How Long is Your Book?

The question of "how long your manuscript should be" is sometimes hard to answer because different publishers have different guidelines. I'm going to give you some information here, but first I want you to know WHY this is important.

It's pretty simple: If your book falls within the standard preferred word-count range, it's one less reason for it to be rejected. It takes the question of "length" completely off the table as an issue. Now the decisions can be made based on your writing and whether your book is a fit for that publishing house. (And that's what you want, right?)

If you are outside the normal range, it's one more obstacle on your road to publication. That will also affect whether agents will want to represent it. The more obstacles to publication, the harder it will be to say "yes" to representation. If you're writing outside the standard length guidelines, there's more pressure for your work to be SO GOOD that we (agents & editors) will want to fight for it.


FICTION GUIDELINES:

Full-length fiction: 80,000 to 100,000 words is by far the best range to stay within. Some pubs will look at manuscripts from 70,000 to 110,000 words, rarely outside of that.

Some definitions:

a A "novel" is usually defined as 50,000 words to 110,000 words.

a Over 110,000 is generally referred to as an epic or a saga.

a A novella is defined as 20,000 to 50,000 words (but please don't pitch me a novella because I don't represent them.) Most pubs are not doing novellas except for select Christmas stories.

a Heartsongs Presents: 50,000 words. (I don't represent these either.)

Be aware: These definitions can change depending on who you're talking to! Also, the price point changes when it gets much over 100,000 words, and this is a big deal for publishers. They try to avoid it.

Having said all this, most of the editors I've spoken with said they look at the writing first. If they love the novel but it falls outside their normal length (within reason), the editor will fight for it and try to make it work. (Same with agents.)

By the way, these guidelines aren't specific to CBA. I am hearing the exact same things from general market agents.


NON FICTION GUIDELINES:

The range is wider, depending on the topic. I recommend 50,000 to 70,000 words as the best range. You could go as low as 45,000 and as high as 80,000, but I wouldn't suggest going too far outside of this range except for special cases (i.e. gift books & devotionals will be fewer words; intense theological treatises may be much longer).

PS: C.J. Darlington did a review of CBA novels about a year ago, and lists some word counts. Click here.

Agenting & Editing - Part Deux

Last week I explained that it's not considered ethical for literary agents to benefit financially from the editing of their clients' books. (Agents should not profit from their clients in any way except for selling the rights to their books.) As part of my mission to clear up some misconceptions about how WordServe operates, I wrote to the Preditors & Editors website, which had WordServe listed with an "Editing Advisory" in red next to our name. I explained the same things I wrote in my blog post and asked them to verify our legitimacy by looking at our website where we list some of our authors and recent sales.

I'm VERY happy to report that the editor of Preditors & Editors was extremely gracious and after verifying our agency's record, he removed the advisory from our listing. You can see our P&E listing here... scroll down the page. (Note how many "agencies" are not recommended or don't have the $ symbol that indicates verified sales to royalty paying publishers.)

In any case, I wanted to take the editing discussion a little further today, and talk to you about the editing of your project. Who does it? And when?

Once you have an agent, there are two times your book will be up for possible editing: Before it's submitted to publishers, and after you get a contract. Please note that all agents are different; some edit, some don't. I'll tell you how I handle things.

When I agree to represent a client, the first thing I do is work closely with them on their proposal and manuscript. Obviously my goal is to increase the saleability of the project. The editing of the proposal might be quite intense, because this document is so important (more for non-fiction). The editing of the manuscript itself is not quite so intense because I know the publishing house is going to edit according to their own preferences. The goal at this stage is to increase the perceived quality of the writing where necessary, make sure those first few pages really grab the reader, and eliminate any obvious reasons for a publisher to reject the book.

This back-and-forth with the author sometimes takes only a few days, but sometimes takes a few weeks. (On my end, it can take eight hours or more to do a complete edit of a novel.) I usually edit right in the manuscript itself, using Track Changes and Comments for the author. I also write an Editorial Memo for the author, giving an overview of my thoughts.

Right now I'm in this editing stage with several authors, and with first-timers I'm always a little worried how they're going to take it. If you've never worked with an editor before, it can be shocking and distressing to have someone looking at your baby and saying, "Change this, this, and this." On the upside, I hope that by working with me on the pre-submission edit, authors are more ready for what might come later when the publisher starts editing their work. In any case, I always keep reminding my authors... even if this seems like A LOT of revisions, please know I'm only doing this because I believe in you as an author, I love your book, and I want to help you sell it. Heavy editing doesn't equal bad book! It means good book with the potential to be even better.

After your book is sold, the agent is completely out of the editing picture. You'll go through the publisher's editorial process, which is different at every house, ranging from very intense to very light or even hands-off. In the most comprehensive editing process, it looks something like this:

1. Substantive edit or developmental edit (sometimes called a macro edit). This is the big-picture editing. In fiction: story structure, character development, scene structure, plot, pacing, dialogue, and general fiction technique. In non-fiction: structure, clarity of ideas, logical flow, continuity, readability, transitions, repetition, author voice, and general appeal.

2. Line edit: Polishing the writer’s style, correcting awkward grammar, suggesting improved word choices, restructuring paragraphs and sentences where necessary, refining the author’s voice and tone, and generally making the prose shine.

3. Copyedit: Corrects grammar, punctuation, capitalization, clarity, consistency, and conformity to style. Also might include fact-checking, verification of sources and footnotes, and verification of permissions received.

Depending on what publisher you're with, these stages might be condensed and handled by one person, or you might go through three separate stages and three editors.

Hope that helps explain the editing process. If you were under the illusion that once you finish writing your book, it's "finished," I hope you start to get disillusioned right now!

Weekend Reading... and... Q4U

Lots of fun stuff going on in the blogosphere this week!

On Wednesday, I noticed a significant jump in my daily hit count, and when I rooted it out, I found that Jennifer Jackson of the Donald Maass Literary Agency (who has a wonderful blog I read regularly) had included a link to my blog along with other agents on the Writer's Digest 101 Websites list. I always get a little thrill when people in mainstream publishing (vs. CBA) visit here or post a link. Then Friday I read this post on Jennifer's blog where she explained that the Donald Maass agency will henceforth respond to all queries, whereas previously they had one of those "we only respond if we're interested" policies. Do you think our discussion had anything to do with this? I wonder...

Some interesting blog posts:

Read Well Laid Plans Laid Up by Janet Reid to get an idea of how things go for agents sometimes. Yes, most of us love our jobs. (At least I do!) No, we don't usually get a "weekend" in the normal sense. (But don't mistake this for complaining! It's just a glimpse inside.)

Jessica Faust at Bookends answers the question, "How Do Bad Books Get Published?" An old and sad debate, but still a question we hear all the time.

I like this post by Mike Hyatt, because personally I'm tired of all the really negative talk about the state of publishing and the economy in general. I think the constant doomsday talk just makes things worse, feeds on itself, and becomes self-fulfilling. When Baker announced their earnings at the end of the fiscal year, it was cause for celebration!

J. Mark Bertrand gives us a glimpse of his writing journey and I think it can be inspiring to all aspiring authors.

In case you haven't heard yet, Jerry Jenkins started blogging a couple weeks ago. I like how his wife Diana says Jerry should have on his tombstone: "Never an unpublished thought." That's blogging in a nutshell. Visit Jerry's blog if you want random thoughts and photos of his family.


