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First Pages Critique: How to Better Establish Your Setting

Ask the Editor is a column for your questions about the editing process and editors themselves. It also features first-page critiques. Want to be considered? Submit your question or submit your pages.

This month’s Ask the Editor is sponsored by Book Pipeline. The 2023 Book Pipeline Unpublished contest is awarding $20,000 for unpublished manuscripts across eight categories of fiction and nonfiction: Literary, Romance, Mystery / Thriller, Sci-Fi / Fantasy, YA, Middle Grade, Picture Books, and Nonfiction. Register by March 10th.

A summary of the work being critiqued

A Fine Suddenness is a WWII-era homefront novel that opens with Mary Miller learning that her husband, Dom, has been killed in London. Childless and introverted, she struggles to accept her widowhood while working to support local war efforts, care for her charming, but disintegrating, alcoholic brother, and protect herself from a dangerous admirer. 

Mary wrestles with feelings of abandonment and anger. She eventually finds a path to acceptance and faith, and learns the value of community and forgiveness along the way, but her hard-gained progress is put to the test when the war ends and she learns that her husband fathered a child in London prior to his death. It’s a crushing discovery, amplified because she and Dom lost their only child to pneumonia, and because she is friends with this “other” woman.

First page of A Fine Suddenness

Lake Arrowhead, California

Not every unexpected visitor brings news of a tragedy, but it has been my experience that tragedy, when it comes for us, is often accompanied by a stranger. It could be in the form of a tap on a shoulder, the ringing of a phone, perhaps a knock on a door.

On the day my stranger came, I was taking a cherry pie out of the oven. As usual, my dog, Goblin, sprawled at my feet, something I was so accustomed to that I didn’t think to move him. I routinely walked around him or stepped over him.

As I was about to close the oven door, his ears shot up, followed by his broad head. A Great Dane Labrador mix as tall as my chest, with a muscled body longer than the kitchen counter, he rose, handily knocking the pie out of my hand with violent impact, in the process. Then he took off, his toenails flying for purchase on the bare plank floor.

The pie flew straight up. I watched it spin crookedly at the apex before taking the plunge back down. The glass pan exploded at my feet, rocketing hot shards, glistening red cherries, and gelatinous filling in all directions.     

“Goblin!”                                      

Continue reading the first pages.

Dear Lori,

Thank you for submitting your work to our column. Your pitch caught my eye immediately because of my fondness for the Lake Arrowhead area and my interest in World War II novels. I was also intrigued by the idea of a protagonist who must deal with two devastating personal losses. But what makes your story especially compelling is that Mary learns that her husband fathered a child prior to his death. A crushing discovery indeed! What an ominous sign that she finds her diamond wedding ring covered with drops of blood the very day she receives news of Dom’s passing.

You might be aware that the market is filled with novels about World War II. A quick search for “World War II historical fiction” brings up over a thousand titles on the Barnes & Noble website, and many more on Amazon. Penguin Random House has an entire web page devoted to such books, including the international bestseller The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Other novels that come to mind are Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See, Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale, and my personal favorite, Tatiana de Rosnay’s Sarah’s Key. Some acquiring editors might be hesitant to consider yet another novel about the Second World War. However, the best known of these novels are set in Europe rather than in the U.S. To my knowledge, none features the perspective of characters who live in San Bernardino County, and this should help your novel stand out, if not to large corporate publishers, then to independent or regional publishers.

The only issue is that I didn’t quite get a sense of this geographic location in your initial pages, despite the mention of the San Bernardino Army Airfield. You and I are probably both aware that the airfield was later named Norton Air Force Base after army captain Leland Norton. That said, assuming he died before Dom, can Mary be listening to a radio segment about the local hero when the story begins? At the same time, perhaps she can be comforted by the dry heat that’s so common in the Inland Empire, or be relieved that a breeze is coming in from the lake?

The time period of your story also warrants more attention. Right now, it isn’t clear until the end of the excerpt, when Dom is said to be “one of the many victims of the V-1 flying bombs Hitler had rained down on London in reprisal for the Allied invasion at Normandy,” that this is a wartime novel. The line about how Mary has used most of her sugar ration provides a clue, but you might also have her comment on other commonly rationed items in the 1940s to build on this idea. Even better would be to delve into how Mary supports the war effort. This information comes up in your pitch, but not in your pages, and whether Mary does this work at home, at the Red Cross, or perhaps at a factory, it’s likely fascinating.

All this brings up the question of the best way to begin A Fine Suddenness. If not with Mary’s contributions to the war effort, perhaps your novel can open with an introduction to the woman with whom Dom fathered a child? One idea is to have Mary talk on the phone with this woman and notice that she has been unusually supportive (or distant) of late. Maybe the woman can casually mention her child, causing Mary to sink into a deeper depression about losing her own? It’s such a curious twist that Mary is friendly with this person but has no idea of her betrayal! Your opening can certainly still mention Mary’s dog Goblin (who sounds adorable) and the cherry pie he causes her to drop (which is a good way to foreshadow events to come), but I worry that the heavy emphasis on these details, as well as on the impending arrival of Corporal Stone to deliver the tragic news about Dom, positions the novel as a general story about dealing with grief. Of course, this might be precisely the point, and I would encourage you to determine the unique premise of your story before further tinkering with the writing; once the premise is clear to you, it should be easy to integrate it into what is already a polished first chapter.

I hope these ideas are helpful. Thank you again for submitting!

—Sangeeta Mehta

This month’s Ask the Editor is sponsored by Book Pipeline. The 2023 Book Pipeline Unpublished contest is awarding $20,000 for unpublished manuscripts across eight categories of fiction and nonfiction: Literary, Romance, Mystery / Thriller, Sci-Fi / Fantasy, YA, Middle Grade, Picture Books, and Nonfiction. Register by March 10th.

How Bad Publishers Hurt Authors

Photo by Kristopher Roller on Unsplash

Today’s guest post is by Gemma Whelan, author of Painting Through the Dark.

It began with that heart-fluttering feeling of acceptance after so many rejections. My second novel was going to be published!

It was the end of August 2020. The world as we knew it had been upended. We were getting deeper into the pandemic, with fear, illness, death, and uncertainty ravaging the world. When New York City–based Adelaide Books offered me a contract to publish Painting Through the Dark, it set my heart racing in a good way. It was a promise.

The contract looked good: 20% royalties, paperback and ebook, quarterly reports, approval over the design and cover art. The marketing plan also sounded excellent: pre-publishing editorial review, all pre- and post-print marketing tools and services, design and maintenance of author’s website, magazine promotion and interview with author, social and blog posts, book video trailer, book giveaways to bloggers, and consideration for various literary competitions. Plus two free books for the author, and further books could be purchased at a 30% discount.

Then came this sentence: “All we ask of you is to pre-purchase 45 copies of your book (at 30% discount) upon signing the contract as a token of your support for our publishing endeavor.”

That’s when the happy heart flutter turned anxious. Was this legit?

I knew that after publication I’d order at least that many books for private events, but still. I checked the company out. They had been in business for several years and had offices in New York and Lisbon. They listed a large number of titles on their website. They attended the Frankfurt Book Fair every year, in addition to the Lisbon and Brooklyn book festivals. I asked around—friends who were published authors, others with knowledge of independent publishing. In their opinion it wasn’t a red flag. Several said it wasn’t unusual to ask authors to buy a certain number of copies up front. I was thrilled. This was the answer I wanted. I didn’t relish the long, soul-killing process of querying all over again. I squelched any remaining doubts and signed.

After finalizing the contract, communication was sketchy. Weeks would go by between emails. I knew Adelaide was a small company, and I was concerned about the large number of books on their roster. I finally requested a Zoom meeting and was reassured by a pleasurable, hour-long, wide-ranging conversation with the publisher. He clearly loved and believed in books. We talked about what to expect when my book came out—I was definitely coming to New York for the Brooklyn Book Festival, and he told me he would book me at the Strand bookstore and other NYC locations. Distribution was through Ingram. This was all working out.

After that call, the publisher wasn’t responsive to emails, but I convinced myself all was well. The dates for publication were pushed back a few times due to COVID, but I was fine waiting until it might be safe to do in-person readings. I thrive on meeting readers, having conversations, signing books.

