We hope you’ll check out the interview Evan did recently with the terrific folks at Lachesis Publishing. He discusses indie publishing, the role of the literary agent today, what it takes to be a successful author, how to pitch your book idea (in person or via email) and what kinds of books he’s looking for.
Authors need to avoid cricket syndrome. And we don’t mean watching too many cricket matches.
What is Cricket Syndrome?
When you think about an awkward silence, there are the crickets. Their chirping fills in what would otherwise be a void.
If etiquette says you should respond to something, but you’re silent, that’s Cricket Syndrome at work. Don’t let crickets rush into the gap that you should fill with good manners.
Cricket Syndrome in the Publishing World
You’re an author, dedicated to getting your work out into the world. Your time is precious.
When something doesn’t work out, some authors drop it. We don’t think this is the right choice.
If you send something to an editor or agents, and you receive feedback, you should respond. You should do this even if the feedback is not as glowing as you would have liked. Even if your book proposal is rejected, avoid Cricket Syndrome.
Thank the people who have taken time to look over your work. Following up and following through shows that you value an editor or publisher’s time.
An editor or agent who tells you they want a revised proposal deserves that revision. He or she sees something in your work that is worth a second chance. A revision request is an opportunity. Instead of fading out in silence, get to work! Pursue this potentially valuable opportunity. Ignoring feedback is perilous to your career.
The same is true when fans get in touch with you. If someone demonstrates how much they love your work, thank them!
An Example of Follow-Through
We understand that might not be sure how to respond to agents and editors. Negative or even neutral criticism can feel painful, especially when you have poured your heart into your work. We know from experience, however, that follow-through is vital. Set “achy” feelings aside and send a quick email.
Your response may be as simple as, “Thank you for your time. I appreciate your assistance. May I be back in touch with more of my work in the future?”
Continue your good work by marking a deadline for revisions on your calendar. When the time comes, send another quick email, such as, “Thank you for your interest in my project. I’m still on track to send it to you in December. I’ll be back in touch at that time.”
Don’t leave people hanging. Agents and editors are people, too. And, as we tell our kids, it’s impossible to say thank you too much. Don’t become a cricket!
In the world of indie publishing, KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) is a fantastic way to get your work into the hands of eager readers. With KDP, writers can self-publish their ebooks and paperbacks, in less than five minutes. The books show up in a matter of days, and it’s free to publish.
This #poweredbyindie platform is an optimal way to make money, get to market, and keep control of your rights and your list prices.
When you choose to publish with KDP Select, your book will be available to Kindle Unlimited readers. Kindle Unlimited is Amazon’s subscription reading service, opening up the pool of readers who will find and love your book.
KDP Select is exclusive, so your book cannot be offered outside Amazon. You will have to decide what is more lucrative to you — Amazon’s readers with Kindle Unlimited, or more control but none of the subscription service readers.
One thing to know either way is that the KDP’s dashboard will alert you to any potential proofreading issues or typos. This is a great feature … unless you don’t know what the typo is!
Where’s the Typo?
When we decided to republish Evan Marshall’s Jane and Winky Mystery series, so that KDP readers could find it, we ran into a problem. KDP’s dashboard told us there was a typo on the cover of Hanging Hannah, but we couldn’t find it!
We wondered if it was the ampersand in Jane & Winky. There was also the @ symbol in Marshall. Amazon’s proofreading machines were better than our own human proofreading, which shows just how powerful this platform can be!
Perfecting your Cover on KDP
When you publish a book on KDP, you can update your books at any time, including the cover. After creating a book, you simply navigate to your dashboard and choose to edit the ebook or paperback content. Upload a cover file and, once someone from Amazon has reviewed it, Amazon will publish your changes.
KDP’s cover creator helps when you don’t have a file already. This resource is great for indie publishing, when you want something that looks professional and eye-catching but may not have a designer or design programs available.
Find us on KDP
We solved our typo conundrum and finished updating and republishing the Jane and Winky series. Along with Hanging Hannah, we republished Stabbing Stephanie and Missing Marlene for our readers to enjoy.
