S.M. Boyce's Blog: My Journal, page 36

Blog Tour! Meet Horror Author Steven Katriel

Hey gang! Today, we’re hosting Steven Katriel, author of the recently released Portrait of Alatiel Salazar, on his first book tour! Check out the giveaway at the end of his post for a chance to win a free eBook copy of his new novel!

 

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Steve Katriel
Horror Author

Steven Katriel writes Gothic Horror, Paranormal Fantasy, and Literary Fiction. He has lived in Wales, UK all his life. In recent years, he wrote history articles for a community magazine. Steve’s literary heroes and heroines range from Oscar Wilde to Hilary Mantel. He has a passion for past times and this is reflected in his writing.

Find him online:

Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook

 

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Buy his book:

It began with the discovery of a bloodstained journal…

The Portrait of Alatiel Salizar

When Gabriel Holland’s beloved Helena vanishes from his life, he journeys to the home of disgraced artist Cristian Salazar, the man he holds responsible for her disappearance and the death of several friends. Once in the town of Carliton, Gabriel finds only malice and mystery in the tales told by the few brave enough to speak ill of Salazar and the sinister Cousin Beatriz. And within shadows, in the guise of night, walks Alatiel, the creature Helena has become…

Amazon (US) | Amazon (UK) | Barnes & Noble

 

The Giveaway

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Guest Post from young adult fantasy author A. E. Howard!

Hey gang! Today, the lovely A. E. Howard is kidnapping borrowing my blog. Say hi!

 

When Boyce asked me to do a guest post on fantasy and its sub-genres as they relate to my newly published novel, Flight of Blue, I was all, “Sure!” I mean, how hard could THAT be?

Well, as I discovered, not only was my grasp of the whole fantasy genre world a little tenuous, but I wasn’t using a real sub-genre to describe my book. I was calling it an “Adventure Fantasy.” Which, apparently according to “those people” that some call “experts” doesn’t technically exist…although, if enough of us start using it, we could change that, so join with me folks. Adventure Fantasy!

That aside, I was very interested to learn what makes a book fall into what category, and I’m already plotting how my next series can break as many of those rules as possible. I think my characters in Flight of Blue were a bit disappointed in being so easily categorized, and as restless as the group for the next series is, they’re not going to like it one bit. So I’ll have to help ‘em mix it up [image error]

So here’s what I discovered:

Flight of Blue is a contemporary, high fantasy written for a juvenile or middle grade audience in that the intended audience is roughly 10-14 year olds.

It’s high or epic fantasy in that it involves a band of heroes on a quest in what starts out as our world, but turns out to be a parallel or alternate version of the world, essentially making it a different or parallel world, depending on how you want to look at it. I had shied away from the “high fantasy” label, not because I don’t like it, I do, but high fantasy is also “epic fantasy.” To me, epic fantasy is Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time, or George R.R. Martin’s The Song of Ice and Fire or The Lord of the Rings or something along those lines. The worlds are huge, complex and involve a very large cast of characters. They usually have multiple settings at the same time, whereas Flight of Blue is less complex and much, much shorter.

Where Flight of Blue enters squarely into the high fantasy genre, though, is that it lives in the head of one character (check!), who discovers another world or role that they were born to play (check and check!), finds a mentor(s), often a sorcerer (check! plus, a cool bird-girl) who knows more about the role and world then the main character (check!), and has some struggle or fight against evil (uh, duh!). Also, the definition requires an alternate world (check!) and a “high” level of fantasy elements (whereas “low fantasy” has a “low” level of fantasy elements). That seems to plant it pretty firmly in the high fantasy genre.

Which, I might point out, is what my lovely host called it. You were right, Boyce [image error]

So, my liberal sprinklings of magic, talking animals (possum sorcerers and magic grasshoppers, oh my!), not to mention a good monster or so, makes it high fantasy for sure. I think.

It’s contemporary fantasy because it’s set in a current time as opposed to a historical time or historical-esque setting. For instance, all of the epic fantasies I mentioned above are set in a more historical-esque setting: little or no technology, horses for transportation, and so forth. This one seems easy when it comes to Flight of Blue. And contemporary fantasy can be either high or low fantasy, as this category only refers to the time setting.

And the easiest and most obvious is that it’s juvenile or middle grade fantasy because I wrote it for 10-14 year olds-ish, and my main characters are 12. So perhaps the nature of books in this age range being somewhat simpler allows it to also fall into the “high fantasy” category without being as complex as some which are definitely epic fantasies.

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Check out my nifty Venn Diagram!

Phew! All I can say is, it’s a good thing I didn’t have to have this straight to actually write the thing. It might have scared me off.

I want to look at Boyce’s book for a second, too. Lichgates (Grimoire Trilogy #1) is definitely a high fantasy written for young adults, as the main character is 20. But it definitely falls into the alternate world (check!), main character discovering world/role (check!), finds a mentor (check! and a magic book! Extra check!) who knows more about the world/role etc (check!). Plus, there’s that classic struggle against evil (check!).

I’m actually not sure as to whether “those people” would call it a contemporary fantasy or not, as before Kara finds the portal to the other world, she’s in a contemporary version of our world. Once on the other side, however, it’s much more an epic fantasy world: low on technology, high on magic and mythological creatures (so fun!).

 
Wait! There’s a Giveaway!

