Jennifer Bray-Weber's Blog, page 39

Editor Shop Is Coming! Entangled!

Polish your pitches! (Rules are listed at the top of the blog and it will go live next week.)

Get ready to have direct access to a senior editor at Entangled Publishing!

Learn what type of manuscripts they’re looking for right now!

http://www.entangledpublishing.com/

Editor Shop- Introducing Robin Haseltine

We are so excited to host another Editor Shop, this time with the incomparable Robin Haseltine, senior editor of Entangled Publishing! Be on the lookout for details of this upcoming opportunity for you to submit your pitch to this wonderful publishing house.

Tell us a little about yourself and how you became an editor extraordinaire!

Although I’d written stories since I was 5 and hosted an award-winning non fiction column as an adult, I found I enjoyed the editing process more than getting the words on the page. Liz Pelletier, Entangled Publishing’s CEO, tweeted looking for interns shortly after Entangled opened their doors in 2011, and I came on board. I loved that Entangled opened a new and profitable venue to talented writers unable to break into traditional publishers. With fantastic guidance and shared expertise from Liz and Entangled’s other seasoned editors, I moved up from reading slush to Senior Editor. During that time, I’ve worked on NY Times and USA Today Bestsellers, 2 RITA-nominated books, and so many fine books that have hit the top of the charts and won numerous awards or have been featured on Fresh Fiction, Kirkus Reviews, and Romantic Times.

I love my authors and I love my job.

2. How long is the turnaround, usually, from the time an author submits to when they can look to hear from Entangled?

We do our best to reply to authors within a two month time frame. http://www.entangledpublishing.com/submission-information/ on Entangled’s website has links to Submittable, an online system where we track every manuscript that comes in. Authors can request a particular editor, upload their work and synopsis, enter a query letter, and note the genre.

3. What about an average for the time between signing to publication?

There are many factors that go into establishing a release date: Editor’s calendar, Imprint calendar, and the anticipated length of the editorial process. Some category romances can be ready for Copy Edits in 2 months, Single Title might take 6. With all these variables, we like to suggest a book will go from contract signing to release within a year, with 8 – 10 months the average.

 

What trends are you seeing in the market place?

Contemporary romance, including Rom Com and Red Hot, shmexy romances, still command very strong sales, and we’re excited to see Paranormal (especially super alpha shifter heroes) and Sci Fi gaining strength. The historical market (Viking, Highlander, Medieval, Regency, and Victorian) has a very solid, devoted readership, and demand for multicultural romances is as strong as ever. We’re also seeing an uptick in YA Fantasy, although the New Adult market is retracting somewhat, possibly due to saturation.



5. Entangled started in 2011 and has many imprints. What makes them different from other e-publishers?

I believe one of the reasons Entangled Publishing has become so successful in a few short years is due not only to the vision of Liz Pelletier, CEO, but also to our team approach in taking a book from submission to publication. Editors collaborate with each other and with publicity, along with the authors to help make their book the best it can be.

What is equally important is that we work to help shape an author’s career. We never see just one book, but how to grow an author’s fanbase, potentially moving them into another genre to develop crossover readership. Our royalty rates have always been high and our authors are important to us. Authors aren’t left to their own devices once a book releases — each has a dedicated publicity point person and team that hits the ground running, building excitement long before publication date.

As a result, our authors have hit the NY Times and USA Today Bestselling lists, have been nominated for RITAs, have won national contests like “Reader’s Choice,” and have sold foreign and film rights. We not only offer digital-first books, but release print books distributed via Macmillan that are sold in brick-and-mortar bookstores. In addition, we have a unique partnership with St. Martin’s Press.

Entangled anticipates trends instead of reacting to them and offers innovative ways to expand readership, which is tailored for each book. Liz Pelletier recently launched Entangled Music http://www.entangledmusic.com/, and several of our books have tracks embedded in them with talented new artists writing songs specifically for their characters. In a very crowded field, this gives authors another way their books can be noticed, as the tracks are also listed on pop charts.