Here is this weekend's question:

Now that American Idol is over for the season, what am I going to watch? What "cultural phenomenon" should I hitch my wagon to? It's always nice to have something to talk about on the blog besides publishing, and you know I love a good metaphor. But I'm at a loss. I don't watch much TV—Idol was pretty much it.* So... what's it going to be? Give me some ideas.

*Okay, I'll admit, hubby and I are diehard Lost fans. But that's about to end for the season, too. Besides, I could never write about it on the blog... I am always totally "lost" when watching Lost. Hey, do you think that's the whole point of the show? Not that the characters are lost, but the viewers are?

A Published Author's Rant

You know I like to rant now and then, right? But I'm not the only one who gets the privilege! A friend of mine, who shall forever remain anonymous, sent the following rant about the pitfalls of being published.

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I finally have a non-fiction publishing contract. I've been pursuing this for more than ten years—attending writers' conferences, receiving rejections, building my platform brick by brick, taking criticism and harsh words from critique groups, and writing, writing, writing . Slowly but surely, my platform has grown and I am now speaking to audiences of hundreds and sometimes thousands (instead of twenty or thirty). Along the way my writing improved. It all paid off. I finally got a contract!

Now... people I know assume that my life is perfect and small animals sing and dress me in the morning. These are mostly writer-friends who are still pursuing publication. With them, I am not allowed to say that it's STILL hard work (which it is) because it sounds like I'm complaining. I'm not allowed to say that even though I have a two-book contract, I am struggling to get my 3rd and 4th books sold, and it's just as hard and frustrating. There are so many people who are desperate to be published, I should just shut up and be happy.

And trust me, I am happy. I am singing from the rooftops happy.

But I don't like the feeling that I should be apologizing for getting a book contract when I have worked so hard to get here. I'm extremely thankful, but not apologetic. It seems to me that some writers feel like they are "owed" a publishing contract that is unfairly being kept from them. I've never felt entitled to be published. I've felt the sting of hundreds of rejections, and although it has hurt me more than I care to admit, I ultimately kept going.

Of course, I've also met a lot of writers who aren't complainers and don't have a sense of entitlement, but are simply frustrated with the process. I definitely feel your pain. Trust me, I had a LOT of ideas rejected. I could have given up long ago, but I was just stubborn enough to keep going. If you continue to believe that this whole writing-publishing path is for you, then I hope you don't give up either.

Please don't hate me because I'm finally getting published. As I commiserate with your struggles, could you commiserate with mine, too? We are all in this together. Let's keep supporting each other and rooting each other on.

I am not the enemy. It's those evil agents and editors you should be angry with... but that's a different rant!

Are You a Writer?

Oh my gosh, wasn't that exciting? David Cook ROCKS! I love that guy! Yeah bay-bee. Woohoo! What a fun night. My girls and I were screaming the roof off. This whole season has been loads of fun and I gotta be honest, I'm gonna miss A.I.

(Can I just say how glad I am that I didn't have my laptop in front of the TV tonight? SIX of you wrote me about the results before I had seen them! I'm a Rocky Mountain girl, remember? You east-coasters, what am I gonna do with you.)

As it happens, American Idol relates directly to my blog topic for today. (Is A.I. ever an inappropriate topic for a writing blog? I think not.) So let's get to it.

I received a query awhile back that contained the following line:

"I can’t give you a hook or a synopsis—I am a writer, not a promoter. You really do have to read the book to see what an exceptional story it is."

Now, I know most of you would never consider writing something like that. But I know you probably sometimes FEEL that way—that you just want to write your book and it's really unfair for people to ask you to write pitches and taglines and author bios other types of sales copy. “I’m a writer but I’m really bad at selling things or tooting my own horn,” you might think. "Don't publishers hire people for that?"

Sorry to say, it's time for some tough love. I want you to ask yourself: Are you a writer or not?

The contestants on American Idol are put through their paces every week, required to perform songs from specific eras or songwriters or collections. They were not allowed to simply sing what came naturally to them. I didn't hear any of them saying, "But I can't stand Dolly Parton, and I'm not a country singer. I can't do this!" No, they stepped up to the plate and did what was asked of them. Why? To prove they're really SINGERS. Real singers can sing anything.

If you're truly a writer, then there's no sense in insisting that you’re only a "certain type" of writer. (You're a novelist or a devotional writer or someone who writes things that glorify God.) When those hackles go up and you’re frustrated with your 87th try at the pitch paragraph for your book, ask yourself again: Am I a writer, or not?

If you are, and if you are committed to it, then you’ll find the strength to let go of the frustration, and just BE A WRITER. If you are only a writer who writes what flows easily out of you, and you resist anything else, anything that’s challenging, then you have to ask yourself if you can truly call yourself "a writer."

If you're a writer, then write! It’s all about your commitment. Think about the other commitments you make in your life. You take on a job. You get married. You have children. You call yourself teacher or nurse or business owner or American Idol. You call yourself husband or wife, mom or dad. Then one day things get hard. Not just run-of-the-mill hard, but really hard, and you find yourself wondering, "What did I get myself into?" You think, "I can't do this!" Then you realize, I made a commitment. I said I would do it... I made a promise... I am committed... I need to make this work. I have to do it, no matter how hard it is. When things are tough, it's the commitment that carries you through.

In writing, when you come up against a challenge—and writing your marketing copy is definitely challenging—you say to yourself, “I call myself a WRITER. I committed to this writing journey. If I am a writer, I can do this.”

Twenty years ago I read a great quote. It was in a quasi-spiritual new-agey kind of book but the wisdom was incredible and it has always stuck with me. The quote was: Argue for your limitations, and they’re yours. If you want to insist on your own weaknesses or shortcomings (“I’m a novelist, not a marketing person"), sure enough, those weaknesses will define you. You never heard David Cook say, "I'm a rocker, not a Broadway star."

I want to encourage you to avoid letting your limitations characterize you. When the writing gets tough, the tough keep writing. Be a writer! And don't let anything stop you.

Query Notice

If you sent me a query after May 13th, you probably haven't heard from me yet. Please give me a couple more days to respond before following up or resending. Thanks!

Agenting and Editing

American Idol note: Well, I think Archuletta's gonna win, and I'm okay with it. But David Cook rules, and I can't wait till he gets a CD out!

Now, on to tonight's post.

I wanted to clear up one more misconception that popped up in the blog comments last week. Please note:

WordServe Literary is not affiliated in any way, financial or otherwise, with any editorial service.

Let me explain why this is so important.

As you know, there are many disreputable "literary agencies" out there. It can be easy for unethical people to prey on writers, because most writers really, really want to be published, and will go to great lengths to get there. Since the standard belief is that most writers need an agent, anyone posing as a literary agent will have countless writers willing to partner with them.

