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/
 

Movie Oops!

Ever viewed movie mistakes for a chuckle? When we were kids, we'd watch for the actor who forgot to take off their wrist watch in a period movie.

Basically, that is what a content editor does. They look for flaws in the timeline, people who teleport to another location, and it isn't SciFi or Fantasy. They look for name, eye color, and hair color changes. And, a million more things like would that word [a recently born word] be used at that time, or by that person. There is fact checking and the critical eye for oops moments that an astute reader would catch.

My husband was discussing the "it" book of the week with his great aunt. She had read it, or had started to read it. When the main character went for a walk at 2 AM and the moon was rising, she threw the book in the lit fireplace. The topic of conversation rapidly changed course. Later one of our boys asked why she had thrown the book in the fire. Little boys don't know that the moon doesn't rise at 2 AM, neither did that writer, or their editor.

Inexperienced writers who upload their book on one of many free publishing sites rarely seem to have had their manuscript in the hands of a content editor. Some seem to think their high school English teacher looking it over is sufficient. Well, it isn't.

I rely heavily on the Certified Proof Reader [line editor] at Cactus Rain. She knows grammar rules that I've never heard of, and probably wouldn't understand. But she is the first to tell her private clients that she does not do content editing.

What a writer should do, and usually won't, is print two copies of their manuscript, find a willing helper, and read the whole thing aloud. The helper should follow along and catch things that were read differently from the print. Also, if they are honest, they will say when something doesn't make sense, is repeated too often, or is simply flat out wrong.

So that's the tip for the day. Read your ms out loud from a printed copy. You'll be amazed. And, your manuscript will be greatly improved. Happy writing and editing.

Spammed

First Draft has always had a bit of spam comments because the comment section was wide open. That was a decision made when we had the Blog Party.

In the beginning, the spam comments were few and far between. It became increasingly frustrating to remove the comments as they increased. By the time I was thinking of abandoning the blog all together, there were around 30 spams daily.

My web designer handled the situation more calmly than I did. However, I had been with it for a while before I said anything to her.

The point is, we seem to have it fixed. Nothing I did worked, so I won't really take any credit. However, at this point, I don't know if anyone can post comments.

My web designer suggested adding writing tips to my sites. You can find them here: http://nadinelamanbooks.com/writing_tips.html and here: http://www.cactusrainpublishing.com/writing_tips.html. And always, this blog can be searched from the sidebar using the search function.

Happy writing. Have a good week.

The End

A story has to have a beginning, middle, and end. It needs to go from Point A to Point B in a believable way with entertaining characters.

The beginning is the introduction of the main character, the protagonist, a few friends, and the antagonist along with the setting (time and place). It needs to hook the reader with the first line and hold them long enough for the reader to care what happens to the protagonist so they will read to the end.

The beginning can be a slow start (boring) with lots of explaining (telling) which is the mark of an amateur. Personally, I don’t like prologs. My thoughts on prologs are simple: If the information is essential put it in the story.

Of course, something does happen to the protagonist and the bulk of the story is spent resolving the conflict. In life we spend a great deal of effort to return things to the way they were when we were comfortable, happy, and safe – or to improve our situation to be comfortable, happy, and safe. Sometimes our hero sets out to improve someone else’s situation, or even the state of a group of people.

On this journey, real or figurative, there are setbacks, failures, obstacles, and the occasional gain. There are also those who help and those who don’t. The protagonist is pursued by a person or situation (maybe a natural disaster or a pending manmade disaster) or they are running to something (maybe a race against time, which can be a fixed, unyielding foe).

To be interesting, the middle doesn’t go in a straight simple line. An experienced writer uses literary devices to move the story forward, and the middle is where this is most evident. Most people do fairly well with the middle. They get on a roll and the story "nearly writes itself" as they type.

The end seems to be the difficult piece for people to write. Once the writer figures out the ending, they rush to it and through it.

Most of the minor conflicts are resolved during the middle. The end is the final resolution of the primary conflict. However, it is not the place to add new characters or new information. Think of Apollo 13, the conflict can only be solved with the materials already onboard.

Keep the reader in mind while writing. Think about what will be a satisfying ending to a stranger who has spent time reading to the endpoint. It cannot disappoint in the end.

To learn more about literary devices, check this site: http://literary-devices.com

"Take Five"

Barely able to play the radio and certainly not a musical instrument, I admire musicians like one would expect of a non-musical person.

One person I really admire is Dave Brubeck, the jazz genius. Dave died today, as we all will. However, his idea that jazz should be 5/4 time has always fascinated me. He said that if we didn't play something unconventional once in a while, we don't move forward in Jazz.

The argument could be made that the same is true of most things. There is one person on the Cactus Rain team who has, what I believe to be, a nearly photographic memory. She reads mss for me, and the most important asset is that she points out when someone is borrowing from another work.

In whatever you do, dare to be unconventional. Be your authentic self in your writing [or music].

Watch Dave here:  http://vevo.ly/h1AzVG

Irene Watson

Recently, I had a bit of good news that I was going to share with Irene. The last time we talked she was excited about doing something new. And finally, I had something new to tell her. But she died last week, so I guess she already knows my news. I know she would be delighted with it.

We often talked shop. Of course, there were the industry tips we'd share. The one thing we were safe to do with each other was to be brutally honest about the publishing industry in ways that it isn't politically correct to be with just anyone. That was refreshing. I liked that about Irene, among other traits that probably everyone who knew her liked about her.

I will miss her. But my publishing experience is much richer for knowing her.

Get her book, The Sitting Swing, and meet my friend, Irene Watson.

Most Important Tip

The other day I was asked what was the one thing that makes the most difference in writing fiction. If I can choose only one thing, which was the case in that conversation, it would be to learn to recognize the difference between passive and active voice.

