Chris Baty's Blog, page 15

What Do You Do After You've Written Your Novel? 6 Tips from Joanna Penn

Every year, we’re lucky to have great sponsors for our nonprofit events. Scrivener, a 2022 NaNoWriMo sponsor, is an award-winning writing app that has been enthusiastically adopted by best-selling novelists and novices alike. Today, they’ve partnered with author Joanna Penn to share some tips on what to do after you finish your first draft:

If you’ve completed this year’s NaNoWriMo, congratulations! But finishing a novel is only the first step on a publishing journey. We spoke with Joanna Penn, author of non-fiction books for authors, as well as best-selling thriller author as J. F. Penn. 

Joanna did NaNoWriMo in 2009, and, while she didn’t write 50,000 words, or finish her novel, the experience helped her decide where she wanted to go with her fiction, and how she wanted to develop her career as a writer. Joanna offers six tips for writers who have completed their first novel: 

1. Review your work.

“After NaNoWriMo, I spent the next 14 months in the editing process,” Joanna said. At the end of NaNoWriMo, “you’ve got first-draft material, which you need to then shape into the book you want it to be. About 5,000 of the words that I wrote in NaNoWriMo ended up in the book. But this gave me the seed and the confidence for that first novel; I knew I could sit down and write, and have words that then I could edit later.”

2. Formulate your goals.

Writers first looking for publication have choices to make. You can go the traditional publishing route, or you can self publish, and there are many variations of each approach. “If you are set on a traditional publishing deal, then you have to start researching agents. If you are interested in being an independent author, then you can look at self publishing options." 

3. Don’t quit your day job.

Joanna is a full-time writer, but it took her several years, and several novels, to reach that point. She started writing in 2006, published her first book in 2008, then took a big initial pay cut when she went full time in 2011. "It’s very unlikely that the book you write during NaNoWriMo is going to make you a million and get you a movie deal, so keep your day job while you keep writing." 

4. Do you enjoy writing?

Not everyone is cut out for a full-time career as a writer. Completing NaNoWriMo is a big achievement, but you need to really enjoy writing if you want to make it your career. "I think the question to ask yourself is, ‘Did I enjoy writing?’” If the answer is “yes,” you need to realize that a writing career won’t be built around a single novel. “However you want to publish, it’s not about one book, it’s about more than one book.”

5. If you self publish, you’ll be running a business.

Successful self-publishing is a lot more than just writing; you also become a business. “To be successful at self publishing, you have to run a business. And many people don’t want to run a business. They would rather have a publisher do the work for them.”

6. Model your career on authors you like.

A good way to plan your future is to look how authors you like work and promote their books. “Find authors to model who have a career that you’re interested in following. And then start looking at how they do marketing. What are you willing to do for the future that you want? Your decisions around publishing and marketing will come from that.”

Joanna Penn is author of How to Write a Novel, and writes thrillers as J. F. Penn. 

Kirk McElhearn is the author of Take Control of Scrivener, and host of the podcast Write Now with Scrivener.

Scrivener provides a full range of writing and editing features at your fingertips, and combines all the tools you need to craft your first draft. All NaNoWriMo participants receive a 20% discount on Scrivener’s regular license by entering NANOWRIMO22 into the coupon code text field in the web store through December 7th, 2022. If you want to try out Scrivener first, you can download a free trial that will run through December 7th, 2022.

30 Covers, 30 Days 2022: Day 29

Ready to explore some dark secrets in a dystopian setting? For day twenty nine, we have Science Fiction novel In the Shadows by YWP participant, Keira B.! This cover was designed by our 30C30D coordinator, Debbie Millman, who stepped in as a backup designer!

In the Shadows

Kaia lives in the perfect world. There are no worries, no bad choices. Everyone’s life is planned out ahead of time by the Administration, and at the age of fourteen, they are given the jobs they will have for the rest of their lives.

Because of her good grades, everyone assumes that Kaia will get one of the best jobs, despite her family being Laborers, but the job she really gets is nothing she could have ever imagined. At first, she is excited, but the more she learns, the more confused she becomes.

And as she tries to make sense of her world and its secrets, Kaia discovers a secret that her best friend has been keeping for years. And it doesn’t just change her life.

It puts it in danger.

About the Author

Keira B. is a solitary writer who likes to hole up in her bedroom and write like the wind, creating stories like her life depends on it (because it probably does). If she’s not writing, she may be found reading, practicing piano, or doing fiber arts. She hasn’t published anything yet, but she hopes to in the future. If she doesn’t, though, she’s content reading her novels to her ever-patient (or just sleepy) cats.