In recent years, books have become a solid part of the monthly subscription box industry. No matter what your taste, the chances are good that you will find a monthly book subscription box club to suit you.
Readers are increasingly diverse. They are not only looking for their favorite genres but their favorite sub-genres too. Through a monthly book subscription box club, they can receive personalized book selections based on their book preferences.
These subscription services provide perks, such as snacks and treats, postcards, teas, bookmarks, notes from the authors, and other goodies. And the boxes, often referred to as crates, tend to be beautifully-packaged.
The pleasure of opening the packaging is definitely part of the appeal. You pay for a subscription service, but it may feel like a gift when it arrives on your doorstep. A subscription box club would make a wonderful gift for the readers in your life. The non-book additions make them exciting and surprising, while beautiful books elevate the pleasure of reading.
Here are some of the best:
- Owl Crate – big on Instagram, Owl Crate’s beautiful, themed boxes have captured the imaginations of many book lovers. Subscribers can expect a new young adult hardcover every month, as well as book-related goodies such as bookmarks and tote bags.
Cost: from $29.99 per month
- LitKit – this is the literary box club for aspiring writers, and those who enjoy quality crafting and experimentation. The first box, which was shipped at the beginning of 2016, contained an issue of a literary journal, bookmarks, a chapbook, a postcard, a calendar featuring writing prompts, and recycled pencils.
Cost: from $28 each
- The Cozy Reader Club – this is a top-end subscription box club that will give you the premium feel. If you like to luxuriate in the reading experience, this subscription might help you take things to a new level.
In addition to the book, yo will receive an artisanal hot beverage, a gourmet treat, and handmade clothing!
Cost: $64.95
- Sol Book Box – this subscription box demonstrates that there is a box out there for you. This box is aimed at people with Spanish or bilingual children! Each package contains two Spanish/bilingual board or picture books, and themed items from Latin artisans.
Whether you’re looking for kid’s books, comics, or contemporary thrillers, there’s a subscription box out there for you, or someone you love. A world within the covers of a book is a magical thing. These clubs create the sense of wonder and joy that books deserve.
One of the decisions you must make as an author is whether to go with print-on-demand (POD) or a print run. Let’s define what these mean so that you can make an informed choice.
If you are publishing via a POD platform, this will mean that your book will be sold nearly entirely online. When a customer buys your book on the website, a copy is printed and distributed to the customer.
This type of printing was developed so that older titles in backlists could be kept in print without having to perform a print run and store lots of physical books.
It’s now used for low-cost, flexible distribution for independent authors and digital publishers.
The advantages of this approach are that:
- It’s better for the environment – when publishers produce a large print run, unsold books that are not discounted may end up in a landfill. This wastes several resources.
- POD requires no upfront investment – in addition to the cost of printing books, warehouse space to store them costs money too. If you don’t have to stock books, you can eliminate those costs.
- POD platforms take care of logistics – not sure how to accept payments in multiple currencies and ship your books around the world? By choosing a POD platform, you can have this taken care of for you.
The disadvantage of POD is that there are costs incurred each time a book is printed. Still, the advantages can outweigh this.
So when is it better to have a print run?
- Larger print runs become cheaper – if you know that you will be selling a large number of books or you need a lot of books for book signings, it may be possible to save money with a large print run. The cost per book goes down with larger print runs.
- Unusual formats and requirements – the results of POD and offset printing for print runs are almost indistinguishable. POD caters for typical formats and paper types, however, so if the book requires an unusual size, or includes images or high-quality insets, you may achieve better results with a traditional print run.
- Books can be sold online and to brick-and-mortar stores – if you have a pile of physical books, you can work on getting traditional bookstores to stock them. Many traditional bookstores will order books printed by IngramSparks, but other POD platforms lack the quality and financial incentives to make this a viable option.
