Tudor Robins's Blog, page 27

I Have An Internet Crush on Hugh Howey …

… and you might, too, if you start reading his amazing blog with lovely, inspiring, clever posts like this one.

Sometimes I feel like my blog should just be called “What He Said” with an open portal to Hugh Howey’s blog.

I don’t think he planned it, and he might even disagree with it, but many people right now see Hugh Howey as the poster boy for self-publishing.

And, you know, it’s a good poster. Or video – check out this Indie Author Insider video to learn more.

And read his blog. Really – I recommend it.

So clever. And genuine. And happy-making. I could use more Hugh Howey in my life.

New Series – The Environment #1: My Clothesline

I know – it’s a huge topic. Maybe that’s why, despite being a writer, I’ve put off writing about it for so long.

If, like me, you’re worried about the state of the environment, there are many opportunities to be sad, worried, angry, and despairing.

The thing is, though, those are all negative reactions, and the more I live, the more I believe negativity begets more of the same.

So, instead of focusing on the downside, I’d like to tell you about some things that have worked for me, and maybe answer some questions you might have, and also ask for your input, thoughts, and tips.

My first post in this series is about one of my favourite things in the world – my clothesline!

I write this having just come in from pulling my dry, crisp, great-smelling laundry off the clothesline. It’s an amazing day – about 14 degrees, bright blue sky and sun - and it was great to have a reason to step out onto the back deck.

I apologize in advance if some of what I write is obvious to you – if you’re a clothesline afficionado, this post will be way below you – but some people have never tackled a dryer-free existence, and if I can inspire just one of them, I’ll be happy!

That’s right – I said dryer-free. I really only use my dryer a few times a year. Mostly to tumble-dry clothes before I take them into Boomerang, as I once had a shirt sent back to me because it had clothes pin marks on the shoulders (really?!?).

Most of you know I live in Ottawa and, yes, we have extreme winters, but I use my clothesline heavily from April to November and lightly the rest of the year. On the right day in January, (breezy and sunny) bed sheets will dry on the line, and they’ll smell AMAZING when you make your bed with them.

So, general clothesline tips:

(1) Types – There are many kinds to choose from. I’m lucky to have a LOOONG line that runs from the house to a hydro pole. You can buy kits to install your own clothesline – this one’s just $29.99, which I think is a great deal. If you’re not lucky enough to have a long stretch to install your line, you can always get the umbrella style.

(2) Clothesline Accessories – Everybody has their own preferred clothes pins. Many people swear by wooden ones, and I get that. If a wo0den peg comes apart, it’s worth putting back together. However, my own personal preference is for the plastic type – but only a very specific plastic type: the kind you get at Dollarama – for me these grip best, and stand up well outside (I leave mine out all year round). I think we use too much plastic in this world, but it is good for certain applications and, to me, clothes pins are one of those applications. There are also spacers – most useful so that your long line doesn’t droop too much – especially when you’re hanging heavy things (duvet covers). And, you can buy a bag to hold your pins – although I use a cool metal basket I found at Winners.

(3) Hanging Tips – Especially when it’s cold, I sort my wet laundry inside (usually in front of something on Netflix). That makes it much quicker when I step outside to peg up the clothes. I have a pile all ready for me to reach for, and I have the clothes in the order I want them. You’ll figure out which way the line works best for you – depending on what’s under your line, there may be places where hanging short items works better, and you may also want to think about where (or whether) you hang out “delicate” items. I do tend to hang ours out, but not directly over our deck, just in case a neighbour drops by for a visit. The sun is a natural bleacher, which is great for whites, so I leave all my whites right side out, but tend to turn bright, or dark, colours inside out before hanging. This way, if your kids always throw their stuff in the wash inside out, you can just let them keep doing that!

