Jane Friedman's Blog: Jane Friedman, page 229

How Valuable Is Second Guessing?

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I've been holding onto the following quote for a long time, wondering at how true
it is, or isn't.

when you feel insecure about something you are doing
… that vulnerability means that you are doing the right thing and when you watch that
… the part when you started second-guessing … that is likely the best part … same
goes for writing and photos of yourself.

It's from Raymi, and you
can read the full interview with her here.



Here's my difficulty: I've always admired the people who know exactly what it is they're
about, or what they want to do. And whatever IT is, IT powers (or overpowers) everything
else, any other disappointments or losses. IT offers meaning, and there's no second-guessing
as to the meaning of IT.



Raymi refers to second-guessing as something related to vulnerability—and true, it's
necessary to face vulnerabilities or fears in connection to creative work. (Think
of The
War of Art by Steven Pressfield.)



But does second-guessing always mean vulnerability, though? Sometimes second-guessing
is about challenging yourself—to have humility and to realize you need to improve
and grow.




How can we distinguish between second-guessing that is valuable, and second-guessing
that is wheel spinning?



What's your take on this?

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An Agency Offers Paid Services—With Strings Attached

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I've written frequently on agents and innovation of their model, twice for Writer's
Digest, and twice for Digital Book World:



The Evolution of the Literary
Agent (Writer's Digest, August 2010)

Agents
Need to Develop Alternative Models (DBW, June 2010)

The
Changing Agent-Author Relationship (DBW, February 2010)



The Future
Role of Agents (Writer's Digest, September 2009)

Also, here's a Q&A with Jungle Red Writers, "How
Literary Agents Are Adapting to Survive."




Point is, this is an issue I watch and talk to people about.



So it was with some enthusiasm that I initially read news of literary agency Curtis
Brown UK offering a writing school,
hosted at their offices. According to their site, they'll launch with a 3-month novel-writing
course, open to 15 writers. Courses will be taught by published authors (one is a
Curtis Brown agent).



They are charging 1,600 pounds, which in my mind is a fair and reasonable fee for
the apparent quality of what they are offering.



But there are strings attached, which in my mind is unconscionable considering that
this is a FEE-based service. The site says in
the FAQ:

Students will be asked to sign a covenant covering
the "ground-rules" of the course which are crucial to the successful and happy operation
of Curtis Brown Creative.

Then, in
the application itself:

If
I am offered and choose to accept a place on a CBC writing course, I agree to submit
my novel to Curtis Brown when it is ready for submission, and will give Curtis Brown
an exclusive six week opportunity to read and consider before sending to any other
agencies or publishers

Excuse me?




Undoubtedly, any unpublished, unagented writer would be thrilled to be considered
by Curtis Brown UK. But an imperative to submit to them? An exclusive 6-week opportunity?



If you're going to charge someone, then charge them, and leave them obligation free.
Why should writers be further beholden to Curtis Brown UK after the course is over?
I hope this practice does not become widespread at agencies who start pay-based services
for writers.






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When (or Why) Social Media Fails to Sell Books

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There are countless articles/posts out there, by professionals as well as established
authors, that claim social media has had no (or marginal) impact on their sales or
success.



Such posts then get trumpeted by writers everywhere who feel like online marketing
and promotion responsibilities have been shoved down their throats (and look for every
affirmation that such efforts are a waste of time).



When I do muster the energy to start an online argument on this issue, eventually
I'm asked to provide hard evidence that social media activities lead to significant
book sales—and I DO have such evidence, but it always fails to convince. People have
already made up their minds.



But here's the bigger problem with asking for evidence:


Social media isn't something you employ only and just when you're ready to sell. If
that's your plan, then YES, you will fail magnificently. You will be ineffective when
people can smell you shilling a mile away—when you show up only when it benefits you,
when you have no interest in the channel/medium other than personal, short-term gain.



Social media is about developing relationships and a readership over the long term
that helps bolster your entire career (and sales too).



When people claim that social media hasn't worked for them, I can usually guess why—because
I see it used wrong EVERY day, very directly (because it lands in my inbox or social
media stream).



Here are scenarios when social media DOESN'T work to sell books.



You send Facebook messages or updates that plead: "Like my page!" or yell some version
of "Pay attention to me!" WHY should I pay attention? Why do I care? What's in it
for me? (Go
see this post for more on this important question.)