After a couple of rounds of editing, Adelaide fell off the radar again. Even when I put URGENT, CONCERNED, PLEASE RESPOND, in the subject line of my emails, I got no response. I tried not to sound desperate, but I was. The publisher never answered the phone or replied to voicemail messages. My book suddenly appeared on Amazon in July 2022. No advance reader copies, no reviews, none of the publicity promised in the contract.

I approached local bookstores in Portland, Oregon, where I live, so I could set up readings. They all told me they couldn’t find my book on Ingram. I was embarrassed. I told them there must be some hold up as my books were definitely on Ingram. I said I’d get back to them after I spoke with my publisher.

I was back on the crazy rollercoaster—hopes raised, then dashed. In the meantime, I got wind of a private Adelaide authors Facebook page. My head thrummed when I saw that I was number 94 to join. I read the stories of all the other disgruntled authors, the voices of people in similar situations, others who had published way earlier and had no ebooks, no sales reports or royalties, or had books published with egregious errors.

I looked back and saw a pattern over the past two years. It was like being in a dysfunctional relationship. After reaching out over and over again, I’d finally get a carrot in the form of an email or call, and I’d be mollified for a while. Then the pattern would repeat. No communication, with my anxiety level rising. And the publisher had over 100 such relationships—authors like me who had spent years working on a manuscript, writing and re-writing, pouring our hearts out, investing our hopes and dreams. Now my hopes and dreams were turning to mulch.

I arrived in New York in early October 2022, with still a glimmer of hope that the books would magically appear for my reading as promised (in a rare email from the publisher). After all, the company was based in New York, the publisher himself lived there. I stood in front of a room full of people and put on the best face I could. I read. I squelched my embarrassment and explained how there was a glitch with the delivery and told them how they could order books online. What should have ended with book selling and signing ended instead with my deep-down certainty that this whole Adelaide venture was a disaster.

When I reached out to Authors Guild, they informed me that their lawyers had been sending letters to Adelaide since June with no response. They said they would add my name to the next letter naming authors seeking reversion of rights. They set up a Zoom meeting for Adelaide orphans and suggested we all file with the New York Better Business Bureau and New York State Attorney General. They requested we send our stories, and they would pitch to Publishers Weekly. I filed complaints with NYBBB and the Attorney General. I received replies saying they had attempted to contact Adelaide but received no response. The NYBBB added, “A firm’s rating may be affected by its failure to answer even one complaint. Your experience may, therefore, alert other inquirers seeking information through the BBB.” Hopefully filing complaints would help someone.

I was now in the awkward situation of having a book published and announced, and my publisher had gone AWOL. The overall consensus from my wonderful local writers community, combined with what I had gleaned from Authors Guild conversations, was that self-publishing was the only option open to me now.

My husband and I set up Shangana Press, named after the 1850’s farmhouse I grew up in in Ireland, with distribution through IngramSpark. I hoped the name would bring some much-needed luck. Several weeks later I had a new book. I’ve had wonderful readings at my local bookstores and am planning Bay Area and East Coast tours. I’m working on promotion and outreach. I’m applying to contests that accept self-published work. I’m reaching out to get reviews from the few publications that will accept a book post-publication.

On Feb 1, 2023, Publishers Weekly published Adelaide Books Promises to Make Things Right With Authors. The New York Better Business Bureau and the New York State Attorney General’s Office could not persuade the publisher to respond, but when the Authors Guild approached him regarding their intent to publish in Publishers Weekly, he came forward. Whether Adelaide ever returns the money, rights, files, or royalties, they can never make up for the hurt, anger, frustration, and lost time. Neither can they make up for the loss of all of the vital pre-publication reviews, advance review copies, contests, or the stigma that still persists in some quarters around self-publishing.

The big takeaway? Trust your gut. Adelaide never presented themselves as a hybrid publisher, but by asking for money upfront, in the form of a book purchase, they were acting like one. They lied about distribution through Ingram and were publishing on-demand through Amazon. The lapses in communication were inexcusable.

Also, if you’re not already a member of Authors Guild–join! The time and effort and professional support they have given us is far, far greater than the annual dues. They really have our backs. It also is a forum where authors can ask advice e.g., about publishers who have offered contracts.

In the Publishers Weekly article, the publisher says he plans to resume business as soon as he has resolved all the issues. I say, authors beware!

My novel, Painting Through the Dark, is the story of Ashling, a young Irish woman who arrives in San Francisco in 1982 with a backpack, a judo outfit, her artist’s portfolio, and a determination to find a way to speak up about the abuses of women in Ireland. She has to figure out how to survive. I like to think Ashling might have tackled the novel publication fiasco with zest, seen it as an obstacle to be overcome, and not let herself be defeated. She would have found a way to put her story out in the world, and to warn others.

To Give It Away or Not to Give It Away

Photo by Don Agnello on Unsplash

Today’s post is by author and editor Kim Catanzarite (@kimcanrite). Her third book, Bright Blue Planet, publishes this month.

Before I get started, it’s only fair to reveal that I am a self-published author who gives her first-in-series away from time to time. They Will Be Coming for Us is not permanently free, but once in a while, I discount it 100 percent and let the free-for-all ensue. After advertising a free day, I see an uptick of sales and Kindle Unlimited reads.

But that doesn’t mean I can’t weigh the pros and cons of both sides of this coin.

Authors against giving it away

I understand why plenty of authors vehemently disagree with the idea of giving their book away. A list of some of their reasons follows:

Doing so cheapens the book. Readers should have to pay for the book because it has value. It’s not good for the author’s brand if they give it away.They worked very hard on their book and spent much time and energy on it.They spent money in the creation of it—quite a bit of money on editing and a cover design and more—and they intend to earn that money back via book sales.They’ve written a stand-alone book. They’re not selling a series, and they don’t have a large backlist.

I think we can all agree that writing and publishing a book requires time, effort, and funds—and many of us are in this business to make money. That is true of any author who hopes to have a lasting author career. I also agree that giving it away is not a viable strategy for those who have published only one book. It may not work for those who publish stand-alones, either.

So, let’s explore what I consider the main issue here: the idea that giving the book away devalues the book.

Is a free book a bad book?

There was a time I assumed the answer was yes. My thinking was, How can a writer be taken seriously if they have to give the book away in order to interest readers?

Several years before the debut of my self-published novel, I wondered whether an ebook was worthy of purchase if it didn’t cost $9.99 or more. Part of this mindset stemmed from the stigma surrounding self-published books. I was merely a shopper, an ordinary reader, and I remember thinking self-published ebooks were inexpensive because they were subpar.

This sort of thinking persists to this day for those who buy only traditionally published books, those who read only bestsellers, and those whose preference is literary fiction. Perhaps some self-published authors who are against giving away their book are of a similar mindset.

To them, I say: Times have changed.

There is now a voracious population of avid readers in the world who want and value free and very low-priced books. And here’s the important thing: a lot of these books satisfy their reading needs just as well as the higher-priced ebooks. These book buyers have learned from experience that many self-published books are, in a word, worthy.

A saturated market

At this point several million books are published every year, and the large majority are self-published. That’s a lot of books readers can choose from. It also adds up to a lot of competition in most genres.

From what I’ve observed, only the well-known, well-publicized and sought-after releases, and some specialty books, are priced at $9.99 and higher. For the most part, these are traditionally published books.

The majority of self-published books have settled into less-prohibitive price points such as $7.99, $4.99, and $3.99—and lower. Which is perfectly respectable considering we earn better royalties than the traditionally published authors do.

Those who have lowered their price to the bare minimum (99 cents or permanently free) have done so for a reason, a strategic reason: to draw interest to their books and build a fan base. They are removing the monetary barrier that keeps buyers from buying.

The free strategy

If you want to be a professional author, people need to read your book. They can’t do that unless they have access to it.

One way to give them access is to give them the book for free. In this way, they only risk the time it takes to read a few pages because they can opt out with no monetary loss if they realize the book isn’t for them.

The point is, if they have your book on their reading device, they are free to read it or discard it. It’s in their hands, both literally and figuratively.

You’re a new author. You’ve written one book and are launching another. You plan to write a series of six. In a sea of books, how are you going to draw attention to yours?