(4) Weather - Unless it’s actually raining I use my line. Clothes dry on overcast spring, summer and fall days. Because my mornings are really busy, I usually hang the laundry out right before bed. In the summer, this means the clothes are pretty much dry by morning, and in cooler times of the year, it gives them a head start on drying – they’re out as soon as the sun is up, and not when I can finally get around to hanging them after all the millions of other chores I have to do in the morning.

(5) Clothesline Alternative – When it’s raining, or really, REALLY cold, I use an indoor drying rack. You can get these so many places (IKEA, Loblaws, Canadian Tire). It’s amazing how much they hold – especially once you figure out the best way to configure your clothes on them. Our houses are so dry here in Ottawa, in the winter, that I like having the moisture wicked back into the air.

Those are my tips, now here are my reasons for making this change:

(a) Saves money - I just had to add up our Hydro bill for last year (for my taxes) and our entire bill for the whole year was just over seven-hundred dollars. I think, for a family of four, that’s pretty good. I can guarantee it would be much higher if we used our dryer all the time.

(b) Saves clothes - Our clothes never wear out (except for the occasional knee on boys’ pants – but that’s par for the course) and they never fade. Your dryer is so hard on your clothes – every time you empty the lint trap, you’re peeling away a layer of your clothes.

(c) Saves the earth - At least it helps. It’s a small step, but a worthwhile one.

(d) Saves my sanity - There is nothing like stepping out onto my deck on a crisp evening, and looking up at the stars while I hang up my laundry. It’s quiet and calm. Ditto looking out my window at any time of day to see my clothes on the line.

There are these cool, communal clotheslines next to some of the walk-up apartment buildings in our neighbourhood. I keep meaning to take a picture of them and, when I do, I’ll post it – I think there should be communal clotheslines for everyone to use … not just those with backyards.

So – how about you! Will you try it? Or, are you already clothesline-committed, and can you mention something I’ve forgotten?

Self-Publishing Step-by-Step (3) – aka, How DO you do that?

I think, when I first started asking myself this question, was when I realized I was growing up. “How DO you figure out who to call when your basement window might be leaking?” (the person who inspired this question is laughing right now), “How DO you get stone to complete your patio that will match the rest of the stone you liberated from your neighbour’s house before it was demolished?” (the upside of infill housing) and, “How DO you do all the things you need to do to self-publish a book?”

It’s a good question – how do you find an editor? How do you pull a cover together? How do you make your book pretty? How do you do all those millions of little things nobody ever teaches you in school?

Well, my answer is, you do something like this:

(1) Google

(2) Ask other people

(3) Google – more specifically this time

(4) Trial and error

(5) Continue honing in your Google searches

Really, there is no hard and fast answer – things are different depending what you’re going after. For example, for OIM, I decided to have a trailer. However, I couldn’t afford, and didn’t have the vision, to have a really complex trailer. So I watched lots of other trailers and settled on still images, nice music, text, etc. This meant I had to find images and music, write text, and find somebody to put it all together for me.

These requirements were very different than if I wanted a more complicated trailer with video and, possibly, actors. Or, if I wanted animation. Either of these types of trailers would require different components, and I would have had to figure out how to source them.

So, first figure out (as best you can) what you need.

Then, start looking for it.

Still using the trailer as an example, a friend recommended Triple Scoop Music for royalty-free music. I looked around a bit for images, and found iStock. Another friend told me she likes using them, too.

From there, it was really just trial and error. Figuring out the best way to use both of the above services. Emailing them questions to clarify licensing parameters. Shopping for music and photos!

Both were amazing to work with, both gave me exactly what I wanted (for an affordable fee), and both answered emailed questions lightning-fast.

I just use these two as an example of what I’ve found throughout my self-publishing journey – people are nice! and helpful! and professional! They answer your questions. If they aren’t helpful, or professional, or polite, you don’t have to use them! It’s your money – these are your decisions. That’s the beauty of self-publishing.

So, I guess what I’m saying is, you don’t have to be an expert to get started – you just have to get started.

And, of course, you can always feel free to ask me – if I know, I’ll help you. If I don’t, I’ll email you in six months and ask you how you did it!

