bookstore shelving is orchestrated by publishers and retailers. It’s not common knowledge. The industry is colluding against the consumer–

Capitalist Pig: No one is colluding against any consumer. The industry needs the consumer, and the consumer needs industry. Sometimes truth isn’t the nicest way to perpetuate this relationship.

Trotskyite Traitor: You can’t be saying what I think you’re saying?

Capitalist Pig: It’s not that complicated.

Trotskyite Traitor: So you admit that it’s a lie. You’re admitting that it’s disingenuous.

Capitalist Pig: I’m not admitting anything and I am not going to justify the ages-old tradition of capitalism right now. But I will say that publishers and authors and retailers are in business together and you can’t deny that. Authors write books to sell them. If you don’t want to sell your book, publish it yourself and it won’t be in any bookstores, and your problem is solved. Don’t act like this isn’t a good system, because I know you can’t come up with anything better.

This is a reprint from Jenn Topper‘s Don’t Publish Me! blog.

AmazonEncore Announce Six Summer Titles

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Amazon announced six more new titles to be published this summer under their AmazonEncore imprint. The six books will be published in print and Kindle editions. I have stated here before that while Amazon may at times give us reason to question their influence on the publishing industry and dominance and tactics as a retailer, AmazonEncore has proved to a tremendous PR success for them and a worthy channel for the lesser known voices in fiction. This batch of six soon-to-be published titles and one just-published title are particularly eclectic.

 
Lyla Blake Ward’s How to Succeed at Aging Without Really Dying is a collection of essays on (in the 82-year-old author’s words) "living in a world of bubble packs you can’t open, electronics you can’t turn on, and expiration dates you can only hope don’t apply to you." Lyla Blake Ward is a former newspaper and magazine columnist who lives in Connecticut. How to Succeed at Aging Without Really Dying was published April 6.
 
Laurie Fabiano’s Elizabeth Street is a novel based on the true-life story of the abduction of Fabiano’s grandmother by the Black Hand, the precursor to the mafia, and her great-grandmother’s fight to get her daughter back. Tom Brokaw calls the book "a fascinating account of the Italian immigrant experience at the turn of the century that is at once inspiring and terrifying." Fabiano lives in Hoboken, N.J., where she is the president of Fab Tool, a marketing and events company that advises non-profits. Elizabeth Street will be published on May 4.
 
Originally published in 1988, Eric Kraft’s Herb ‘n’ Lorna is a novel about a young man who discovers after his grandparents’ death that they had a bawdy love affair predicated on their founding of the erotic jewelry industry. In a front page review in the New York Times Book Review, reviewer Cathleen Schine writes: "The novel is all about sex, and sex, in Herb ‘n’ Lorna, means everything in life that is good–craft and art and imagination and hard work and humor and friendship and skill and curiosity and loyalty and love." Kraft lives in New Rochelle, N.Y. and is the author of over 10 books, including his most recent novel Flying. Herb ‘n’ Lorna will be published on May 11.
 
AmazonEncore published Nick Nolan’s first novel Strings Attached in March 2010. In the sequel, Double Bound, protagonist Jeremy and his boyfriend Carlo are sent to Jeremy’s wealthy aunt to oversee the family business in Brazil, where they are accompanied by Arthur, the family’s butler. Double Bound is Arthur’s story: his heartbreaking youth, his days as a gay U.S. Marine, and his journey of self-discovery while in Brazil. Nolan lives in Los Angeles. Double Bound will be published on June 1.
 
In The Berry Bible, James Beard award-winning cookbook author Janie Hibler gets to the heart of berries, from their health benefits to how they are best put to use in the kitchen. In her research, Hibler traveled the world, visiting the Canadian prairie to search out Saskatoon berries; Alaska to pick wild blueberries; and Europe to peruse the markets for the best strawberries. The Berry Bible contains 175 recipes, as well as instructions on how to properly wash berries, freeze them, measure them correctly, and more. Hibler is a contributing writer to Food & Wine and Bon Appétit magazines and was a contributing writer to Gourmet. She lives in Portland, Ore.. The Berry Bible will be published on June 22.
 
A King of Infinite Space, a mystery novel by Tyler Dilts, follows detective Danny Beckett as he hunts for the murderer of a local high school teacher. The son of a policeman, Dilts grew up fascinated with the work of homicide detectives. Currently an instructor at California State University in Long Beach, Dilts’ writing has appeared in publications such as the Los Angeles Times, the Chronicle of Higher Education, and The Best American Mystery Stories. A King of Infinite Space will be published on June 29.
 