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About A. E. Howard[image error]

Once upon a time there was a little girl who read a book and thought, one day, I’ll find another world. Many years later, after a near death experience at a traffic light, she passed a possum dying on the side of the road. She stopped, and with its dying breaths, the possum imparted a tale so wondrously strange, she drove home realizing the new world she’d been searching for was right there all along. So she embarked on a quest of mythic proportions, traveled far and wide to the farthest corners of this world to uncover its secrets. Now she’s bringing the story to you.

Between chasing chickens off the porch and raising her son, A.E. Howard tells tales of the three Realms, and the boy who changed it all.

Visit her webpage for more info and updates on the Keeper of the Keys Chronicles, or chat with her on twitter, facebook, or goodreads.

 
Flight of Blue

Keeper of the Keys Chronicles, Book 1

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A cursed traffic light. A rip in the fabric of the world. A possum sorcerer injured on a quest for revenge.

Kai and Ellie embark on a journey to return the sorcerer to his home. Entangled in events that could destroy the world, Kai must choose whether to accept the role he was born to play, but isn’t sure he wants.

Grab Your Copy

Amazon (US) | Goodreads

That “EEK!” Moment When a Review Request Goes RIGHT (a letter from author Valerie King)

This is part of the Dissecting Reviews series, a component of my Indie Author How-To Index that’s meant to help authors learn from the reviews people leave on their novels. No, the Index is totally free. Have fun.

I know I share a lot of “what not to do” posts in this series, so I wanted to share a Hall of Fame post for what TO do. Valerie King is a friend of mine and a sweetheart to the core. She recently sent me this email, and I asked if I could share it with you. This is how amazing it feels when a reviewer you respect loves your work. I added the Wilde quote because I think it pretty much sums up the whole post. 

 

You know when you have one of those “EEK!” moments? Well, I had one of those today!

I just had to share, because as an author, being reviewed by a super serious book blogger is nail-biting. You never know what they are going to say, share or feel about not only your novel, but YOU.

I contacted Krisitilyn earlier this year, but she didn’t have a spot for me for months. Popular gal to say the least. I forgot about it actually. Until she emailed me yesterday to say she finished my book, The Gift of Fate, left me a review on Goodreads and wrote a lengthy review for her blog.

I waited for the blow…..but it never came. She loved it! This super sweet, but often critical blogger gave me 4 out of 5 stars! Do you know what that does for an author’s heart, soul and mind?! Of course you do. [image error]

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We’ve all dealt with criticism. Some we’ve taken to heart, others we’ve pushed aside and moved forth because there ARE people out there that have nothing better to do but criticize and demoralize us from behind a computer screen. Because they can. And yes…it hurts.

If you need a book review, I recommend Kristilyn. It may take a while for her to get back to you because she is very choosy about what she reads, but if you want an honest, clear-cut review…ask her.

And sweet Riley J. Ford….you are mentioned in my review. [image error]

Best,

Valerie King

 

 

About Valerie King

Author of young adult fiction….with a twist.

 

Valerie has always possessed a vivid imagination and a mind full of stories waiting to be told. As life moves forward, her pen has finally hit paper and incandescent sagas are being written. Her passion has transformed itself into the Fatum Book Saga, Unseen Wings Trilogy and a number of short stories. May you find a fable of deceit or perhaps a love story to fill your heart. Welcome to her journey…

 

Valerie lives with her husband and their three children in Dallas, TX.

 

Website | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube

 
 
Valerie’s Books

 

The Gift of Fate – Book 1

(Fatum Saga)

 Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Also available in the Apple iTunes store!

 

Guardian – Book 1

(Unseen Wings Novella Trilogy)

 Amazon

How to Query Book Bloggers and Reviewers: a Guest Post from Book Blogger Rob Zimmermann

This is part of my Indie How-To Index , which is a complete guide on everything from writing to marketing your novel. I designed the Indie Index to help authors on the road to being published. It’s totally free, so all I ask is that you have fun, learn something, and add to the discussion.

Today, we’re lucky to have a guest post from Rob Zimmermann, book blogger and author-supporter extraordinaire. He ‘s great to work with, and I wanted to invite him in to share his experience with the index. Enjoy!

 

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I have been reviewing books for close to a year now. It’s not that long compared to many other readers out there. In this short time, though, I’ve come across some interesting situations in the reviewing game.

There are many ways to go about reviewing books. In the beginning, I was reviewing books I bought myself. My philosophy became (and still is): if I’m reading the book anyway, why not write down how I felt about it?  I feel that reviewing became a great personal reward for reading the book. I remembered things better. I was able to discuss the books with others more intelligently because I had already discussed the book with myself. But this wasn’t the only reward I got from reviewing.

 

Finding Reviewers

Once authors started taking notice of my reviews, I began to get requests to read their books. Through all this, I’ve formed some opinions of how requests are best presented.

Shop around for reviewers. Don’t just see that someone reviews books and impulsively send a request. Find the right readers for your book. This can be easily achieved by finding their past reviews and seeing if your book fits with what they have enjoyed.

It’s almost too often that requests come in for books that are NOTHING like what I’ve reviewed before. While this isn’t always a bad thing, some reviewers don’t stray from a particular genre very much. Reviewers almost always state in their review policies which genres they like to read. If your book isn’t in that list, don’t send it to them. You’ll just waste everyone’s time.

Always read the review policy if one is available. I don’t know how many authors actually read these before sending a request. Many times, authors send requests that don’t fit criteria listed in the policy. Policies are written to make both the reviewer’s and author’s lives easier.