The Privilege of Volunteering

After attending National We Day with my son last week, this is something I’ve been thinking quite a bit about.

(Yes, We Day was a fascinating experience. If you ever have a chance to go, I highly recommend it. There is much to learn, and see, and experience there, on so many levels.)

I am privileged to be able to volunteer. I am privileged to be able to write. One of the main reasons I can do both of these things, is that I was born in Canada. Not everybody born in Canada is as lucky as me, but many Canadians are. I was also born in Ottawa, to a middle class family – a family that believed in education.

When I met my husband, I met somebody who believed in many of the same things as me. He believed one of us should stay home with our kids, and he has agreed that should be me. His long hours in an office support my writing and, yes, my volunteering.

So, being able to volunteer is a privilege, and one I don’t take lightly.

It’s also true that, had I chosen to use my privileges in another way, I could be making quite a bit more money. At least, I think I could. Once upon a time, when people asked what I would do with my life, I told them I was going to go to Law School. I don’t think I ever really intended to do that, but it was much less daunting than saying I wanted to have children, and look after them, and become a published author. When I was growing up, girls with an education weren’t really supposed to aspire to staying at home with their kids. And getting published was then, as it is now, a long and difficult task – your chances of landing a publishing contract are much smaller than of being accepted to law school.

Not that I’m saying becoming a lawyer, and practicing law, is easy. I know it’s not. But I’m just saying, if I’d thrown my energies into that, the way I’ve thrown my energies into raising my children, and writing my books, I think I’d be a pretty successful lawyer by now.

So, yes, I could be making more money if I had made different choices, and if I “gave” less of my time away, but you still can’t purchase fulfillment. It’s not for sale for any dollar amount. And, until it is, I can’t put a price on the volunteer work I’m lucky to do.

I recommend volunteering, especially for writers (and parents), and these are some of the reasons why:

(1) You can make a difference. My main volunteer work is running the pizza program at my sons’ school. This is a whopping fundraising activity. It’s insanely successful, money-wise (thank you volunteers, thank you House of Pizza, thank you parents for ordering pizza!). It brings in a significant amount of money to our School Council, and is a major reason our Council can almost always fund any worthwhile initiative that arises. These include enhancing science, technology, physical activity, the arts, and more at our school and, at other schools we also contribute funds to. At our school, alone, that’s 900 students being impacted. I like to think of those 900 branching out and being equipped to do good in the world.

(2) You can learn things. Just using my experience as an example – we bring over 80 pizzas into our school every Thursday over 36 weeks, and distribute them to 33 classrooms. Everybody involved with this program is exposed, to a greater or lesser degree, to dealing with volunteers (parent and student), suppliers, administration, teachers, parents and money. Every week there is a problem to solve. Usually a new problem. This is a GREAT experience.

(3) You can get involved in things you wouldn’t normally be able to. This is an extension of learning things, but the fact is, I might not be hired to run a program like this if I was applying for a paid position. An employer might look at my English and Journalism degrees and say “Hmmm … really?” But as a volunteer, people will often take a chance on you. This is why, if you’re looking to gain experience in a certain field, or develop a new skill set, volunteering is a great way to do it.

(4) It can fill a gap. In my case, my once-a-week intense volunteering where I talk to many, many, MANY people of all ages and roles, provides enough social interaction to keep me going all week. I love sitting here, where I am right now, in my quiet house, typing, but a blast of being surrounded by other people is good for me.

(5) Do it for your kids. I literally do this volunteering for my kids – to raise money for their school. Once they’re out of this school, there are other things that really call my name, that I’d like to lend my time to but, for now, helping their school is important. I also do this for my kids because it keeps me in touch with their school – their teachers, their peers – I see how things work at the school. I have an “in”. And, finally, I do this so my kids will see me do it. I want them to think volunteering is normal. I’m so lucky to have my older son volunteering alongside me as one of our student pizza volunteers. I see him learning from the experience; gaining problem-solving and leadership skills, and I know it would be impossible to put a price on the volunteer work I’m privileged to do.

