Cidney Swanson's Blog, page 6

Professional Vetting for the Self-Published

In the September/October issue of the SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) Bulletin, there’s an article devoted to an issue faced by all writers choosing a path of self-publishing: What can these authors do to vet their books? The article mentioned two new-to-me paid reviewing services (grubstreetreads.com and blueinkreview.com) and suggested that the use of either service might benefit an author looking for that exterior stamp of approval.

Depending upon where you sit in your self-publishing journey, the $99-575 which such services charge for reviewing can look like a lot of money. For myself, I thought of it as a cost on the order of what I might spend to attend a conference, something I budget for several times a year from my writer income.

While I haven’t used either of those new services, I have used two of the older, more established options. Of the major review publications in the US,  two currently offer reviewing services for self-publishers, and both are available on a for-pay basis only. (They expressly exclude self-published books from being submitted through their non-pay channels which they reserve for publishing houses.) Publishers Weekly offers a $149-199 program and Kirkus Reviews offers a $425-575 program. (Quite comparable to the $99-495 fees for novel-length works in the SCBWI feature.)

Publishers Weekly devotes a supplementary magazine each quarter to self-publishing and includes paid-for reviews in the publication. I have not yet heard back from Publishers Weekly, so my experience with them is incomplete. However, here are some statistics from their last (quarterly) publication devoted to self-published titles. Of the 186 submissions they received, they reviewed 47 in their publication. Of those 47, 7 were starred reviews. What this tells me is that for authors who plunked down $149 (or $199) last quarter, they stood a one in four chance of having their title reviewed and a one in twenty-seven chance of having it receive a starred review.

Kirkus Reviews follows a different setup from PW. Kirkus promises that if you pay, your novel will be reviewed. They make a point of telling you there’s no guarantee of a positive review. The pool of reviewers is the same as the pool used for reviewing traditionally published novels. Kirkus created this service specifically so it would be economically viable for them to be able to review books from indie authors and/or small presses (which are not revenue-generating for them.) Because the review they offer may be negative, they give you the choice of publishing or not publishing the review. The vast majority of self-pubbed reviews are not published. Between their traditional program and their indie program, starred reviews are awarded to about 10% of all books reviewed, but fewer self-published works receive stars than do traditionally published works. (Current count of reviews indie authors who chose to publish their review puts the percentage at right around 5%–keep in mind most indie reviews are not published, so the actual percentage of starred reviews given to indie titles is even lower.)

For me, the experience was a bit terrifying. As soon as I hit the “pay” button for the Kirkus review, I began waffling between the extremes of muttering to myself, “It’s only one person’s opinion,” and, “But it’s Kirkus!” I think that anyone going into this needs to realize that both of those are true. To receive a positive review from Kirkus or any other professional review organization is a significant achievement, but in the end, you have received the opinion of one reader. If you can live with that, for-pay reviewing might be a good option for your self-published title.

Finally, a humorous warning for those who pay for a review with Kirkus and receive a starred review: they will not email you to tell you that your novel has received this distinction. I got my review on the exact day promised. I tried to read it. (This was difficult because all the air in the room seemed to disappear as soon as the pdf opened on my computer screen.) After reading it, I hit the “publish” button. Then I got to see my review looking all nice and shiny on the Kirkus Reviews website. I smiled at it for several minutes before noticing that they’d placed a star just to one side of the title. What did that symbol mean? Was it an asterisk thing-y intended to make me look lower on the page? And then the screaming started. My family rushed into the room to find out what was wrong with me. They saw me gesticulating wildly at the computer. A few inches away from my star was written this phrase: “For Books of Remarkable Merit, Look for the Kirkus Star.”

What do you think about pay-for-review services? Are they useful to you as a reader/author?

A Kirkus Starred Review!