The Last Block in Harlem by Christopher Herz is a novel about a young man trying to fight the gentrification of his Harlem neighborhood. A former copywriter, Herz left his job upon finishing the manuscript of his book and began hand selling it in New York City. He walked the streets until he sold 10 copies a day, and his hand selling caught the eye of Publishers Weekly, which featured him in an August 2009 article. Herz still lives in New York City. The Last Block in Harlem will be published on July 13.

I am particularly delighted to see Christopher Herz getting well-deserved attention and this wider opportunity. Last year we ran one of our Self-Publishing Success features on Herz and Canal Publishing, the self-publishing imprint he used to publish The Last Block in Harlem.

 

This is a cross-posting from Mick Rooney’s POD, Self-Publishing and Independent Publishing blog.

How To Be Your Own Best Editor: Part III

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This is the third and final post in a series of posts about what I did to ensure that the historical mystery I just published, Maids of Misfortune, was professionally edited. Part I detailed how I worked to develop the skills to be my own best editor. (A necessity for an indie author, but as discussed in numerous blogs, increasingly a necessity for traditionally published authors as well.) Part II described the actual process I went through as my own developmental editor.

This third post enumerates what steps I followed to substitute for the copy editing that traditional publishing houses provide. Again, I want to thank Alan Rinzler for his definitions that distinguished between the job of developmental editors and copy editors, “who take a manuscript that has already been developed and correct the spelling, grammar, punctuation, and in some cases fact-checking.” Choosing a freelance editor
 
In order to ensure I had a clean, well copy-edited final manuscript I followed these steps:
  1. Read my manuscript through, focusing on grammar and punctuation.
  2. Read my manuscript out loud to someone else.
  3. Assembled a team of readers with different strengths to copy-edit for me
  4. Corrected the manuscript after first printing-when new errors were found
Step One
When I was doing my developmental editing I had looked for basic grammatical errors, but I knew that I was missing things, particularly in those sections I was rewriting extensively or writing for the first time. So, after all the rewriting was done, I went through the manuscript word by word, checking every comma, looking for misplaced modifiers, scrutinizing the rhythm of every string of dialog, and making sure that every rule of good writing was followed consistently.
 
In this process I used Microsoft Word’s little squiggly red and green lines that indicated that there were misspelled words or grammar problems to double-check my own editing.  I also used the useful search and replace abilities of Word to make sure that I had caught all the places where I still had two spaces instead of one between sentences. This function was additionally useful to check that the name changes I had made from previous drafts had been applied.
 
Step Two
Last year I attended the 2009 California Crime Writers Conference, and one of the most frequently offered pieces of advice at that conference, by writers, agents, and editors, was to read your manuscript out loud. I had never done this before, but who was I to ignore the one point every professional in the business actually agreed on.
Serendipitously, soon after I returned from that conference, a friend asked if I would like to read my manuscript to her. Years earlier she had been part of a writers group that read their work aloud and she had enjoyed the process. As a result, over 4-5 lovely sessions lasting several hours each, I read Maids of Misfortune to her. This was a wonderful experience.
 
First of all, I got immediate unfiltered feedback. She was able to tell me at the end of each chapter if she felt confused or if the story dragged. Even better, I could see when the writing was working. When she laughed at the right places, shivered over a tense scene, professed to be unable to tell who the murderer was, and even delayed leaving so I could read “just one more” chapter before she had to go, I got the kind of positive feedback a writer seldom gets. This alone was worth the sore throat from hours of reading aloud!
 
I also discovered a number of bad writing habits. I found little repetitive phrases and words that I had never noticed. Yet, when you say a word or phrase out loud, over and over, they come right out and hit you in the face. I also found sentences that were grammatically correct, but still too long or awkward. I found missing words and punctuation that my mind had simply filled in when I read to my self. It was a humbling but very useful process-and one I will never forgo in the future.
 
At the end of this process I had the manuscript as clean as I could make it. Nevertheless, I realized that to be my own best editor, I also needed to turn to others for help at this stage. No one, even a professional copy editor, can catch every error on their own.
 
Step Three
My next task was to assemble a team of readers. While I had asked members of my writers group and friends to read my manuscript before, this was the first time I was asking them to copy edit. In the past I had actually asked them not to do so–since I was most interested in hearing their opinions about characterization, plot development, and voice. I had been able to do this in part because I had confidence that my basic writing skills were good and that I wasn’t asking them to read a hopelessly messy draft.
 