 

 

 

Poetry as Brain Candy

I fully admit it – I’m not a poet. I’ve written a few poems in my life, but they’re not very good. And, to be honest, I don’t have the same drive, desire, passion, etc. to write poetry as I do to write novels. Which is fine – the world needs a mix.

As to reading poetry, well, sometimes I love it. And sometimes I don’t.

So, when I asked the wonderful, amazing Tania, who runs the wonderful, amazing Page Turners book club, at our wonderful, amazing Carlingwood branch of the Ottawa Public Library, about the next book and she said “Well, it is National Poetry Month …” I thought Hmmmm …

I should be clear here – this isn’t even my book club. No sirree – Page Turners is for ten to twelve year olds. My two sons are in Page Turners. But it’s turned into a ritual that whatever book they have for book club becomes our read-aloud book. Which is why I’m invested in the book choices. Although I do have to remind myself it’s not my book club. I often walk into the room to drop the boys off and say to Tania, “Do you know what I thought of that book?” and then I have to say, “No, and you don’t care, because it’s not my book club!”

Anyway, back to poetry.

This month’s book was Love That Dog, by Sharon Creech, with Hate That Cat as an optional extra read.

Not one, but two books of poetry to keep the interest of two Minecraft-playing, Lego-Star-Wars-building, Doctor-Who-worshipping boys. OK.

And I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about them either.

Well, can I just show you this, please:

This is my ten-year-old’s brain on poetry.

I could almost hear the cells popping, and expanding as he took in the rhythm of the words. After we read Love That Dog once – once – he could already recite one of the poems from it – Walter Dean Myers‘ “Love That Boy” – and did, while running up and down the stairs, in between brushing his teeth, etc.

He asked questions about the poems. He was very much like the little boy in the story. He said, “I just don’t get that bit about ‘So much depends upon …’ and I said, that’s fine; you don’t have to get it.

I should add, this is the child who walks home from Cubs with me, describing the sunset he and his brother saw in Minecraft. “There was an explosion of reds and oranges, Mom. And there was a gold-tinge radiating out. And the grey receded slowly.”

When I asked him how he got such a good vocabulary, he said, “Because I try. I think about it. Other people just say ‘The sun rose’, but I think of extra words.”

It’s hard to imagine what poetry can do in a brain like that.

Or, indeed, what it can add to any brain. Maybe it can take the brain of the person who just wants to say “The sun rose,” and inspire them to say, “So much depends upon the rising of the sun.”

This is a long way of saying, I really recommend Sharon Creech’s two sweet, fun (sometimes poignant)  little books, and I recommend poetry for your kids.

And, because I LOVE contests, here’s a youth poetry contest to keep your eye on – this year’s deadline was in January, but let’s hope there will be another one next year – at any rate, it provide lots of time for young poets to start working on their submissions.

Whoo-hoo!

Something new and exciting has happened!

I’ve started to get fan mail.

I LOVE this. This makes all the hard work worthwhile.

I was lucky to have quite a few (nice) reviews early on, and those are great. I truly appreciated them, and was so interested in some of the insights that came out through them.

However, this is different. This is personal. This is what I wanted to do.

I wanted young readers, who love horses, to talk about Objects in Mirror with their best friends (check!), read it twice in three days (check!), and be inspired that I’m just like them – from their province, and was a girl who liked horses – so maybe someday they can write a book, too (check!).

Thanks to those of you who have written these things (and others) to me. Each time I get a message from one of you it makes my day / week.

And, if you’re wondering whether you should write a fan letter to an author you admire … YES! Do it.

Which reminds me, there are probably a couple of letters I could write myself …

Nobody Owes Me Anything

This just might, possibly, be the best and easiest way to describe the belief that has come to shape my journey through publishing.

