Getting Published

Minutes before I left the office on Friday a friend emailed that they had a client who had written a book... The rest is obvious.

 

How to get published? There are no shortcuts. I recently bought a book from Amazon. When I hastily checked "Look Inside" I should have spotted that it was homemade, and not very well done at that. The book was to be a gift, but when it arrived, one look and it went into the recycling bin.

 

For some reason people think that writing doesn't require more than a computer or iPad. Besides imagination and the ability to tell a good story, it requires skills of the craft. As I've said before, reading books doesn't teach writing. It exposes an aspiring writer to writing, but doesn't teach the skills. Let's face it, I drive a car, but that doesn't make me a mechanic. It makes me a driver.

 

With the ease of the Internet, there is no excuse for an aspiring writer not to learn the craft. Better yet, take writing classes at the local university. A writer should KNOW plot, character development, pacing, voice, tense, point of view, grammar rules (there are eight parts of speech and one of them is prepositions -- there are 48 prepositions), learn this stuff; the list is even longer.

 

In the digital age, an aspiring writer must know more than the basics of using a computer. Purchase MS Word. I'm not promoting Microsoft, but the free programs that convert text documents to Word are faulty. Word is the common language of the industry, invest in it. A mechanic isn't going to use a screwdriver when they need a wrench. Aspiring writers should invest in the craft and use the correct tools.

 

Learn the correct format for the document. A manuscript has double spaced lines. Use page breaks at the end of each chapter rather than the enter key a whole bunch of times. Use one space between sentences, not two. A synopsis is single spaced lines and no longer than two pages. It tells the whole story. Don't be coy and leave the end a mystery. Give an overview of the main character's progression from first paragraph to the last line in the manuscript. Practice writing a professional quality query letter. Practice some more.

 

Research literary agents and publishers. Know what genre you write. Avoid being uppity. You're only a writer asking someone to invest time and money into your project. Don't be pathetic either. Why would someone invest their money if you don't believe in the value of your manuscript?

 

There are alternatives to traditional publishing. Learn what they are if you aren't going the traditional route. Self-publishing is a whole new adventure and it requires due diligence to avoid disappointment.

 

Your best friend, family member, or Grammar geek is not the same as a certified proof reader. If you're serious about becoming a published author, print your manuscript and read it aloud. If you short cut this rule, then don't be disappointed with a lack of success in the industry.

 

Be patient. Unless you self-publish, expect the process to take up to two years to see your ms converted into a published book. Realize that effort and expertise is being added to the value of your ms. Be thankful that someone who knows a lot more about publishing than you do is investing in your manuscript. Success requires effort.

 

Check out part 1 and 2 of this article.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/feb/20/ten-rules-for-writing-fiction-part-one

And this:
http://www.salon.com/2010/02/24/readers_advice_to_writers/
 

What is a fair price for eBooks?

Nearly weekly, but likely more often, the trade news (publishing industry) has an article on the price of ebooks.

Usually the blog or article is stating that ebooks cost nothing after they are posted and should, therefore, be priced extremely low. (Keep in mind the distributor needs to make money to keep their company running so the ebook is available in the first place.)

Obviously those people haven't written a book and don't think an author should make any money on it for the life of the work. That is about like saying a museum should only charge a person once in their life to view an exhibit. How many people donate to their favorite museum to pay to keep the lights on and the doors open?

The reality is that any book, ebook or paper, has to support the author and the business that published it and it won't do it in one sale. It is a bit-by-bit process and a huge gamble that X number of copies will sell to pay for the expense to publish it.

Even with ebooks, a company has to continually keep the lights on and pay people to manage the records...at the bare minimum. (And if you are a writer, you want the company to be able to afford the resources to publish your book with its funds.)

If that company needs to upgrade or replace broken equipment and pay ever increasing taxes, how would that work out with only charging the actual expense of an ebook(remember that ebooks have to pay the distributor too).

I love what I do, but I do want to point out that products, including books, have to support the "manufacturer." Each book is like creating a new car - it requires company resources.

That is my take on why books cost money. And remember the publisher and the author get nothing from books lent to friends and family, or sold at garage sales. The business model, especially in this world economy, has to not be a charity (business is in business to make money).

History judges a society more by its arts than its wars. As people, we tend to expect arts to be gifts, yet understand that war costs money. Consider this, between Sparta and Athens, which still exists?

Until now, I've kept my opinion to myself. I think it is not likely that anyone would go to their job every day and get no paycheck. Something for nothing doesn't sustain the economy. What's your opinion on this?

Flap copy...

What a weird term that is (this post title, in case I've lost anyone). Well, this wordsmithing industry is like that. What can I say?

At the time it made sense to me to follow the article about book cover art and back of the book (though some show up on the front) blurbs with something about jacket flap copy.

Or I could write about the divorce that takes one step forward and two backwards and is simply annoying. You know, the one with the adulterous "husband" who writes in the petition that the "wife" cannot cohabitate? Seriously?

Who would want to cohabitate? Do you know anyone who would pay their half of the rent and utilities on time without reminders, keep their room clean, leave the toilet in the closed position, never-ever park close enough to roommate's car to dent it, agree not to have sleep-overs (even in the daytime), and never be home when "wife" is. I don't think that person exists and besides, what does any of this have to do with a blog about writing?