If you are a beginning writer, you might want to ask someone whose writing skills are superior to yours to read and closely edit at least a portion of your work. This will tell you how much cleaning up you should do before asking anyone else to read the manuscript.
 
I think that a writer has to be careful not to abuse the friends, family, and other writers that they turn to for help. This means making sure you have solved the problems you do recognize before asking anyone else to read your work. It also means being careful not to over use readers. Reading another person’s manuscript and writing up thoughtful comments is hard work. While friends and family usually love the idea of being part of the process–if you ask too much of them, there will be diminishing returns. Each time they read a draft, the less they will see wrong with it–or conversely–the more frustrated they will become if they didn’t see improvement.
 
I was fortunate because my writers group hadn’t seen a copy of my manuscript in over four years, and some of the other friends I turned to hadn’t seen a copy in over ten years. As a result, I knew that they would be coming fresh to the work. I was also confident that the draft they were reading was so improved from the previous drafts that I wasn’t asking them to do anything very painful.
 
However, again, if you are just starting this process–you might think about keeping some people who have expressed interest in reading your work in reserve for subsequent readings.
I was also fortunate in having potential readers with different strengths–a kind of editorial board with multifaceted skills and experiences. I would recommend that all writers think about developing this sort of support group.
I gave my manuscript to people:
  • Who are published writers (and this can mean non-fiction articles and books, short stories, fiction)
  • Who edit other people’s work (teachers, editors, administrative and research assistants)
  • Who teach writing (high school, college, private workshops)
  • Who read extensively in my subgenres (mystery, romance, and historical fiction)
  • Who are knowledgeable about my subject material (Nineteenth century and Women’s history)
  • Who are good with detail
In all, I had six people read my manuscript. Many of them had overlapping areas of expertise. For example, all three of the members of my writer’s group are published authors, teach, and read mysteries. Did I need all six? I think so. While all of my readers caught small typos (interestingly about half of the errors were caught by more than one reader–the rest of the errors were caught by single readers–and therefore wouldn’t have been caught without their input.) More importantly, my reader who loves light romantic fiction was able to point out the few places where I undercut the hero–something the rest of my readers wouldn’t have noticed, while those readers who were historians were important resources to ensure I didn’t get the facts wrong.
 
After going through the responses from all these readers, and making all the needed corrections and changes, I had a polished, well-edited manuscript that was ready to publish. However, it turned out there was one final step.
 
Step Four
After I published my book (as an ebook and print on demand paperback), and the first few friends began to read it, one of those readers found typos. Twenty-two to be exact. I felt terrible. How could I or my selected board of editors not have found them?
 
But, being an indie author who has self-published. I was in a vastly superior position to an author who had gone the traditional route. I didn’t have to wait for a reprinting (which might never come) to make corrections. I could take my self-published work back, make the corrections, and reissue a corrected copy (or electronic files), with only the loss of about 2 weeks. And in the future, I will make sure that reader–the one who turns out to be very good with detail—gets to read the paper proof copy of any book I write, before I publish, so in the future I may get to skip step four.
 
In conclusion
As I look back at these three posts, I confess there really isn’t much original material, since most of what I did has already been discussed in the numerous blogs that give advice about writing and publishing. However, I hope readers have found some benefit in a detailed description how one author has tried to follow that advice. I also hope that the message has been clear that those of us who are independent authors and publishers must take responsibility for the professional level of our work, but that this can be done without expending a great deal of money.

This is a reprint from M. Louisa Locke‘s The Front Parlor blog.

Can You Succinctly Pitch?

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suc·cinct
–adjective
1. expressed in few words; concise; terse.
2. characterized by conciseness or verbal brevity.
3. compressed into a small area, scope, or compass.

As writers we always try to be as brief and succinct in our writing as possible, while maintaining a clear voice and interesting, beautiful prose. It’s the eternal difficulty of not writing in too flowery a way, or using “purple prose”, yet still making our stories more than just a technical, clinical telling of a yarn. We want to be recognised for our writing style, for our ability as wordsmiths as much as for our ability as storytellers. The ultimate aim is to create a fantastic story, brilliantly told. Brevity in delivery, while waxing lyrical in the right places, is something of an elusive holy grail in writing. It’s something I constantly struggle with and constantly try to improve.
 