However, the most overlooked statement in a policy is whether or not reviews are being requested during a certain time period. If it says “at this time I am not accepting review requests” go find another reviewer. You can keep that person in mind for the future, but look elsewhere. It’s not that we’re trying to be mean, it’s just that we’re probably swamped with other books right now, or just need a little vacation.

 

Contacting Reviewers

So now that you have a list of who you want to contact, how do you talk to them? What do you say?

Unless stated otherwise, the best way to request a review is through email—not Twitter or Goodreads. When you email a possible reviewer, it allows you to send a fully coherent message, provide a link to where more information can be found, and to be as professional as possible.

There are some authors who communicate through Twitter when requesting. This isn’t, in my opinion, the best way to go. You can’t really say much with 140 characters. If Twitter seems like an option to choose, do so in a direct message. Don’t make it a public Tweet. Also, limit it to asking if you could email the reviewer about possibly reviewing you book. As I said, you can’t say much in 140 characters.

Sound professional at all times. I’m not saying that you can’t be conversational. I like people like that. A big turn off when reading a request is apparent lack of proofreading. Always double and even triple check spelling and grammar.

There are some requests that come in with little to say. I’ve had some that simply say “I was wondering if you would be interested in reviewing my book” then there’s a copy and past of links and book summary. In this case, there wasn’t a “hello, I’m so-and-so, author of blank book…” I look for any sort of intro before the book is thrown in my face. It could be two sentences even. As long as there seems to be some thought put into the message.

Don’t forget to mention how you wish to give the reviewer your book. State formats you’re willing to provide. This could help the reviewing decide whether or not they have the ability to read the book in the first place. Or in the very least, the reviewer’s reply email can tell you which out of the available formats they’d need.

Don’t scare the reviewer off. In the message, don’t sound overly excited about your book. We get it…you wrote a book and it COULD very well be our next favorite book. Please don’t assume they we’ll love it though. You can state that other readers have loved the book. You can also say that if you read such-and-such a book that you might be interested in this one. But DON’T tell a reviewer “I know you’ll fall in love with this book,” “I know my book will go on your favorites list,” etc.

No one enjoys being told what they like and don’t like, especially having never experienced said book. I will automatically be turned off from reading the book even if it was something I might want to read. It’s not even an act of defiance. It’s more a subconscious thing that I know will influence my reading of the book one way or the other.

 

What to Say in Your Email

Note from Boyce : Rob asked me to throw my input here, so we’re collaborating on this section only. The rest before and after this section is his.

When writing an email request, you must clearly communicate your intent with proper grammar/spelling or else it will reflect poorly on you. If you don’t write a coherent email, the reviewer won’t think your book is well written either.

What to include:

A personalized intro. Did the reviewer review a book very similar to yours? Sweet. Tell them that, because they reviewed Book X, they might also enjoy yours. This shows them that you read through their blog and are familiar with their work. It proves to them that you didn’t just send them a copy/paste book query. It only has to be a sentence or two—just enough to show that you’re different.
Book’s Title, Genre, and release date. All important information. Don’t make them hunt for it. Sometimes, bloggers also want the publisher. Whatever you do, make sure you read their policy and include all pertinent information they require.
Book blurb: the teaser summary of the book’s conflict. Keep this as short as possible. The recommendation is to make it about 4-5 sentences. If your regular blurb is longer, cut it down to size and give the reviewer a link to read the full blurb elsewhere.
Sample chapter. Are you hosting chapter one online? You should be. Add the link in the email so that the reviewer can check out your writing style if the book sounds interesting.
Review sites. They’re going to look these up anyway, so you might as well make their lives easier. Link to Goodreads, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble. That’s really all you need.
Teasers & extras. Have a book trailer? Link it. Have a bonus site? Link it. Show them that you’re a professional and take yourself seriously. Plus, these extras are great to add to reviews, and it’s easiest when they can go to one email and have everything there.
Say thank you. It sounds so trivial, but it carries weight. They’re taking time out of their days to read your query. Show your gratitude. You don’t have to give them your firstborn or anything, but do say thanks.

 

What not to include:

Your life story. It’s awesome that you’ve been writing since you could hold a pen. That’s great. Us, too. But the blogger doesn’t have more than about 5 minutes to read your query. You can personalize it and have a voice to your email, but keep it short.
The book file or a free coupon. Whatever your intentions, this comes off as arrogant or like you’re assuming they want to read your book. Most of the time, adding an attachment will get your email kicked to the spam folder anyway.

If it does go to their email, they’re in the awkward position of having a book in their inbox that they don’t want. Aside from tempting a reviewer to own the book without reviewing it, there is a certain pressure added to the decision of accepting.

Ask if they want it. When they say yes, then give them the file they request.

 

The Bottom Line

Reviewing can be fun. If I didn’t enjoy doing what I do, I would have stopped a long time ago. But to keep it fun reviewers need books to read; new and exciting stories that keep us wanting more. I hope some of the things mentioned in this post help authors in their pursuit of their next biggest fan. I’ve found some great authors through reviewing books. Considering some of these issues when requesting reviews can help form good relations with us and give you a great reputation as well.

 
Update

From Boyce: After this post was already scheduled, Rob emailed me to tell me another reviewer friend of his had a what-not-to-do story to share…someone queried her and asked her to buy the book to review it.

So, in case it wasn’t clear, you give free copies to reviewers. It’s an exchange: you’re giving them a copy of your book, and they’re giving you a free review plus publicity on each site where they post their review (especially their blog).