When you’re deciding between going with a digital or a traditional publisher, understanding the difference will save time and money and avoid a lot of frustration. One is not better than the other. Which you choose depends on your needs and the needs of your readers.
Scenes in novels are always written from a specific viewpoint. Your novel should have a “set” of viewpoint characters. Every scene or chapter is written from the viewpoint of one of these characters. Generally, the longer the novel, the more viewpoint characters you’ll have.
The concept of viewpoint writing is important to understand, because it makes your novel come truly alive by giving readers the illusion of living your story through these characters.
The Pitfalls of Novel Writing with No Viewpoint
You’d be surprised how many projects I see that are written with no viewpoint. I think it must be the influence of the movies.
Movies and TV shows have an omniscient viewpoint typically, in which the viewer knows and sees all, like an observer floating over everything in a god-like position. We don’t ever get inside characters’ heads the way we do in novels. Omniscient viewpoint works in film but does not work in today’s commercial novels because it shatters the illusion of living a story through certain characters’ eyes. “Head-hopping”—jumping back and forth between two or more characters’ viewpoints in a scene or chapter—is a no-no among editors (an exception is often made for the romance novel, because many readers like knowing what the hero and heroine are both thinking in a given scene or chapter).
Deciding on your story’s set of viewpoint characters brings focus and power to your novel, making it a more immediate and realistic experience for your readers. A mastery of viewpoint writing also signals to agents, editors and readers that you are a professional and know your craft.
Viewpoint as a Novel-Writing Technique
To stick to one viewpoint, it is as simple as only sharing what a given character knows, sees, and experiences directly. From there, choose first person, second person, or third person viewpoint. Use:
• “I said,”
• “you said,” or
• “he/she said.”
How to Write a Novel with the Marshall Plan
I defined this essential technique in my book The Marshall Plan® for Novel Writing in 1998, and the concept is one of the cornerstones of the NovelCreator® software, first published online with Martha Jewett in 2008.
A longstanding literary tool, The Marshall Plan® was set for an update. I’m excited about the just-released version five of the Marshall Plan® software, offering many more viewpoint writing tools and an integrated character development screen. It also includes a flexible novel structure.
Users will have many more powerful tools at their fingertips. To be one of them, visit www.themarshallplan.net to learn more and download our free trial.
A writing retreat will provide writers at any stage of his or her career a place to cultivate creativity and concentration.
How long you go to a writer retreat varies. Some retreats require a minimum stay of two weeks. Others allow you to go for a weekend.
Retreats are not conferences. Writing conferences are great for taking classes and workshops, and networking. But don’t expect to achieve writing; this is unlikely.
After a writing retreat, on the other hand, you may well have the beginning of your novel, or you might have made some significant progress, although progress might not be measured by how many words you have written. Writers also visit writer’s retreats not only to increase their word counts but to revitalize their writing, get over blocks, or loosen up, for example.
Here are some benefits being enjoyed by novelists at writing retreats today.
• They are stimulated by a change of environment.
• They can focus or get away from distractions.
• They demonstrate a commitment to themselves and their craft.
• They can recharge with rest, as well as writing.
• They can be with like-minded people.
• They can enjoy a kind of working holiday.
Writers at retreats also benefit from mixing with other writers. They may receive tutoring from established authors. This kind of input of time, energy, and expertise can make writing retreats an invaluable part of a writer’s annual schedule.
There is a writing retreat out there for every kind of author. Some of the better-known retreats include The Interlochen Writers Retreat, Storyknife Writers Retreat, and Writers Who Run.
Interlochen Writers Retreat, Michigan – This retreat has been running for 12 years. You can spend four days writing new material in whichever genre you like. It is set in beautiful surroundings and features award-winning faculty providing craft talks.
Storyknife Writers Retreat, Alaska – This is a women-only retreat. Author Erin Hollowell writes: “Storyknife is not all about the buildings, not all about the volcanoes, nor the big Alaskan sky that stretches over this beautiful land. Storyknife is about supporting women’s voices and stories … Storyknife supports the work of women writers who have historically had fewer opportunities to devote time to their work.”