Actually, the point is not to tease readers. Not with the cover art, the blurbs, the jacket flap copy, or stupid stories that are not part of the plot. Be honest with your readers, deliver a well crafted story with good writing. That will sell.

Point taken?

http://publishingperspectives.com/2011/05/bogus-flap-copy-erodes-readers-trust

Finally...

I keep reading this article because it is so true, and because I like the way it is written. (See below for link.) At the same time, I think I should put it out there for my readers to read. Partly, I'm inclined because it should be an eye-opener to new writers and because old writers, like me, will nod in the truth of it and laugh at the truth of it, too.

So why am I finally posting this? There was an ms nearly ready for publishing. It had been an uphill project and many frustrating hours to get to that point. When we got to the cover art, nothing was acceptable. It was becoming a money pit that I couldn't afford. And frankly, some days I'm just too tired to put up with arguments and whining. So out the window it went.

The reality is that when a publisher takes on an ms, the writer has to let go and let it get published. The whining and and fit pitching that worked on mom, teacher, lover...simply wears my patience thin. In that case, my advice is to find a company that does POD books and put your own money on the line.

Homework: Read this!
http://www.theawl.com/2011/04/six-writers-tell-all-about-covers-and-blurbs

Galley

Last Friday was our first furlough day. That means our next paycheck will be for nine days rather than ten. I put my three day weekend to good use prepping Glyn's galley.

In the industry there are galleys, ARC (pronounced 'ark'), and proofs. Some people use the terms [nearly] interchangeably. There are distinct differences in the three. You can google them for more information (which varies from source to source), but in a nut shell they mean:

Galley is a rough out of the coming book. It is gross (as in rough) formatted. There is no cover art. Only a handful of galleys are printed. One for the author, of course. A couple for advance reviews. It likely has not been fully edited and certainly not line edited (proof read).

Most people in the industry who do book reviews understand that this is about the storyline, not about the polishing yet to come. Amateur reviewers will comment on grammar or typos. Professionals don't. They know galleys aren't the finished book.

ARCs are advance reading copies. They are generally nearly the done deal and are often the final book. They have cover art. Some printers print 500 of these give away books for their better known authors. They are strategically given to key people with the understanding they are to promote this book. As you might guess, Cactus Rain Publishing does not print ARCs. They simply aren't in the budget.

Proofs or proof copy or proof books are just that - the final version of the book. It is the last chance to see the book before the print run. Very few corrections or changes are made at this point. Those should have been caught by now.

Something useful

Whether it is researching the business end of things from trends to licenses and legal issues or being on the creative side of the mind, patience is the key. One of the things I find the least exciting is building a business plan. There is very little motivation behind it because with this [USA] economy and the state of the industry, no bank is going to loan me money for a start up publishing company.

Patience to plan and save the funding for each step of the process to build a business, any business, is a slow process. When I think of creating the web content or the more creative aspects of the company, it makes the mundane more manageable.

The same is true when writing fiction. The first draft is the worst draft. It takes nerves of steel not to jump the gun and push an ms through the process before it is ready for the light of day. Almost everyone I know dreads the third or fourth or twentith rewrite, never mind editing. But once into the process, it isn't so bad and usually takes on a momentum of its own as the ms becomes refined.

Same is true for the query process. The pre-query research is mind boggling. Where to start? How to know if the agent is a good one or a dud? Do they shop the type of ms you have? Do they already have one like it under contract?

It gets tempting to ship it to the quickest, easiest online printer that can be found. I have several books in my collection that look amateurish. I have one that is out right horrid and I ache for the author. But on the other hand, they 'knew it all' and it shows in the finished product.

My Godmother once told me patience was only a virtue if it was difficult to wait. Maybe. But in this industry it isn't about waiting, it is about methodically going through the process and not stopping when discouraged, because everyone gets discouraged at some point from first word to first royalty check.

Keep the faith - keep writing.

Road Trip

Some of this week's posts are prewritten since I am going on a road trip in search of, among other things, photos of the desert rain for the Cactus Rain website.

Granted [the State of] Nevada has us beat in the mountain department, but Arizona is full of mountains and ranges -- and the Mogollon Rim leading to the plateau that is home to the Grand Canyon and others.

We have rock mounds made of granite boulders, some with petroglyphs on them. Four miles from our house is a small (by standard) extinct volcano with whitish pertoglyphs on the black rocks - breath taking.

I'm heading south to the Tucson area and beyond. I will be exploring the southern mountain ranges - from the road, not hiking alone.

I'm looking forward to the trip and rather write about beautiful Arizona than the publishing industry, which is quiet right now.

Look at the blogs and industry news services, most of the 'news' is about eBooks and their host of readers, or fortune telling the future of the industry, which is silly. How could anyone have imagined ebooks 20 years ago? (Okay, StarTrek did, but we didn't get our hover cars, much less personal sized shuttles, who knew we would get their hand held communicators and desktop computers?)

The industry is quiet, busy setting their 2010 Christmas catalogue (yes, really) to debut at the BookExpo America coming in a few short months.

I'm enjoying this down time - perfect timing for a road trip. All the Cactus Rain writers are busy with rewrites adding a variety of adjectives to my name, heh heh heh...but so far, in the end, I am redeemed.

Happy writing my rainbabies and contest writers. Dazzle me when I return.