If you ask reviewers to buy your book, they will laugh and delete your email. Just a warning.

 
The Discussion

From Boyce: Book bloggers, did we miss anything? What do you want us to add? I want this to be as thorough as possible, so let us know if there’s something else to add. Thanks!

S. M. Boyce’s Critique and Editing process—Part III: The Spitshine

Welcome back to round two of how I write and edit. To start at the beginning, click here .

This is part of my Indie How-To Index , which is a complete guide on everything from writing to marketing your novel. I designed the Indie Index to help authors on the road to being published. It’s totally free, so all I ask is that you have fun, learn something, and add to the discussion.

 
The Polish

Oh, God. There’s more to revise. How…how is there more?

That’s the polish. Editing just has a way of making you question every bit of spelling, grammar, and punctuation you know.

In the polish phase, you spray everything with Windex to get rid of the duplicate words, typos, and other minor changes like that. Get your book as close to perfect as you possibly can. I recommend reading through it at least 3-5 times. I read the book out loud for one entire go just to make sure it sounds right.

An old joke from my creative writing classes is, “you’re not done with a manuscript until you can’t stand to look at it anymore.”

Once it’s as done as you can get it, move on to the proofreading editing stage—the advance readers.

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Advance Readers

So here’s where you get others to proofread your book. I recommend a group of 5-10 people you trust with a mixed blend of readers/writers/editors. Very often, writers hire a professional proofreader as well for this stage. I sure do. See my article on hiring editors for more.

What I like to do is find a group of people I know and trust to go through my book and help me find minor errors like typos. These are readers, writers, and a few editors I’ve hired or met along my roads in life. Between the group and my professional proofreader (two weeks, $300), I’m bound to find most errors. Any other typos will be minor and fixable if they come up.

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Some people call these readers “beta readers.” Check my glossary—I’ve actually heard of two definitions for that term. While some refer to beta readers in my advance reader sense, others use the term to refer to readers who read the critique draft. Whichever you use, be consistent. I prefer to just not use the term at all.

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Advance Reader Fixes

Advance readers will rarely come back with anything more than typos. Some will give you feedback on what did and didn’t work for them, but you need to keep your priorities in mind. Everyone will have a different opinion, and you’ll go crazy trying to take all their input into account. If something they say truly strikes you as a light bulb moment, then yes, change it. But on the whole, your goal with advance reader fixes is to change as little as possible.

Important Note

When you’re done with the changes from your proofreader and advance readers, your current draft of the novel should be the one you’re happy with for the long run.

You shouldn’t make drastic changes to the plot after you publish a book. Would you want an alternate ending to Harry Potter? If you aren’t sure you like the plot or want to make massive changes, you need to resolve that before you publish. Once it’s out there, it pretty much shouldn’t change.

Obviously, there are exceptions. Our first books are the guinea pigs. We release them only to discover we made a huge mistake somewhere. If your sales are near-zero and you don’t have many reviews, then you can get away with a major change. But once you start building a readership and get a lot of reviews, your chance for changing things is pretty much gone.

 

Advanced Review Copies

Oh my God, you’re almost done! Before your release, send your newly-polished book to your list of ARC readers, which you assembled already from my post on creating your marketing plan before you start writing your book.

The ARCs are a crucial marketing tool because they create buzz and get you reviews out the gate, but they also serve as kind of a safety net for your proofreading. Many reviewers will be lenient with editing in ARCs, and some will even let you know if they find errors.

If you’re polite and ask nicely when you send them the book, a few will even be on the lookout for errors and let you know in an email later. These changes rarely actually come in, but it’s nice if they catch something. I typically don’t bother asking, but I’m always listening if someone sees a typo.

This is also known as a “soft release.” Basically, you publish your book so that your ARC readers can post reviews, but you don’t market it yet. That comes next, once you’ve built up a small arsenal of reviews.

 

Release

This is where you format your eBook and upload your book for sale! You can also copy the same text into a print edition if you’re so inclined. It’s more professional to also have a print edition, so I recommend doing it.

Make sure you celebrate with chocolate and alcohol of some kind (if that’s legal for you, of course) before you dive into your next book. Take at least a week off before you get into your next work in progress (WIP). I took two months off after Lichgates (Grimoire Trilogy #1). You just went through the ringer, but it was worth it, right?

There’s nothing quite like knowing you did your absolute best. Sure, you’ll find things later when you look back on it, but that’s GOOD. It means you’re improving, learning, and becoming a better writer. Congratulations!

 

Okay, guys! That’s how I roll. What do you all do when you write? If it’s too long to post in the comments, write your own post and link to your site so we can read about it.

 
Table of Contents

Writing Draft One
Editing and Revisions
Preparing for the Release

S. M. Boyce’s Critique and Editing process—Part II: Editing and Revisions

Welcome back to round two of how I write and edit. To start at the beginning, click here .

This is part of my Indie How-To Index , which is a complete guide on everything from writing to marketing your novel. I designed the Indie Index to help authors on the road to being published. It’s totally free, so all I ask is that you have fun, learn something, and add to the discussion.

 
Critique

So this is where your framework baby gets torn to shreds. Just kidding—sort of. This is the first time someone else sees your novel. Choose a critiquer or three who are in your target audience.

I have three critiquers—my husband, who is a reader with an amazing attention to detail; a close friend, who is also an avid reader; and a trustworthy writer friend. This diverse pool is wide enough to give me a good look at what needs fixing while still keeping the circle of people who see this terrible draft relatively small.