Yup. I got one. For those who don’t know, Kirkus Reviews has been around since the 1930′s and they have a reputation for serving up tough criticism. In the last couple of years, they added a program to review self-published novels on a fee-basis. (They don’t allow them in their regular program.) Basically, by adding a fee program, they are able to provide reviews for those who are not going to be placing ads which is what generates their revenue normally. (I am not Random House and I’m not going to be placing ads in their publications for the next hundred years.) They can either (1) review self-pubbed books at a huge loss or (2) not review them at all or (3) review them at a cost.

I’m so glad they went with (3)! I’ll write up a post detailing the whole terrifying process next week, but for now, I present, My Kirkus Review, in its entirety.

SAVING MARS *

A 17-year-old pilot with a history of crashing her craft holds a planet’s fate in her hands when a human settlement on Mars runs low on food.

Flight-obsessed Jessamyn Jaarda faces the biggest mission of her life in the fourth YA sci-fi novel from Swanson (Unfurl, 2012, etc.). Fired from pilot training for crashing one craft and praised for doing the same to another, Jess inspires unpredictable reactions in people. Maybe that’s because Jess lives, as she flies, by pure instinct, and no one knows whether that trait will enable her to save her planet when, because of potential starvation for a human settlement on Mars, she must fly to Earth on a food raid. Along with her brother, however, the red-haired teenager has the courage to attempt the mission and stick with it when it goes terribly wrong. Swanson paces this story beautifully, weaving exposition tightly into the plot as disaster interrupts everyday routines. Despite the strangeness of the Martian environment, the novel quickly establishes the humanity of Jess and other characters, as when Jess tries and fails to help her brother resist a bout of claustrophobia or when she first locks eyes with her planet’s only dog and feels something sweep through her: “A something that reminded her of taking her craft toward breaking day or of watching Phobos as the swift moon zipped across the night sky. The dog was…wondrous.” At first, Jess sees everything through the lens of her obsession with flight, but she becomes far too multifaceted, distractible and passionate to be mistaken for an archetype. Watching her grow and struggle to survive makes this book hard to put down.

A sci-fi novel that soars along with a teenage heroine whose imperfections help make her believable and endearing.

*The Kirkus Star is awarded “to books of remarkable merit.” If you count the self-pubbed titles that received stars, they are given to about 5% of the reviews posted. In other words, SQUEEEEEEEE!

Musings on Book Reviews

Barry Eisler recently posted thoughtfully (and thoroughly) upon the topic of sock-puppetry and other systems of paid and falsified reviewing in the book industry. (Actually, his article is more focused upon the recent rash of response to it, but includes thoughts of reviews as well.) I’ve been examining my own actions in this regard–something Eisler urged authors to do. His article was, for me, timely. I recently sent SAVING MARS to Kirkus Indie for a paid review. (This is Kirkus’s solution for books unattached to one of the publishers with whom they already work offering not-for-pay reviewing.) I’ve concluded, after consulting with writers whose integrity I trust, that Kirkus Indie provides a very different service from the kinds of services that have come under fire recently. In fact, in these discussions, that conclusion pretty much fell in the category of “self-evident.”  But what about my other review practices? Are they above reproach or not?

My practice has been to send review copies out fairly indiscriminately. Anyone who asks for a review copy gets one. Early in my indie-publishing career, I spent a great deal of time pondering big publishing’s ARCs review system and decided I didn’t have a good way of replicating it. That is, I don’t have the ability, time, dedicated staff, etc. to have a 3-6 month period prior to a book’s release during which I run a buzz campaign. In fact, the indie curve for buzz seems to run the reverse of the traditional curve. That is, a book starts out with no recognition whatsoever and builds buzz in the 3-6 months after it is released. Once I recognized this, I realized I would need a different approach in the buzz department.

I did what many writers do: I wrote to book bloggers and asked if they would review my book. Then, I did something I thought was smart marketing at the time: I added a sentence at the conclusion of my books inviting readers to leave a review so others could figure out if a book was right for them or not. I then offered to send review copies of the next-in-series to anyone who told me about their review.