Now let's say you're an evil non-agent claiming to be one. You have no significant contacts in the publishing industry, and no hope of actually selling anyone's book to a publisher. How will you make money? One way is to sign the author to your "agency," then tell the author you can't sell their book until they have it professionally edited. You refer them to an editorial service, which you own. So you are now making money from the editing of that book. The author pays for the "professional edit," (and who knows how professional it really was), and then you say you are trying to sell their book. Meanwhile, you do nothing with their book. Eventually you tell poor hapless author that their book is hopeless, you can't sell it, and you release them from your "agency." But you already made money on the editing.

Why don't these people simply call themselves an editing service? Because it's hard to get business that way. However, writers tend to listen to the advice their agent gives them. If evil non-agent tells the author to get their book edited, they're probably going to do it. This is a classic way of preying on desperate authors.

Now, just to make it clear, most highly qualified and reputable agents do some kind of editing on their clients' books. This can be one of the signs of a good agent. They want the book to be the best it can be before it gets submitted. Often the agent will do the work themselves, if they have the time and editorial skills. Sometimes, the agent believes in the author, but feels they need a heavier edit than the agent is able to do themselves, so they'll refer out to an editorial service, who will charge for the service. This is still kosher, as long as the agent isn't receiving any kind of financial benefit from the editorial service. In other words, the editing and its fee is strictly between author and editor; the agent is not involved in any way.

WordServe has taken heat because of the fact that we feature of list of known, reputable editors, that writers (whether they're our clients or not) can access on their own. We've done this as a service to writers, since we know it can be exceedingly difficult to find a good editor. We wanted to list some folks whom we know to be talented and have a good track record of helping writers with their books. Again, we do not have any kind of financial involvement with these editors; in fact, we list several editing services, not wanting to endorse any particular one.

However, the fact that we do this is still seen as "suspect" by some. It's a case where the unethical behavior of others in the past has tainted our ability to conduct business in an entirely upright fashion without being suspected of some kind of unethical business practice. For this reason, we may eventually take our lists of editors down from our websites; it's still under consideration.

In any case, just because we recommend talented editors, it doesn't mean we're connected in any financial or business way with any of those editors. We're not. The only way a legitimate literary agency makes money from their clients is through commissions on sales of books and rights. There should be no other fees involved, and that's the way we operate at WordServe.

Agents Who Don't Respond to Queries

Remember last week when I asked you all to rant? The number-one complaint was agents and editors who don't respond to queries.

Well, it seemed so obvious that I never bothered to address it on the blog. But then I noticed quite a few other agent sites around the blogosphere were also getting rants from their readers, and guess what? Number-one complaint: agents and editors who don't respond to queries.

In my mind, this is one of those complaints kind of like "gas prices are too high." Yeah, it REALLY bites! And um, no, there's really nothing we can do about it.

I guess we can stick our heads out the windows and yell, "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!" Go ahead, try it. I'll wait.

So how'd that feel? I thought so. None of those agents or editors are listening. No one's yelling back, "Okay, I'll change my policy!" Maybe the venting feels good but the bottom line is still the same.

We are powerless.

I don't like the "agents-not-responding" thing any more than you do. I'm working my tail off to respond to everything. All my agent friends and fellow blogging agents do that. We're not in the same "crowd" with those non-responding agents. I've never had a chance to talk to one of them personally and ask them, "Why, why, why do you make writers crazy, so that they complain to ME about YOUR sucky business practices?"

Then again, if I knew them, I'd probably opt for a kinder, gentler approach. And I can already hear their answer. "Not enough time in the day. Our first obligation is to our clients. Our query volume is so high that we simply can't take time for rejections. Our business would grind to a halt."

Do I understand that perspective? Yes. Will I ever go there? No. If things get so crazy at WordServe that we literally can't keep up with submissions, you may see us posting stricter submission guidelines. There may even be periods of time when we are closed to submissions. But we don't plan to stop responding to queries.

The commitment to answer every query can sometimes be a much more costly enterprise than we'd like to admit. The agents I know spend their evenings and weekends reading, whether it's queries or proposals or manuscripts. That's why many of you receive pass letters or requests for partials at odd hours. I don't normally respond to queries during normal business hours. Ten o'clock at night? Yep. Sunday afternoon? Sure.

So when YOU are spending your evenings hunched over your computer, tapping out your latest WIP, just know you're not alone. Agents and editors everywhere are hunched over their own computers (or hard copy manuscripts or Kindles) reading, assessing, editing, making decisions. Spouses of agents and editors everywhere are wondering why they are so often alone at bedtime. Of course if it's American Idol night (alas, only two more shows this season...) we probably have our laptops in front of the TV. Or maybe I should just speak for myself here? Anyway...

Listen, I DO feel your pain. And I DO respond to all queries, even if it takes me longer than I'd like. I have no intention of changing that policy, and many of my colleagues would say the same. I hope this knowledge helps you to avoid the all-agents-are-evil attitude, and maybe even lowers your blood pressure a little. We are on your side!

P.S. Somebody please continue this blog post in the comments with the obvious spiritual lessons...

Earning Out Advances

For any of you hoping for an update on the CCWC, here it is: I went, I taught, I met with writers (including some of my blog regulars which was really fun), found some potential clients, said hi to my industry friends, was forced to eat really bad food, had a fanastic dinner with a client who flew in from New York... then I took off and had lots of fun with my family. That's about it! So, on to today's post.

You all were so talkative while I was away. Great discussion last week and it led in so many interesting directions. I noticed some misconceptions popped up in the comments so I want to try to clear them up. Today, just a few words to address a couple of misunderstandings about the earning out advances.

First, there was a comment that indicated only "a shocking 2% of books produced by royalty publishers" earn out their advances.

I don't know where the 2% statistic came from but I can't verify it. I've heard and read everything from "less than half the published books earn out their advances" to "the vast majority don't earn out..." Regardless of the veracity of the source, one thing we always have to remember in publishing is that statistics like this are impossible to accurately collect and calculate. There is no requirement that publishers report any of this information to any single "data collection" source, so research to this effect turns up widely varying results.

True, most sources agree that more than half of books don't earn out their advance. However, whether a book earns out its advance is an unreliable indicator of anything specific, because it can mean so many different things. Failure to earn out an advance is one gauge of relative success or failure for an author, but for a publisher, it doesn't necessarily mean the book was a failure. The author's royalty is only one part of the profit-and-loss picture; publishers can actually be profitable on a book that doesn't earn out its advance, while they can lose money on a book that does earn out its advance. I am not going into the gritty details here... you can find literally hundreds of articles online explaining advances, publisher P&L, etc. (many of them giving conflicting information).

What I want to get across is, (1) when you hear statistics about publishing like "only 2% earn out their advances," take it with a dose of healthy skepticism, knowing it's impossible to accurately quantify. And (2) try to understand what the statistic would mean, even if it were true. In this case, the statistic was used to try and illustrate the overall poor economic health of the publishing industry; I would question whether this single indicator (advances earning out) can give you any reliable sense of the overall economics. It is simply much more complicated than that, and you can't understand publishing economics based on one piece of data. So I recommend we refuse to be overly shocked or up-in-arms when we hear these statistics out of context. (At the moment, there are plenty of other statistics that, added together, paint a fairly gloomy picture of the business of publishing.)

One more misconception that popped up in last week's comments was, "When the author earns out their advance, it means the publisher didn't plan to print enough books." Truth is, the book's initial print run has almost nothing to do with the question of whether the author earns out their advance. These are two separate considerations.