Embracing this idea isn’t scary; it’s actually extremely liberating.

It’s also a great equalizer. Nobody owes me anything. I don’t owe anybody else anything. We all need to earn / bargain / negotiate for what we want.

Fantastic!

This blog post gelled for me just a little while ago, while I was listening to The Sunday Edition where Katy Guest, the literary editor of Britain’s Independent on Sunday, was explaining her stance on reviewing gender-specific children’s books. In case you’ve missed the flap (which is considerable), she’s chosen not to.

It was something in particular she said that caught my attention. I don’t have the exact quote, but she said she gets a heck of a lot of books sent to her, she can’t review all of them, she prefers to review ones she feels she can recommend to her readers, and she can’t recommend gender-specific books (the example she gave was a hypothetical Peter Pan-themed book with a blue cover called “The Peter Pan Book for Boys” – she wouldn’t review that).

Which, in my opinion, is fair, and doesn’t warrant accusations of censorship, book banning or book burning. It’s her platform and she can write what she wants on it until such time as the Independent on Sunday chooses to take her platform away. You, or your Uncle Bob, or the lady at the post office, might think gender-specific books are great, but that doesn’t mean Katy Guest has to review them.

In other words, SHE DOESN’T OWE ANYBODY A REVIEW.

I exhaled just writing that.

Some of the people who may not like Ms. Guest’s stance on reviews are publishers who put out these very books. And they’re free to wish her policy was otherwise. However, they’re also free to decide in the first place what to publish. It’s their (liberating) choice.

For a long time now, publishers have been telling us it’s their choice what to publish. And it is. This means most of them don’t accept unsolicited submissions. Their choice. Those that do, choose to publish only a tiny, itsy-bitsy, minute percentage of what they get sent. Most of them don’t acknowledge receipt of the great sea of unchosen material or, if they do, it’s via form letter.

I have a story about this. In one of my many rounds of submissions, I sent a pitch to a well-respected Canadian children’s publisher. About six months later I got a reply (on a very poorly photocopied form letter – text crooked on the page, with many fingerprints etc. embedded in the copy) that they couldn’t consider my work because it wasn’t a genre they published.

The thing is, it was. Don’t get me wrong – I expected a rejection – but not for that reason. The genre was the one thing I KNEW I had right. So, of course, alarm bells started going off in my head. Was this an honest mistake (switcheroo of two different form rejection letters so that the person who sent in the adult horror novel got “We’re sorry, but we’re publishing something very similar in the next few months.”) Or, was it a much bigger mistake? So much work goes into these submissions, that it’s easy to get a little crazy when you think a mistake might be standing between you and publication success.

So I emailed them (which, you are NOT supposed to do as a lowly submitting nobody of a wanna-be author). I knew I wasn’t supposed to email them, but I felt in this case it was justified. I said “I sent you a query for a YA novel, you said I queried something you don’t publish, you clearly do publish this, so was there just a mix-up in my rejection letter?” Obviously I agonized much more over the wording than that, but you get the gist.

What I got back was a message which said, “We do NOT go into details over our decisions,” and which possibly meant “We are putting you on a blacklist.” However, in light of this post, what it clearly DID mean was, “We don’t owe you an explanation.”

Which is true. They didn’t. It was my choice to slave over that manuscript for months and years. It was my choice to jump through all their (and every other publisher’s) hoops about style of sample, and length of sample and accompanying bio and / or marketing plan and / or competitive analysis. I didn’t have to do any of those things, and they didn’t have to publish my book. Or even be polite to me.

It all seems so clear to me now, but then it wasn’t. So, in the hopes of saving some other people time, effort, and agony, here is my message:

Writers: Publishers / agents don’t owe you anything. They don’t owe you a publishing contract, or even a reply to your query. Even if you sign a contract with them, there are still many things they don’t owe you. These may include your book being published when you’d like it to be. A cover you like. A robust marketing plan for you and your book. Etc.