You could put both books up for whatever the going, respectable rate is for established writers in your genre, say $4.99, and then work your marketing skills, posting and blogging away, while readers slowly start to take notice and a few of them decide to buy.

But it’s very hard to get someone to take that risk on an unknown author. There are so many other options for reading out there. The reading public doesn’t know you, doesn’t know what your writing is like, doesn’t know whether your story will resonate with them.

On the other hand, you could have a free day where upwards of 1,000 readers download your book in one fell swoop (see my blog post). Of that 1,000 or more, some will read it right away. Some will like it and leave you a review. It’s those readers who will trust you and want to purchase the second book in the series to find out what happens to these characters they are now invested in.

If the second book is already out, they will be willing to pay the $4.99 to own and read it. In this way, you both win.

Hopefully, the same reader will become a fan for life and buy the third…fourth…fifth installments. And maybe even a new series, if you decide to write a different one.

Or you can wait

The alternative is to wait for people to discover and buy your first book in dribs and drabs. It will help if your book wins a contest or if you find some influencers to read and review it. You’ll most likely have to use paid ads on a regular basis to draw attention. Building a career this way can be done. Many authors have done it. Traditionally published authors do it this way. While they have at least some of the perks of the publishing house on their side, many end up selling a very small number of books.

Without building a substantial following, you can’t make money as an author through book sales, and it becomes tough to make money through other avenues as well (speaking, patrons, crowdfunding, and so on). You have to spend time and money to make money, just as you would any small business venture. Would you rather publish the book and have very few people read it, or give that first book away and possibly ramp up more quickly, earning more money later?

The choice is yours.

How to Get Emotion on the Page: 2 Most Critical Tactics

Photo by Giulia Bertelli on Unsplash

Today’s post is by regular contributor Susan DeFreitas (@manzanitafire), an award-winning author, editor, and book coach. Join us on March 8 for the online class The Heart of Story.

The great Maya Angelou once said, “At the end of the day people won’t remember what you said or did, they will remember how you made them feel.”

It’s a saying that applies well to fiction: people often don’t remember the plots of the novels they love, but they absolutely do remember how those books made them feel.

I think this is such a huge part of what makes us readers—and writers—to begin with: as James Michener put it, “the swirl and swing of words as they tangle with human emotions.”

Okay, but…how do you do that, exactly? Meaning, how do you actually generate strong emotions in the reader—and how do you get the reader to feel what your POV character is feeling in the moment?

In another one of my posts for Jane, I detailed the sometimes mysterious ways that seemingly disparate elements of story, when handled right, conspire to achieve this alchemy of emotion: The story’s stakes. The backstory of the characters, and the closeness of their relationships. The protagonist’s thoughts, actions, and dialogue.

But beyond all that, there are some very specific points in your story where the rubber meets the road, as far as emotion goes, and these are the points where you’re actually writing the character experiencing emotion in the moment.

And this is something that even many otherwise excellent writers get wrong, I find, by slipping into a distanced POV—an issue that can occur whether you’re writing in first person or third.

Here’s an example of an emotion written in a distanced way from the third person:

She felt angry. “Stop that!” she shouted.

And here it is from the first person:

I was stunned. “I’m leaving,” I announced.

On the surface, there doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with either of these little snippets—but the fact is, neither is likely to generate any real emotion in the reader, even if the author has set up those other key elements of the story in such a way as to predispose that reader to care.

So what will?

I’ll get to that, I promise. But first, let’s address why overt statements of emotion don’t work.

Think back to a time when you really were angry, or really were sad.

Did you realize, in the moment, that you were feeling angry?

Did you realize, in the moment, that you were sad?

Chances are, you didn’t. Not right away, at least. Because those words—angry, sad—are the sort of labels we apply to our feelings after we’ve had a chance to process them. The feelings themselves are much more immediate and visceral.

To speak in the terms of brain science: Emotional labels like anger and sadness are generated by the frontal lobe, that advanced part of the human brain that can think about what it is thinking, and think about what it is feeling as well.

To truly put your reader in the emotional position of your POV character, you have to dig deeper, to the more primary thing, the feeling itself, which doesn’t occur in the frontal lobe at all, but rather in the older, more primal parts of the brain associated with our physical and social survival.

And that is best accomplished by body language and internal narration.

Tactic #1: Body language

Body language is generally the easier tactic for most of us to get a hold of, because we’re all quite familiar with the physical manifestations of emotion.

For anger, for instance, that might mean:

your hands balling up into fistspursing your lipsclenching your napkinfeeling your jaw tightenshoving something out of the way

Those are all physical manifestations of an emotion that tells us we may need to fight, to defend ourselves or others.

For feeling sad, that might mean:

feeling tears well up in your eyesfeeling heavyneeding to sit downclosing your eyestaking a deep breath

Those are all physical manifestations of an emotion that tells us we may need to reveal our vulnerability to others, so we can get help—or that we may need to go to ground, conserve energy, and nurse our wounds.

Fiction is full of the physical manifestations of emotions, and writers can often go too far with it, having their characters leapfrog right from bad news to outright sobbing, with no pitstops in between for glassy eyes, a tear escaping down a cheek, and so forth.

But even so, this sort of “body language” is indispensable when it comes to really translating the emotion of the POV character to the reader. Because it’s this sort of language that the reader maps onto her own body, via the magic of mirror neurons, when she reads it.

Meaning, this sort of thing actually helps your reader feel the emotion of the character, physically.

Tactic #2: Internal narrative

But to my mind, the more important tactic, when it comes to the generating emotion in the reader, are the thoughts that actually carry that emotion.

Feeling teary-eyed and heavy, feeling your jaw clench—that sort of body language carries emotion in a general sense. The thoughts associated with the specific emotions of a specific circumstance actually put us there, in this specific moment of the story.

For instance, here are some thoughts that might carry the emotion of anger in a specific circumstance:

Julie couldn’t believe it—her best friend had betrayed her, and hadn’t even had the decency to try to hide it. How had Julie so disastrously misjudged her? And here Julie had thought they’d still be friends when their kids were grown, when they were two old biddies getting up early to hit the estate sales…

And here are some thoughts that might carry the emotion of sadness in a specific circumstance:

Maybe I should have seen it coming, but I hadn’t. In fact, I hadn’t had the slightest idea that anything was even wrong until the moment she said it. And now everything I’d worked so hard to build was crumbling down around me…

These sorts of thoughts are part our internal narration—the story we tell ourselves about ourselves, and about what’s going on in our life. These sorts of thoughts help us formulate and preserve our identity, and to negotiate our social environment.

Internal narration  does a lot to show the reader the meaning the character takes from the event being related, which helps to keep us clearly in that person’s POV—and helps us to feel exactly what they’re feeling.

Combining tactics

Now here’s the body language and the thoughts conveying anger combined:

Julie could feel her hands balling up into fists as she clenched the napkin in her lap. Her best friend had betrayed her, and hadn’t even had the decency to try to hide it. How had Julie so disastrously misjudged her? And here Julie had thought they’d still be friends when their kids were grown, when they were two old biddies getting up early to hit the estate sales…

Here’s the combined body language and thoughts conveying sadness:

I could feel tears prickling in my eyes, so I squeezed them shut. Maybe I should have seen it coming, but I hadn’t. In fact, I hadn’t had the slightest idea that anything was even wrong until the moment she said it. And now everything I’d worked so hard to build was crumbling down around me…

If you get that on the page, and you still want to go ahead and say something like, “She felt angry” or “I was stunned,” go for it—you’ll have earned the right to label the emotion by sharing what actually came first from your character’s POV.

But chances are? You won’t even need to. Because your reader will already be feeling what your character is feeling.

Note from Jane: If you enjoyed this post, join us on March 8 for the online class The Heart of Story.

Always Read the Acknowledgments Page

Today’s post is by writer and literary consultant Grace Bialecki (@GraceBialecki).

On a recent freakishly warm February day, I walked to the library in high spirits. The reckless sunshine had banished winter’s gray and my hopes for spring were budding as I floated up the building’s stone steps. Outside the reading room, I made my usual stop at the “Pay What You Will” book cart. Amongst its treasures was a signed, hard cover copy of Ottessa Moshfegh’s Lapvona, and soon, I was its proud owner.