About the Designer

Debbie Millman is a writer, educator, artist, brand consultant and host of the radio show Design Matters, as well as the President of Sterling Brands for the last twenty years and President Emeritus of the American Institute of Graphic Arts. Read more about Debbie on her site!

30 Covers, 30 Days 2022: Day 28

Where, oh where, did the rabbits go? Adventure novel The Bunny Farm by Erin K. Germain has a “hare” raising problem to explore! This cover was designed by returning designer, Tony Pinto.

The Bunny Farm

Dave Shriver is a writer with a deadline and bad case of writer’s block. He hopes the cottage he’s rented on Olympus Farms will help him finish his book. Things are going well, until the rabbits disappear.

About the Author

Erin is a 15 year veteran of NaNo. Growing up the oldest, and only girl, in a family of three, she lost herself in books. Favorites were read and re-read until they fell apart, copies replaced, and the whole thing repeated. Since the time she realized that books don’t spontaneously appear, but someone sits down to write the stories, she has been fascinated with the process. If anything, her attempts have only made her appreciate what the storytellers of her childhood and teen years accomplished.

About the Designer

Tony Pinto (he/him) is an artist, photographer, art director, and educator in Orange County, California.

As an advertising art director, he has worked with clients including Disney, GMC Trucks, Edison, Permanente Medicine, and Caesars Palace. In recent years, he has concentrated on helping artists, museums, and galleries to produce books and marketing materials.

As an artist and photographer, he’s had solo shows at California State University Los Angeles; Coastline College Art Gallery, Newport Beach, California; Shoebox Projects, Los Angeles; and Art Institute of California, Orange County.
His art practice has long been focused on portraiture and how identity is represented, starting with the his Artifacts series in the 1990s and continuing on through today.

tonypinto.net
Instagram: @tonypintophoto
Instagram:@tonypintoart

30 Covers, 30 Days 2022: Day 27

For day twenty seven, we take an epic journey to uncover some dark secrets. antasy novel Fireheart by YWP Participant Aether / Rahael Joseph has a thrilling tale for us! This gorgeous cover was designed by Leonardo De La Rocha, who graciously stepped in as a backup designer!

Fireheart

“You are never alone, Silveira. Allow me to ease your burden.”

Silveira Revurii, a young assassin in training, finds herself thrust into the outside world with no warning. For the sake of her kind and what remains of her family, it is up to Silveira to uncover Empyrea’s darkest secrets to subdue the rising of the Underworld. But what chance has she of defeating an ancient terror not seen for centuries, when she herself could become one?

About the Author

Rahael Joseph is a 14-year old girl from India. She enjoys writing fantasy and illustrating her own characters through digital mediums, though being a freshman attempting to balance college courses on one plate does take its toll on her free time. Rahael has been meticulously developing a unique world in her own head since she discovered her passion for writing at nine. Fireheart is the first novel of a series Rahael hopes to publish before she gets to college. When she isn’t writing or drawing, she’s listening to music (epic instrumentals are her favorite) and playing League of Legends with her brothers.

About the Designer

Leonardo is a developer turned designer turned design exec, currently serving as Global Head of Design for Spotify Advertising. Formerly at Intuit, Facebook, and Yahoo, his expertise orbit around commercializing enterprise products and instituting systems for building at scale.

Working from his home in sunny San Jose, California, Leonardo spends his free time illustrating, fidgeting with type, advocating for respectable cocktails, and assisting his partner in raising two beautiful children towards beautiful adults, through and through.

30 Covers, 30 Days 2022: Day 26

For day twenty six, opposites attract in LGBTQ Romance novel Mrs. and Mrs. by YWP Participant, Lisa Hammer! This cover was designed by Leonardo De La Rocha, who generously stepped in as a backup designer and provided an inner sleeve!

Mrs. and Mrs.

While young adult Felicity Wayne can’t find any motivation to continue writing her very first novel, her husband drags her to a fundraising gala to get her out of their dusty apartment — for at least once. Not only does Felicity despise being under people but also meets an intriguing woman who couldn’t be more perfect in her eyes — a woman who is the wife of a colleague. Good thing that Felicity won’t see that woman ever again and has no intention at all to change her life… bad thing that she has no idea of human psychology and completely underestimates her situation. Now she is forced to change her life upon meeting perfect and gorgeous Meadow Wilson. Because opposites attract. Always.