More detailed information is available here:

http://www.entangledpublishing.com/about-us/

6. Entangled has a wish list. What are you wishing for?

Although I edit in every imprint except Inspirational, my favorite projects are Paranormal Shifters / Sci Fi Single Title and Historicals in both Category and Single Title from Medievals through Victorian time periods. I’m also interested in near-Sci Fi. Cutting edge Dark Hunter type Sherrilyn Kenyon books with a slight Sci Fi bent, action-adventure military on the cusp of the possible. But every book must have a solid romance and romantic conflict to appeal to our readers. I also love humor and enjoy editing Rom Coms. And I’m especially looking for multicultural books in all genres except Inspirational.

7. What do you look for in submissions? How do they pique your interest?

Most of the genres I edit have a very specific tone, so voice is going to be the first thing that draws me into a story. Once I’ve evaluated whether the voice is appropriate to the genre by reading several pages, I’ll read the synopsis to ensure there’s a good premise and solid romance (or at least the potential for a romance). This means there has to be a believable conflict that can be sustained through the book and not a misunderstanding that can be cleared up in a conversation. 2 – 3 tropes lend richness and depth.

Next, is this book going to appeal to our readers? If we don’t have the readership, I’m hesitant to acquire a book no matter how exciting the voice, premise, or romance. That’s not saying I won’t take a chance, from time to time, but that’s why it’s so important to read our books, check sales rankings, to see whether a submission would fit one of our imprints.

I also look for super alpha (or sexy beta heroes for rom com) because our heroes have to be swoonworthy. Meet-cutes are important, too, and the more unique the better, since this is a great way to define the romantic conflict. We can see the chemistry — physical and intellectual — right away, which hooks our readers because they’ll root for the hero and heroine to find their HEA.

Finally, and equally important, if I love a submission or feel it has potential, I’m going to contact the author to see if we’ll be able to work together. At Entangled, editing is a partnership, a give-and-take and healthy respect for all parties involved in publication. Books always are their best when a trust relationship is the basis of the editorial process. If an author can’t trust my instincts, then I’m not the right editor for them.

8. Will you pass on a good story that may not be on your specific wish list to other editors at Entangled?

There are many times when I think there’s potential in a book, but it’s not for me, and other times when I’d love to edit a book but my calendar is full. Like all the editors at Entangled, we work as a team and will either send a solid candidate to a specific editor or will make every effort someone else picks up the book. Several authors have found a home with another editor. I have a book releasing soon that didn’t quite work for someone else, and one of my USA Today Bestselling authors was passed on to me because another editor was full.

Thank you for this great interview. Just as a final note to authors who haven’t yet sold, do your research. Read the author’s acknowledgements in those books you love, because if you like an editor’s authors and books, he/she might be the right one for you. Never give up, work with critique partners, and enter contests, which is a great way to gain an editor or agent’s notice.

 

Friday (Not So) Fun Facts-D-Day Invasion

So many lives lost. So many heroes’ stories. So much of…everything.