The publisher offers an advance based on their own formula and calculations that involve:
4 how many books they predict they can sell in the first year
4 how much they will spend on marketing, production, printing, shipping, etc.
4 royalty rates they're paying the author
4 discounts at which they anticipate they'll sell the book to retailers
4 and all the other costs of publishing a book

If an author doesn't earn out their advance, it sometimes means a book didn't sell as well as the publisher projected, but sometimes not. And if the book didn't sell as well as projected, it could be for an endless list of "reasons," some involving the author, some involving the publisher, some involving the market. In any case, it rarely means the publisher didn't print enough books. If a book quickly sells out its entire first print run, it's likely the author will earn out their advance.

This is a complicated subject and I'll address advances in more detail in a later post... especially the question of "Which is better, a big advance or a smaller one?" Send me your specific questions about advances so I'll be sure to answer them.

Kindle Thoughts

I've been using my Kindle for a couple of weeks now and wanted to give you a report. First, I really do love it and I'm glad I got it. The convenience has been amazing and already has helped me start catching up on reading, simply because of the portability. Here are a few more thoughts:

Design: Many people already reported on the design that makes it easy to inadvertently turn pages, so I was ready for this. They're right, it's annoying sometimes, but I'm getting used to it.

Reading: The screen is SO cool, it's NOTHING like reading on the computer. It's not hard on the eyes at all. You can even change your font size. As I've had it with me while out in public, many people have taken a look at the screen and been amazed. It's funny, at first without seeing it up close, people begin saying all the reasons they could never use one of those newfangled contraptions... bad for their eyes, etc. Then I show them the screen and they're like, "Oh! Ohhhhh... I see. Wow."

Portability: I carry it with me everywhere in my purse. I love this! But it's only because of my specific lifestyle that the Kindle is perfect for me. (1) I have a LOT of reading to do, all the time, and (2) I'm out and about all the time, whether it's on business (conferences) or taking the kids places. I've found the Kindle most helpful in these situations where I have a few minutes of down-time or waiting time that previously might have been wasted, or I might have used it to check email (on my phone). Now I can spend that time reading. (Often I'm at kids' activities where the waiting time is hours, not just minutes.)

Adding documents to the Kindle: Kindle is totally wireless so I never have to connect it to my computer. Amazon sends books wirelessly; and my Kindle has its own email address, so when I want to place a manuscript or proposal on the Kindle, I simply send it thru email as a Word attachment, and it shows up on my screen within seconds. Even though I have a special Kindle email address, it can't get spam because it's set to only accept email from pre-approved addresses.

Ordering books: I'm sure I'll mostly use the Kindle for work (reading manuscripts) but occasionally I may want to read books on it. There are already thousands of books available from Amazon in the Kindle format. Last weekend I wanted to start reading some of the Christy nominees that I haven't read yet, so I began searching Kindle books for Auralia's Colors by Jeffrey Overstreet, Demon: A Memoir by Tosca Lee, and Chasing Fireflies by Charles Martin... none of which were available in Kindle format. Bummer. Searching around revealed 415 Kindle titles listed under "Religious Fiction," many of them bestsellers like Beverly Lewis, Jenkins & LaHaye, Francine Rivers, and Karen Kingsbury. Included in "religious fiction" are also authors publishing with ABA houses... Debbie Macomber, Anne Rice, Anita Diamont. Anyway, I couldn't find what I wanted but there are always dozens of secular books on my "to read" list, so I decided to order The Double Bind by Chris Bohalian. It feels weird reading a book in this format, but I think I'll get used to it.

Price/Value: While the Kindle is rather expensive, I believe it was worth it. I wouldn't have bought it if it weren't for business purposes and if it weren't a legitimate tax write-off. I can't see myself using it for pleasure reading nearly as much as for work, but you never know! (I'll bet this summer when I take my kids to the pool I'll have it with me every time, although I'll be nervous about it getting wet or dirty.) Anyway, it has already made me more efficient in my work, and I believe its usefulness will increase over time, as I'm able to share documents with others who have Kindles. I can see how this would be revolutionary inside a publishing house. Rather than having an assistant Xerox copies of manuscripts and proposals for everyone, they can simply send emails to everyone's e-readers or Kindles.

Bottom line... if you don't have a real work-related reason to have a Kindle, and you're a book lover who "loves the feel and smell and weight of a book in your hands," and if the $400 price is an issue, then there's not much reason to buy one, or feel bad that you don't have one. For me, however, the Kindle is my favorite new toy since the iPod.

Self Publishing and ePublishing

Note: I am away from the blog for a few days, teaching at the CCWC and taking a couple days vacation with my family. My blogs are now posting all by themselves, isn't that exciting? Back "live" with you on Monday. Keep sending your comments!

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There were quite a few comments last week and yesterday on both sides of the self-publishing / ePublishing / POD issue. Many were upset that self-published authors go around claiming to be "published." Others on the opposite side are incensed that agents and editors "discriminate" against self-published authors. As one commenter put it, "...the stuffy insistence that ePublishing and POD publishing is somehow not good enough. I have heard it until I am sick to death of hearing it. I find it snobbish, elitist and annoying… there are plenty of smaller companies out there who pay royalties and treat authors with professionalism and respect and the way the rest of the industry looks down its long and snide nose at them just makes me sick."

Well, I did ask for rants.

Okay, here's the deal. I believe self-publishing serves an important and legitimate purpose, and is the right way to go for some people. It's a good and solid business, one that is definitely improving these days, and many people find success there. And since traditional publishing is so competitive, and it can be especially hard to place certain "niche" books with a traditional publisher, self-pub is a terrific option. I have nothing against it, and I applaud those who choose it as the right way for their own book. It just doesn't happen to be the business I'm in.

Many of you were right in your complaint that agents and editors often won't consider taking on a self-published book, but here's the good news: We may consider taking on a self-published AUTHOR. The book has already been out there and publishers usually don't want it. If the sales are low, it says "Nobody wanted it." If the sales are high, it suggests that maybe the market has already been tapped and there's no place left to sell the book. It's a catch-22, so the book is less likely to get picked up, but the author is a different story. If you present a proposal worth saying "yes" to, then the answer will be yes regardless of whether you've self-published a book before.

As you know, in a few cases, a self-published book hits the big time with a big publisher, but that's an exception. Recently I did in fact offer representation on a self-published book, because it had only been out a couple of months, had terrific word of mouth and phenomenal marketing, and seemed like it had huge potential. Several other agents wanted it too, and I didn't end up representing it. This is to illustrate that when it makes good business sense, agents and publishers will jump on a self-published book. I do not "discriminate" any more than I always do as I evaluate incoming projects. I really don't think I look down my long, snide nose. I simply try to make good business decisions.

ANYWAY, let's get to the reasons we publishing types don't look at self-published books as "equal" to those published by mainstream, commercial, widely-distributed, royalty-paying publishers. A couple of you have touched on part of it already, the fact that self-pubs rarely spend serious time or money on editorial excellence or professional design. In the past, most self-published books have been vastly inferior in quality—not necessarily in the quality of the idea but in the quality of the execution: the writing, editing, and design. (I realize things are changing as some ePubs are improving their editing and design. It's about time!) Somebody commented on this blog recently that they see so many mistakes in CBA books, self-pubbed books aren't any worse. That's just not true. In the past, there has proven to be an enormous difference and most of us could spot a self-pubbed book a mile away.

