Polish and Dust your MS before Submission

When sending a query to a literary agent or a publisher who doesn't require a lit agent, make sure it is your best presentation. I can't stress this enough, however, it amazes me that I need to mention it at all.

 

Trust me on this, a query letter isn't two lines long that basically says "go look at the attachments" with an attitude that you are doing me a favor. You aren't doing me a favor. Seriously, you're not.

 

There is tons of information about writing a synopsis on the Internet and I've mentioned how to write one many times on this blog.

Out of idle curiosity, I might look at a synopsis even if the query is lacking, but I won't look at the sample chapters if the synopsis doesn't grab me. (A word to the wise on that.) I think Judith is better at looking at sample chapters that I wouldn't bother to read. In the end, if we both don't love-love your work, then we cut bait and move the boat.

 

We request that submissions are sent in MS Word. The first thing that I do is turn on the "show/hide" feature to see if you know how to use the software. This isn't a typewriter, so don't tab or spacebar the title to the center of the page; use the feature that centers the line. It is basic that there is only one space between sentences. Paragraph indents are made with the tab button, not a random number of spaces.

 

The sample chapters cannot read like a first draft. While I can content edit and fix any ms, I don't want to spend that kind of time on a sloppy ms. Whether it is true or not that a sloppy ms reflects on the nature of the writer, I think that it does.

 

We get enough good queries that we don't have to accept messes.

 

A query is a business proposal for Cactus Rain to fund your book. CRP is not a charity. We are a business. Our kids don't cop an attitude and we don't work with people who do. It is that simple.

 

If you believe in your work with a writer's passion, we will notice. Make yourself proud, present your best work. Good luck and write right.

Website Improvements

It's time for spring in Arizona. It is warming outside and things that grow green are setting on buds. Winter here is not a deep sleep; it is a power nap.

 

In a crazy mix of first of the year "fresh starts" and spring cleaning, we are dusting and polishing the Cactus Rain website.

 

Check it out and see what our web designer has been doing. Click on the links because some of them lead to different locations than they did previously. Come back a couple of times -- we aren't finished yet.
www.CactusRainPublishing.com

More of the SAME

Tax season seems to last longer than the monsoons. Actually, it is all year long and I kick myself if I fall behind in the spreadsheets.

 

But this time of year is more than collecting figures for my wonderful tax guy -- Mr. CPA. (Don't google that, it isn't his real identity.) It is also the time to get this year's spreadsheets dusted so that none of that afore mentioned kicking happens next year.

 

I've spent the weekend setting up new spreadsheets, adding 'this and that' to the items tracked. It goes well to do this on the weekend when it is quiet. My cell phone doesn't work at the office -- yes, I know it is time to change providers. Texting works and I can use the office phone, if needed.

 

Working on the weekend goes something like this: Call oldest son and ask how to fill repeating formulas down the column in Excel. Take lots of notes from my geeky-smart kid. Get back to work.

 

Clean out my email address book. Back to work.

 

Delete photos that I shouldn't have kept in the first place. Back to work.

 

Organize my computer files and delete a lot of old stuff that I haven't used in years. Back to work.

 

Figure out how to change my photo on this blog. Back to work after not liking several photos that seemed like a good idea at the time.

 

Let the cat out -- not my cat. Sit on the patio and watch the cat do cat things. Collect the cat and come inside. Back to work.

Look at the ms that Steve sent. Get stuck reading for a bit. Back to work.

 

Try this 'focusing technique' if you get writer's block -- not. Alright, back to working on the next Great American Novel. Enjoy. Write your best work.

Tax Season

Just a reminder to the new writers among us, be sure to talk with your tax preparer about your writing business. Yes, business. Unless this is a hobby and your writing is never going to see the light of day, it needs to be treated as a business.

In addition to making sure you don't screw up your taxes and have 'Uncle Sam' at your door, you also need to check into state and local business requirements, business licenses, retail licenses; if you plan to sell books at a book signing event you may need a license from the city.

It's complicated and I don't dare say more than do your research.

The same is true regardless of where you live, even outside the US, ask an expert and get set up correctly, then get back to writing the next Great American Novel.

Happy New Year!

Best wishes to each of you.
We hope that you have a healthy and happy 2015!

First off, it always surprises me how many queries we receive because CRP does no advertising, none. We are not on social media. (Oh, the sin of not being uber connected in such a way.)

 

The constant stream of queries points to the talent and skill of our web designer and the meta tags or whatever else she does that I don't fully understand.

 

Nonetheless, www.CactusRainPublishing.com must be quite search engine friendly, because we certainly get more than enough queries to keep Judith and me on our toes and more or less out of trouble -- not that I'm complaining! Oddly too, we are getting much better works submitted to us. Thus, we are requesting more full mss and rejecting fewer mss.