After a diligent hour of writing, I took a break, flipped to the back of the book, and indulged in one of my favorite pastimes. No, I’m not a sadist who starts by reading the final page—I’m an acknowledgments junkie. Moshfegh writes dark, bizarre novels, and I’ve always found her an enigmatic figure. Who would make their way to her acknowledgments?

But there were only blank pages. Two of them, the second one thicker, marking the end of the book. Impossible. I flipped to the front and then back again. She had acknowledged no one. Later, for the sake of this article and my own sanity, I checked the library’s copy. Also blank.

Frankly, I’m still shocked by this bold move, though anyone who has read Lapvona might find it a fitting end to a brutal novel. Nonetheless, this piece will continue to assume that most books have acknowledgment pages. These literary credits allow us to peer into authors’ lives—from their friends and early readers to business associates, from fellowships and residences to previous publications—and reveal the fascinating web of the publishing world.

Making connections

Yes, I’m nosy—I wanted to know who Moshfegh’s friends are. Most acknowledgment pages list early readers and supporters of the project, and show which authors are helping each other. These names lead to questions—were they in the same MFA cohort? Or was one the author’s mentor? Where do authors find their trusted rough draft readers?

On a fiction break after Lapvona, I’m now reading Major Jackson’s poetry collection Hoops where he thanks the poet, Terrance Hayes. I’m familiar with Hayes’ poems, but seeing his name along with Jackson’s endorsement is a gentle reminder for me to explore his work. It’s also an insight into Jackson’s “artistic family tree” or those artists whose work is related to his. Hoops is crafted around a series of poems entitled, “Letters to [Gwendolyn] Brooks,” which makes her an obvious addition to the family. Noticing the connections between authors is one way to start building your own artistic family tree and conceptualizing your work’s place in the literary forest. And also, it’s thrilling to see a familiar name pop up, even if it’s only an author I’ve read.

A quick gratitude practice

The language authors use to thank their friends and family is inspiration for both thank-you cards and daily life. Unlike Moshfegh’s empty pages, Jackson’s acknowledgment comes just after the table of contents. This is a sign that his appreciation is front and center, even before he writes, “A traditional bow is owed to many friends and colleagues without whose penetrating comments, critical conversations, and lasting encouragement I would have remained enthusiastically in awe yet speechless. They include…” Jackson’s poetic version of an Oscar speech is a wonderful example of how words can express thanks.

What’s more, studies from UC Berkley’s Greater Good Science Center have shown a consistent gratitude practice increases participants’ mental well-being. Obviously, we’re not all penning daily acknowledgements pages, but it’s comforting to know that this concept inherently increases happiness.

Insight into the industry

Although reading acknowledgment pages is a way to learn about the writing community, I have to admit, my interest in them originally came from practical advice. When I was querying for my first novel, a literary agent suggested I look in the back of books similar to mine. On the acknowledgments page, an author’s agent is almost always thanked, and if you’ve already done the work of reading a title from their list, you’re set up for a solid query. While this is an admittedly low-tech and time-intensive approach, I still appreciate it as a way of getting familiar with the industry and am genuinely interested in who is representing who.

The path to publishing can be traced a step further from agent to editor, since they’re usually credited as well. This shows you if the agent is selling manuscripts to the Big Five or smaller independent presses. And also, who at those houses they’re in contact with. It’s not as timely as Publishers Weekly’s Book Deals, which lists that week’s acquisitions and is the fodder for many triumphant Twitter posts, but it’s giving you the same information at no cost. Think of browsing the back pages as an alternative to the Internet’s information highway—this is the scenic, toll-free route, which offers its own views of the industry.

Inspiration for your career

In addition to thanking those who helped with their book, authors also recognize the places where they wrote it. These could be residences, fellowships, or workshops. Macdowell, Yaddo, The Fine Arts Work Center, Cave Canem, and Tin House are a few that often pop up. Yes, these are often prestigious places and, depending on where you are in your career, it might be a waste of time and applications fees to submit. Also, check the requirements — Cave Canem, for example, is exclusively open to Black poets. Personally, I have a tab on a messy spreadsheet of contests and residences titled, “Later.” Just because I’m years ways from these places doesn’t mean I can’t take notes and incubate dreams.

In collections of short stories and poetry, there’s also a list of publications where the pieces first appeared. First of all, this is an exciting way to discover literary magazines. And if one matches your style, a potential home for your work. Secondly, these are insights into the author’s trajectory. Where was the first poem published? How many years between it and the last? And can you see how the writer’s work has evolved?

I recently tore through Matthew Rasmussen’s poetry collection, Black Aperture. It won the 2013 Walt Whitman Award from the Academy of Poets and was a National Book Award Finalist. Of course, my reductive brain assumed Rasmussen was a poetic genius who crafted this masterpiece in mere months. But its back pages reveal that this sleek and haunting collection is the result of over seven years of work. In fact, several poems appeared in their “current or previous versions” in a chapbook, Fingergun, published by Kitchen Press in 2006.

To me, this speaks volumes about the time and tenacity it takes to put together a book. For all we knew, Rasmussen did more edits even after these poems appeared in his chapbook. While it’s easy to associate these polished pieces being birthed this way, in reality, it’s years of labor that have gotten them to this point. This is all to say…

It takes a village

While Moshfegh remains a mysterious figure, I can assure you she did not write, edit, design and publish Lapvona without a single helping hand. Yes, every author must put in the hours of work at their desk to complete a project. But those hours do not happen in a void. Starting and finishing a manuscript requires emotional support—thanks to your parents, partners, and families. It requires other readers—thanks to other writers, artists, and friends. It requires time and space—thanks to grants and foundations. And then getting that manuscript into the hands of readers means thanking agents, publishers, book designers, and a marketing team.

While writers write alone, it takes a village to create a book and these final pages of gratitude are an important reminder of all that teamwork.

I’m curious to hear from the other readers out there. Do you read acknowledgment pages? And if so, what have you learned from them?

The Nuts and Bolts of Becoming an Independent Editor

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Today’s post comes from Book Architecture’s Stuart Horwitz and Madison Utley, the team behind the Independent Editor Podcast. There, they provide concise, experience-based answers to the most pressing questions around making a living as a freelance editor.

There are only three things you need to be a great independent editor: talent, effort, and experience. It’s the last of these–experience–that aspiring editors tend to agonize over. While there is coursework you can undertake in a few places in the US and there are a couple of professional organizations that offer piecemeal training, there is no formalized career path or comprehensive resource that clearly lays out how to get into this business or how to thrive once you’re here.

This means, at present, independent editing is really an apprenticeship industry. The only way to gain informed experience is to work alongside an established figure in the field. That’s a great way forward in theory, but what of those who are abounding in talent and willing to put in the necessary effort, but without any inroads into the industry?

We’re here to offer something concrete and foundational to ground you as you get started.

But first, what does being an independent editor entail

Whatever you’re good at and actually like doing involving the written word, you can turn into an income stream. This is good news. While diversification is beneficial for business and you should explore the full breadth of options and consider breaking into new areas, there’s no pressure to be good at everything. It’s okay to say “that’s not for me” about certain types of work and instead focus your energy and efforts elsewhere.

Some of the more common roles for an editor within this space are developmental editing, ghostwriting, coaching, cowriting, copy editing, proofreading, and marketplace assistance through the traditional or self-publishing avenue–but this is hardly an exhaustive list; when it comes to your suite of services, the possibilities are nearly endless.

How do you find clients?

Obtaining your first few clients might seem like a daunting hurdle to get over, but it really doesn’t have to be. The beginnings of effective networking can be as simple as communicating what you do well, with no hesitation or shame, to “your people.” This is the ground level of putting yourself out there–letting friends and family know you’ve decided to pursue a career in independent editing. Presenting in a library, to a local writer’s group, or as part of an adult education class are also accessible and surprisingly effective ways to get your foot in the door. From there, natural momentum will build as previous clients return or refer, and your efforts can expand to include working with agents, brokers, and publishers.

You need to get comfortable with “no.” Not everyone you approach will want to help you, and you can’t interpret every yes or no as either “I belong here” or “I don’t belong here.” That’s giving the odds too much influence. You just need to say, “I’m doing this.” And that’s it. You’re an independent editor.