The reason that having a friend who is good in grammar or an English teacher edit a manuscript doesn't guarantee a marketable piece of work is that having impeccable grammar isn't enough. While it doesn't hurt for a writer to learn the eight parts of speech, it certainly doesn't make them a fiction writer.

Fiction writers, of any genre, should be able to deliver the basics of character development, story line with arcs, and an engaging beginning with a satisfying ending.

But it is voice, I think, that brings the story from the slush pile to publication. An active voice that shows far more than tells will grab the reader and hold them though to the end. And, if that reader is an acquisition editor of your most desired publisher, all the better.

Good writing isn't one skill; it is a skill set. I've mentioned other skills above that a writer who wants to improve their writing should learn: character development, strong story line, engaging beginning, satisfying ending, basic grammar, showing versus telling (and when to do each), and an active voice. That list isn't complete, but it is a start. Part of a writer's job is to continue to learn their craft, and perfect it.

What tip do you give people about becoming a writer?

 

New Query Policy

Some people refer to their manuscript as their "baby." That tells me that no matter what needs fixed before it can be published, every word is sacred and regardless of how wrong the manuscript will not be changed for God or country, much less for a publisher.

When that is the case, and if you know you don't want anyone to mess with your masterpiece, self-publishing of one type or another is the solution. There are three basic groups of self-publishing. One is to upload your ms to one of several free sites (free to upload, but consider the cost of books), send the file to a for-hire outfit (consider the cost of the service and the books), and the real-deal self-publishing model where the writer finds and hires each professional in the publishing process; editor, proof reader, book formatter (layout), cover artist, and off-set printer. Be prepared for several thousand books to be in the first run.

For those seeking publishing from a large publisher, the process is to query literary agents. Most small independent publishers, like Cactus Rain Publishing, will accept a query directly from the writer. Purists reserve the word author for a writer of a published work.

In general, the basics of the query process are universal. Some agencies and lit agents add specifics to the query fundamentals, which are the genre, the page count, a brief synopsis of the ms, and a short bio of the writer as it pertains to the specific ms being queried.

In addition to the query letter, which is a business letter, is a one page (single spaced lines, written in third person) synopsis that tells the beginning, middle, and end of the story. The final item is the sample chapters. These are the first chapters not chapters in random order. For CRP, it is the first three chapters.

In the past, CRP has responded to each query. Most often a reason for rejection has been given, such as we don't publish non-fiction. At times I've coaxed the basic information out of the writer by asking, "What is the genre of this work?" or "What is the word count?" Those days are over.

That practice is coming to an end. A query should not be mysterious about what major event changed the protagonist's life and neither should the query. There is no way to know if I want to publish a book that I know nothing about. I'm not sure the reason, but recently someone sent a query without the required sample chapters. How am I to know if they can hook the reader and can deliver the basics of writing?

The new policy is that there will not be a response if the query does not follow the posted guidelines. My belief is if a writer thinks their manuscript has merit, they will put forth the effort to correctly query it.

http://www.cactusrainpublishing.com/submissions.html

Write with a knowing voice

It is no surprise Diane Keziah Robertson's book, The Lacemaker's Daughter, is selling like hotcakes to hungry people. Lacemaking is an ancient craft that looks very difficult to learn (video below).  It works perfectly that Diane is a lacemaker. Her knowledge of the craft adds the authenticity that brings truth (believability) to her fiction.

Two comments from early readers of the manuscript are the basis for this post. One person said the book, set in England in the 1770's, should have been set in America. The reasoning was, of course, that Americans rather read about America.

That advise makes perfect sense. First off, the American colonies were no more a miniature England than was colonial India, so sure, that would work. (Of course not.)

I can imagine moving Kathryn's Beach, one of my books, to Arizona. I hardly think that Kathryn would have run to the hot desert for solace in the way she ran to the beach.

A story needs to be set where it belongs.

If Americans are only interested in stories set in America, then what is the explanation for the popularity of the Da Vinci Code or James Bond, or even Out of Africa and Mary Poppins? Please don't mention to J. K. Rowling that she should have written her million+ best sellers about Harry Potter set in America. It simply would not have worked.

Another suggestion was that the book didn't contain enough about lacemaking. Um, refer to the title. The book is about the daughter of a lacemaker. It is fiction, not a how-to book.

What does work is that Diane knows a whole lot about lacemaking and gave that essence to the story. The book gives a glimpse of the life of an English lacemaker. But the story is about one particular person, her family, and the people she meets.

Keeping with the Cactus Rain Publishing tradition, Diane delivers a well written, entertaining, feel-good read that does what literature is expected to do; guide the reader through an enjoyable experience that dispenses with their current reality.

The point is, write what you know. If your character is schizophrenic and you have no experience with the classic behaviors of schizophrenic people, on and off their medication, then do the research to make your story, even fantasy and science fiction, believable to the point the reader can dispense with reality and become immersed into the story. Follow Diane's example of excellence in storytelling.

Happy writing and reading.

Check out http://www.dianekrobertsonbooks.com/

Lacemaking video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiTqdr38tTU

http://www.thelondoner.ca/2012/06/20/family-history-inspired-diane-keziah-robertsons-the-lacemakers-daughter

Amazing Book!

The Lacemaker's Daughter is an absolutely amazing book. When author Diane Keziah Robertson held her first reading, I meant to get a post with a photo on First Draft. However, I've been wearing out the road to town shipping books to her. Sales are far above expectaions.

Diane has been the featured author at several events in the month and a half since The Lacemaker's Daughter was published, with more events booked.

Get your copy of The Lacemaker's Daughter to check out why it is selling like hot cakes, and I'll get a picture or two posted as soon as I can.

www.CactusRainPublishing.com and www.dianekrobertsonbooks.com