 

It seems that this year quite a few writers decided that 2015 would be the year their ms would be published. In the last month, we've had a ton of queries.

 

Sadly, one person mentioned that their publisher is requesting fees after the ms was accepted. That made me think about how different Cactus Rain is from some small publishers. These thoughts are what this post is about...

 

It's a new ballgame to enter the query phase of the writing process. Querying is a bit like saying, "I love you." You can't take it back once it is out there. You are sharing a personal part of yourself with a stranger and hoping for acceptance, and at times, fearing rejection.

 

There is a lot of time spent searching for a literary agent or perhaps a small publisher who doesn't require a lit agent; it is an investment. It can be discouraging. That is why I usually make an effort to explain why an ms was rejected, so it doesn't feel like a personal rejection.

 

Cactus Rain only publishes fiction. We don't have the resources to fact check non-fiction. We most often pick up mid-list mss from not-quite-ready-for-prime-time writers. We look for great stories, and for writers with heart rather than attitude.

 

We don't have a huge catalogue, but what we published is very [very, very] good. We believe in the mss enough to put our money into them. We take the time to explain why we want the changes that we request, in the hope that our writers learn to be even better writers and go on to bigger publishers in the future.

 

We don't work with stubborn know-it-all writers. Once the ms is under contract, it is our property, as it is with any other publisher. That said, we are careful not to change the voice of the work. About half of the time we change the working title. It is all about marketing. If the title doesn't appeal to readers, they aren't going to purchase the book.

 

We do not pay an advance and many publishers are getting away from advances because they are borrowed against the future earnings. Advances are sometimes subject to repayment. We think that advances slow the process of getting royalties into the writer's hand.

 

We are supportive of authors who want to self-publish. Learning all the things needed to publish successfully is quite a task. We applaud them. Sometimes we buy their book for our library.

 

We are cautionary of pay-for-publishing situations. However, I know a few people who have been quite successful with that route. And yes, we buy some of those books for our library, too.

 

Writing is a craft and an art. Write your best work. Aim high.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas. God bless us, everyone. (Dickens)

 

In this time for renewal, reflection, and joy, we wish everyone joy and peace -- now and forever.

Book Marketing

There is a lot of information on the Internet about book marketing. If you have your credit card paid off, in a matter of hours, you can charge thousands of dollars on paid marketing services and other stuff that you really-truly [don't] have to have.

 

In general, book marketing companies do much better with non-fiction than with fiction. Depending on the topic, the non-fiction audience can be quite large and sometimes long-term.

 

Since Cactus Rain Publishing is only interested in fiction, I'll focus on fiction.

 

Anyone looking into marketing ideas for fiction, especially those who self-publish their own work, really needs to put a sticky on their monitor with the question "How does this apply to fiction?"

 

As best as you can, do a cost effectiveness study; how many books would have to sell to recoup that money? Can you do something less expensive and smaller that would be more likely to recoup the expense (quicker)? Does this marketing plan fit your personality (Are you really going to follow through with this idea?)?

 

Over the past 10 years, I've realized that the best marketing tool is an enthusiastic author.

 

Number One on my list, and this is simply my list, is to arrange reading/book signing events. It is not uncommon for book stores to charge hundreds of dollars for a one hour slot to sign books in their store. And there is a lot more to it than simply showing up in your limo with a supply of good pens. However, there are plenty of venues that are free for readings and book signings.

• Practice on your friends and family. Put together a gift basket for the hostess, have her get her friends and family together and away you go... Oh, and take books with you to sell and sign on the spot.
• Libraries will sometimes host author events.
• It is more effort to find them, but reading/book clubs sometimes host author events.
• If you live in a setting that has a clubhouse or a newsletter. Talk to the person in charge and see how you can utilize these resources.
• Get business cards with the book cover and your contact info on them. I like them to be in vertical (portrait) format. Keep the contact info simple.
• Give out at least three business cards at a time saying, "One for you and a couple for your friends." Don't be annoying, but get those cards out there.
• Use the business cards as bookmarks. That saves buying two items -- business cards and bookmarks.
• Check into opportunities to be featured in a local newspaper or television show. That item might not sell many books, but it can lead to other opportunities, such as speaking to writers groups, clubs, and who knows what else.
• Attend local or web marketing seminars. Watch the cost of these, though.
• Basically be creative and stay alert to inexpensive opportunities to market, read, sign your book.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO): (When you think of  techy people, I'd better not be the top of your list or you are in big trouble.) There are rumors that lit agent and publishing house interns spend the day on the Internet looking for the next bestseller to take to their boss. Probably not.