About the Author

Lisa has written her first short story in elementary school - and soon, fun drabbles turned into a passionate hobby. Together with the right music, she loves to write LGBTQ+ romance and fantasy novels, although she started as a fanfiction writer and still loves that genre. When she’s not writing, the young writer reads inspiring books or practices her role for her drama class. The people she values most are her dad and her friends who support her with her writing daily and give her the freedom she needs to let creativity spread.

About the Designer

Leonardo is a developer turned designer turned design exec, currently serving as Global Head of Design for Spotify Advertising. Formerly at Intuit, Facebook, and Yahoo, his expertise orbit around commercializing enterprise products and instituting systems for building at scale.

Working from his home in sunny San Jose, California, Leonardo spends his free time illustrating, fidgeting with type, advocating for respectable cocktails, and assisting his partner in raising two beautiful children towards beautiful adults, through and through.

30 Covers, 30 Days 2022: Day 25

Want some body swap shenanigans? Well, day twenty five has you covered! Today, we have Fantasy novel The Quantum Ring by Laura Thompson. This cover was designed by returning designer, Roshanak Keyghobadi.

The Quantum Ring

A modern day woman gets a ring stuck on her finger at an antique store. The next day she wakes up in the body of an elven adventurer, a member of a missionary group in a world filled with magic and dragons. The elf is wearing the same ring and every night they switch bodies, searching for answers and a way to take the ring off in both realms.

About the Author

The author has chosen to keep their identity a secret!

About the Designer

Roshanak Keyghobadi is an artist / educator / writer. This is her 8th year participating in NaNoWriMo! She teaches at Farmingdale State College (SUNY) and also holds private art classes at her Art Circle Studio. Roshanak loves creating collages and photomontages that are complex and fun therefore her favorite tools are a pair of scissors and a glue stick. Her works has been exhibited nationally and internationally in galleries and museums and reviewed in New York Times. You can read her essays on contemporary design in Design Observer and NESHAN and see more of her artworks on Instagram

30 Covers, 30 Days 2022: Day 24

Seeing personal narratives are always fun, especially for amazing experiences! For day twenty four, Personal novel Getting Thru — A journey on the Appalachian Trail by Sam ‘Panda’ Vivegnis takes us on a hiking journey like no other. This cover was designed by returning designer, Victor Davila.

Getting Thru — A journey on the Appalachian Trail

This year I hiked the entire Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine — an experience that’ll stay with me forever. What mattered most were the amazing people I met, like my hiking partner Sweet Cheeks. Thru-hikers are a community, a family. We take on silly names given to us by our peers (I was Panda), and help each other in every possible way. And most importantly, we’re doing our best at getting through every obstacle to make it to the finish, Mt. Katahdin in Maine.

I hope I can portray the spirit of thru-hiking and its ambivalence (beautiful but hard, calming but also enraging at times) in this account of my story.

About the Author

Sam Vivegnis was born and raised in Germany. He discovered his love of writing early on, while it took him much longer to learn to appreciate the outdoors. When he was 17, he hiked the Camino de Santiago in Spain, and he’s been a passionate outdoor enthusiast ever since. This year he thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail, but his most challenging endeavor just begins: capturing the experience in written form. He has been a NaNoWriMo participant since 2016.

About the Designer

Victor Davila is an illustrator and designer from the Orlando, FL area, as well as an Associate Professor in the University of Central Florida’s School of Visual Arts and Design teaching illustration and design. He has worked on everything from character designs and storyboards for animation, to editorial illustrations, interactive games, and children’s books.

Victor is also the founder of the central Florida illustrator collective Giant Illustrators, President Emeritus of AIGA Orlando, Presidents Council Chair and on the National Board of AIGA, on the organizing committee of Creative Mornings Orlando, and an Adobe Education Leader.

30 Covers, 30 Days 2022: Day 23

We’ve all dreamed of having magic in our lives, right? For day twenty three, Fantasy novel Essence Bound by Reese Doll gives us the twists and turns of a magical New York City. This cover was designed by returning designer, Jesse Hernandez.

Essence Bound

Magic has existed for centuries, but there are those who believe we don’t deserve it.

Wren has dreamed of being whisked away to fantastical lands since they were young, but at the age of 25 they’ve come to accept Hagrid isn’t coming for them.Instead, Wren is found by an entrancing person who is addicted to corrupting pure magic, a woman stuck on using illusion magic to better her appearance, a coven leader with a vendetta against love spells, and above it all: a man bent on ripping magic from mortal hands, who has built a cult of followers by manipulating people just like Wren.

In the blink of an eye, Wren is plunged into a magical New York City where evil seems good and having the world at your fingertips comes with consequences - and they realize its fate is bound to them.