Seriously. It hurts me to show the first draft to anyone. Even after the depth editing.

Give your critiquer the time they need to do a good job. The average for a 100,000 word novel is about three weeks. Some people need more, some less. Whatever they need, respect it. You want them to do a good job and not rush, right? If someone says they need two months or something, just wait for them to finish or find someone else. But don’t rush your critiquers.

As I mentioned before, one of my critiquers (hubby dearest) helped me with the outline and knows the plot. Therefore, it’s only natural if he’ll misses some things because he knows what’s supposed to happen. That’s why there are multiple layers editing and multiple critiquers.

Your critiquers need to look at the core setup: does the plot work? Are the characters strong and well-articulated? Does he know what’s going on? That’s what a critique focuses on: the bones and primary structure of the story.

 

Helpful tip: make sure you tell your critiquers if you want them to look for something specific when they read. Writing out a bulleted list will make things easiest for them, which translates into their best critique possible for you.

 

 

Critique Fixes

Once you get the critiquers’ comments back, you have to revise.

You may have to change major components of the story. You may even have to rewrite some parts. It’s important you know this so that it doesn’t come as a surprise.

Essentially, you’re starting at the beginning—fix the big things first, like plot changes and chapter rewrites. Then, fix inconsistencies and plot holes. Polish the dialogue. After you’ve done that, you can tweak the style by polishing the descriptions and cleaning up grammar errors. Once it’s as close to perfect as you think you can get, you’re ready for the next stage.

Let’s go back to the building-a-house metaphor: if your foundation is cracked or crooked, you need to fix it. Otherwise, the house will lean a little and look weird no matter how many windows you install. Yeah, it’s more work, but it’ll look amazing when you finish. After you fix that, you take off the plastic on the windows and put up the wallpaper in the hallways and bedrooms. Paint the dining room red and lay tile in the kitchen. Put the hardwood down in the living room…you get the idea. You’re giving the house its style and appeal.

Sometimes, you’ll rewrite your rewrites—you realize the dining room should be beige, not red. Oops. Once you change that, head into the bedrooms and start laying out where you want to put the furniture.

…is this metaphor old yet? Too bad. I’m not stopping.

 

Copyedit

Okay. You’ve gone through the whole fix/tweak/polish routine. You’re surely done, right?

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No, you’re not. Sending your book off to a copyeditor is your next chance to find and fix errors that could mean the difference between a good book and an awesome one. You’re too close to the book at this point to see its subtler flaws.

It’s amazing how people cling to the details in a story or remember one line above the rest. This is where you add relatable details that seem small until people look back on the book and smile because they can’t shake it from their thoughts.

This is where I recommend you hire a professional editor. Find someone who writes or edits in your genre and can respect your voice—if you find an editor who is constantly rewording your sentences every paragraph or so, they are not respecting your voice and you should not use them again. Everyone writes differently, and an editor who rewords constantly is essentially re-writing your book in his or her style.

Don’t get me wrong—sometimes editors’ rewrites are necessary for accuracy or clarity. Sometimes, the rewrite just sounds better and you’re cool with it. But incessantly? No, that’s them changing your book.

Anyway, find a copyeditor. I’m lucky to have Rebecca Hamilton as my copyeditor because she’s amazing at nitpicking details. She has a great eye for syntax and a wonderful ability to tweak. Check out my article series on finding the right editor for where to start finding your editor. Make sure you save up, too—editing is crucial, but not cheap. If you can do a copyedit swap with another talented author, you should. Just make sure you’re giving them your best when you edit their book in return.

The copyeditor will come back with fewer conceptual changes than the critiquer. They’ll return comments about motivation, character development and believability, small inconsistencies, minor plot holes…that kind of thing.

It’s a crucial step you cannot skip. Do. Not. Skip. This. Step.

…Please.

I’m so adamant about this because the sooner indies are publishing thoughtful, well-edited novels, the sooner the stigma of “self-published crap the traditional publishers didn’t want” will disappear. Well, I never once submitted to an agent because, from my research, going indie was the best business move for me as a new author. The indie revolution is the first time authors can really make a living selling their work—let’s not waste this breathtaking opportuntiy by publishing crap.

 

Copyedit Fixes

Sigh. We’re here again. Revising. Don’t you love editing?

So about three to four weeks have passed since you handed off your book to your editor. The copyeditor sent you back suggestions. As with the critiquers, you don’t have to take all of their suggestions…but they are the professional. So long as they back up their comments with sound reasoning, you should at a minimum consider each change.

Here’s how I approach the edit:

Go through the draft by just reading their comments first. Take notes but don’t change anything.
Go through the document again, accepting or rejecting their inline changes and suggestions.
Start through the manuscript again, taking into account their notes.

At this point, you shouldn’t have to do anymore structural changes. It’ll all be small stuff unless the copy editor mentions something drastic. Yay! This is where you focus on the tweaks. Go through and make sure that all your apples are lined up in a row…or whatever. You know what I mean.

 

Take a Break

I’m serious. You’ll burn out if you don’t. Don’t rush this.

Make sure to pace yourself through this process and take a break when you need to. I know you want to get that book out there, but you want to get a quality book out there. If you’re rushing through the edits and just sick to death of the book, it won’t be as good as it could have been if you were pacing yourself as you went along.