You tweet only to push your book, and that's clearly the only reason you're on Twitter. As
I mentioned in this interview, authors who get on Twitter because they've been
told they should are automatically bound to fail. Stay off it, please, unless you're
there for the relationships, or to inform others (not to sell them).



You send out mass e-mails or social media press releases asking me to do something
that benefits you and your book. Again, why do I care? What value are you providing
to me? How is this important right now? How about offering me an
informative guest post on my blog instead? Or a
free manifesto with helpful tips? Or a
piece of entertainment?




Your blog or site just focuses on selling books, and not providing anything of value
beyond informing people how to buy your book.



Maybe you're not committing flagrant online self-promotion sins. The next question
to ask is how patient you are. I talk to writers who get discouraged if they don't
see results in a week, a month, half a year.




It takes longer than that. Don't expect to have an immediate impact.



There are many personal anecdotes I can share about the difference social media has
made in my life—many that I can't air in a public forum like this, but I would share
with you over a bourbon. (Catch me
at a conference.)



But here's at least one anecdote.



I opened my Twitter account in May 2008.

I started meaningfully using the Twitter account in fall 2008. (It took me that long
to wake up to its potential. This is often the case with any new tool.)



Publishers
Weekly mentioned me as someone influential on Twitter in May 2010, two years later.



Someone of importance read that article, Googled me, found
my website, and 3 months later, offered me a wonderful opportunity (an opportunity
I'll disclose later, in spring 2011).

I didn't start my Twitter account intending for #4 to happen. And #4 might not have
happened if I didn't have a solid and discoverable website that expanded
on who I am.



All of these online pieces work together and reinforce one another—which is another
important thing people forget when arguing social media doesn't work.



So. Your social media involvement and platform building won't work as a one-time effort
(though, of course, you might have a specific campaign for a specific book that's
very strategic, which is excellent).




You have to be consistent and focused over the course of your career.




Most importantly, it has to be about more than selling books—or whatever your goal
might be. It has to be about what you stand for, and who you are. (Go
read Justine Musk's great post on this.)



Otherwise you will fail.



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Best Tweets for Writers (week ending 12/10/10)

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I watch Twitter, so you don't have to. Visit each Sunday for the week's best Tweets.
If I missed a great Tweet, leave it in the Comments. Want to know about the best stuff
I read each week? Click
here to subscribe to my shared items.






















Best of the Best

The secret ingredient to a powerful
author platform


@justinemusk

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letters that fail


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Do agents remember things they've rejected?


@Kid_Lit



The 2 Non-Artistic Professions Running the Artistic World
of Contemporary Fiction


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Looking for gaps in your story? Ask yourself
these 8 questions


@inkyelbows



Writerisms and other Sins: A Writer's Shortcut to Stronger
Writing


@AdviceToWriters

Publishing News & Trends

Things I Thought at BookCamp, But
Did Not Say (my thoughts were similar, some spoken)

@jasonashlock

@glecharles



Practical advice on how to use Kickstarter to fund
your publishing project


@GalleyCat



"Knowledge isn't power without context" Thoughts on
Authors, Bookscan, and Amazon


@sarahw

@jasonashlock

Self-Publishing
and E-Publishing

Top
5 discussion forums for self-publishers


@JFbookman




Single father & self-published fantasy author
went from poverty to earning $18,000 a quarter


@GalleyCat



Poetry e-book made New Yorker's 11 Best Poetry Books
of 2010 list; find out how the e-book was made


@eBookNewser

Marketing and Promotion

Facebook
Marketing in 6 Steps: "People want to join something that identifies them."


@marketingsherpa



On community. creating intimate spaces in a digital
world. great post by @gwenbell


@justinemusk



This is handselling now. (Reduce friction, eliminate
obstacles to discovery and purchase.)


@glecharles

@MoriahJovan

Social Media

My
Top 5 list for writers to follow


@robertleebrewer

Looking for more?




Want to know about the best stuff I read each week?


Click here to subscribe
to my shared items.




Follow me on Twitter (@JaneFriedman)







List of Tweeps most
often included in weekly Best Tweets for Writers (always under development)



Follow Writer's Digest editors on Twitter: @writersdigest @brianklems @robertleebrewer @jessicastrawser @chucksambuchino @chadseibert @vanessa_lw @psexton1 @kellymesserly




Become a fan at the Writer's Digest Facebook
page (10K fans)

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There's No Rule That Says You Get Steadily Better

A guy who once thought he'd be a poet (then realized years later how bad his work was) decided to make a documentary about bad writing.