But here's the more important factor in why we don't give self-pubbed books the same credence. A traditionally published author has successfully convinced dozens or even hundreds of publishing professionals that their book is a good one.

• First you have to sell the agent.
• The agent then needs to sell an editor at a publishing house.
• That editor needs to sell the rest of the editorial team.
• If they get on board, they have to sell it to the publishing committee—the publisher, the CFO, and the sales and marketing folks that will make the final decision on whether to publish your book. A very large and hard to impress group of people.
• Now the sales team has to sell your book to bookstore buyers.

In other words, a traditionally published book has the endorsement of countless book professionals, people whose entire livelihood depends on finding good, saleable books. When you show me your mainstream-published book, I immediately know, without ever stopping to think about it, that many people whose judgment I trust have given your book their stamp of approval.

Meanwhile, most self-pubs have the endorsement of... no one. You pay your money and you get published. Nobody has to declare it worthy of someone's time and money. Nobody has examined your platform or the quality and saleability of your idea. Unlike the editorial/design aspect of self-pubs, this element doesn't seem to be changing very much, at least not yet.

Now I know there are numerous "in betweens." There are subsidy publishers and smaller royalty-paying publishers and many different ways of doing business. At some of those, there is a level of editing, and some have great cover design. Some even do some kind of screening and make decisions to publish certain books and not others. Make no mistake, it's that screening process ("we will publish this, not that") that defines the biggest difference between self-pub and traditional pub.

So the facts remain. In general and in the past, self-pubbed product has been generally inferior. And in general, self-pubbed books have not passed the rigorous and extremely challenging screening process a traditionally published book has gone through. We can hope that this keeps changing, so that self-pubbing becomes a more and more viable option for writers who want a high-quality product but don't want to go the traditional route.

So, we are not trying to be snobbish or elitist, and I certainly hope we are not looking down our long, snide noses at those who self-publish. We simply try to make good decisions based on past experience. Hope this helps you understand my position on self-publishing.

Does the System Work?

Last week, Christine posted a comment in response to Monday's blog post, "Dreams" and I thought it would be interesting for you to weigh in on her thoughts. As you might guess, I have my opinion (and if you're really nice I'll consider sharing it), but I thought it would be more interesting to hear YOUR responses first. Here is a portion of her comment:

***I personally find it strange that writers are out looking for agents than the other way round. In a business, you produce your product and market it to the masses, who pay you for the product. A writer produces a product and has to search the world for that one person to accept it, who has to find another to get it out to the masses. Writers appear as employees rather than the boss of their business. A writer is self-employed, so why is it that agents and publishers do not have to go through the rigmarole of applying to authors to fill these positions like other staff in a business?

Would it not be better for writers to self publish and if accepted by readers, be approached by agents and publishers with their credentials to see the book out to a wider audience? After all, it is readers who make or break a book.

***So, readers, what are your thoughts?

Hard to Say Goodbye

Time for another American Idol metaphor. Can't help myself... DC fever is getting the best of me. :-)

So here we are, down to 3 contestants. Remember when there were 12? After being culled out of so many thousands of hopefuls, those top 12 seemed uber-talented. How sad it would be to see any of them go!

Yet week by week, they left. These top 3 are so talented they ALL deserve to win! But no... only one will win. Those are the rules.

Out of those top 12, probably at least 4 or 5 will find commercial success in singing. But only one will win this particular contest. The ones that don't win and go home early... it doesn't mean they're not any good. They're plenty good. But various factors combined to make THIS contest not theirs to win.

So, this is what it's like when you're vying for a spot on an agent's roster, or a publisher's list. Just because you get a rejection letter doesn't mean you're not a good and talented writer. In fact, for every person I say "yes" to, there are probably a dozen more whose work is really good but for various reasons, I'm not able to say yes. I can only represent a limited number of people. Publishers can only put out a certain number of books. We are all saying "no" to perfectly talented writers and perfectly good projects at various times.

Just like on American Idol, we assume those we said "no" to will go on to find success elsewhere. Talent and persistence have a way of making that happen.

But still, it's sometimes hard to say goodbye. And yes, sometimes I'm sad to have to reject your projects, just like I've been sad to say goodbye to Michael and Carly and Brooke.

But I wish the same thing for them as I say to you: Keep on dreaming. Keep on persevering. Keep on keepin' on, and you will find what you're looking for.

Responding to Some Rants

Last week's Rant Day turned up a few misconceptions about the publishing industry. What a bummer to be ranting about something that isn't even true! Here are my thoughts on a few of these.

"Agents don’t like a writer simultaneously submitting manuscripts to a multitude of agents. " It's possible there are some folks out there who still don't like simultaneous submissions, but I haven't met any of them. I think it's an outdated notion. Most agents and editors expect and assume you are simultaneously submitting. Read this post.

"CBA feels closed to new voices." Well, I hear this rant about secular publishing too. It usually comes from unpublished authors who have had a hard time getting their work seriously considered, so I understand it may feel like CBA is closed to your new voice. However, every agent and editor I know spends a portion of their time looking for fresh new voices. And every year, LOTS of authors publish their very first book. I don't know percentages (anyone out there have this statistic?) but a large number of books published each year are from new voices.

"Agents should send feedback rather than form rejection letters." I thought it was ironic that the commenter who said this prefaced it by admitting agents are not a critique service; then went on to say: "But think about it. If there's something wrong with the material I sent and nobody tells me, how am I going to fix it before I send it to the next agent--or for that matter, before I write my next novel and query you again?"

Well, since you asked, I'd suggest you hire a critique service. I addressed the reasons for form rejection letters here and here. Don't admit agents are not a critique service, then turn around and demand that we be just that. My job is to decide whether your project would be right for me to represent. Besides, critiquing is a difficult and highly valuable skill, for which professionals get paid good money, and when you ask this of agents, you are asking them to provide a valuable service for free.

(P.S. Remember I sent 192 pass letters last month. If I spent fifteen minutes writing personalized rejections to each person, that would have taken me forty-eight hours, more than an entire work week or one-fourth of my entire work month, on activities that won't bring a dime to my checking account or food to my table. More importantly, it would take time away from servicing my clients, to whom I owe my first obligation. Is it fair to ask agents for personalized rejections? Anybody out there who works full time... would your boss allow you to spend 1/4 of your time on activities that don't move you forward or serve your clients? I donate my time in other ways. And I even occasionally include advice in pass letters.)

"You need a platform with a mailing list of 5,000 names in order to be considered." This came from a commenter who had been told this by an editor at a conference. The mistake is in generalizing what this one editor said to the entire publishing industry. For most publishers, while platform is important, this requirement simply doesn't exist. When you hear something surprising like that, rather than assume it's true for everyone, start asking around. Try to find out if it's a universal truth, or simply the requirement or opinion of a few people or companies.

I'll respond to more rants later in the week. Meanwhile, let's all chill out. Breathe. Ohmmmm.

A Visit to My Mailbox

My fault, for only checking it a couple times a week.