127 planes were lost on D-Day.
Approximately 17 million maps supported this event.
The point of invasion was the most heavily guarded secret on the face of the earth. Normandy was about to be written into the history books forever.
The units conducting the initial assault didn’t even know where they were going or where they were landing.
There 9386 in the american cemetery- each grave faces west, toward America. 307 are in unknown soldier graves, 1557 are listed in a garden for those who were never found, 4968 are British soldiers, 946 are Canadians, and 21,500 Germans are buried there as well.
Ammunition alone accounted for 448,000 tons of equipment.
If it had not been for the discovery of penicillin in 1928 and further testing and refinements in the 30s, the casualty count would have been FAR higher!
Lieutenant James Doohan got shot in the hand. A silver cigarette case stopped the bullet to the chest and saved his life. He did lose a finger, but that didn’t stop him from having a great career. You might know him as Scottie on Star Trek- he did amazing things to the ship when it got shot up! He did try to hide his hand when he was on screen.
Robert Capa was a war photographer and was in the middle of things on that day. His collection of photos is called the Magnificent 11 (because there are only 11 images). He shot hundreds more photos than that capturing history in the making! Unfortunately, his assistant dried the photos at too high a temperature and only the 11 survived.
The giant wall map used by General Eisenhower was created by the toy maker, Chad Valley.
THIS IS FOR WRITERS! J. D. Salinger landed on Omaha Beach and in his back pack were 6 chapters of his unfinished novel, Catcher In The Rye. By that afternoon, a man named Evelyn Waugh who was recuperating in Devon after injuring his leg in paratrooper training, completed his novel, Brideshead Revisited!!
The weather, or really the ability to predict it, helped win the war. The meteorologist who worked for General Eisenhower was the only one who said the winds and seas would be too rough on June 5, 1944, the original landing date. Postponing it by a day proved a good idea when it turned out to be bad weather on that day! June 6 wasn’t ideal, but it was workable.

 

If you’d like to visit, this is a very helpful video. Peace be with you all.

 

Hump Day Kick Start – Rockabilly Express Edition

Hump Day Kick Start – for your muse, a writing picture prompt, or ju st a visual treat.

Throwback to the 50s? Modern day rockabilly? Today’s prompt could be either. Or both. Think time travel by train.

Who are they? What are they doing?  Could they be young lovers in a suicide pack? Is he in trouble, going to jump a train out of town? If so, what did he do? Will she go with him? Are they alternate dimension time jumpers who track fugitives and are waiting for their next connection?

You know how this works. Tell me a tale or caption the pic.

Link of the Week – Exploding Writing Myths

Chuck Wendig is at it again. He’s giving great advice with his unique wit and awesomely foul language. This time, he’s debunking a few common writing myths in a blog he wrote earlier this month.

Totally worth the read. Check it out.

CROTCH-PUNCHING THE CREATIVE YETI: EXPLODING MORE WRITING MYTHS

http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2016/05/17/crotch-punching-the-creative-yeti-exploding-more-writing-myths/

Friday Fun Facts- Storms

It has been pouring cats and dogs for hours here in Houston. We have had major flooding rains for the last month and this is one more round of pounding water to add to the still swollen creeks and lakes. How appropriate that we learn something new about storms! Maybe one of these tidbits will find its way into a story that you’re writing-

Houston- What it looked like early this morning!

There can not be thunder without lightning. Really? Yep. It’s the charge from the lightning that causes the thunder. You may not always see it, but if there’s thunder, watch out!
80% of all lightning stays hidden within the clouds. So what you see isn’t all you get.
The surges of electricity within streaks of lightning can be compared to 100 million light bulbs.
The great storm of 1793 killed 8,000 people in southern England.
A storm that hit Arkansas in 1974 brought something besides rain. Folks were pelted with frozen ducks that had been killed by a blast of super cold air!
At any one time there are about 2000 storms happening on earth.
On average, a severe storm can produce up to 6000 lightning strikes every minute!
https://youtu.be/qXdgvMuItMw This will freak you out!!!
Thunder is hard to hear over 12 miles away.
Aristotle believed that thunder was due to clouds running into each other.
Once in England, it rained frogs. It happened after a particularly large water spout formed and sucked up thousands of the critters.
In 1967, a hurricane created over 115 tornadoes in Texas!
A US government study showed that a small thunderstorm holds more than 33 million gallons of water.

Hump Day Kick Start – Riding Shotgun with my Pistol Edition

Hump Day Kick Start – for your muse, a writing picture prompt, or ju st a visual treat.

 

Going through my picture prompt cache, I realized I have lots of pics with weapons. Time to spread the love.