Now I’m feeling uncertain about having done that, in light of all of the talk about sketchy review practices. Have I added to the number of errors it is possible to commit in the area of acquiring reviews? On the one hand, I want books in the hands of those who are likely to review them. On the other hand, I’ve created a system where there is some incentive (a free review copy) for posting a review. Does that invalidate the integrity of those reviews?

In looking through my reviews, I can’t see much difference between the reviews by those who posted and then requested the next copy as compared to those who post and never make the request. (Or those who post, tell me, and then say, “Don’t send me the next book—I already bought it.”) My books receive super-short reviews from all three groups. My books receive super-long reviews from all three groups. The rankings are all over the place. That is, there is not a pattern of higher rated reviews from the reviewers who wrote to request a review copy of the next in series.

However, in light of Barry Eisler’s musings upon the subject, I’m trying to come up with a better system of which I could say, “That’s above reproach.” Because his message to take the mote out of one’s own eye first sounded like pretty good advice. Do you have any ideas regarding what a better system might look like?

Who Makes the Best Chocolate Chippers? Desserts? Breakfasts?

I’ve been rather

 Mars-focused of late, but I know that most of you reading this found your way here because of The Ripple Trilogy. And you’ve maybe read the bit of back matter in the more recent versions of the Ripple books that makes mention of a cookbook. Well, it is going to be released very, very soon. I am trying to figure out a way to give it to my New Release subscribers for free, so if you haven’t signed up yet to be notified when I publish something new, you should probably stop reading and sign up here. All done? Okay.

So here is a list of what you can expect inside the Official Ripple Trilogy Cookbook:

BREAKFASTS AROUND LAS ABS

Will’s Killer Sourdough Waffles or Pancakes

Sylvia’s Worth Getting Up For French Toast

Sylvia’s Buttermilk Pancakes

Bridget Li’s Stollen Without Those Nasty Fruit Bits

Coach Giuliano Fortini’s Gluten-Free Protein Bars

SOURDOUGH STARTER—A REPORT BY WILL BAKER

SAUCES & SALSAS

Will’s Tomato Sauce for Pizza

Will’s Pico de Gallo

Sylvia’s Mango Salsa

Dave’s 4 Ingredient Killer Barbecue Sauce

Sylvia’s Best Barbecue Sauce

 MAIN DISHES

Will’s Killer Sourdough Bread 

(Yes, I know that shouldn’t be a main dish by normal standards. Just try it and you’ll understand.)

Will’s  Pizza Crust to Die for Recipe.

Will’s Hula Lula Pizza

Coach Giuliano Fortini’s Sausage Pasta

Coach Fortini’s Pad Thai: Carbs for Gluten Intolerant Runners

Dave Ruiz’s Easy Carnitas

Dave Ruiz’s Cheater Enchiladas

Mickie’s Pesto Pasta

Sylvia’s Lasagna

Cassoulet, Recipe by Sir Walter Jean-Baptiste de Rochefort

DESSERTS & TREATS

Bridget Li’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

Sylvia Ruiz’ Chocolate Chip Cookies

Mickie’s Fabulous Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

Bridget Li’s Regular Polvorones

Bridget Li’s Nut-free Cinnamon Polvorones

Sylvia’s Cheesecake

Bridget Li’s Syllaberry Pie  

There you have it. Twenty-six tried and true recipes from Las Abuelitas, California including a version of Chocolate Chip Cookies from three very strong and opinionated women. Be sure you’re on the mailing list so you can find sample them all! After all, don’t you want to know who makes the best chocolate chippers?

 

Where Were You on August 5?

I spent the first part of August in California goat-sitting for my sister. Well, honestly, my daughter did most of the goat-y work as well as taking care of the cats, dogs, and chickens. But caring for my sister’s farmyard meant that I was within an easy distance of NASA Ames for the landing of the Mars Science Laboratory CURIOSITY Rover. 