I don’t write this with any emotion. It’s a collection of facts. These things are true. You can decide if you like them, or not. I’m not upset by the above, or discouraged – I just keep it in mind when making decisions.

The only thing is, I’d like to see there be a little more understanding that this is a two-way street. Because some players in the market still seem to think they’re owed some things which they really aren’t. There are complaints about Amazon, there are complaints about self-published authors, there are complaints about bookstore closings. I think, if everyone, throughout the industry, realized what writers have always had to – that NOBODY OWES YOU ANYTHING – these complaints would disappear.

No bookstore is owed the chance to stay in business forever. There’s no obligation on Amazon to raise prices and reduce their quality of customer service just to be fair. Self-published writers aren’t required to slow down their production so they don’t “flood” the market.

BIG CAVEAT: If you enter into a legally-binding agreement with somebody / some entity, you owe it to them to follow through. You need to live with that decision. So, be careful what you sign.

Anyway, I think the biggest person we all need to think about through this “no owing” lens, is the reader. The reader doesn’t owe us anything. They aren’t obliged to buy their books in independent bookstores. They don’t need to be loyal to certain publisher imprints. They don’t have to buy the next book from an author they’ve already read.

If you want readers to buy books in your bookstore, make it an AWESOME bookstore. If you want them to buy from your publishing house, respond to their wants (pricing, quality, availability, etc.). Most important from where I stand, if I want a reader to buy my book, it better be the best book I can write.

Some readers still won’t buy it, but that’s OK – it’s their choice. They don’t owe me!

What kept me busy during March Break …

… in addition – of course – to hanging out with my sons (bowling, indoor glow-in-the-dark mini golf, skating, snowshoeing, skiing, sledding, etc.).

This week I’ve been lucky to work with the Trillium Hunter Jumper Association to put on a March Break writing contest.

It’s been fun, and also inspirational, to see that people really want to write about their horse showing experiences, and to read the careful, funny, touching stories they’re submitting.

As part of this contest, I’ve been giving writing tips. They’re not big and not fancy, but if you’d like to see them, head on over to my author FB page.

I realize many people who read this blog probably have already seen my FB page, in which case, please forgive the lack of original material here – more to come soon (when all the adventure and excitement of March Break subsides).

March Break

We interrupt regularly scheduled posts about writing and publishing for a March Break … break!

We walked to the end of our street (below), where we put on our snowshoes.

This is us heading east on the ice of the Ottawa River - toward Westboro Beach (and Parliament Hill).

There wasn’t a cloud in the sky.

I sat back on a (buried) bench and took in the view over to Quebec.

It feels like spring is coming …

Self-Publishing Step-by-Step (2)

So, the NEXT PART OF THE PROCESS.

As with most things in life, these steps didn’t all come neatly and in an orderly fashion. There was, and is, overlap. So, while I was deciding to self-publish Appaloosa Summer, I started reaching out to editors.

In my opinion, editing is the most important thing you can do for your book. Whatever you want to call it – revising, rewriting, editing – it’s essential. One of the reasons I felt really good about jumping in with APS is that I’d already re-written / revised it about seven times before deciding to self-publish it. I’d written it, revised it myself a couple of times, sent it out to an editor (paid), taken her suggestions on board, re-written it again, sent it out on multiple rounds of submissions and, during those re-written it three or four more times. In other words, this book had multiple informed eyes on it (agents, editors and even some regular old readers) and I was confident I wasn’t rushing into publishing it.

I also, as a point of interest, received a City of Ottawa Emerging Artist grant to support me while I did a major revision of APS. Applying for these grants is a competitive process – there’s an extensive application process requiring the submission of 25 pages of the project – and they’re reviewed by a three-member jury. Getting the grant told me other people placed value in this project.

A worthwhile note: going forward, for projects I never intend to submit to agents and publishers, the onus will be on me to re-write and revise enough times to get the manuscript ready. I plan to make use of beta readers to help me with this. I’ll use beta readers to help me get the APS sequel (already written) ready for publication and, when I do, I’ll write a post about working with them.