So tell me what’s going on. Who is he? (Be still my heart. In your story, not in real life.) Is he a criminal with his gang about to put a plan into motion? Is the driver Bonnie to his Clyde? Who’s in the backseat? Has he carjacked someone? What if he is a good guy doing the carjacking. Could he be on protection detail for the beautiful senator’s daughter who is in danger? Could he be in danger of falling in love with her? Or maybe they are on the run from a zombie, vampire, or genetic mutation apocalypse.

You know the drill. Tell me a tale or caption the pic.

Link of the Week – Dead Man’s Kiss RONE Finalist

This week’s Link of the Week I’m asking for a favor. If you feel so inclined, I would love to have your vote in the 2016 InD’tale RONE awards. DEAD MAN’S KISS was reviewed by InD’tale last fall and given 4.5 stars (whoop!). Because of the high rating, the book was entered in the RONE contest. It would be great to have your support. You do have to register to vote. But it’s super easy to do and you won’t get spammed.

I am in the Historical Post Medieval category. It is a large category and competition is tough, but you can vote for two of your favorite books. VOTING ENDS SUNDAY!

http://www.indtale.com/2016-rone-awards-week-six

Thanks in advance should you decide to vote. *sloppy smooches*

Friday Fun Facts-Kissing

We all love to do it. But do you really know about kissing? Read on and find out!

A German researcher noted that 2/3 of all couples lean their head to the right when going in for a kiss. Why? They theorize it all starts in the womb where the baby naturally tilts their head to the right most of the time.
In order to give 1 kiss, you must coordinate 146 muscles! Scientist used an MRI to study kissing couples and come up with this juicy tidbit.
I’m sure you’ve seen XOXO signed on cards and letters as a sign of affection. Hugs and kisses…awwww. History is not as sentimental- The X came about because peasants in medieval times couldn’t write so they used the letter as a stand in for their name. Often times they would kiss the document as an added show of sincerity. Hence, the O.
King Henry VI banned kissing! What?!? Yep. In 1438, he banned it to cut down on diseases. Interesting to note that his wife had to take over the kingdom by 1453 because he became quite a coo coo. Unfortunately, this idea spread and in Naples, not only was it banned, but it became punishable by death!
Think of great Hollywood kissing scenes…they were all heavily regulated by censors. Married couples had to sleep in twin beds, and if they did kiss, one had to have their feet on the floor. Kisses weren’t allowed to last more than 3 seconds. Absolutely no kissing while laying down together! Sheesh- these rules weren’t let go of until the late 1960s.
Philematology is the name of the science of kissing. If you study this, then you are an osculologist.
A study was once done to discover that husbands who get a kiss on the cheek every morning before going to work lived 5 years longer than those who worked kissless. What happened to the women?
The average person spends approximately 2 weeks of their life kissing.
E Harmony commissioned a study to be done to discover how many people do folks need to kiss before they find the right one. Results? Women=15 and Men=16.
Kissing is good for you! It burns calories,relieves aches and pains, bolsters your immune system, and (apparently) prevents cavities!!!
 Kissing strangers is forbidden in Ceder Rapids, Iowa, and in Hartford Connecticut, woman can’t kiss their husbands on a Sunday! And (drum roll please) mustached men in Indiana can go to jail for habitually kissing human beings…whoa there’s got to be a story behind that one!

Hump Day Kick Start – Yes or No Glamour Edition

Hump Day Kick Start – for your muse, a writing picture prompt, or ju st a visual treat.

Let’s glam this prompt up.

This scene could be a yes or no scenario. Who is today’s lucky couple? What’s going on? Could she be succumbing to him despite how it would be so wrong? Is she loving the way his lean body feels? Does she welcome his touch or not? Maybe she’s in love with another man. Or maybe he is saying goodbye to her. What if she’s an Olympian goddess realizing that she can never stay with this mortal man.

I’d love to hear from you. Tell a tale or caption the pic.