He interviews more than a dozen established writers, including people like Margaret Atwood, Steve Almond, David Sedaris, and Lee Gutkind. (The title of this post is a direct quote from Atwood.)





The documentary isn't currently enjoying wide distribution, but there are some wonderful
moments in the trailer. Watch below, and/or visit
the site for "Bad Writing: The Movie."




Hat tip to one of my writing students, Brett
Valls, for finding and sharing this with me.












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Give Your Writing the Gift of Structure & Discipline

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I loved school growing up. I didn't know it then, but I thrived on the structure and
discipline of study. I always felt more productive when in school. (Work later served
the same purpose—feelings of creativity and productivity.)



But I have exactly the opposite inclinations in my personal life. No structure, no
restrictions, no discipline; leaf blowing in the wind, moving with the stream, going
wherever the mood takes you.



(Which is why it is probably so very dangerous for me to be without a formal office
or job! But that's a blog post for my personal site.)



So, when I want to get serious about an endeavor, I have to set up a structure or
a system to hold me accountable. Even if it's something I'm passionate about, I can't
leave it to my whims, desires, or However-Whenever-Whatever mantras.



And I was struck by the universality of this as I served as executive editor of NOVEL
IN 30 DAYS, a special Writer's Digest publication that will hit newsstands in
mid-January 2011.



One of the reasons novel-writing systems are so popular (why NaNoWriMo is
so popular!) is that you have to dedicate yourself—you have to really commit yourself—to
accomplishing something.



I
used to think that obsessing over commitment was silly—that it did not free you
at all—but I'm changing my mind.




(Find some more
thoughts here, as well as here;
this is an issue where I keep a healthy internal debate going.)



Teaching at a university is transforming how I see the issue, too. Playing free and
loose with a class will result in sloppy student work. While everyone wants the freedom
to be creative, we also need expectations set, for which we're then held accountable.




Which is why I want to share this message with you:


If you want to accomplish something in your writing life, you have to set up a structure
if you want to succeed. Maybe it's morning pages, maybe it's a weekly word count goal,
maybe it's sitting down for 15 minutes at least one time a day, even if nothing gets
written.



But somehow, you have to decide and commit, or else you're not serious about it. And
(maybe worst of all), other people won't take you seriously, either.

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The Ultimate Guide to Novel Queries

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To give everyone an easy page to reference (or share) on writing novel queries, here
are links to every installment of my series.



5
Elements of a Novel Query + Examples of Personalization


The
3 Elements of a Novel Hook


Examples
of Revised Novel Hooks


Red
Flags in Novel Hooks and Queries


One-Sentence
Hooks of Books That Sold


Key
Elements of Your Bio


Close
Your Letter Professionally


Query
Letter Red Flags


Full
Query Examples


FAQs






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Looking for more great query letter advice? Check out the Writer's
Digest official guide to queries, which includes examples and instruction by genre.

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Ultimate Blog Series on Novel Queries (#10)

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This is my definitive No Rules series on novel queries. It's meant particularly
for writers who are new to the query process. (A series on nonfiction book queries
will come later.) Go back
to the beginning of the series.







QUERY FAQs

What if the agent reading your query can tell that you, the writer,
have categorized your novel in the wrong genre? How important is it to get it absolutely
right in the query letter?


The biggest drawback when misidentifying your genre is that you might query an agent
who has no interest in that genre.



But don't worry about it too much. Agents and editors know that genres can have fluid
or changing definitions—plus a publisher's marketing department might adjust the category
or genre strictly for sales purposes!

With the holidays coming, is it wise to go ahead and send
query letters now, or should I wait until January or even February?


I advise avoiding holiday season; wait until January or February. You might also enjoy
the insights at agent Nathan Bransford's blog on timing: Is
There a "Best Time" to Query?

If you posted your work serially online (before final
revisions) and in its entirety, is that something you would want to mention in your
query? Would it hurt your chances to get published if you did post your work for a
limited run in its entirety online?


There are differing opinions on this. Generally, I advise disclosing anything you
do that strategically distributes (or publishes) your work online over an extended
period of time. But if you've taken the work down, and it never reached that many
people to begin with, there is probably no need to mention it.



