Michelle Hauck's Blog, page 123
December 4, 2013
Getting the Call: Lisa Sills
Ready for more proof that contests can aid in your agent search? I'm super excited to bring you another success story straight from Query Kombat. You can find Lisa's entry, Sillius, here.
To start this story, we’re first going to go back to eleven years and half my life ago. I was a precocious kid and I’d always loved reading, so I decided I was going to write a book. And I did. It was called The Sills and the Mystery of the Museum.
Some back info: I’m a quadruplet so I have three brothers the same age as me. Anyway, myself and my brothers were the stars of this novel—particularly one of them, who I liked a bit more at the time. He was a conflicted anti-hero, and I was the star who saved the day. We were super geniuses and we built a laboratory under our little brother’s room that no one knew about. Yeah. I know.
For those of you curious, here’s a photo of me and my brothers:
So anyway, I wrote that book—all 27,000 words of it—and I decided I was going to get it published, but this was eleven years ago and I didn’t have the internet and no one I knew wrote, so my query letter—direct to publishing houses—said: “It’d be cool if you published this before my twelfth birthday.” Did I mention it was handwritten in two copy-books because I didn’t have a computer?
That was the first of the many query letters I sent in my teen years—all for terrible, awful novels written by a precocious 12-15-year-old who had no idea what she was doing.Tens of rejections followed, and I grew up and got sense and took a break from querying because with age came the yawning realisation that my books were a bit rubbish. They had potential and they were all ‘good for my age’, but good for my age wouldn’t get me published.
Around about age seventeen, I discovered literary agents and I decided I wanted one. Since then I’ve written a bunch of books, each of which was a step closer. Rejections became partials, partials became fulls, and fulls became…rejections. Nearly wasn’t close enough.
http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m28...
In the summer before I turned twenty-one, I had this weird idea for a novel about a kid called Nick who combats his troubled past by fighting crime in full-on superhero gear. This was going to be a novel about growing up and moving on and forgiving your past and your demons in small-town Ireland: a Contemporary YA that was weird and strange, dark but ultimately hopeful. I spent two weeks writing Citizens of Optimism—I think I wrote about 6,000 words of it on my 21st birthday, because that’s just how cool I am.
The story from there is pretty self-explanatory. I sent it to CPs and Betas. Early criticism was harsh, but completely true. At one point, I restructured the whole thing. Fast forward maybe seven months and six drafts to this May and it was as finished as I could think to make it. So came the submission process. We’re all familiar with the submission process, so I’ll jump straight to the hard facts:
Queries drafted: 9.Contests entered: 1. QueryKombat. I was knocked out early on, but the various comments/opinions really helped to make the query stronger.Queries sent: 14.Full requ
So now here I am, with an agent, and a novel, and another novel in-the-works that I’m really, truly hopeful about. I am my own worst critic, and I opened Citizens of Optimism for the first time since May a couple of days ago, and I had this unrelenting want to cut it all up and make it better.
I’ve grown a lot as a writer in the last year—in fact, I’d say my 21st year was the year I learned to write, and now I have this uncertain future and this uncertain novel , and I guess it’s time to see what happens next?
And it’s terrifying. Everything about this is terrifying. I’m so private about my writing—always have been—and I have a tendency to flip-flop from self-belief to gutting self-doubt in ten seconds flat, so subbing will be…interesting. I’m trying to be better—trying to be more open about my writing, which is half the reason I’m writing this. Still: it’s terrifying!I don’t know what happens next, but as much as it’s terrifying, it’s breathlessly, achingly exciting.
If you’d like to know a little more about me, you can find my blog here, or read my drivel about film-making, writing, and whatever pops into my head on my twitter.
To start this story, we’re first going to go back to eleven years and half my life ago. I was a precocious kid and I’d always loved reading, so I decided I was going to write a book. And I did. It was called The Sills and the Mystery of the Museum.
Some back info: I’m a quadruplet so I have three brothers the same age as me. Anyway, myself and my brothers were the stars of this novel—particularly one of them, who I liked a bit more at the time. He was a conflicted anti-hero, and I was the star who saved the day. We were super geniuses and we built a laboratory under our little brother’s room that no one knew about. Yeah. I know.