Rolling with the yeses and nos allows you to develop a non-outcome dependent rhythm. There is a natural order to the sales funnel, in which more referrals are poured into the top than come out the bottom as clients. This winnowing down, through the prospect inquiry and sales call, among other stages, is to be expected, and it absolves you of controlling outcomes. All you can do is be intelligent about the process, and draw as many people into the top as possible. Remembering this helps ward off discouragement. Learn more.

When prospects look you up, what do they find?

When people search you out, they are looking to assess if you’re their person. Your online presence–your editorial platform–is what determines this answer. While your social media may weigh into the decision to some degree, the crown jewel of your platform will be your website.

The right time to launch your website was last week. (Next week works too). Your website is the most powerful tool you have to establish your credibility, which creates comfort; to express your personality, which creates connection; and to show your engagement, which creates a call to action. The first step in making this happen is selecting a domain name that makes sense, that takes advantage of any previous name or brand recognition you might already have, and is one you can live with as you and your business grows.

A bad website is worse than no website at all. Your website should feel modern and professional, like you invested time and money into its construction. It doesn’t have to be done all at once, however; a good website can be built over time as you navigate the subtle challenges of figuring out how to cast your past experience, what kinds of testimonials are available to you now and what will be in the future, and how to describe your current scope of services versus what you might want to add down the line. Initially, your website might only be a single landing page; that’s okay, as long as it’s a page done well.

Make sure the right information is on there. When a prospect visits your website, they should feel like they’re getting to know you, and they should feel like they’re in good hands. This means relevant aspects of your CV, your education (both degrees and certifications), and information, accolades, or testimonials related to previous work all need to be highlighted, but in an engaging manner that showcases your personality and interests.

List your suite of services. While it’s helpful to broadly lay out the kind of work you’re best at and most enjoy doing, it’s also important to pepper every page with invitations to reach out for an in-person chat. The ways in which you can provide editorial assistance will grow to be nuanced and extensive. And, in any case, getting a prospect on the phone to discuss their project is the best way to figure out how exactly you can be of service and make a sale that meets both your needs. Learn more.

How do I set prices?

There is no uniform answer to this question, and you should be skeptical of anyone who tells you otherwise. There are editors out there charging $50/hour and others charging $300/hour. Realistically, you’re probably aiming for somewhere in between. There are two considerations that help determine exactly where to land in that window: an outward look at the market, and an inward look at your billable hour.

How much do you want to make in a year? Answering this question is a good place to start. Stay away from selecting a figure based on what you think you can “pull off,” or the number you think you “probably deserve” given your limited experience. Instead, you want to come up with an amount that will mean you won’t be stressed about money all the time. The goal here is not to earn as much as is humanly possible, but instead to make sure that you’re getting paid the amount that respects your talents and your time.

Establish a base hourly rate for yourself as a guide. Not every project can be charged by the hour, of course, but this is an important figure to come up with and something you can use to inform what you charge when a project fee is called for. Set your base rate high enough to cover the hours you’re not getting paid for: your marketing and promotion, sales efforts, and all the unglamorous back office effort that goes into running a business, for example.

You know you’re quoting right when you’ve surprised yourself a little. You need to consider what the market will bear, of course, but a good place to aim is the high side of moderate. It’s not your job to figure out what an individual can pay. It’s not your job to assess the merit of a project. It’s your job to logically come up with a fair price, and to calmly communicate it. Avoiding the urge to price dive to win a prospect over is crucial, even at the outset of your career; it can create a downward spiral effect that is hard to emerge from. The ideal client is someone who is impressed with your work and willing to pay your fee because it reflects the talent you bring to the table.

Release your attachment to getting the job, which is a natural continuation of accepting both the yeses and nos of prospecting. This helps you keep a steady head throughout the price communicating process. Being genuinely okay with whatever the prospect decides infuses a confidence into the dynamic the potential client can feel. Conversely, any level of desperation is going to be palpable and push prospects away.

Expect month-to-month fluctuations. Once you’ve set a specific goal for your income, it’s natural to start gauging your process by assessing each month’s performance. This can bring about a helpful sense of orientation and motivation, but your month to month earnings will likely fluctuate depending on where clients are in their payment schedules. Coming in below target one month is not cause for alarm; with intentionality, it’ll even out annually. Learn more.

What does closing the deal actually look like?

The goal here is to get quality prospects on the phone. Anecdotally, discussing a project on a call as opposed to doing so via email increases the chance of locking in a sale by a factor of three. While we allot half an hour for these calls at Book Architecture, the average conversation runs far less than that. In any regard, it is time well spent; even if someone does not invest in your services, if you have been courteous and helpful along their journey they will remember you and may even refer you to someone else.

The sales process is not a necessary evil. Our culture seems to find the concept of sales distasteful. There’s an idea that salespeople will do anything they can to clinch a sale because they don’t have to stand behind it. While this may be true in some siloed industries, it doesn’t apply to the independent editor who then has to do—and stand behind—the work she or he just sold. Instead, sales are what makes your business function. It’s what lets you do this for a living. Sales is simply a natural expression of talking about how much you love the work and communicating to people that this is what you do.

Don’t quote over the phone. We don’t list prices on our website, and we don’t give them over the consultation call either. The point of the phone call is to hear about the prospect’s project, to explain how you can help them achieve their goals, and to cultivate a sense of connection. This enables both parties to gauge compatibility, and also helps you develop a sense of the scope of their project. When a call goes well, it might include requesting a sample of their work or discerning other variables so that you can better determine scope and pricing.

There is such a thing as a bad prospect. We covered how not every lead is going to convert, but let’s also make clear that not every lead should be converted. Getting a prospect on the phone is not only a chance for you to convince them you’re the best person for their project, but it lets you see what your working relationship might be like. If they call into your appointment 27 minutes late, if they make it clear they think they have all the power and you’re there to serve them, if they suggest that they don’t “really have a budget” for the project, it’s okay to decide it’s not going to work out. Learn more.

Can you talk me through how a developmental editing project might unfold?

A written critique is the most effective jumping off point for nearly any project. This allows you, the editor, to intimately acquaint yourself with a client’s work–and get paid for it–while providing valuable feedback in turn. This feedback, collated into a macro and micro section, can then be discussed in a follow-up conference. The process serves as an excellent chemistry check between the two of you and a diagnostic on what further efforts a manuscript may need; if Phase One goes well, your work together will likely continue on.

Manuscript revision makes up the heft of the process. This could look like the author diving into the revision on their own following the Phase One conference, with the option to come back to you for assistance when ready for another round of coaching. Clients looking for a more hands-on approach may ask that you work through the revisions with them. In these cases, you might provide: coaching on which topics to tackle in which order; input on new material via page-by-page commenting, cover letters, and live conferences as needed; and/or notes on how to weave new material together with the old. No matter how exactly it unfolds, Phase Two is about getting a manuscript into its best possible form and off to copyediting.

Your role may shift or expand as the project progresses. There is a spectrum of assistance you can provide to authors during a Phase Two, from coaching to cowriting through to ghostwriting. Sometimes the roles agreed upon at the start of a new stage become something else in the midst of it. Accepting the shift, while also charging for the more intensive level of support, can be a boon to your bottom line. Whether an author comes to you looking for co- or ghostwriting support from the outset or you get there over time as the project unfolds, embrace the opportunity and trust that you can handle the job.

Clients may look to you to help them decide between traditional and self-publishing, and then guide them through the respective process. Traditional publishing requires authors to generate submission material, and you can help them do that. Clients with nonfiction manuscripts will need to put together a nonfiction book proposal. With fiction, authors need a well constructed synopsis. With traditional publishing, there is also a package of related services you can offer including the provision of a database of literary agents interested in the author’s genre. For authors looking to self-publish their work, you can in effect become a project manager, assembling a bank of referrals who build out a full publishing team including an interior designer, a cover designer, a proofreader, and an ebook formatter.

If you’re attuned, the possibilities are nearly limitless. Given your extensive familiarity with the author’s work, you’re now well-positioned to supply any necessary publication support. This could look like furnishing an author bio or book description, providing blog support, generating social media assets, or spearheading other promotional efforts. Why stop there? You might also compile bibliographies, create the index for a work, secure permissions, ghostwrite corporate communications—the list goes on.

Remain open-minded and creative about what you can turn into an income stream; invariably, those streams will join force and turn into a powerful river in time.