Then today I saw this post at Nathan Bransford’s blog. In the little video clip he talks about how important it is to know how to pitch your book. As an agent, he needs you to be able to explain the essence of your book to him thoroughly and succinctly; he says in 200 words or less. The thing he said that rang out loud for me was, “What are you gonna to tell people at parties that your book is about.”
 
Whenever I meet new people and we get to the inevitable What Do You Do? part of the conversation, I always end up talking about martial arts and writing – that’s what I do for a living. With the writing it always comes down to the fact that I have a couple of novels out and people always ask, “Really? What are they about?” I want to tell people. I want them to understand and stay interested, who knows, they may even go out and buy a copy later if I talk it up well. But even if it’s not their thing, that doesn’t matter. It’s part of a conversation, part of what I do and what I am and I want people to be interested. Folk’s eyes glaze over really quickly when you start um-ing and ah-ing, trying to nail the story.
 
Of course, it’s hard. For me to describe a 120,000 word novel in a few lines is quite an ask. But that’s what a pitch is. I’m lucky right now, as I have two novels out and don’t need to pitch them. But I’m working on a third. I’ll have to pitch that eventually. I have to be able to nail a short summary of every book I write. If I can get the one or two sentence “party description” down, then a 200 word pitch summary should be a piece of cake, right?
It’s a bit like the back cover blurb, which is always an arse to write. But that’s different, as it’s directly selling the book to an interested person that’s picked it up for a look. Here’s the back cover blurb for RealmShift, for example:
Isiah is having a tough time. The Devil is making his job very difficult.
 
Samuel Harrigan is a murdering lowlife. He used ancient blood magic to escape a deal with the Devil and now he’s on the trail of a crystal skull that he believes will complete his efforts to evade Lucifer. But Lucifer wants Samuel’s soul for eternity and refuses to wait a second longer for it. Isiah needs Samuel to keep looking for the crystal skull, so he has to protect Sam and keep the Devil at bay. Not for Samuel’s sake, but for all of humanity.
 
RealmShift is an engrossing Dark Fantasy thriller; a fascinating exploration of the nature of people’s beliefs and their effect on the world around them. Magic, action and intrigue, from dank city streets to the depths of Hell and beyond.
Here’s the MageSign back cover blurb:
Three years have passed since Isiah’s run in with Samuel Harrigan and the Devil. He has some time on his hands – a perfect opportunity to track down the evil Sorcerer, Harrigan’s mentor. It should have been a simple enough task, but the Sorcerer has more followers than Isiah ever imagined, and a plan bigger than anyone could have dreamed.
 
With the help of some powerful new friends Isiah desperately tries to track down the Sorcerer and his cult of blood before they manage to change the world forever.
 
In this long-awaited sequel to the highly acclaimed RealmShift, Baxter once again keeps a breathless pace and blistering intensity with gods, demons and humans entangled in magic and conflict. This is dark fantasy at its best.
Now sure, those paragraphs do a good job of describing the book from a back cover point of view, but can you imagine me suddenly blurting that out when someone says, “Oh, really, you’ve got a couple of novels out? What are they about?” I’d be sectioned.
 
I could potentially use them as a pitch, with a little tweaking, if I was trying to sell the books to an agent or publisher now. Thankfully that’s not necessary with these ones. But it got me thinking about that party description. I always feel like a dickhead trying to answer those questions, saying things like, “Well, it’s a bit hard to describe, but there’s this immortal dude that has to keep a balance among all the world’s gods… you see, this blood mage… well, the Devil, right, he’s a bit pissed off…” and so on. And that got me thinking, What if I could describe my book on Twitter? The 140 character or less description. So I’m working on fine-tuning my skills in describing both my current novels as an exercise in succinct pitching.
 
Here’s what I’ve got so far for the short, succinct party description. Or the Oprah’s couch description. Fuck it, aim high, I say.
RealmShift is the story of a powerful human called Isiah that has to shepherd an evil blood mage around the world to meet his destiny. If the blood mage doesn’t fulfil his destiny, humanity will suffer. The trouble is, the Devil is after the blood mage, so Isiah has his work cut out. There’s lots of magic, mayhem and fighting. It’s a dark fantasy thriller.
That’s just 65 words. Just like the back cover blurb would make me sound mad if I came out with it at a party, the description above would be weird on a back cover. It’s too conversational, but that makes it perfect for casual company.
 