For those of you curious, here’s a photo of me and my brothers:
So anyway, I wrote that book—all 27,000 words of it—and I decided I was going to get it published, but this was eleven years ago and I didn’t have the internet and no one I knew wrote, so my query letter—direct to publishing houses—said: “It’d be cool if you published this before my twelfth birthday.” Did I mention it was handwritten in two copy-books because I didn’t have a computer?
That was the first of the many query letters I sent in my teen years—all for terrible, awful novels written by a precocious 12-15-year-old who had no idea what she was doing.Tens of rejections followed, and I grew up and got sense and took a break from querying because with age came the yawning realisation that my books were a bit rubbish. They had potential and they were all ‘good for my age’, but good for my age wouldn’t get me published.
Around about age seventeen, I discovered literary agents and I decided I wanted one. Since then I’ve written a bunch of books, each of which was a step closer. Rejections became partials, partials became fulls, and fulls became…rejections. Nearly wasn’t close enough.
http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m28...
In the summer before I turned twenty-one, I had this weird idea for a novel about a kid called Nick who combats his troubled past by fighting crime in full-on superhero gear. This was going to be a novel about growing up and moving on and forgiving your past and your demons in small-town Ireland: a Contemporary YA that was weird and strange, dark but ultimately hopeful. I spent two weeks writing Citizens of Optimism—I think I wrote about 6,000 words of it on my 21st birthday, because that’s just how cool I am.
The story from there is pretty self-explanatory. I sent it to CPs and Betas. Early criticism was harsh, but completely true. At one point, I restructured the whole thing. Fast forward maybe seven months and six drafts to this May and it was as finished as I could think to make it. So came the submission process. We’re all familiar with the submission process, so I’ll jump straight to the hard facts:
Queries drafted: 9.Contests entered: 1. QueryKombat. I was knocked out early on, but the various comments/opinions really helped to make the query stronger.Queries sent: 14.Full requ
So now here I am, with an agent, and a novel, and another novel in-the-works that I’m really, truly hopeful about. I am my own worst critic, and I opened Citizens of Optimism for the first time since May a couple of days ago, and I had this unrelenting want to cut it all up and make it better.
I’ve grown a lot as a writer in the last year—in fact, I’d say my 21st year was the year I learned to write, and now I have this uncertain future and this uncertain novel , and I guess it’s time to see what happens next?
And it’s terrifying. Everything about this is terrifying. I’m so private about my writing—always have been—and I have a tendency to flip-flop from self-belief to gutting self-doubt in ten seconds flat, so subbing will be…interesting. I’m trying to be better—trying to be more open about my writing, which is half the reason I’m writing this. Still: it’s terrifying!I don’t know what happens next, but as much as it’s terrifying, it’s breathlessly, achingly exciting.
If you’d like to know a little more about me, you can find my blog here, or read my drivel about film-making, writing, and whatever pops into my head on my twitter.
December 3, 2013
Fan Conventions from an Author's Viewpoint!
Not everyone has the money or lives close enough to conventions to attend them. Or has the guts to put themselves out there. Here to help those of us get a taste of the crazy awesomeness of conventions, I've got a report from author Terri Bruce.
I love fan conventions; I think they’re the best thing since sliced bread. They’re a chance for me to let my geek flag fly unabashedly, to meet other people who love the same things I do, and to be blown away by people’s creativity and passion. The costumes, the songs, the camaraderie—it’s always amazing.
Now, to be clear, today I’m talking about fan conventions—things like World Fantasy Con (science fiction and fantasy), Bouchercon (crime/mystery), and Authors After Dark (romance)—not writer/author conferences (like Grub Street, New York Pitch Conference, or SCBWI). Conventions are a slightly different kettle of fish because they are by fans, for fans. These aren’t opportunities for authors to hone their craft or pitch agents; instead, it’s an opportunity to get in front of fans of your genre, which can either go really well or really poorly. Results can vary widely in terms of book sales, attendance at readings, interaction with fans, and the general overall enjoyability of any given con, so it’s best to approach cons with humility, a sense of humor and adventure, and an ability to roll with the punches. Remember, there’s no filter between you and fans at a con.