• I'm a fan of having a website. I've been fortunate to have a great web designer for 8 years. I've learned a lot from her, such as spiders (the things that crawl through website looking for content for the search engines such as Google, Yahoo, you name it...) only read text, not images. I learned about sitemaps on webistes and I have some hidden content on one of my websites that I access with the sitemap. She stays on top of things, such as changing the copyright date after the first of the year. Anyway, a good web designer is worth their weight in gold. I love this website, which was also done by my web designer: (see below)
•  http://www.dianekrobertsonbooks.com/ (I do love my site as well.)
• If you have a website, give a great deal of thought to your domain name or consult a web designer before you select and purchase the domain name.
• Blogging is free and gets you on the map. Take some time and think about the topic and the name of the blog; make sure you are attracting people who might have an interest in your book as well as your fabulous blog.
• Twitter and facebook are linked together in my mind. They are two things to consider to attract a crowd. I find them time consuming and don't do either, but about once a year there is a story about a writer who skyrocketed their book by using social media. If you can commit to building a web presence and stay focus on that when you are on social media, then go for it.
• I liked this article on SEO, but there are lots of others. (see next line below)
• http://www.businessinsider.com/10-basic-seo-tips-everyone-should-know-2010-1?op=1

Give a great deal of thought and do a cost effective annalysis before spending money. Regardless of the amount, spend wisely. 

 

I hope this was helpful to the person who asked me about marketing. It is only the tip of the iceberg. Leave your ideas and experiences in the comments section below.

Slush Pile to Delete Button

I've written several times about what I look for in an ms. This time I thought I'd write about what I don't like.

 

Before we get to the manuscript, let's have a serious conversation about calling me, "Dear SIR" in the query letter. Please do the slightest research. It has never been a secret that I'm a woman. In this digital age, when you cut and paste the query letter into 1,001 websites, at least change the greeting to fit the circumstances.

 

Again, more research -- follow the query guidelines on the websites where you submit. For goodness sakes, you're right there finding the "contact us" or "submit here" link. Try reading the page and seeing what the guidelines are.

Here is a little insight into my thinking when I open a submission that doesn't follow the guidelines: 1) this person is as dumb as a rock (sorry to all the rocks out there) and can't follow instructions; 2) this person thinks that rules apply to everyone except them. The song is Hello Dolly, not hello diva. Delete. Delete. Delete.

 

It really doesn't impress me to be told in a query that we are lucky to get to publish said ms. If it is that good, go get a lit agent. Or spend YOUR own money and publish it. The way that I deal with divas is to delete the email without looking at the ms sample, if they bothered to sent it.

 

Next is the synopsis. There are specific elements to a synopsis. I've blogged about it and it is all over the internet and in every writing course, but the basics are: One page, two, tops; single space lines; written in third person; tells the story, the whole story, of the main character and possibly the secondary character. By whole story, I mean from the beginning of the book to the end. Yes, tell the end. This is not the place to be coy. How can I judge the story if it is a secret?

 

If I get as far as reading the sample chapters, let me make this clear -- start the story in the first line. Here is the logic of that statement: 1) people who buy books always read the first paragraph -- hook them!; 2) after the book is published, even if you DIY the book, when you do a public reading, you start at the beginning. That means, you don't say a few words about the beginning and start reading Chapter 3. If Chapter 3 is where the story really starts, delete chapters one and two, and make Chapter 3 become Chapter 1.

 

Personally, I am not a prologue fan. I understand its function. I just don't like them. If this information is important, then put it in the story. That is not to say there are not prologues in Cactus Rain Publishing books, there are. I just don't like them in general.

 

Next comes the request for the full ms. Whether Judith or I read the ms first depends on our workload at the time. I should have asked Judith what are her no-pass items, I didn't. I'm into this post now, so here are mine: I don't like rants, especially religious rants. There are tons of religious books on the market. Someone seeking spiritual answers is going to go to one or more of those books. I get the same creepy feeling reading political rants.

 

Skip the rants.

 

Vulgarity. I understand that the majority of adults cuss, at least a little. Writing peppered with cuss words, especially those that start with "f" is almost always a sign of a weak writer. You can bet if I love everything else about the ms, the f-words will disappear, before CRP publishes it. Any cuss words in the ms better be needed to advance the story. "Shock factor" isn't good writing.

 

Senseless violence. The first clue is the word "senseless." Every single word, scene, character has to advance the story. I have no use for violence and considering the number of times I read an ms throughout the publishing process, you can bet I don't want to read junk. I don't want to read (even one time) about violence toward women, children, or anyone handicapped. Why is rape in the news so often? We have not said often enough to our children that it is not okay. RAPE-IS-NOT-OKAY.

 

Sex. I've never read erotica, so can't commit on it. But sex is like every other element in the story. It has to be well written and advance the story. I'm 100% not interested in reading about adultery. Thank you - no!