The Independent Editor Podcast addresses these topics and more in 20- to 30-minute episodes that give detailed, practical support. Season one is available to stream on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and iHeart Radio. Updates on the latest releases and extra content can be found on the pod’s Instagram, @theIEpod.

How to Minimize Hurt Feelings When Writing Your Memoir

Photo by cottonbro studio

Today’s post is by Allison K Williams (@GuerillaMemoir). Join her on Feb. 27 for the online class Writing Memoir Without Fear.

You want to share your truth.

You also want to avoid hurting parents, children, exes—or being further hurt by them.

How can memoirists handle the paradox? The more broadly your story spreads, the more people your words help … and the more likely it is that your book will be seen by someone who is hurt by what you wrote. Your ex might threaten your custody. Your kids might stop talking to you. Your mom might say she’s “not mad, just disappointed.”

We’ve all heard the Anne Lamott quote, “If people wanted you to write warmly about them, they should have behaved better.”

But not everyone feels confident laying out the whole truth.

What if I hurt someone I love?

What if I embarrass a friend?

What if my ex doesn’t like what I wrote and sues me? Can they even do that?

Your story matters, and you get to write it the way you remember. It’s called a memoir, not a “comprehensive review of all facts.” But you can take steps throughout your writing and publishing process to minimize fallout and family strife.

First, don’t borrow trouble.

Write the book. Write the whole book. You may discover as you write that your story isn’t actually about the abusive ex or the troubled child. Maybe you end up with three scenes that show why you went to medical school, and the one where your dad says you’re not smart enough to become a doctor isn’t the strongest one. It doesn’t matter if he golfs with attorneys, you’re focusing on better scenes.

Show your antagonists’ behavior and their effects.

You don’t have to call Grandpa an alcoholic if you show his collection of empty, hidden brandy bottles. Describing what actually happened without accusatory words will show the reader who they are. And your writing will be stronger for making the reader put the clues together—just like you had to when the situation was happening.

Very few of the people who hurt us woke up every morning, yawned, stretched, and said, “I can’t wait to start oppressing the narrator today!” Show why they behaved the way they did. It’s not excusing their behavior to give the context of cultural or family issues, addictions, or their own bad treatment they’ve been doomed to repeat.

Seek their perspective if you can.

If you’ve gone no-contact, ask other family members what they remember. When you do, pretend you’re making a documentary. Instead of asking, “Mom, why did you make me eat lead paint chips as a child?” start with, “Tell me about how you fed the family while you and Dad were both out of work. What were our meals like?” Even if you’ve got to cry in your car after the interview, you’ll get better, deeper, more interesting details if you start from neutral.

Wait to tell people what you’ve written.

Wait until you’ve got the deal—whether that’s a Big-Five publisher or a strong self-publishing plan—before telling anyone in the book what you’ve written. Don’t get everyone riled up if it turns out this is your “practice” book. Or your editor says, “Let’s make it self-help and take out all those bits about your ex.”

When you do have a publication date, give others awareness of it rather than asking permission. You’re not looking for a gold star, you’re letting them know, “I’ve written my memories, and I’m sure your story is a little different.” And stay real—how many of your relatives will actually seek out, purchase, and read your book? Generally, your family is not your audience anyway.

Rehearse how you’ll respond to questions you’re dreading.

Tell your sibling, “Isn’t it fascinating how we can grow up in the same family and have such different experiences? I’d love to read your version of the story someday.”

Tell your parents, “You don’t have to read it, but I hope you’ll support me sorting out my own experiences on paper.” It’s not the first time you’ve hurt your parents’ feelings (we were all 13 once!) and it’s probably not going to be the last.

But what if someone sues?

In most American jurisdictions, no one can sign away their right to sue. Anyone who wants to can file paperwork and demand their day in court. But suing is almost always an empty threat. Finding a sympathetic attorney and a judge who won’t laugh them out of the room is time-consuming and expensive. Then they must prove:

You lied.You lied on purpose.Your lies damaged them in terms of hard cash or public reputation.

“I got my feelings hurt by a book,” isn’t a winnable case. Our best protection is that most of us aren’t worth suing. We don’t have enough assets for a long-shot winner to take. Generally, if you have enough money to be worth suing, you can already afford your own excellent lawyer to tell you all this. If you don’t have that kind of cash, it’s almost never worth the time and money for the plaintiff or their attorney.

Still, there is no memoir publishing without penalties.

Someone you wrote kindly about will be unhappy anyway. Someone you didn’t even mention will be mad you left them out. People will remember things differently. Your mom will be upset you changed her name to “Mindy.” Your kid will be embarrassed you talked about changing their diaper.

You can’t stop people from feeling their feelings and having their own memories, and you will never finish your book if you are trying to please them more than you are trying to write your story.

A memoir is, by definition, one person’s memory. Be honest with yourself, be kind when you can be, and put in a disclaimer about memory at the beginning. Write your best work and brace yourself—sharing your journey is worth it.

Note from Jane: If you enjoyed this post, join us on Feb. 27 for the online class Writing Memoir Without Fear.

How Authors Can Build Relationships with Independent Bookstores

Photo by Ksenia Chernaya

This article first appeared in my paid newsletter, The Hot Sheet. It touches on issues of literary citizenship, which is the focus of my upcoming class on March 1.

If you want your book to be carried by independent bookstores, the most important thing to remember is that every store is different; you need to carefully research each store before you make an approach.

That was the key takeaway from an Authors Guild panel hosted in fall 2022 on how to build a relationship with bookstores. The panel included two Georgia-based booksellers and one children’s author who has done incredibly well with bookstore events and promotion. (Note: Advice offered here also applies to your local Barnes & Noble store, where the staff makes buying and stocking decisions.)

Authors who want to focus on bookstore sales should begin by building a relationship with their local or regional bookseller far in advance. Author Mayra Cuevas started her relationship-building six years before she even had a book contract. She attended store events and book launches and participated in book clubs. She also formed a group of local kid lit authors who would gather multiple times per year and hold meetings in area bookstores. “That really helped me solidify a lot of relationships with booksellers early on,” she said. “By the time [my first book] came out … we already knew each other for years.”

Justin Colussy-Estes, store manager for Little Shop of Stories (one of the largest independent children’s bookstores in the country), agreed with the wisdom of this strategy. “Establishing an author community and connecting to that was very powerful,” he said. “There is an ecosystem of authors and bookstores. So being a part of that I think is important.”

Kim McNamara, owner of Read It Again, a new and used family bookstore, said that if authors spend money in their local store, then they will be more likely to sell your book. That said, it’s important to understand the store, its customer base, and what types of books the store carries. Despite the fact his store focuses on children’s literature, Colussy-Estes is often approached by authors of adult work, but it’s unusual for his store to stock adult books, even from local authors.

What if you don’t have years to develop a relationship—what if your book is coming out very soon? Colussy-Estes said you can support your local store by entering into a pre-order campaign partnership. This means approaching a local store, telling them when your book is releasing, and asking if you can direct people to their store exclusively for pre-orders in your publicity materials. “The store doesn’t have to do anything except order the amount people want,” he said. You can also offer the people who pre-order from your preferred store an incentive: You can go in and sign the books before they ship or before customers pick up their copies. And you can give the store a bit of swag to include with the book. Just make sure the store knows your ideas or plans for any extras so they can plan accordingly or suggest what would work best.

Getting your book into stores located far from where you live may not work out unless you can make a strong case. McNamara advocated for sticking with your own state or local community. “You get well known in your area with your people, and your name will grow organically. This is a very organic process.” But if you decide to try anyway, Colussy-Estes said you must be intentional about who you approach and your reason for approaching them. For example, perhaps you used to live in that area, you have family in that area, or you’re pitching a niche book to a store that specializes in that niche. Or maybe your book is set in that region or you have evidence your book sells really well in a specific geographic area. Tell the store directly why the book will be in demand by or of interest to its local customers.

A good way to meet a lot of booksellers in your area is to attend a regional bookseller conference. (Here is a list of regional bookselling associations.) Such conferences tend to offer “author speed dating,” where booksellers sit at a table and authors move from table to table, pitching their book. Colussy-Estes said it’s also helpful to leave advance review copies or free copies in the “galley room” at such events. The bookstores don’t sell such copies, but they do use them as customer appreciation gifts and put them in the hands of readers after they’ve had a chance to review and share with bookstore staff.