Boy, am I glad my sister’s animals needed someone to be there for them.

The visit to NASA Ames was one of those highlight-of-your-life adventures. We arrived some four hours ahead of Curiosity’s scheduled touchdown and got to enjoy food trucks and the company of other space geeks as well as an impressive array of exhibits pulled together by scientists at NASA Ames who contributed to Curiosity’s mission.

My favorite moments? Watching my daughter and nieces converse with scientists who did Really Cool Things to make sure the SUV-sized rover would land rather than crash. Running my fingers over a strip of the parachute fabric used to slow Curiosity’s descent through the shallow Martian atmosphere.

Knowing the three teenagers beside me understood the function of the heat shield, parachute, and sky-crane thanks to NASA Ames’s brilliant videos and exhibits at the event. Buying a windbreaker with the NASA logo when it became clear my lightweight cotton jacket wasn’t going to keep me warm through the 10:31PM landing time. (The event was held out of doors.) Feeling like I got so, so much more from NASA’s use of my tax dollars ($7.50) than I could have from anything else $7.50 would have bought me. Whooping and hollering with my family as each stage of the final entry, descent, and landing was completed flawlessly.

Like I said, boy, am I glad my sister needed someone to keep an eye on the goats!

So, Internet–where were you on August 5th?

Mars Themed Prize Packs!

Well, I had a bit of fun shopping at http://www.thespacestore.com/ and now it’s time to give it all away! (Enter using the Rafflecopter form below.)

Five Lucky Winners will receive:

A Prize Pack including

Astronaut Ice Cream
A Saving Mars Bookmark (signed!)

 

 

Three Lucky Winners will receive:

A Prize Pack including

Astronaut Ice Cream
A Saving Mars Bookmark (signed!)
A NASA Mars Project Patch (yours may vary)
A Mars Marble (super cool!)

 

 

And there are two Grand Prizes as well.

 

One Lucky Winner will receive:

Astronaut Ice Cream
NASA Mars Curiosity Pin
Saving Mars Bookmark (signed)
Sign with Mileage to Mars

One Lucky Winner will receive:

Astronaut Ice Cream
NASA Mars Curiosity Pin
Saving Mars Bookmark (signed)
Signed Copy of SAVING MARS

(If you win the grand prize and have a strong preference for one over the other, let me know!)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Saving Mars-Chapter One

Have I told any of you lately how grateful I am to have readers? I just paused for several minutes after writing that sentence.  I was trying to find an adequate way to express the big-ness of the gratitude. And words failed me. Not an admirable quality in a writer, but there you have it. My breath gets knocked clean out of me every time I consider that there are thousands of people out there enjoying the books I wrote. Thank you, dear reader, for reading. Thank you so very much.

I know that some of you are jumping-up-and-down excited that I have a Sci/Fi series coming out while others of you are side-eyeing the whole idea and wondering why I didn’t stick to something a bit more like Rippler. Well, for both groups, I now present Chapter One of Saving Mars so that you can have a gander and see if it is for you. (The early reports from non-Sci-Fi lovers are that this transcends their aversion. So–yay!)

Let me know what you think!

Chapter One

PS MARS-THEMED PRIZE PACKS TOMORROW FOR LAUNCH DAY!

Writing What You Love-Part Three

I promised the cover reveal in July. Um, so, it’s still July, yes? (Whew!) Here it is, the cover of SAVING MARS. Squee! I’ve thought a few times that I should change the title of this blog series because, as it stands, it sounds like I am giving you advice on How To write what you love. Which I’m not. But, this novel came about because I wrote in a setting and genre I love… I think you get the idea. So, is it okay if I don’t change the blog title? ‘Cause I’m kind of out of words right now after all the revisions and line edits and proofs and…and…and… (Scroll to the bottom for a summary of the book!)