 
Table of Contents

Writing Draft One
Editing and Revisions
Preparing for the Release

S. M. Boyce’s Critique and Editing process—Part I: Writing Draft One

This is part of my Indie How-To Index , which is a complete guide on everything from writing to marketing your novel. I designed the Indie Index to help authors on the road to being published. It’s totally free, so all I ask is that you have fun, learn something, and add to the discussion.

Update: Wow. So this was originally just going to be one post…that turned into an 8-pageWord document. So I’m going to break it apart for everyone’s sanity. This will be a three-part post, broken apart into writing draft one, editing, and the finishing touches. A TOC is at the end of the post with links to all parts.

 

Okay, so I’m going to start this out with that terrible phrase you don’t want to hear:

This process is different for everyone.

I’m going to talk about the process I personally go through because it’s what I know. Feel free to talk about your process in the comments, since I love hearing how people use different methods to achieve the same goal.

Oh, and make sure you read my post on creating a marketing plan before you sit down to write your book. You’ll see why. Also, read this whole post before you start writing if you’re using it as a guide.

Write an Outline

I am big on outlines. I wrote Lichgates (Grimoire Trilogy #1) from an outline and learned what I was doing right and wrong. I wrote out the full outline for Treason (Grimoire Trilogy #2) before I sat down to write a word of it. I will do the same thing for the last book in the series, Heritage (Grimoire Trilogy #3), and for each of the subsequent novellas. I actually already have a good chunk of the third book’s outline done, but I will have to change bits as I change Treason’s plot.

I need direction when I write. Some people (like Stephen King) free-form, but I just ramble when I do that. I want to know where I’m going so that I can add in foreshadowing, hints, secrets, and easter eggs for readers. That’s what I do, and my writing style is based on that outline.

[box]Without an outline, the process below will seem like wasted time because you’re still discovering too much of your story.[/box]

A popular way to look at novel writing is to compare it to building a house.  What does it take to build a house? Do you do it all at once, throwing the frame up right before you add the hardwood floors and picture frames? No. You build in stages. A helpful writing technique, then, is to build your novel in layers. The outline is your blueprint, or the plans of the house. You don’t want to get started unless you know what sort of house you’re building.

Who Gets to See the Outline?

Stephen King mentions writing “for” someone in his novel On Writing. What he means is, when you write, you should unconsciously have one person in mind as your target audience. You write what you think they’ll like and look for their reaction when they read a funny or scary part.

I actually write for two people: my husband and my father. They’re like two sides of a coin—their ideas complement each other and their feedback helps me to create the most balanced story I can. They are both in my target audience—the people I think will best like my book. But I also chose them because they will tell me if something sucks. Every author needs someone who will look them in the eye and say, “C’mon, really?”

Those who critique and edit your novel must be able to point out both the good and the bad. Otherwise, there’s no point. Your manuscript will not be flawless, even for all the effort you put into it before anyone even saw it.

So when I finish my outline, I give it to the people I write for. I want to see if the direction I’m taking is as awesome as I think it is. We walk through the bullet points, and this is my chance to run concepts and major plot points by them, who will also read and critique various drafts of the novel later.

You don’t have to share your outline like this, and some people even recommend you don’t. There’s an argument that showing your story to people will deplete its draw, making you bored with it faster. The idea is the more you talk about your story, the more bored you become with it. I can see that argument. I also don’t agree. But that’s me.

In my case, I like having my husband and my dad help me work out the kinks and motivations in the story. Yes, that means they know what’s going to happen for the most part before they read. Some things will be a surprise to them when I go off-outline, but for the most part they will have full knowledge of the story beforehand. I think this is okay because it will tell me if I got my point across. Of course, it’s not a failsafe, and that’s why there are multiple layers of editing with multiple editors and readers. More on that later.

Draft One

Ah, draft one. This is where you turn a blank Word document into a story. There are a few details to remember here that will make this process easier.

Stephen King says in On Writing to make the draft one writing process a “closed door” endeavor. I agree with this completely. Don’t think about how the general public will react to something. Don’t question the dialogue too much. Curse. Do whatever you think is natural for the characters.

The point is to get your idea on paper in all its tacky, cliché, first-draft glory. It’s okay. It’ll improve! That’s what editing is for. In the meantime, don’t fret over whether or not a line sounds bad. Write it and move on. In the infamous words of Hemmingway:

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I barely even focus on the setting in draft one. Sometimes, I say they’re in a place or walking towards a room, and that’s it. As long as I know where they are, I can add the frilly lace later.

To me, draft one is the skeleton—the bare bones that introduce me to the grander story. It sets up location, intent, and movement. I establish locations and characters, build the beginnings of relationships and tension, and all around lay out the groundwork for the novel.

In the house-building metaphor, this is where you lay the foundation before you dive into the meat of the details. Lay the cement and build the house’s frame before you try to install the windows.

That said, your first draft will suck. Professionally, I mean. It’ll be amazing to finish, but don’t you dare publish it yet. Don’t show anyone yet, either. It’s not at all publishable. There will be plot holes, inconsistencies, awkward dialogue, ineffective descriptions, and more. That’s the point, though. It’s a start, and it’s one of the hardest parts of the writing process (note: I said one of the hardest parts).

So once you finish with draft one, pat yourself on the back and take a day off. Drink something with bubbles or tannins. You’ll need your energy for what’s coming next.

*bum bum bum*

 

Depth Editing

There isn’t really a formal name for this stage because I kind of made it up. I guess you could call it revising, but I like my term better. So thhhbbbt.