Authorly Things You Can Do At Fan Conventions
1. Sell your booksPro: Exposure! Readers! Money! Sit behind a table full of your books and feel authorly!Con: Sitting at a table, watching people pick up your book, read the back cover blurb, shake their head with confusion or derision, put the book back, and then walk away.
At Parafest, actor Mark Sheppard (::swoon::) stopped to chat with the author at the table beside mine, so you never know who might stop by your table. Of course, you may also have to endure criticism of your book straight to your face, so if you’re the kind of person who obsesses over 1-star reviews of your book on Amazon, you might want to skip this facet of cons.
2. Hold a reading (either individually or as part of a group)Pro: Exposure! Readers! Get to feel authorly! Con: The cricket chirp of an empty room if no one shows up.
A fellow Broad Universe member was reading from her newly released book when she looked up and saw George R.R. Martin in the back of the room, listening. How she had the presence of mind to finish, I’ll never know. If you’re going to do a reading, make sure you’ve practiced reading out loud beforehand—reading too fast will make your story incomprehensible and reading too slow will make your story boring, and you’ll have blown the whole point of the reading: to pique the interest of readers (and George R. R. Martin).
3. Be on a panelPro: Exposure! Opportunity to be witty and brilliant! Networking! Engaging with author heroes as a peer! Engaging in interesting discussion(s) on thought provoking topic(s)!Con: OMG, what did I just say? Did that really come out of my mouth? Oh God, it’s already on Twitter. Mayday! Mayday! Eject! Eject! (AKA theStephen Leathers’ effect)
Or, conversely:
Why am I just sitting here like a dummy? Say something, you idiot! That’s your heroine on the other end of the stage. Impress her! Impress her, damn it! Come on, brain! Help me out here. This is an easy question; we know the answer to this. What.Is.My.Name?
I have to be honest, I’ve never been brave enough to be on a panel because this one is fraught with peril—I’ve heard too many stories of female authors ignored or dismissed by male panel moderators and/or fans and I’ve seen too many authors put on the hot seat by over-zealous fans (“Tolkien was a hack?! Die heretic, die!!!”). However, from a fan perspective, I can tell you I’ve added a lot of authors’ works to my TBR pile because I was impressed with their contribution to a panel I attended, so if you have the cojones to enter the fray, it can be worth it.
4. Meet/Interact with FansPro: There is no greater high than someone telling you they read your book and liked it or, even better, asking you to sign a copy of your book.Con: thisor this
I was manning the Broad Universe table at a convention this past year and a young woman came up to us, looking to get her copy of a fellow Broad’s book signed by the author. With tears in her eyes she said, “Oh my God, it’s such a sad book! So good, but so sad.” I almost burst into tears myself and it wasn’t even my book. It was incredibly powerful and moving to see firsthand how much the book had impacted her.
I’m still not comfortable asking cosplayers if I can take their picture, but I’m getting braver. Realizing how shy I am about approaching strangers has made me realize that many of them are probably as shy as I am, so when I’m wearing my author hat at a con I do my best to be as approachable as possible. If you happen to see me, be sure to say hi—you’ll totally make my day. :-)
5. Meet authors, actors, illustrators, and other creative professionals and engage with them as a peerPro: Networking! Ability to be on first-name basis with people you admire! Ability to be admitted to the cool kids’ table!Con: this or this or any one of a thousand similar incidents. :-( Just because someone is an industry insider or famous, doesn’t mean they aren’t a douche-bag.
Since becoming an author I’ve had interaction with people at conventions I never thought I’d be able to interact with. I’m a high-introvert, so I tend to be reserved when meeting other people. Being an author, however, is like a magic pass card: it gives me an excuse to talk to people at a convention. There’s something about sitting behind a table in the vendor room or at a panel that gives you an instant sense of camaraderie with other people in the same boat.
And there you have it—a round-up of some of the great perks of attending conventions as an author. How about you—what’s been your experience attending fan conventions?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Biography: Terri Bruce has been making up adventure stories for as long as she can remember and won her first writing award when she was twelve. Like Anne Shirley, she prefers to make people cry rather than laugh, but is happy if she can do either. She produces fantasy and adventure stories from a haunted house in New England where she lives with her husband and three cats. Visit her on the web at www.terribruce.net.