First Page Critique #3

Things were going along just fine until the miracle fouled up everything. At least, that’s what Bill kept telling himself. Over and over again.

What right did God have to step in and make a mess of things?

He slipped on his boots and grabbed his coat, heading out the door. He paused just long enough to grab the extra clip for his gun. Outside, the snow was falling lightly. The air was crisp and dark but for the pallid glow of the streetlamp. Bill could hear it humming above the soft crackling of the snow fall. He zippered his coat and fumbled with his keys before unlocking the police cruiser. The vinyl seats protested his two hundred pound frame as he climbed in and started the engine. He wanted to shift the Caprice straight into gear and rush on down to Molly’s house, but he knew better. The cruiser was old—long overdue for replacement. Sometimes he was amazed it started at all. Fat cats on the town council had been promising him a new one for years. He cupped his hands and blew on them, watching the vapor rise and coat the windshield.

Molly should’ve been safe. That was the plan, at least. When Frank Haymaker, Molly’s husband, was diagnosed with the tumor, Bill began to believe. Maybe God in His infinite mercy would finally relieve Molly of her burden.

But why did God have to go and heal him? It’s not as though he deserved it.

Molly was stupid to have married him, but what else could you expect from an eighteen year old in love? Ten years of beatings and Frank’s persistent indiscretions tempered their romance, but for all that Molly wouldn’t leave him. His death was her only way out.

And Bill’s only way in.

###
This was another one I liked -- it definitely got close to the "top 7." It's a good idea. I found the situation interesting, and I liked that it dropped me right into the action... Bill heading out to take care of things. I like the twisted flavor of it, especially lines like “When …Molly’s husband was diagnosed with the tumor, Bill began to believe.”

The two things I'd work with this author on are some overwriting (trying to tell too much) and some cliché-sounding descriptions.

I'd delete both "Over and over again" and "What right did God have to step in and make a mess of things?" It reads cleaner without them. The second-to-last paragraph about Molly contains too much information, I think. This first page would have been more compelling if some of the reason Molly "was stupid to have married him" was left a mystery for awhile longer. This is easily fixed by choosing more carefully what backstory to reveal here. Perhaps just cut the sentence "Ten years of beatings..."

The long paragraph in the middle is good but this is where some thought could be given to descriptions, maybe attempting to make them more fresh and original without overwriting: "snow falling lightly," "air crisp and dark," "fumbled with his keys," Also, I don't understand "soft crackling of the snow fall." Doesn't seem to make sense.

But there are also some nice telling details in that paragraph that perfectly set the scene. The Caprice, the vinyl seats, the use of "fat cats" giving us some of Bill's MO, pausing for the extra gun clip... nice.

Overall, this is a compelling setup, the "good guy about to do a bad thing" opening. I feel like the story could go in several different directions, and I'd definitely turn the page to find out where we're going.

Pitching in Those One-on-One Appointments

Yesterday there was a comment about pitching agents and editors at conferences that I thought was important enough to address here. The question was whether a "newbie" unpublished author should pitch during their one-on-one appointments, or simply use the time to get to know an agent/editor and learn more about the process.

In the past I've advised newer writers to spend the one-on-one time telling about their project, and asking for feedback about story or marketability, rather than simply trying to sell it. In other words, use the meeting to learn more about how your own writing fits (or doesn't fit) into the larger publishing arena. As an in-house editor, I never minded when writers used my appointment time to pick my brain and gather good feedback about their project. And of course, if it interested me enough, I was sure to ask them to send it to me.

However, lately I've been exposed to an entirely different opinion. I was with five other agents at a recent conference, all mainstream (not CBA) agents, and their stance was firm to the point of practically, shall we say, snarky:

"Do NOT take up my valuable appointment time if you don't have something to pitch me that's ready to sell. I am spending my time and money to be at this conference, I'm here to find new clients, and those one-on-one meetings are my only chance. Use other times - panel discussions, mealtimes - to get your questions answered. The appointments are for pitching only."

Ahem. Let me tell you, I was shocked at the firmness with which this attitude was conveyed. I'd never heard it like that before. (And I never appreciate the "you're wasting my time" approach.)
And yet... as a new agent, and as someone who really does spend my own money to go to a conference, and my own time away from my family since it's usually on a weekend... I could see the point. If I don't find a solid business prospect at a conference, then I've probably made a bad business decision in being there.

So now I have to tell you, I'm not sure how to answer the question. There are bound to be editors and agents who don't mind if you use the time to pick their brain (and I know many of them in CBA personally). There are also going to be those who prefer to take appointments only with people who have something to pitch.

Here is the safe answer:

Editors: It's probably safe to pick their brains, ask for feedback, etc. In other words, probably okay to make an appointment with them even if you're not ready to sell your project.

Agents: Probably safer to make an appointment only if you are ready for agent representation.
You are ready for agent representation if you have a completed, polished manuscript (fiction), or a completed, polished book proposal and 3 sample chapters (nonfiction).

And about those incomplete fiction manuscripts: Be aware that an agent or editor can't do anything with you or your project until it's done. The best you can hope for is someone will say, "Send it to me when it's finished."

Someone else asked about pitching at meals, saying they'd heard that you should only do it if the tables are each hosted by a faculty member. This is good advice. But in all cases at conferences (as in life) just try to use your best judgment. If an opportunity presents itself where it seems an agent or editor would be receptive to your pitch, go for it. Look around you, gauge the situation, figure out if you will have both the time and the attention of the agent/editor, and make your decision.

And look, don't be so hard on yourself if somebody tells you that you "did it wrong" or something. If you are a polite, smiling, kind person, that goes a long way toward smoothing over any (perceived) protocol breaches.

Sorry if all of this is confusing, but conflicting advice is everywhere and there is not always a single right answer to your questions.

More on Writers' Conferences

Some UnFunny, Not-Snarky, Deadly Serious and Totally Anti-Sarcastic Tips For You

I know a lot of you will be attending writers' conferences soon, so I wanted to mention a few more things here.

First, I can't overstress the importance of having a verbal pitch ready. There are numerous opportunities at conferences to give a brief pitch of your book, sixty seconds. This can be at a meal (where the person hosting the table often asks writers to share what they're writing) or any number of other occasions. You've heard about the "elevator pitch," right? Well, this last conference I took my very first bonafide elevator pitch, in an elevator. (I've received plenty of hallway pitches, bathroom pitches, dinner-table pitches, etc.) It was fun! Anyway, I was proud of this woman who pitched me because she had her elevator pitch polished and ready to go. I enjoyed it... and that's the reaction you want agents and editors to have. So, polish those pitches!

Second, rather than toting along your proposals and manuscripts, bring One-Sheets of your books. (Mary DeMuth has some terrific instructions on fiction one-sheets and non-fiction one sheets.)

Here are a few questions I've been asked, and some answers.

If I have an agent, can I still meet with editors at a conference?
Definitely, YES! Hopefully you are talking this over with your agent, too. But this is a relationship business, and the more you can get yourself in front of editors, the better. Your agent may have already submitted your manuscript to an editor... and once that editor meets you, they might be impressed enough to go back to the office and take another look at your proposal. (Be sure you tell the editors that you're represented.)