Writers Who Run, North Carolina – Writing is well-known to be a sedentary occupation, but not at the Writers Who Run Retreat, where writers can enjoy six days of exploration on and off the page. It’s a perfect place to exercise and stimulate the body and mind, and to see what this does for your writing.
Our advice is to think about your ideal writing retreat and then search for it online. Retreats all over the world appeal to different writers. And there are lots of good reasons to book one soon.
Judy Blume, Roald Dahl, R.L. Stine, Louisa May Alcott, J.K. Rowling — we know them all as celebrated children’s and young adult authors. But there’s another common thread among these writers. They have all written books for adults, too.
Judy Blume’s Adult Fiction
Judy Blume is a classic children’s author, writing all kinds of books for kids of all ages, from “Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing” to “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.”
You might also find her work outside the kids’ section. Blume has penned several adult novels, including “Wifey,” which addresses adult lives, adultery, and sexuality, and “Summer Sisters,” which features strong sexual content.
“In the Unlikely Event,” published in 2015, at which point it was her first adult novel in 16 years, is set around a series of plane crashes in 1950s New Jersey.
If you loved her books as a child, or your children are Blume fans, you can engage with her work on an adult level, too, and enjoy her treatment of more adult themes or perspectives.
Roald Dahl – Fantastical Fiction for All Ages
Roald Dahl is well known for his children’s works like “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and “Matilda.” Many of his children’s books are now equally beloved children’s movies.
His knack for the fantastic extends beyond the children’s range, however, into books better suited for adults. Dahl published four collections of adult stories, along with novels for adults including the sex-filled “My Uncle Oswald.”
One story, “The Man from the South,” was featured twice by Alfred Hitchcock. His work for adults has been reprised into modern day collections titled “Deception,” “Madness,” “Cruelty,” and “Lust.”
R.L. Stine’s Terrific Terror
R.L. Stine’s “Goosebumps” and “Fear Street” books are a hallmark of kids’ spooky stories. Some of them are creepy even to an adult reader, but those who want an adult version of his work can check out his horror novels for adults, “Superstitious” and “Red Rain.”
Louisa May Alcott Beyond Little Women
“Little Women” might be a fairly wholesome book for youngsters but Alcott’s writing went beyond that into more thrilling territory for adult readers. Alcott called them “blood and thunder tales.”
Like the gruesome thrillers Jo wrote in “Little Women,” these books are sensational. You can find some of them in the collection “Behind a Mask.”
J.K. Rowling a.k.a. Robert Galbraith
Rowling selected the pen name Robert Galbraith to quietly write a detective novel, “The Cuckoo’s Calling.” It was part of a larger series, “The Cormoran Strike,” which is a far cry from the world of Harry Potter. The first three books of the series have been adapted for television, the fourth is finished, and Rowling/Galbraith has plans for at least six more.
If you are thinking of diving into a new genre or market, these authors prove that it can be done to the pleasure of old fans and new. If there are stories in you that need to be told and you are willing to hone your craft to engage with a fresh audience, there is no stopping you.
In 2015, Mira Jacob attempted to give a keynote speech about the challenges facing writers of color in publishing. Half of the room turned away and talked over her. Jacob is one of many calling for more diversity in publishing, something to be ignored at the industry’s peril.
The Harrowing Statistics on Diversity in Publishing
A lack of diversity is a problem across all genres.
Leah and Bea Kosch conducted a survey for The Ripped Bodice. The report shows that for every 100 books that were published by leading romance publishers in 2016, just 7.8 were written by people of color. Half of the publishers surveyed had fewer than five percent of their books written by people of color.
The Cooperative Children’s Book Center’s statistics show that in 2016, Black, Latinx, and First/Native Nations authors, all combined, wrote only six percent of new children’s books that were published.
A Lee & Low study looked at the demographics of the publishing industry itself, finding that 92 percent of respondents identified as not disabled, 88 percent identified as heterosexual, and 79 percent identified as Caucasian.