The best way to approach a bookstore about carrying your book? Unfortunately, there is no one approach that works for all. It depends on the store, so it’s absolutely critical for authors to do their research on the store and figure out their preferences and processes. McNamara prefers authors mail in a copy of their book rather than walk into the store. She doesn’t want an email pitch because she doesn’t always pay attention to emails or respond to emails. “It’s like telemarketers calling. It’s the same thing,” she said.

On the other end of the spectrum, Colussy-Estes doesn’t want copies of books sent in to him; he would prefer to be emailed. But he was frank: It’s rare that he stocks books based on authors reaching out. Only if he sees demand for the book will he stock it. “Unfortunately, that does put it on the author to sell the book,” he admitted. “Shelf space is at a premium. Everything has to pay for the shelf space,” he said. One of the reasons he decided to stock one of Cuevas’s books is that she told him directly that it was clean YA and works for younger YA readers. There isn’t a lot for younger YA readers on the market, so the book fills a niche for his store. That’s valuable information a bookseller wants to know and can use to sell the book.

If you want to have a bookstore event, realize that very few copies will sell, even when everyone puts in their best effort. “It’s hard to get people to come out for events,” Cuevas said. “Do not expect to sell unless you are a huge author with a huge following.” Even authors who can get a big turnout are likely to sell only a modest number of copies. Colussy-Estes said they had a huge turnout for an up-and-coming Australian YA author who is prominent on BookTok but doesn’t typically come to the US. She had a very long line for signing, yet the number sold was only 30 copies. “That’s because a lot of people brought copies from the outside,” he said.

McNamara said she’s open to events as long as she thinks the book can sell. But she rarely orders more than 10 copies unless the author is a well-known entity and has a huge following. She emphasized that the burden is on the author to sell their own book. “Press your family into going, press your friends. If it’s a good turnout, we sell your book. There’s no magic if the bookstore promotes it. It does not guarantee attendance. We really need the authors to do their own legwork. Get out there and tell people you’re doing an event. If there’s a local newspaper, put an ad in it. Share to all your Facebook groups.”

Cuevas said the author has to offer very clear communication with stores about who is doing what and how many people you expect to attend (and how you arrived at that number) so the store can prepare accordingly. To promote her bookstore events, Cuevas creates posters and takes them to local businesses that are kid-lit friendly and that get a lot of foot traffic—places where people who read books normally hang out, like coffee shops. “Hopefully you have a community of writers and authors in your area who want to support your book, and they’ll come out for your event,” she said.

The booksellers also offered these tips for self-publishing authors:

Having your book available through Ingram with a 42 percent discount is essential. (When using IngramSpark, this means setting a 55 percent discount, since Ingram takes a cut of the action.)Most stores require books to be returnable, although some stores might be willing to work on consignment or sell copies to the author after a store event. Note that while Amazon KDP offers an option for expanded distribution that makes print books available via Ingram, its discount is half of what bookstores typically require, and the books aren’t returnable.For store placement, Colussy-Estes said it’s important for indie authors to know what the market looks like for their genre and category. “If you’re thinking of a book for the four- to eight-year-old market, know what those books look like,” he said—indicating that many self-published books look nothing like other published work sitting on the shelf.Don’t forget to include links to Bookshop or your local bookstore on your author website.Never, ever pitch your book to a store by calling it an Amazon bestseller or sending them an Amazon link.

One of the themes of this panel—aside from every store works differently—is that authors should be professional and friendly in their interactions, not pushy. Cuevas said that when she travels for work or pleasure, she often stops in the local bookstores just to say hi and tell them who she is. She’ll also share postcards with her book covers and trade reviews. If the store carries her books, she’ll offer to sign stock. “It’s just a friendly hi,” she said. “I’m not berating them because they don’t have my book on the shelf. It’s an opportunity to connect on a personal level.” She said this approach also works well with libraries.

Here’s the tough love: Bookstore placement is probably not your book’s avenue to success. Both booksellers indicated throughout the panel that merely having your book on the store shelf doesn’t take the place of author marketing and promotion. McNamara said, “You have to put in the work. As booksellers, we realize you have to put in the work. There’s nobody else who’s going to promote you. It’s all on you. And it’s difficult. It’s hard.”

Also, Colussy-Estes said, “If your dream is to have your book on a bookshelf in a bookstore, you’re failing your book because you don’t want your book on a shelf. You want your book in a reader’s hand. Think about where that reader is and what’s the best way for them to find your book or be led to your book.” He admits that if a big chain takes your book, then yes—you will sell a lot of books. But more often than not, it’s the legwork done by the author to find their readers and handsell that helps a book gain momentum. He pointed to examples of Kwame Alexander handselling one of his books at farmers markets when bookstores wouldn’t take it and Christopher Paolini’s parents selling his self-published books out of the trunk of their car.

If you’re interested in building relationships in the literary community, take a look at my upcoming class on March 1.

Authors Who’ve Launched Their Careers on TikTok

Photo by cottonbro studio

The following article first appeared in my paid newsletter, The Hot Sheet, which covers book publishing industry news and trends for authors. Learn more.

While book sales were down in 2022 compared to 2021, they’d be down much further if it weren’t for TikTok. In fact, the growing sales of adult fiction since 2020 can be credited partly to TikTok’s influence as well as to Colleen Hoover, who is active there. NPD BookScan’s Kristen McLean has noted in particular, “When we looked at romance author sales earlier this year, it was clear that BookTok is contributing to the most romance gains and helping to create a new romance fan base among young readers. … This truly is a whole new group of readers coming to this genre.”

Consequently, more authors than ever are wondering if they ought to join for the sake of book marketing and promotion. While there isn’t a right answer for everyone, late last year the Women’s Media Group hosted a panel on how to tap into the power of TikTok; it featured two successful self-published authors and a social media manager at Barnes & Noble.

Poet and author Shelby Leigh built her TikTok presence by creating engaging content for people dealing with mental health issues. When she first joined, she had self-published two poetry books; her bestseller of the two was re-published by Simon & Schuster in July 2022 because of her sales track record. She has a third book on the way and left her corporate job to pursue writing full time—and she says no one in the world believes her when she says she’s a full-time writer of poetry books. (Her success feels reminiscent of the success of Rupi Kaur and other Instapoets, who began using Instagram to share poems in the early 2010s and went on to commercial stardom.)

When she joined TikTok, Aparna Verma knew that she wanted to target South Asian readers with her Indian fantasy novel, The Boy with Fire. “One of the pitfalls as authors is we tend to make videos that are writing advice,” she said. “But you have to talk to the people who are going to buy your book, and those are readers.” Her book hit number one on Amazon in its category and was featured on NBC News. It will be republished as The Phoenix King next year by Orbit, a division of Hachette.

Both authors needed some time to warm up to TikTok and be convinced of its value. Leigh said, “It was nerve-wracking and challenging,” and very different from the type of content she was posting on Instagram and Tumblr. Verma was convinced to join by her younger brother, who told her it wasn’t just people dancing. And while B&N social media manager Livy Oftedahl joined TikTok in 2017, it wasn’t until 2020 that she landed on BookTok, where she rediscovered her love for books: “I found this beautiful community of people just talking about genres I really felt attached to.” She now plays a key role in developing Barnes & Noble’s social media content and strategy, particularly its TikTok account, @bnbuzz.

What makes a good BookTok video: Leigh said one of the most important things is hooking people in the first second. “You have to move fast and show your audience something engaging,” which might mean showing something visually interesting or adding text overlay that people will read. That text needs to hook people with a single line. The good news for time-strapped authors: You can use the same format once you’ve found what works. For Leigh, that’s reading poems and doing page-flip videos where you flip through the book, with text overlay and calming music. For nonfiction authors, Leigh recommends speaking directly to the audience related to your nonfiction topic, rather than general BookTokkers. She targets an audience interested in mental health, not poetry lovers. Research other nonfiction writers and readers in your category and see what they’re posting—what style of video. That’s the best way to see what works, she advised.