The big question is: Is it possible you have damaged the future sales potential of
the work? For most writers, the answer is no, especially if your work has been revised
and polished since you shared it, and also if you shared it in a very different format
or medium than what a publisher would expect to do with it.

You can find my longer responses here:

Stop
Being Afraid of Posting Your Work Online




Giving
Stuff Away Is Not a Strategy

I sent my manuscript to the agent who requested it, but I forgot to
ask anything about exclusivity. What is customary with agents, or does it vary from
person to person, and if so, if another agent asks to see it and I haven't heard from
the first, do I say I have to wait to hear from agent #1?


Agents aren't expecting an exclusive on your manuscript unless they specify it with
you in advance. I don't recommend granting an exclusive unless it's for a very short
period (less than a month).




If you have a second request for the manuscript before you hear back from the first
agent, then as a courtesy, let the second agent know it's also under consideration
elsewhere (though you don't need to say with whom). If the second agent offers you
representation first, go back to the first agent and let her know you've been made
an offer, and give her a chance to respond.




If both agents end up offering representation, then interview them both individually
and decide which one seems like the better fit for you and the work. Usually it's
the one who is most enthusiastic.

I noticed that all of your sample query authors compare their books
to those of well-known published authors. Is this advisable?


This can be helpful as long as you do it tastefully, and without self-aggrandizement.
It's usually best to compare the work in terms of style, voice, or theme, rather than
in terms of sales, success, or quality.





Is there any situation in which I can query by telephone?


No, unless the submission guidelines say to do so.






Is it better to query via e-mail, if allowed?


Usually, yes. E-mail can lead to faster response times. However, I've heard many writers
complain that they never hear a response. (Sometimes silence is the new rejection.)
This is a phenomenon that must be regrettably accepted; don't keep sending follow-up
e-mails to ascertain if your e-query was received.




I don't recommend using a return receipt via e-mail, either. Just copy yourself on
the message if you need to, and if the message doesn't bounce back, assume it was
received.





How can I format the e-mail query properly?




Start with your query in another software program, like Word or TextEdit. Strip out
all formatting. (Usually there is an option under "Save As" that will allow you to
save as simple text.)

Send the query without any formatting and without any indents.




Use CAPS for anything that would normally be in italics.

Don't use address, date headers, or contact information at the beginning of the e-mail;
put all of that stuff at the bottom, underneath your name.

The first line should read: "Dear [Agent Name]:"


Some writers structure their e-queries differently than paper queries (or make them
shorter). Think about how much the agent can see of your e-query on the first screen,
without scrolling. That's probably how far they will read before responding or hitting
delete. Adjust your query accordingly. Usually the hook should go first, unless you
have a strong personalization angle.




I have an e-mail address for an editor/agent who doesn't accept e-mail queries. Should
I try them anyway?


You can try! But don't be surprised if you don't hear back.



How soon can I follow up if I don't hear back?


Try following up about 2-4 weeks after the stated response time. (If no response time
is given, wait about 3 months.) If querying via snail mail, include another copy of
the query. If you still don't hear back after 1 follow up attempt, assume it's a rejection,
and move on. Do not phone. Do not send angry notes.



Is it OK to tell agents/editors to visit my website for more info?


Avoid this practice unless submission guidelines invite you to do so. Agents should
have all the information they need to make a decision right in your query letter.
Of course, many will take an extra step and Google you anyway, but don't make them
do that work unless they want to. (It's OK to list your website as part of your contact
info; just don't tell agents in the body of the query to go visit it for key info.)



Should I send a synopsis with the query?


Only if requested in the submission guidelines.

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Looking for more great query letter advice? Check out the Writer's
Digest official guide to queries, which includes examples and instruction by genre.

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New In-Depth Interview With Me at Writer Unboxed

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Last Friday, part
1 of an interview with me went live over at Writer Unboxed. Here's a quick snippet:

Overall, social media tools—and I use that term broadly, to
include all types of person-to-person interaction online—have driven transparency
and opportunities to communicate with and reach a very distinctive and unique audience.
Who's to say that these things are antithetical to authorship, or to book marketing,
when they simply weren't possible or practical behaviors before?

I'd argue: What's important to book marketing and authorship
has not changed, but tools are now available that allow a natural behavior
to be more readily expressed—which is the ability for an author to reach and engage
with his audience. Most authors have always been interested in this interaction. Of
course, this becomes a very philosophical conversation very quickly, because I know
some authors distinctly want to avoid contact with readers.