Connect with Terri:Website/Blog: http://www.terribruce.netGoodreads Profile: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6450132.Terri_BruceFacebook Profile: http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100003716022408Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Terri-Bruce-Fan-Page/325830544139030Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/@_TerriBruce HEREAFTER (Afterlife #1) Coming January 31, 2014 Thirty-six year old Irene Dunphy didn't plan on dying any time soon, but that’s exactly what happens when she makes the mistake of getting behind the wheel after a night of bar-hopping with friends. She finds herself stranded on earth as a ghost, where food has no taste, the alcohol doesn’t get you drunk, and the sex…well, let’s just say, “don’t bother.” To make matters worse, the only person who can see her—courtesy of a book he found in his school library—is a fourteen year old boy-genius obsessed with the afterlife.
This sounds suspiciously like hell to Irene, so she prepares to strike out for the Great Beyond. The only problem is that, while this side has exorcism, ghost repellents, and soul devouring demons, the other side has three-headed hell hounds, final judgment, and eternal torment. If only there was a third option…
THEREAFTER (Afterlife #2) Coming May 1, 2014 When recently-deceased Irene Dunphy decided to “follow the light,” she thought she’d end up in Heaven or Hell and her journey would be over.
Boy, was she wrong.
She soon finds that “the other side” isn’t a final destination but a kind of purgatory where billions of spirits are stuck, with no way to move forward or back. Even worse, deranged phantoms known as “Hungry Ghosts” stalk the dead, intent on destroying them. The only way out is for Irene to forget her life on earth—including the boy who risked everything to help her cross over—which she’s not about to do.
As Irene desperately searches for an alternative, help unexpectedly comes in the unlikeliest of forms: a twelfth-century Spanish knight and a nineteenth-century American cowboy. Even more surprising, one offers a chance for redemption; the other, love. Unfortunately, she won’t be able to have either if she can’t find a way to escape the hellish limbo where they’re all trapped.
I love fan conventions; I think they’re the best thing since sliced bread. They’re a chance for me to let my geek flag fly unabashedly, to meet other people who love the same things I do, and to be blown away by people’s creativity and passion. The costumes, the songs, the camaraderie—it’s always amazing.
Now, to be clear, today I’m talking about fan conventions—things like World Fantasy Con (science fiction and fantasy), Bouchercon (crime/mystery), and Authors After Dark (romance)—not writer/author conferences (like Grub Street, New York Pitch Conference, or SCBWI). Conventions are a slightly different kettle of fish because they are by fans, for fans. These aren’t opportunities for authors to hone their craft or pitch agents; instead, it’s an opportunity to get in front of fans of your genre, which can either go really well or really poorly. Results can vary widely in terms of book sales, attendance at readings, interaction with fans, and the general overall enjoyability of any given con, so it’s best to approach cons with humility, a sense of humor and adventure, and an ability to roll with the punches. Remember, there’s no filter between you and fans at a con.
Authorly Things You Can Do At Fan Conventions
1. Sell your booksPro: Exposure! Readers! Money! Sit behind a table full of your books and feel authorly!Con: Sitting at a table, watching people pick up your book, read the back cover blurb, shake their head with confusion or derision, put the book back, and then walk away.
At Parafest, actor Mark Sheppard (::swoon::) stopped to chat with the author at the table beside mine, so you never know who might stop by your table. Of course, you may also have to endure criticism of your book straight to your face, so if you’re the kind of person who obsesses over 1-star reviews of your book on Amazon, you might want to skip this facet of cons.
2. Hold a reading (either individually or as part of a group)Pro: Exposure! Readers! Get to feel authorly! Con: The cricket chirp of an empty room if no one shows up.
A fellow Broad Universe member was reading from her newly released book when she looked up and saw George R.R. Martin in the back of the room, listening. How she had the presence of mind to finish, I’ll never know. If you’re going to do a reading, make sure you’ve practiced reading out loud beforehand—reading too fast will make your story incomprehensible and reading too slow will make your story boring, and you’ll have blown the whole point of the reading: to pique the interest of readers (and George R. R. Martin).