For novelists, learn the popular BookTok tropes and point to them in your work. Examples of such tropes include the meet-cute and enemies-to-lovers; the best way to learn about such tropes, said Verma, is to simply take a month or more to consume BookTok content and learn about them firsthand from community members. (That said, here’s a list to expedite the process.) Verma will show a quote from her book tied to the trope, then pair it with a Bollywood song or tune to appeal to her audience of South Asians; she knows her audience and what they want to read and calls it out explicitly.

Oftedahl says there are two main video types she uses for Barnes & Noble’s TikTok account. One is a transition video, which is useful for her because she’s working with a lot of books at once. So even if she’s trying to sell a particular title, she will put it next to others. “See this book? These are the rest of them I want you to buy,” is how she described the approach. The other type of video is audio-driven based on TikTok trends. The latter type of video, however, requires consuming a lot of TikTok content so you know what people want to see and hear, then twisting the trend to fit the book you want to put in people’s hands. (Oftedahl mentioned spending hours each week just scrolling through TikTok to absorb trends.)

Engage in the comments for your own videos and on others’ videos. Leigh recommends putting the name of the book in the comments and where to find it—especially if there’s any doubt the video is about a book (rather than, say, something in real life that happened to you). Usually she will add a question to get the audience engaged. Verma said she has created meaningful visibility for herself by commenting on other people’s videos in addition to engaging on her own. It demonstrates to others that she’s an invested member of the community. She will also sometimes post a video reply to a great comment, which TikTok might send out to a totally new audience, alerting more people to her book.

But what about the time sink? Or preparing to look good on camera? It might not be as burdensome as you think. Editing videos on TikTok has become very easy; no third-party apps or fancy tech is required. In fact, getting fancy is antithetical to the point of the platform, where authenticity is prized. “People don’t want to see professionally made videos,” Leigh said. “You can be dressed down. You don’t have to look a certain way. Don’t let that hold you back.” In 90 percent of her videos, Leigh does not show her face; she shows the book. While Verma typically shows herself—a format that works for her, especially since she sometimes wears traditional dress and jewelry—she’s had clients who’ve succeeded with TikTok videos that are very audio focused.

Once you make something and it does well, you can re-purpose or re-use it in many ways. Verma said, “It’s the same content, but just repurposing it by changing one or two things—the text, the song, the intro clip—that’s where you can get really creative. You’re not reinventing the wheel.” If you want to see explosive growth, Verma recommends posting three videos a day to help ensure that at least one breaks out. “It’s very much a numbers game,” she said. But once you find a format that really works for you, things become much easier. Today, someone like Leigh can get a meaningful video up in five minutes. And don’t assume that longer is better; Leigh typically produces content that’s less than 30 seconds, with seven to 15 seconds being a common recommendation in the community.

Parting thoughts

While TikTok is characterized as a young people’s platform, it has more than a billion users and encompasses people from all ages and walks of life. “There are going to be readers for you on TikTok,” Leigh said. “It’s just down to content. I’ve seen authors of all genres succeed.” However, for better or worse, the general BookTok hashtag has become overused, and it’s tough to research and understand the community from that alone. “What you really have to do is find something a lot more specific to the audience you’re looking for,” Oftedahl said. Then, once you’ve found your community, interact with them as much as possible. “No one wants an idol they look up to. They want a person they can talk to.”

If you’re interested in learning TikTok, join me and Rebecca Regnier in March for the online class TikTok Basics for Writers.

The Business Skill I Wish I Could Grant to All Writers

Photo by Sora Shimazaki

Is it querying? No.

Networking? No.

Marketing? No.

Of course such skills are terrific assets, but if I could wave a magic wand, I’d grant all writers the skill of negotiation. By and large, writers don’t even consider trying to negotiate; they just accept the terms/contract/pay that is initially offered.

This is partly a quirk of an industry where writers regularly get stepped on and asked to work for free in exchange for exposure. Writers might see themselves as without power or agency, which is not unfounded, but it can be a self-fulfilling prophecy. You can’t wait for permission or the “right time” to negotiate a better deal for yourself. If you don’t ask, you don’t get.

Here are common barriers when you’re negotiating for yourself.

Fear that you’ll lose the opportunity

You’ve spent years trying to secure an agent or publisher, then the contract arrives from the other party. You may be tempted to quickly accept and sign. Because if you make a “fuss,” you’ll look ungrateful, right? If you ask questions, you’ll be a nuisance, a problem person. Maybe the other party will be offended if you ask for a better arrangement, or even retract the offer.

If you’re dealing with someone who works in the business, such as an agent or publisher, they will not be offended by questions or an attempt to negotiate. Just about every arrangement is negotiable on some level (with exceptions for blanket terms of service agreements from tech companies, among others). But few writing contracts or agreements are “take it or leave it”; those that are deserve to be questioned. Many “take it or leave it” situations arise, in fact, from either inexperience or fear. “My lawyer told me not to change the contract” is a familiar line from small publishers operated by people who may not understand the contract they’re sending you.

So what happens if you do encounter someone angry or offended by your attempt to negotiate? First, examine your approach. Is it respectful and in good faith? If you negotiate by saying, “How dare you insult me with this offer! Are you a second-rate operation? Don’t you know who I am!” then you might find the other side less cooperative. But if your approach isn’t combative, and the other side is resistant to answering questions or having a conversation, you have to ask yourself if that’s a business partner you want to move forward with. Your difficulties are likely to compound after signing with a partner that’s non-communicative.

When I negotiated contracts at a mid-size traditional publisher, most authors did not attempt to change the boilerplate contract. Nor did they ask any questions about it. Usually, when they did push, it was for a bigger advance. But they could’ve asked for something much more valuable in the long run: better royalty rates and escalators (increased royalties when certain sales thresholds are met).

But more surprising? Not even the majority of agents negotiated the contract as well as they should have, because they were so advance focused. I wish I could say that your agent will definitely negotiate all the finer deal points, but that’s not the case in my experience. So even if you do have an agent, you should be asking them questions, too.

You don’t know what’s negotiable or what’s reasonable to ask for

One of the big problems in publishing is the lack of transparency around earnings and what other people are getting paid. While there have been community efforts to dismantle this cloak of secrecy, there’s an additional challenge: so many scenarios and terms are unique to each publisher, agent, author, and book. And this is why agents can be so invaluable: they have experience that helps them know where and when to push on behalf of their clients (despite what I mentioned above). So what can you do when working on your own?

Aside from educating yourself by reading model contracts from the Authors Guild, Writer Beware, and other advocacy groups (as well as asking around privately), research your potential business partners to the best of your ability and ask a lot of questions about the agreement or terms, like “Is this typically what you offer?” or “Where is there flexibility in this deal?” You’ll be surprised at how willingly people offer up this information.

You don’t know what you’re worth

This issue is closely related to the above, especially when you’re new to the industry. I find writers struggle with this particularly when it comes to speaking and events, freelance gigs, consulting and editing, and side gigs. Mostly, writers undercharge because there is a culture of doing things for “exposure.” Sometimes the author who’s directing that big writing event does it for free or cheap, and they rely on volunteers, and perhaps the whole team works for exposure or platform building. Then you layer on the nonprofit status of so many writing organizations (and schools or libraries), plus the idea of “giving back” to the community, and you end up with authors who have a lot of anxiety surrounding a request for what, in the end, is fair compensation.

I myself spoke for free for way too long and continually underpriced myself. But when I started asking for meaningful pay, I was rarely turned down. Of course, I have accrued leverage over the years, and not everyone can successfully make the same asks that I can. You should try anyway and test the limits. Also think creatively about other ways you can make the situation beneficial for you. If you can’t get the compensation you want, is a trade or barter possible? Can you figure out a revenue share model? Can you get a bonus based on performance? Better escalators? Etc.

Parting thoughts

I still fail to negotiate well, and sometimes regret agreeing to terms I know aren’t great. (Sometimes you just get tired and agree so you can move on with your life.) But I have never regretted asking for more or seeking a better deal. The worst that can happen is you get a “no.” Funny enough, I’ve worked with organizations who say “yes” one year and “no” the next—to the exact same terms. You won’t always be successful in getting what you want. But you do have the power to walk away from a deal that’s not serving you well. There will be other offers and opportunities, I promise.

Join me on Feb. 22 for the online class Negotiation Skills for Writers with Pia Owens; all registrants will receive my Contracts 101 guide. Recorded if you can’t make it live!