For MageSign I have this:
MageSign is the sequel to RealmShift – they make a duology. In MageSign, Isiah decides to track down the teacher of the nasty blood mage from RealmShift and prevent him teaching any more evil prodigies. Only Isiah discovers that this teacher has a powerful cult of blood mages under his command and they’re planning something massive. Again, lots of magic and action, it’s a dark fantasy thriller like RealmShift.
That’s 69 words, again, conversational, relaxed, not too long. If people are still interested and asking questions after that then I can spend time going into as much detail as necessary. If, as is often the case, they’re “not really into all that sci-fi stuff” then fine. I’ve said enough and don’t look like a tool that has trouble describing books he wrote himself.
 
The Twitter description is much harder. Trying to distill those two paragraphs above into two 140 character bites is tough. The RealmShift one is currently 358 characters, and that was as brief as I could make it. The MageSign one is 425 characters.
 
So far, I have this for RealmShift:
It’s about a powerful human that has to shepherd an evil blood mage to meet his destiny, or humanity suffers. It’s a dark fantasy thriller.
139 characters. But it doesn’t mention the key aspect of the Devil chasing them around and it cheats by say “it’s” instead of “RealmShift is”, so without a question like, “What’s your first book about?” it falls down.
For MageSign there’s this:
Isiah tracks down the teacher of the blood mage from RealmShift and discovers that he has a cult of blood mages planning something massive.
139 characters.
Again, it presumes a question has been asked, which is kind of cheating. Another option would be working it like this:
RealmShift: A powerful human has to shepherd an evil blood mage to meet his destiny, or humanity suffers. A dark fantasy thriller.
130 characters.
MageSign: Isiah tracks down the teacher of the blood mage from RealmShift and discovers that he leads a cult planning something massive.
136 characters.
These sound more like ads and less conversational, but they do get the very basic essence of the books they’re describing. There’s so much missing, so much else I want to say about these 120,000 word things I sweated and agonised over, but in the first instance I need brevity.
 
I’ll revisit this subject periodically with these and all future books and try to refine these things. After all, it is fairly important for me to be able to accurately describe books I’ve written without sounding like an idiot. Plus, this exercise is very useful in developing my skills at pitching, which I’ll certainly need throughout my career as a writer.
What do you think? Have I nailed the descriptions well? If you’ve read them, how would you describe RealmShift and MageSign in 140 characters or less? And if you’ve written, are writing or are planning to write a book, do you know the essence of it well enough to describe it to someone at a party? Leave your own examples in the comments if you like and practice your pitching skills.
 
 
This is a cross-posting from Alan Baxter‘s alanbaxteronline blog.

The Art of Critiquing

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It’s come to my attention that there are a lot of us who don’t have a clue how to honestly critique. We can tell you we like your story (or hate it), but we leave out the most important part — the why.

Critiquing isn’t just about misspellings and bad punctuation. It’s about understandability, what makes a story something you just can’t put down. Or, as Kelly Hart put it in her post Critiquing, “[I]t is about trying to help the story creator reach the full potential for that story.” She goes on to remind us that each story is the writer’s “baby” and “[f]or this reason you should try to be as diplomatic as possible, nobody likes to be told bad things about their baby.” (And I can say that’s true from both the mother’s and writer’s POV)

One way to bone up on the hows of critiquing is to just do it. Receiving critiques and critiquing others’ works makes a writer a better writer because  it “improves your own editing eye,” according to blogger Penny in her post 
The Art of Critiquing, Pt. 1. I have to agree with that. As I’ve read and edited others’ works, I’ve noticed problems in my own writing.

Of course, getting critiques (honest ones, especially) can be difficult. I’ve mentioned Critters as a place to find other authors willing to give good criticism, but I recently read about another called Absolute Write. After reading the Newbie section I think it sounds like a great place, so long as you can handle a little heat. Apparently there have been some, as the moderator put it, knock-down-drag-out arguments on things as silly as the appropriate use of serial commas.

Of course, my suggestion before putting your work out there for criticism, is to edit it at least once yourself. Track down as many of those niggly little misspellings and punctuation errors as you can. And don’t forget about grammar. While in some cases grammar rules can be bent, it’s best not to break them without at least knowing them. For that I would recommend a fantastic little book called Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing.

Regardless of where you find your critics (or where they find you ;) ) try to keep in mind what you need to improve your writing, then reach out to your fellow traveler to give the same in return on The Road to Writing.

This is a reprint from Virginia Ripple‘s The Road To Writing blog.