 

SAVING MARS: When the food supply of Mars’ human settlement is decimated, seventeen-year-old Jessamyn Jaarda, the best pilot Mars Colonial has ever seen, flies to Earth to raid for food. Earth-Mars relations couldn’t be worse, and her brother is captured during the raid. Breaking rules of secrecy and no contact, Jess finds an ally in Pavel, nephew to a government official, but their friendship only makes more agonizing the choice before her: Save her brother or save her planet? (Williams Press, Aug 2012, 325 pp.)

Tomorrow, I’ll post the first chapter for you! You can get my blog via email over on the right side there>>>>> and ^^^^^to be sure you don’t miss it. For today, I’ll just tease you with the first line:

She was the kind of girl who slept with books on her bed.

(Can any of you relate to that?)

 

Remembering Why I Write

I try to attend a writer's conference every three to six months.Writing is a lonely venture. Just me and these imaginary people who talk to me sometimes. I spend most of each day seated behind my desk, typing on my computer. It's a life I love, but I need to get out every now and again, and conferences provide that opportunity.

While the food is usually mediocre and the strange hotel beds creak in ways that wake me early, the workshops and the networking opportunities provide me with a bit of oomph. That is, I come away with  a nugget or two that will help me in either my craft or the business side of being a writer. And sometimes I come away with a bit more--with a reminder of why I write in the first place. (Hint: it's not for the book signings, lovely as they are.)

The SCBWI  Oregon spring conference I attended this past weekend was one of those that gave me "a bit more" and will no doubt be helpful the next time I question why I do this crazy art-making called novel writing.

Two different editors said things that really struck me.

First, Melissa Manlove, editor at Chronicle Books (check 'em out here) addressed her passion to create books that will resonate with young readers who have, perhaps, never experienced that magic which lies inside a book. She pointed out that it only takes one book for a non-reader to become a reader and that everything changes for the child who makes this transition. "Once you become a reader, it will change your whole life," said Manlove. Um. Wow. Yes. I might have cried a little when she said this. It's why I write. Because reading changes your life.

Next, Andrew Karre, editorial director of Carolrhoda Books, Carolrhoda Lab, and Darby Creek, issued a prescriptive for writers of young adult fiction. He insisted YA writers shouldn't write for teens. Rather, we should think of ourselves as writing about teens. Now, the difference is subtle, and may even seem to fly in the face of what I found so moving about Manlove's observation that books change lives.

As I thought through the apparent conflict between the two most moving things I heard at the conference, I began to see ways in which the two ideas co-exist. You see, a writer's job isn't to figure out how to write that book that will change someone's life. Rather, the ability of a book to affect someone (even profoundly) is an outgrowth--a side effect, if you will--of writing. The calling of a writer is to make the best art he or she can. If, each time I sat down at the keyboard, I asked myself the question: how can I change the life of a teenager through what I write, I would simply freeze. That is too weighty a calling, too large a task, and quite honestly, it's out of my control. But I can tell the kind of story I like and write it to the best of my ability; those tasks falls within the pale of "things I control."

And so, with the awareness that books can change lives and the awareness that I write about and not for teens, I'm inspired to sit down today and not rise until I've put in my 2,000 words, telling the best story I can.

To satisfy my not-so-idle curiosity: Do you have a book that changed everything?