So, back to my nearly-ready-but-still-in-need-of-final-edits manuscript: APS. In all, I found four editors I’d be happy to work with. One came by way of recommendation from another YA writer. The other I found via some of the blogs I read. The third was someone I’d dealt with when she was editor-in-chief at a pretty big (now defunct) Canadian publisher – at that time she’d provided (very useful) editorial feedback on OIM and, after I’d re-written it, she’d accepted it and told me she was taking it before the publishing board. Then I heard, on the news, that the publisher had gone bankrupt. Yikes! Since then this editor has gone freelance, and edits for some of Canada’s biggest publishers. The fourth (and the one I’m working with) was the person who had edited the much-earlier version of APS. At the time she’d given me amazing feedback, and helped me move the story forward by leaps and bounds (many agents / editors agreed with me on this). I’d loved working with her, and I was over the moon when she said she’d work on me to get APS publication-ready.

I believe any of these women (yes, they’re all women) would have done a great job on my edits. I’d be happy to pass on contact info for any of them to anybody who wants it.

Securing an editor is really not that hard once you’ve figured out who to approach. You email them, tell them about your project (genre, word count, what you’re expecting in terms of editing) and they’ll usually provide you with a quote and a timeline of their schedule. My editor is in the States – I’ve never met her in person and am not sure if I ever will (although it would be excellent!). I pay her via PayPal, which works fine. I also like Interac email transfers myself. We correspond by email and it works very, very well.

The whole process is not much different from the editing process with OIM. The main differences are (1) I didn’t choose my editor for OIM (although I wouldn’t have chosen anybody different – she was talented and supportive) (2) I didn’t pay for my own editing with OIM (3) I had one phone call with my editor for OIM. However, I’d say that was a “nice to have” rather than a “must have” and I think, if we hadn’t been discussing one particular issue we wouldn’t have talked by phone and, also, I think, if I asked, my current editor would probably agree to talk by phone. I, personally, prefer email to phone anyway, so it’s not an issue for  me. You can always ask, when hiring an editor, if he / she would be willing to talk on the phone if that’s important to you.

A few things I recommend to help the editing relationship – especially when you’re paying for editing and so you want it to go as smoothly and efficiently as possible:

(1) I provided a “brand statement” to my editor. I listed the things I wanted to deliver to my readers. I think this is important, because if I say I want to deliver edge-of-your-seat-action and thrills, and she’s reading dreamy romance, she needs to tell me so. My editor told me this statement was useful, so I’d do it for each project going forward. (Note: It’s probably not a bad exercise just for yourself to figure out your writing brand and the promises you want to make good on to your readers).

(2) Put together a style guide to your manuscript. In this I include all the names in the manuscript (people, animals, places) – that way the editor can more easily identify inconsistencies (e.g. a minor character is called “Sid” at the beginning of the book, and “Manny” at the end). I also state how I want to handle spelling, numbers (written-out, digits, etc.) and anything else that might be a “key” to your manuscript.

(3) Do as much work as possible before sending in your manuscript. Don’t think “Oh well, the editor can sort this out”. Get the manuscript as ready as you would if you were sending it to an agent or publisher for consideration. Make it legible (double-spaced, clean text). I’m in the middle of reading over 200 entries for the Ottawa Public Library’s Awesome Authors youth writing contest and, believe me, being easy on the eyes of your judge, editor, etc. will keep them in a much better mood.

You’re paying for this service so put the most you can into it, so your editor can put her all into it as well. You only want to pay for the things you CAN’T do, so many sure you do all the things you CAN.

So, that’s editing. My manuscript is back with my editor now, for her second pass at it. She sent me an eleven-page editorial letter after her first read, I spent a month doing a complete overhaul, and now she’s reading it again. Let’s hope I’ve improved it enough that the next editorial letter will be much shorter, and the next revision period much quicker!