Go
read the full interview, and be on the lookout for part 2 later this week.

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Best Tweets for Writers (week ending 12/3/10)

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I watch Twitter, so you don't have to. Visit each Sunday for the week's best Tweets.
If I missed a great Tweet, leave it in the Comments. Want to know about the best stuff
I read each week? Click
here to subscribe to my shared items.






















Best of the Best

Should you post your fiction on your
blog?


@justinemusk




Things Tess Gerritsen has been wrong about - ebooks,
piracy, self-pub - must read!


@murderati



Beware the Trap of 'Bore-geous' Writing: "writing
beautifully but pointlessly."

@RachelleGardner



Our presentation: What Publishers, Authors & Journalists
Can Learn from Indie Rock & Music Blogs


@GalleyCat



"People buy books from authors that they resonate with."
What makes people buy your books by @justinemusk


@DanBlank

Getting Published, Agents/Editors

4 Reasons Why Bestsellers Get to Suck and
You Don't


@VictoriaMixon




How to write a 1-page synopsis


@elizabethscraig

Craft & Technique

The 7 Worst Ways to Start Your Novel


@Writeitsideways



The circle of tell-show-tell


@victoriamixon




Five Commonly Repeated Words to Hunt Down
in Your Writing


@Lifehacker



Why less detail makes for more believable characters


@Writeitsideways



6 Articles for a stronger, faster, better first draft


@Writeitsideways



Design your plot in 100 questions - aimed at scriptwriting
but good for novels


@dirtywhitecandy



"Make your characters stand for something": putting
heart & soul in your story structure


@justinemusk



5 ways to make your novel helplessly addictive.


@victoriamixon

Publishing News & Trends

A MUST-READ --> On The Certain Economics
Of Relegating Paper Books To The Margins Of The Business


@mikecane



Are apps the 21st century chapbook?


@eBookNewser



Digital content isn't defined by editions, so let's
stop thinking that way: An argument for open-ended publishing.


@toc




"It is not only the act of writing that is changing. It's reading, too."


@lardevils

Self-Publishing
and E-Publishing

Agent
Jessica Faust on self-epublishing: a viable option,
but only if you know why you're doing it.


@victoriastrauss



Monetize it (must read for fiction authors)


@jakonrath



Self-Publishing Company Comparison: Amazon CreateSpace,
Lulu or Lightning Source?


@indieauthor

Marketing and Promotion

Discover
Your Hidden Remarkable Benefit


@copyblogger





How To Connect with Readers using GoodReads


@LiaKeyes



Colin Robinson, co-founder of @orbooks, talks about the
evolving art of online handselling


@GalleyCat



"Your job as a marketer is to know yourself." ~
@MaryDeMuth on my blog today

@RachelleGardner

Blogs & Websites

7
Free Useful eBooks That Every Blogger Should Read > Some great resources listed
here.

@nickdaws




7 Secrets for Amazing Author Websites


@BubbleCow



4 things you should do after launching a WordPress
blog (see 1st paragraph)

@toc

Social Media

How
to Build a Real Network (Not a List of Strangers)


@elizabethscraig




Seven
tips on how to build a following online


@NathanBransford





The 10 Commandments of Social Networking for Writers « Waxman Literary Agency


@publishingtalk

Online Resources & Tools

Lit
agent Jennifer Laughran's excellent go-to glossary
for genre definitions


@threepenny



Top blogs for writers that I'm reading right now


@iainbroome



Great list of websites who may review your self-published
book or e-book


@nickdaws

The Writing Life + Fun Stuff

16
Drinks Named for Authors and Their Books


@Quotes4Writers



What a conversation with a seduction guru taught one
writer about creativity


@elizabethscraig



Writing: Find the Time or Don't


@scalzi



The Most Important Thing You Can Do: Start reading more
... and don't stop.


@jafurtado

Looking for more?




Want to know about the best stuff I read each week?


Click here to subscribe
to my shared items.




Follow me on Twitter (@JaneFriedman)







List of Tweeps most
often included in weekly Best Tweets for Writers (always under development)



Follow Writer's Digest editors on Twitter: @writersdigest @brianklems @robertleebrewer @jessicastrawser @chucksambuchino @chadseibert @vanessa_lw @psexton1 @kellymesserly




Become a fan at the Writer's Digest Facebook
page (10K fans)

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