At this point, you still haven’t shown anyone your manuscript. It’s in its baby framework stage. Once you finish draft one—once all of the chapters are written, the characters established, and the plot written out—you move on to fix up the plot holes. This is your chance to fix errors, inconsistencies, and dialogue before anyone else points them out. Is someone magically drinking chocolate milk, even though it was never mentioned that they poured themselves a glass? This is where you can polish, fix, and clean up the framework before moving on to clean it up.

In keeping with our house metaphor, you’re putting up the drywall. Install the windows and doors—they still have the plastic and labels on them, but at least they’re in the house.

 
Table of Contents

Writing Draft One
Editing and Revisions
Preparing for the Release

Authors, Don’t Constantly Remind Reviewers to Read Your Book

This is part of the   Indie Author How-To Index that’s meant to help authors learn from the reviews people leave on their novels. No, the Index is totally free. Have fun.

 

Constantly reminding reviewers to follow up on reviewing your book is one of the easiest ways to piss them off.

Not too long ago, I agreed to do a review for a new author I’d never met. I like reaching out to people and meeting new authors/readers because people, in general, are pretty cool. In this case, though, I regretted it after the first week. This person nagged me on an every-other-day basis for two weeks as I worked through my TBR (to-be-read) list, all while juggling writing a book and working full time.

The author either didn’t understand or didn’t care why I hadn’t bumped their story up to be immediately read—sure, the story was short, but that is no excuse for his behavior. Submitting a novella or short story for review doesn’t mean an author gets special treatment just because there are fewer words than in a novel. Most authors know that. I guess he didn’t.

I was annoyed, frustrated, and I won’t review anything else by this author. I almost didn’t review the story he’d already submitted. It was very hard to focus on the plot and not how much the writer annoyed me, but I think I did it.

Authors, remember that 99% of the time, a reviewer is doing this because it’s fun. Really, they’re doing you a favor by reviewing your book. They don’t have to. There are millions of books, stories, and poems for them to read and review. That they chose yours is a kindness…one you should return with gratitude.

I know that most authors are not like this guy. I know that, and I’m grateful for my fellow authors who are professional and have business sense. But for those of you who are “impatient” with your reviews, reviewers won’t think that’s cute. They won’t like it, and it will hurt your public image and review rating in the end.

Let’s sign off with a pseudo-related laugh:

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Even though constant reminders aren’t exactly any of the above, they sure are annoying. It’s close.

 

Let’s open for debate, as usual. There is such a thing as a gentle reminder, after all. Authors, do you remind reviewers who haven’t yet reviewed your work? Reviewers, do you want to be reminded?

The Blogger Book Fair: Featuring Alan Zendell

Welcome to yet another day of the Blogger Book Fair! Before we dive into meeting our latest author, make sure you enter the giveaway for an eBook copy of Lichgates (Grimoire Trilogy #1) and vote for Lichgates and your other favorite books over at the Blogger Book Fair Awards!

 
About Alan Zendell

Alan Zendell spent more than forty years as a scientist, aerospace engineer, software consultant, database developer, and government analyst. He spent two years working on the first manned lunar mission, then moved on to a variety of near-Earth satellite projects, and Pentagon support for anti-ballistic missile systems. As the aerospace industry became more oriented toward the military, he applied his skill set to health care and social service systems, and ultimately branched out into software and database consulting.

No matter what he did to earn a living, he never lost his fascination with science fiction and speculating about the future. He always wrote a lot, but it was generally really boring stuff like proposals and technical papers, reports, business letters, and policy memoranda. But trapped inside him all that time were stories he wanted to tell and ideas he wanted to share, so with encouragement and cajoling from a loving baby sister he plunged into fiction.

He has written several short pieces in a variety of genres and completed five novel manuscripts, three of which have three of which have found their way into print and e-books. “Wednesday’s Child” is hard science fiction with a different twist on time travel; “The Portal” is a science-fiction love story set in a dystopian twenty-second century America; and “Critical Focus” is a contemporary political novel that addresses the major issues facing present-day America. But regardless of the story lines and subject matter, his writing is about more than aliens and technical marvels. He creates strong, three-dimensional characters a reader can care about, because it’s people and the way they live and feel that are important. It’s the things they believe in and how much they’re willing to invest to preserve them that make a story worth telling. It’s convincing interactions and well-researched credible plots that make a story worth reading.

Alan has three novels currently listed on Goodreads, including sample chapters.

 
About Wednesday’s Child

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Dylan Brice is living his days out of order, but it hasn’t always been that way. One Tuesday evening in July, he went to sleep expecting tomorrow to be Wednesday, but when he woke up the next morning it was Thursday instead. A frightening and confusing day ensued with Dylan trying to figure out whether he was losing his mind or the victim of some cosmic prank.

If struggling to come to terms with his new reality on his surreal Thursday wasn’t enough of an ordeal, late in the afternoon, just as his anxiety was finally beginning to subside, a voice from the past he’d hoped never to hear again added a terrifying new dimension to his situation. Dylan had once been a warrior in the battle against nuclear terrorism. A sleeper since the months following nine-eleven, he has suddenly been activated to help combat a new, deadly threat. His nerves in a shambles, he finally drops off to sleep hoping he’ll wake up to find Thursday was a dream.