 

We have nothing against non-fiction, but we don't have the resources to fact check it. Don't submit it to us.

 

Read the rest here:
http://www.cactusrainpublishing.com/submissions.html 

This isn't necessarily a call for submissions, especially with the holidays around the corner - we do plenty of goofing off this time of year. If you do submit to Cactus Rain, at least do it right.

The Price of eBooks

Wouldn't it be nice if we could purchase the things we want at cost (below wholesale). Just imagine paying only the cost of the materials for a new house. However, the reality is we pay for the craftsmanship, the general expenses for the business to build said house, in addition to the lumber, the location, and we rarely think twice.

But my goodness, expect to be paid for the craft of writing an engaging story or the research and knowledge to publish a credible non-fiction, that is simply absurd. After all, books cost little to produce and ebooks even less, and we shouldn't expect to pay for the expertise to make a manuscript into a publish-worthy book, nor should we expect writers to be paid for their craft after all the hours they put into the manuscript.

 

An ebook is simply a digital file, so why should it cost more than a few pennies?

 

For one thing, the format is not the same as the manuscript or the print book, so there is time and expertise to format the book. The line editor has to look through it. The publisher has the expenses of running a business, or there is no business to publish the ebook. Besides, the author should get paid for writing the story -- every time that it sells.

 

The host site, such as Amazon Kindle should get some money -- maintaining their website isn't free (neither is maintaining my website free; domain name, hosting, web designer.) Some of the publishing expenses, besides the staff time to format it, include the cost of the ISBN, copyrights, graphic artists, computers and other business machines, space rent, plus the business licenses to put the "officalness" on the work, and more. You get the picture.

 

We expect to pay when we attend the theatre, cinema, concert, ballet, museum, and so much more that we have nothing tangible when we leave. Or do we? I still remember books that I read as a child and that was a very long time ago. I don't remember all of them, of course, but the ones that resonated are remembered. One of my co-workers and I quote lines from moves in our verbal interactions. Surely, we did take something away from the experience.

 

Nonetheless, I still get asked about Cactus Rain Publishing's position on the pricing of ebooks. Go figure.

 

Actually, go write your best work.

Acquisitions

Every publishing house has its own personality. With enough exposure to a publishing house's books a writer can get a feel for what type of writing will be accepted by them.

I've been asked how we select manuscripts. I think I've written about this before, but here we go!

First, follow the submission guidelines. I think that is a firm rule for just about any publisher. Why would I want to work with someone who is unable to follow rules, or worst yet, think the rules don't apply to them? There are only so many waking hours in a day, why in the world would anyone waste them on someone who's impossible when the next person in line is a gem?

Please don't query an unfinished work. This is fiction. A proposal is fine, in some cases, for non-fiction. We ONLY publish fiction. The manuscript must be complete. No one in their right mind is going to let a contract on an unfinished novel.

(Just to throw in a teaching moment here, novels are fiction. Please, don't refer to your ms as a "fiction novel." That is a huge red flag that you are clueless about writing.)

Of course, a proper query letter is required and it has to pique my curiosity to read the first three chapters. If it gets that far then Judith takes over and reads the full ms that has been requested.

If we both LOVE the manuscript, then it is a go and we contact the author about a publishing contract. If one of us loves it and the other is a bit "not-in-love" then we talk about its strengths and weaknesses. If the strengths are in important areas (basics of writing) and the weaknesses are in grammar, then it isn't too much of a worry.

Judith and I both do content editing, so we don't worry too much if there is fixing needed. The main thing is the author has to be open to content editing. Yes, that means that someone is messing with their work.

We can get geeky about the content editing. We look for things out of place: 1) people's names changing halfway through -- that one is just weird; 2) things happening out of sequence -- for example, someone discussing something as if it has happened, and it hasn't happened yet; 3) basic continuity issues...

Our secret silver bullet is Anita, a certified proofreader. She does the grammar fixes.

Maybe this post isn't turning out to be about what we look for in an ms, but I'll make a quick list and I know there are more specific posts about it somewhere on this blog.

• Story -- does it matter? Does it entertain? (Am I willing to read it about 20 times to get this ms published?)
• Character development -- believable, interesting, someone we can care about
• Setting -- is setting part of the story? Is it believable?
• Pacing -- look it up.
• No shock features -- violence, sex, cuss words for the sake of shock that doesn't lend any value to the story. This is cheap writing and I'm not impressed. Also, you can count on the f-word being removed nearly 100% of the time. Yes, I know people say it. Yes, I know it really-truly fit when you were writing that scene. I do not care -- take it out. It limits your audience.

Here's something interesting about writing dialogue: http://fictionwriting.about.com/od/crafttechnique/tp/dialogue.htm