Author Interview: LISA NOWAK

I'm so very pleased to bring Lisa Nowak here today for an interview as a part of her DRIVEN Blog Tour! Lisa is a fellow member of SCBWI and a very funny author. She's also one of the most generous and sharing individuals I know. In addition to writing, Lisa is a faculty regular at SCBWI regional events and will present at Willamette Writer's Conference later this summer. Without further ado, here's Lisa!
Cidney Swanson When did you start writing?
Lisa Nowak I started writing when I was thirteen. My first book was about a young girl and her telepathic cat who got abducted by aliens. It was all one long paragraph. My school librarian took pity on me and explained that I needed to create a new paragraph every time someone else started speaking. 
CS What are some of your favorite books? LN I really love YA and mostly read that genre because it’s such a dynamic, emotionally charged time in a person’s life. Within the genre, I like coming of age, contemporary realistic, and any story where a kid is in a tough situation—where he feels alienated and alone and finally finds someone to connect with. A couple of books I really enjoyed when I was young and have re-read through the years are The Changeling by Zilpha Keatley Snyder and Dogsbody by Diana Wynne Jones. It’s the emotional connections in those books that appeal to me.
CS What do you remember about your first time behind the wheel?
LN The very first time I remember driving a vehicle was when I was thirteen and my older brother thought he’d be cool and give me a lesson. It was in a white, older truck, probably a Chevy or Ford from the ’70s, though I have no memory of that truck other than in this particular incidence. I don’t recall our family owning it. At any rate, the snapshot in my head is of driving down the Old Scenic Highway, approaching the road we lived on, and wondering how I was going to figure out how to slow down and turn at the same time. I don’t even think shifting was an issue. As I recall, it was an automatic. The main thing going through my head was, “oh crap!”
CS How about your first time racing?
LN I can’t specifically recall my first race. Weird, huh? But I do remember there was this huge sensory overload my first few times on the track, then again after I’d sat out a couple of seasons and started racing again. You’re belted into the car, trying to watch your gauges, listen to the engine, pay attention to the traffic around you, win the race, and follow so close to the guy ahead that you can’t even see where his taillights would be if he had taillights. Totally nerve-wracking. Your brain can’t process it all at once. But you get used to it, and after a while it becomes second nature.
CS I hear a rumor that Euphoria Chocolate sponsored you when you used to race. What is the best flavor of chocolate truffle at Eugene's Euphoria Chocolate?
LN Indeed they did. A little cash, a little free chocolate, total bliss. My favorite truffle flavor is amaretto, but I also love the Mexican and won’t say no to Oregon Mint. Aw, who am I kidding? I won’t say no to any of them. Great, now I can hear the tinkle of the bell on their door, smell that decadent scent of chocolate, and taste the sweet smoothness of a truffle melting on my tongue. And they’re a hundred miles away. Thanks a lot, Cidney!
~~~~~~~~~~
Book description:
The last thing on 16-year-old Jess DeLand’s wish list is a boyfriend. She’d have to be crazy to think any guy would look twice at her. Besides, there are more important things to hope for, like a job working on cars and an end to her mom’s drinking. Foster care is a constant threat, and Jess is willing to sacrifice anything to stay out of the system. When luck hands her the chance to work on a race car, she finds herself rushing full throttle into a world of opportunities—including a boy who doesn’t mind the grease under her fingernails. The question is, can a girl who keeps herself locked up tighter than Richard Petty’s racing secrets open up enough to risk friendship and her first romance?~~~~~~~~~~
“The first romance is captured beautifully—just the right combination of natural and awkward, of eager and scared.” ~ Bob Martin, writing professor, Pacific Northwest College of Art
Sales links:Buy it on AmazonBuy it on Barnes and NobleBuy it on Smashwords~~~~~~~~~~Author Bio:
In addition to being a YA author, Lisa Nowak is a retired amateur stock car racer, an accomplished cat whisperer, and a professional smartass. She writes coming-of-age books about kids in hard luck situations who learn to appreciate their own value after finding mentors who love them for who they are. She enjoys dark chocolate and stout beer and constantly works toward employing wei wu wei in her life, all the while realizing that the struggle itself is an oxymoron.Lisa has no spare time, but if she did she’d use it to tend to her expansive perennial garden, watch medical dramas, take long walks after dark, and teach her cats to play poker. For those of you who might be wondering, she is not, and has never been, a diaper-wearing astronaut. She lives in Milwaukie, Oregon, with her husband, four feline companions, and two giant sequoias.