When, after his harrowing Thursday, he awakens on the Wednesday morning he thought he’d missed, he doesn’t know what to believe. He cannot believe Thursday’s events were coincidental. He must be living his days out of order for a reason — some powerful, unknown entity has cast him in a role he never asked for, and everything he holds dear may be at stake. He “knows” he will continue to live Thursdays before Wednesdays until he figures out how to use the unique perspective that gives him to avert a disaster that may be global in scope.

Wednesday’s Child addresses the expected, complex issues of causality paradoxes and free will, but it doesn’t forget about characters and relationships. It portrays marriage as a loving and mutually respectful partnership that strengthens both partners in the face of stress and adversity, and it forces the characters to undergo a measure of soul-searching concerning forces and events that lie beyond our understanding of the universe.

Grab Your Copy

Amazon (US) | Goodreads

 

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Critical Focus

Jamie Williams has fought against corruption, war, and oppression all his life.  A former campus radical, he publishes the newsletter, Uncommon Sense.  Middle age has banked some of his fire, but not his values.  And it has taught him that if he wants his voice to be heard, it has to be reasoned and balanced.

Perceived by both the media and many within his administration as weak and indecisive, President Marshall Thornberry has yet to find his public voice.  He knows he’s in the Oval Office only because the powerful right wing of his party selected him as a face that people would find acceptable, and it is they who’ve wielded the power during his first two years in office.

A fragile economy exacerbated by corporate greed, unchecked militarism, terrorism, and out-of-control energy prices, has left millions of Americans feeling powerless and disenfranchised.  A new Internal Security Agency is eroding civil liberties, and there are rumors of a secret military initiative in Africa.  And behind the scenes, a sinister cabal of conspirators within the administration led by a paranoid Attorney General has devised a scheme to misrepresent public sentiment and manipulate the President even further.

With an uncanny nose for trouble, Jamie perceives that big changes are afoot and Uncommon Sense is needed more than ever.  His newsletter has a loyal following, but it’s growing too slowly to make a difference.  Americans needed to hear his voice…if only there were a way to reach them.

Grab Your Copy

Amazon (US) | Goodreads

 

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The Portal

Harry Middleton is born in an America staggered by a century of decline, a time of medical and technological marvels beyond the reach of most people in a shattered economy. Pessimism and despair have replaced optimism and hope.  A desperate government has bet the future on space, but the lunar and Martian colonies haven’t provided the hoped-for salvation.  Despite an angry, disillusioned public, the first star mission will soon be launched.

Harry is a special child, smart and precocious, his only confidante an embittered grandfather.  When the old man dies, Harry is lost until he meets Lorrie.  At thirteen, they bond, certain they’ll escape to the stars together, but a year later, she disappears, and Harry is desolate.

With help from his friend Carlos, Harry begins a quest to find her, but quickly learns how powerless he is.  With the police lacking the resources to help, Harry and Carlos must depend on themselves and each other.  An unlikely duo, Harry is an academic prodigy while Carlos is a stud athlete.  Realizing that school and baseball are their tickets out of the morass they’re caught in, they inspire each other to greatness in both.

Harry has a college sweetheart, but with Lorrie’s memory haunting him, the relationship is doomed.  He gains celebrity and wealth, but the thing Harry wants most, finding and saving Lorrie from whatever fate took her from him remains beyond his reach.  And always, in the background, are the deteriorating state of the country and the star missions…and of course, the Portal.

The Portal is both classic science fiction and a novel of undying love.  If An Affair to Remember were set a hundred years from now, in an America that spent the twenty-first century squandering its greatness, it might look like The Portal.

Grab Your Copy

Amazon (US) | Goodreads

The Blogger Book Fair: Featuring D. H. Aire

Welcome to yet another day of the Blogger Book Fair! Before we dive into meeting our latest author, make sure you enter the giveaway for an eBook copy of Lichgates (Grimoire Trilogy #1) and vote for Lichgates and your other favorite books over at the Blogger Book Fair Awards!

 

D.H. Aire has walked the ramparts of the Old City of Jerusalem and through an escape tunnel out of a Crusader fortress that Richard the Lionheart once called home. He’s toured archeological sites from diverse cultures that were hundreds, if not thousands of years old… experiences that have found expression in his writing of his Highmage’s Plight Series.

D.H. Aire’s short stories and a serialized version of Highmage’s Plight have been featured in the ezine Separate Worlds (which is now serializing its sequel Human Mage) and their first anthology, Flights of Fantasy, Vol. 1 (available on Smashwords.com, BarnesandNoble.com, and Lulu.com). Highmage’s Plight is published by Malachite Quills Publishing and is being released Print-on-Demand in September 2012.

The author is originally from St. Louis, Missouri and currently resides in the Washington DC metropolitan area.

Connect with D. H. Aire

Website | Facebook | Twitter

 

About Highmage’s Plight:

Professor George Bradley, computer staff in hand, “envisions” an archaeological site, which could turn history on its head. Then he falls through a ripple in reality. He enters a world where: trolls think they  are human; elves believe humans can’t do magic since they don’t have souls; a  child of prophecy is dying of a curse; a shape-changer is bent on killing him; a  seeress keeps too many secrets; and an ogre and a boy struggle to defend a keep  against the evil ruling it.

This is a world where a starship crash landed, bringing about a war, which led to the laws of magic defeating those of science. Here a demon rages, intent on destroying all life, its minions intent on killing the human mage from another world. If that wasn’t bad enough, George’s computer is now rather sarcastic.

Grab Your Copy

Amazon (US) | Barnes & Noble.