If I have an agent AND I'm contracted with a publisher, can I still meet with editors at a conference?
No. You don't want your publisher seeing you out there "being unfaithful." You are free to talk with them at meals, etc., but no one-on-one meetings unless you and your agent have worked it out ahead of time.

What if my work is under consideration with one or more agents and/or editors?
If nobody has committed to you, i.e. offered representation or a book contract, you are completely free to continue pitching yourself and your work to whomever you like.

What about meeting agents who have already rejected my work?
A few weeks ago I was at a conference and spent some time with Kristen Nelson of the Nelson Literary Agency. It seemed like every writer who came up introduced themselves and immediately said to Kristen, "You rejected me." It was always said with a kind of half joking smirk, that came off like, "I'm mad at you but I'll say hi to you anyway."

When someone says, "Hi, I'm Susie, I sent you a query and you rejected me," there's really no good response. I don't recommend it! If you get into a conversation and you want to bring it up, it's fine, but there's no sense opening with it. First, the agent may not remember your project or your name, which is understandable because of the volume agents deal with. Second, it sounds combative, or defensive, or something. And it puts the agent on the defensive, like they have to rationalize why they were unable to represent your project. Third, since agents have to pass on much of what they receive, you're certainly not alone and you don't need to feel bad.

Should I worry about how I look or what I wear?
This question has caused a lot of controversy in certain circles lately. Appropriate conference-wear is business casual. Woodsy or camp-type settings are more casual (CCWC and Mt. Hermon, for example) while the ones taking place in nice hotels tend to be a bit more business-y. One of these days I'm going to write a post about Writers & Image... but right now, just remember to present a professional look that says "I am serious about being a writer. And if you want me to be out in public at a booksigning or do a television appearance, I will make you proud."

This can be accomplished in many, many ways. It's obviously an individual thing. But please don't make the mistake of thinking, "All that matters is what's on the page." It's just like a job interview. Sure, it's your skills that count, but the image you present has an effect on people's opinion of you. It's not about designer clothes. It's about making your outside accurately reflect to the world who you are on the inside. Smart, professional, funny... whatever image you want to convey, make sure your exterior helps you instead of hindering you. (If you are already recoiling at the fact that I brought up clothes here, please watch a few episodes of What Not to Wear and see how people's outer image has a huge impact on how they present themselves to the world--their confidence, their professionalism, sometimes their entire demeanor.)

Read all my posts on conferences here. If your questions still aren't answered, send them along!

Q4U: Your Turn to Rant

Okay, I admit it. Sometimes I get snarky on this blog (some call me haughty) and I can go nuts ranting about the dumbest things. Why do you think I have a blog in the first place??!! A girl needs SOMEPLACE to rant, doesn't she? Saves my hubby and kids a lot of grief, lemme tell ya.

Anyway, I'm thinking it's your turn to rant. Complain all you want. What really bugs you about this business? What are your frustrations? And since I'm always giving you tips and "guidelines" for working with me, why don't you give me some tips for working with YOU?

Go for it. Rant or ramble away. I'm all ears.

Adventures in Agenting

First up - what a great response on the Six Word Story Contest and Voting! Congratulations "Peacey" for the winning story:

"The gun smoked. So did Jack."
Please come forward, tell us who you are, and claim your prize! I will hold another contest later in May, so everyone stay tuned.

###
On to today's post... where I talk about some really fun adventures in the agenting realm (otherwise known as nitpicky details). Come along for the ride.

Adventure #1. Receiving emails with multiple attachments.
I gotta tell you, it's SO fun to get an email with 5 or 6 attachments... such as a proposal and four separate chapters. Yeehaw! I LOVE downloading each and every one separately and finding a good place to file them! It gives me something to do in my copious spare time. But you know, as much as I enjoy the whole downloading thing, I'm going to have to ask that you please send ONE attachment. (Imagine YOUR inbox with 200 emails, all of them with 2 or 4 or 8 attachments.) Just put your proposal, chapters, everything... in one document. You consolidate, so I don't have to.

Adventure #2. Receiving attachments that are not Word Docs.
It's so exciting to get PDFs of manuscripts and proposals (from all you control freaks out there who don't want your formatting messed with). I love spending extra time emailing you and asking for the proper format. Woohoo, THAT'S my idea of fun! In fact, I really hate being a party-pooper, but I'm obliged to tell you that the industry standard is Microsoft Word and you should probably use it, unless you've been given the go-ahead to send something else. (P.S If you have the newest version of Microsoft Office which uses "docx" files, you may need to ask whether agents/editors want those, or whether you need to convert to old-fashioned "doc" files first. Many companies have not upgraded yet.)

Adventure #3. Getting multiple queries from the same person.
I can't tell you how loved and flattered I feel when I have your query in my inbox, haven't gotten to it yet, and you send me another for a different project. And then another! How exciting for me, and how very, very honored I feel. However, I must humbly insist that you hold back on your profuse displays of affection, and send me ONLY ONE QUERY at a time. I know, you just want to brighten my day, but I promise my days are bright enough. If I have a project of yours under consideration, please do not send me another one until I've responded one way or another.

Adventure #4. Receiving follow-up emails.
There is nothing more heartwarming than opening my email-box and finding a slew of letters that all read something like, "I don't want to bug you but I just wanted to know if you had an answer on my submission?" Wow, the compassion in those letters really touches me. So I'm devastated that because of high email volume, I usually can't respond to those follow-up emails. Please don't take it personally! Here's the thing... shhhh... this is a well-kept secret and I only want certain people to know... but the MOMENT I have an answer one way or another on your submission, the FIRST thing I do is email you! Go figure! (It's not like I make a decision and then set it aside for another three weeks.) Believe me, if I have an answer on your submission, you're the first to know.

Response time to queries is normally about a week or so. Response time to requested proposals and manuscripts is about two to four months, unless I've told you otherwise. So, unless we've gone beyond the normal response time, OR you're letting me know about interest from another agent, following up (kind and compassionate though you might be) may not get you a response.

Adventure #5. Standing in line at the post office to SIGN to receive your submission.
It's an AMAZING adventure to receive a notice from the postal service that there is a package waiting for me, Certified Mail no less, and that I get to join all my friends in the post office line for an afternoon of fun and frolics. Yipee, there is nothing I like better. Um... except for root canals. And yeah, paying taxes. But other than those, the post office line is definitely my favorite place. Here's a hint: If you want to deprive me of the privilege of standing in the post office line... never, never, never send me a package that requires my signature for me to receive it.

Okay, that's all the adventure I can stand for today. And I hope it's a long time before I present another episode of Adventures in Agenting.

Dreams

Whenever I (or other bloggers) write about marketplace realities in publishing, there are always a wide variety of responses, ranging from pragmatic acceptance to mournful disappointment to angry lament. My observation - and I could be wrong - is that the sad and mad responses are from writers whose passion for being published burns hot and bright, and whose publishing dreams have not yet been fulfilled. This is completely understandable, and I feel for you.

Many writers ache with the desire to hold a book in their hands that has their name beautifully printed across the cover. Many of you are nursing life-long visions of walking into Barnes & Noble and seeing your book on the front table. This business is all about our dreams, isn't it?