About the Author

Reese Doll spends their days in NYC teaching board games and RPGs, making coffee, and writing. They are a lover of tarot, stars, bridges and mismatched socks. This will be their third completed novel, and they plan to spend the next year on rewrites and querying.

Reese writes books for those who have been left behind by the fantasy genre, as well as those who wish to physically fight the MTA.
Find them on Instagram at @/dadjokeprose_writes.

About the Designer

Learn more about Jesse Hernandez at www.jessehernandez.cc

5 Videos to “Watch” While Writing

Every year, we’re lucky to have great sponsors for our nonprofit events. Wondrium, a 2022 NaNoWriMo sponsor, is a video streaming service where you can unleash your curiosity. Today, the folks at Wondrium are here to share some tips on how to keep your mind busy and focused:

Greetings from Wondrium—your friendly, neighborhood educational streaming site. 

We’ve partnered with NaNoWriMo before to help aspiring writers like you find exactly the right writing resources. This time, I’m here to share the best in background noise. 

Some writers require silence. I am not one of them. So, here are five videos available on Wondrium that you can keep on while you write. These videos both offer excellent background noise, don’t require 100% of your full attention, and (BONUS!) may teach you something or inspire you. 

1. Language A-Z

John McWhorter cuts through the bafflegab and teaches you how we got from fiddle-faddle to FOMO. You’ll be absolutely astounded to learn the origins of the words you are writing with.

2. Effective Editing 

Level up your writing skills by learning the key elements of self-editing. Keeping this video on while you write, so that Molly McCown’s tips are top of mind, may help you reduce rewrites later down the road.  

3. Building Great Sentences

Save this video for the moment when you just don’t know what to write next. We have all been there. Dr. Brooks Landon jump starts your writing by helping you master the art of the sentence.

4. Writing Your Story 

I know, I know, it’s National NOVEL Writing Month, not Memoir Writing Month. But they always say, “Write what you know.” Joyce Maynard talks you through how to craft personal stories that you can then repurpose into “fiction.” 

5. The Great Writers

Let the stories of other writers inspire you and your story. You can find videos on: Tennessee Williams, Rudyard Kipling, D. H. Lawrence, the Beats and the Beat Generation, T. S. Elliot, E. M. Forester, George Orwell, Roald Dahl, C. S. Lewis, A. A. Milne, J. R. R. Tolkien, Jane Austen, and more. 

As always, Wondrium is here for you with resources to help you with every step of your writing journey—from plotting to publishing.

Wondrium is the place for you to unleash your curiosity. Stream unlimited videos, documentaries, series, travelogues, courses, and more. Explore everything about anything on Wondrium—yours to stream anytime, anywhere. Get 50% off quarterly plan for the first 3 months + a free trial using this link. Offer expires December 18, 2022.

Top photo by Ajeet Mestry on Unsplash.

30 Covers, 30 Days 2022: Day 22

Sometimes, all you need is a new neighbor to shake things up. For day twenty two, Erotic novel The Girl Next Door by Ari Hunter gives us a passionate lesbian romance. This cover was designed by returning designer,Emily Weiland.

The Girl Next Door

Marissa longs to be herself, to be free to discover her identity and role in the world, and to find where she belongs. But she’s afraid of disappointing her parents, who only want the daughter they envision: a respectable married lady who makes them proud.

Cole — a mysterious tomboy who rides a Harley Davidson and wears a leather jacket and heavy boots, a player who plays by no rules but her own, and who is far too striking and intriguing for Marissa to ignore — moves in next door.

About the Author

Ari Hunter is a South African born author. She never was an avid readerbut always loved stories. The way people are, the way their minds work,always fascinated her. Add to that, that when she grew up she realisedshe was attracted to women. But then came a mission - she noticed mediaeither didn’t have enough of the right stories, enough at all, or enoughof what she wanted to read/watch. It just didn’t exist. It doesn’t.That’s when she decided if she couldn’t see it herself, she needed towrite it. So her mission is this: to make lesbian stories as good assome hetero stories, if not better, with truth, real situations and noapologies. To show the power of lesbian sex, love, attraction,connection and human psychology all in a powerful story. And thispromise, she hopes, she can achieve.

About the Designer

Emily Weiland is the Director of Operations, Graduate Advisor, and professor for the Masters in Branding program at the School of Visual Arts, the world’s first and longest-running program of its kind. She is also Chief of Staff for Design Matters Media, the world’s first podcast about designand an inquiry into the broader world of creative culture throughwide-ranging conversations with designers, writers, artists, curators,musicians, and other luminaries of contemporary thought.