What Publishers are Doing to Improve Diversity in the Publishing Industry
The Lee & Low study asked for responses from publishers about what they’re planning to do or are or already doing to make diversity a priority. Responses included initiatives like hiring and recruiting more diverse reviewers, training staff on cultural literacy and diversity, and creating awards and scholarships for diverse writers.
We Need Diverse Books asks why most people experience diversity as a part of everyday life, but experience a lack of diversity in fiction. The non-profit aims to put more books featuring diverse characters into the hands of all children, with a vision of a world in which all children can see themselves in the pages of a book. The organization provides support to this cause in many ways.
Grants provide financial support to emerging, diverse writers who are currently unpublished. One grant recipient, Angie Thomas, went on to write the award-winning “The Hate U Give,” which entered The New York Times’ young adult best-seller list at number one.
Mentorships pair writers with experienced authors and illustrators. Internships provide supplemental grants to diverse students with career goals in children’s publishing. Retreats, scholarship programs, and other support are being extended to writers, industry professionals, educators, and the public.
Bestselling author K. M. Jackson is a daily advocate for diversity in romance fiction, tweeting with the hashtag #WeNeedDiverseRomance. “When it comes to diversity in publishing, we still have so far to go,” she says. “As a result of many years of both intentional and unintentional racism in the entertainment industry, a narrative has been set that puts non-white media, including books, in an othering category. It’s a stereotype that has been proven false by hits like Scandal and Black Panther, but still one that the industry—the book industry especially—holds onto. It does this with things such as segregated lines of fiction, unequal marketing, book buying and selling by postal demographic, and hiring sensitivity readers instead of a diverse editorial staff. Many changes can and should be made. Here’s hoping they will be made, and sooner rather than later.”
For authors with a diverse background, or a book featuring diverse characters, writing and continually honing your craft is an important contribution to creating a diverse industry.
It’s the hashtag heard around the world. Tarana Burke originated the phrase and the movement ten years ago with her organization, Just Be Inc. It exploded across the internet in October 2017, when Alyssa Milano tweeted, “If you’ve been sexually harassed or assaulted write ‘me too’ as a reply to this tweet.”
The #MeToo movement hit every corner of every industry, including publishing. According to Publisher’s Weekly, many women in publishing can recount sexual harassment, and many of those who have not experienced it through their careers indicate they feel lucky to have escaped this problem thus far. Harassment claims against well-known authors and editors are in the media spotlight, including people in the children’s and YA publishing.
Understanding Bias in Publishing
In an analysis of gender bias in the New York Times bestseller list, author Rosie Cima explains that the VIDA Count organization does a tally each year of the genders of writers whose works are featured and reviewed in literary journalism outlets.
The most recent study, in 2015, shows that books by women made up far less than half of all books reviewed in the New York Review of Books, Harper’s, the Atlantic, and the London Review of Books.
Cima’s article shares analyses indicating publishers have male-biased catalogs, which may explain why reviews are also male-heavy. Female authors are writing, but the gender ratio on the NYT bestseller list has remained at under 50 per cent since the early 2000s.
“The statistics suggest publishers and critics aren’t giving these new young authoresses the chance they deserve,” Cima writes.
If publishers push for more parity in their catalogues, perhaps the entire industry could shift to a more female-friendly environment.
Steps Toward Healing
The Staunch Book Prize is a good example of publishing industry efforts that can promote healing. This book prize is set to be awarded to the author of a thriller-genre novel within which no woman is beaten, stalked, sexually exploited, raped or murdered.
Its founders say they launched the prize because they felt there is an overload of violence toward women in fiction. As real-life women battle against abuse and violence, “the casual and endless depiction of women as victims sits uneasily alongside their fight.”
According to Burke, the movement needs to address dismantling broken systems rather than individuals. It needs to help give survivors resources to heal.
By highlighting more female voices, and promoting work that avoids the clichés of violence, the publishing industry can help.
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