I understand that. I am an absolute book-lover from childhood. I love books and bookstores, I love talking about books, I love spending Saturday afternoons reading books (not that I've been able to do that lately). I've written several published books, and edited many more. But what I don't have - what I've never had - is a burning desire to see my name on the cover of a book. And I guess that's why it's easier for me to see publishing as a business.

Many agents and editors I know are also authors. But for most, the desire to be successfully published isn't what drives them. For them, it's more the overall love of the entire book world, and gratitude at being part of it. Being a published author is just one aspect of that.

Publishing professionals - those who run publishing companies, those who edit and acquire books, those who represent authors - are on your side. By recognizing this as a business, they are not somehow evil, they are not somehow taking away from the beauty and purity of your art. They are, in fact, rooting for you, wanting you to show up with a wonderful book that others will enjoy reading. They have to look at the marketplace realities make decisions accordingly. They have to separate themselves from the emotion of it all and make plans and choices they hope will ensure the ongoing health and success of the publishing and bookselling industry.

We want to help your dreams come true. And everything I say here, everything I write on this blog, is with that goal in mind. All of the editors and agents who share their thoughts online are doing it with the same intent: to have dialogue, to keep communication open, to de-mystify publishing, to help educate and enlighten writers, to encourage them. I hope in some small way this blog accomplishes those goals. And I hope we can somehow move beyond that subtle "us-versus-them" mentality (writers vs. publishing professionals) and keep moving ahead with the goal of getting good books published, and getting people to read them. We really are all on the same side.

Of course, I have dreams too. I dream about seeing my clients' names on the covers of books. And while publishing is a business for me, it's the best kind of business, because I get to help others realize their dreams. What could be better than that?

First Page Critique #2

"The Miracle"

Things were going along just fine until the miracle fouled up everything. A miracle. That's what reporters on TV call it when a boy who has been missing for 15 years suddenly turns up alive and well. I guess I understand their point. It must look like a miracle from their eyes.

But they weren't there to see the tears of my little sister, or at least the girl who I thought was my little sister, make tracks through the sticky syrup stains on her face as police handcuffed the woman I had called "Mom" for the last 15 years. The reporters weren't there when Sheriff Walker told me that my mom wasn't really the woman who gave birth to me, that my biological mother had a nervous breakdown after my disappearance, and that my real father spent time in prison for my murder.

No one in this story is innocent except for me. Maybe. It's hard to feel that way when you're about to testify against the woman who raised you. She loved me and nurtured me. She protected me; sometimes too much. I wonder now, though, who she was really protecting. At the jail, she told me she had a good reason for taking me from them. I still don’t understand.

I've received letters from people whom I've never met saying they're rejoicing and praising God because I've been found. I feel like I'm lost. I've been told that my family can now mend and be at peace. How do you find peace when you find out the only life you've ever known has been a lie?

My name is Thomas Dean. Well, scratch that, just call me Tommy. It's less complicated that way.

###
Very compelling, isn't it? I really liked this one; it was a close contender for my top seven. It takes the opening "miracle" line, spins it, and gives it a solid and powerful purpose. What others call a "miracle" is rewriting Tommy's story, his life. I'm compelled by what it must be like to be a person in this situation, having lost pretty much everything he ever thought he had. This first page drops the reader right into the middle of a unique circumstance, which is nice.

The last three lines are great; they almost could be the opening lines. I like all that's implied in the fact that his name (Thomas Dean) is now a complication.

The writing may be a bit cluttered (although nothing serious). I'd delete the second sentence, "A miracle." I'd also delete "It must look like a miracle..." Wording could be simplified in a couple of other places but it's not anything to be concerned about, nothing that would take away from my impression of this person as a good writer, probably publishable level.

I'm not sure about "No one in this story is innocent but me" because we were just introduced to Tommy's little sister, who surely must be innocent too.

The reason this didn't make it into the winner's circle was this vague feeling like I may have just read the most interesting part of the story. I love the situation as it's set up, yet I'm not sure if it drives me into the novel. It's almost a story in itself. Yet... it could be a fascinating book if it delves into Tommy's past and interweaves narrative about both sets of parents, kind of like Jodi Picoult does in books like 19 Minutes.

I'd definitely read on a few more pages, and they'd quickly determine if I'd want to read the rest of the novel.

Six Word Story Results - ALMOST!

A mighty THANKS to everyone for stretching your creative muscles, writing six-word stories, and giving me my highest-ever 1-day comment count. (By FAR.) And thanks to you former-lurkers who came out of hiding, too.

There were so many that I just couldn't narrow it down to one winner. So... (I love when I change the rules on you)... YOU get to vote! See the sidebar and pick your favorite. You can only pick one, and the system won't let you vote more than once. I'll take votes until Monday night, then close the polls and announce the winner on Tuesday.

I narrowed it down to six for the voting, but here are my top dozen, in no particular order. I chose entries that seemed to best tell or at least suggest a whole story - beginning, middle, end - as opposed to a single thought.

You all may have different favorites, I realize. Feel free to tell me about them in the comments.

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THE THRILLER STORY
Quiet night. Your house. I’m inside.
(Christy) A cinematic entry. I think we can all envision a dozen thrillers we've seen, based on just these six words.

2:15 AM
The gun smoked. So did Jack.
(Peacey) Speaks of a murder and a murderer… and suggests a lot about the character's story arc, even though there's little suggested about the actual story.

Near death, she ate dessert first.
(Katy McKenna) You get a sense of a character here that you want to know more about. The story I hear is one about someone who had regrets while living, then said "the heck with doing the right thing" and finally lived just before she died. Plus it’s funny.

Cain slew Abel. Abel still speaks.
(XDPaul) Nice biblical entry. Though this doesn't imply a specific story, it teases with the question of "how can Abel speak in death"? Obviously, we know the answer thanks to history, but even apart from that, it's intriguing.

Immortality gained. Chronic boredom sets in.
(Josh) I thought this was kind of fun, too. Kind of a "I came, I conquered...now what?" story. Which is, now that I write it, a pretty good six-word story, too.

"My Goals 2008"
Wanted: maid, agent, and missing socks.
(Marcie Gribbin) While not necessarily a complete story, the words do paint a picture of a wannabe mom-lit writer who's always behind in her housework. A stock character? Yes, but most readers can see the story in these words.

Speeding car. Indecisive squirrel. Crying child.
(Jess) It does tell a story. A short one.

Darkness. Voice whispers, Light. Day One.
(Sonjia Bradshaw) Gotta have this one, right? I mean...isn't this a Christian blog???

Armor seeks new owner. One hole.
(Tiff [Amber Miller] Stockton) Another fun one. Story is both humorous and intriguing.

Ship’s in! But it’s an ark.
(Karen) Nice irony here.

Uh-Oh. You're kidding. It expired when?
(Anonymous. But I know who you are.) Funny… and could apply to lots of different things.

Re: Evolution
"Darwin was wrong," said the monkey.
(Another Anonymous. But I know who you are, too.) Cute.

April Stats & This Week in Blogs

Here's my rundown for April:

Submissions received: Over 300
Pass letters sent: 192
Partials or fulls requested: 32
New clients accepted: 7
Queries languishing unanswered in my mailbox: 82
Projects in the "to be considered" file: 48</