3. Be on a panelPro: Exposure! Opportunity to be witty and brilliant! Networking! Engaging with author heroes as a peer! Engaging in interesting discussion(s) on thought provoking topic(s)!Con: OMG, what did I just say? Did that really come out of my mouth? Oh God, it’s already on Twitter. Mayday! Mayday! Eject! Eject! (AKA theStephen Leathers’ effect)
Or, conversely:
Why am I just sitting here like a dummy? Say something, you idiot! That’s your heroine on the other end of the stage. Impress her! Impress her, damn it! Come on, brain! Help me out here. This is an easy question; we know the answer to this. What.Is.My.Name?
I have to be honest, I’ve never been brave enough to be on a panel because this one is fraught with peril—I’ve heard too many stories of female authors ignored or dismissed by male panel moderators and/or fans and I’ve seen too many authors put on the hot seat by over-zealous fans (“Tolkien was a hack?! Die heretic, die!!!”). However, from a fan perspective, I can tell you I’ve added a lot of authors’ works to my TBR pile because I was impressed with their contribution to a panel I attended, so if you have the cojones to enter the fray, it can be worth it.
4. Meet/Interact with FansPro: There is no greater high than someone telling you they read your book and liked it or, even better, asking you to sign a copy of your book.Con: thisor this
I was manning the Broad Universe table at a convention this past year and a young woman came up to us, looking to get her copy of a fellow Broad’s book signed by the author. With tears in her eyes she said, “Oh my God, it’s such a sad book! So good, but so sad.” I almost burst into tears myself and it wasn’t even my book. It was incredibly powerful and moving to see firsthand how much the book had impacted her.
I’m still not comfortable asking cosplayers if I can take their picture, but I’m getting braver. Realizing how shy I am about approaching strangers has made me realize that many of them are probably as shy as I am, so when I’m wearing my author hat at a con I do my best to be as approachable as possible. If you happen to see me, be sure to say hi—you’ll totally make my day. :-)
5. Meet authors, actors, illustrators, and other creative professionals and engage with them as a peerPro: Networking! Ability to be on first-name basis with people you admire! Ability to be admitted to the cool kids’ table!Con: this or this or any one of a thousand similar incidents. :-( Just because someone is an industry insider or famous, doesn’t mean they aren’t a douche-bag.
Since becoming an author I’ve had interaction with people at conventions I never thought I’d be able to interact with. I’m a high-introvert, so I tend to be reserved when meeting other people. Being an author, however, is like a magic pass card: it gives me an excuse to talk to people at a convention. There’s something about sitting behind a table in the vendor room or at a panel that gives you an instant sense of camaraderie with other people in the same boat.
And there you have it—a round-up of some of the great perks of attending conventions as an author. How about you—what’s been your experience attending fan conventions?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Biography: Terri Bruce has been making up adventure stories for as long as she can remember and won her first writing award when she was twelve. Like Anne Shirley, she prefers to make people cry rather than laugh, but is happy if she can do either. She produces fantasy and adventure stories from a haunted house in New England where she lives with her husband and three cats. Visit her on the web at www.terribruce.net.
Connect with Terri:Website/Blog: http://www.terribruce.netGoodreads Profile: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6450132.Terri_BruceFacebook Profile: http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100003716022408Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Terri-Bruce-Fan-Page/325830544139030Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/@_TerriBruce HEREAFTER (Afterlife #1) Coming January 31, 2014 Thirty-six year old Irene Dunphy didn't plan on dying any time soon, but that’s exactly what happens when she makes the mistake of getting behind the wheel after a night of bar-hopping with friends. She finds herself stranded on earth as a ghost, where food has no taste, the alcohol doesn’t get you drunk, and the sex…well, let’s just say, “don’t bother.” To make matters worse, the only person who can see her—courtesy of a book he found in his school library—is a fourteen year old boy-genius obsessed with the afterlife.
This sounds suspiciously like hell to Irene, so she prepares to strike out for the Great Beyond. The only problem is that, while this side has exorcism, ghost repellents, and soul devouring demons, the other side has three-headed hell hounds, final judgment, and eternal torment. If only there was a third option…
THEREAFTER (Afterlife #2) Coming May 1, 2014 When recently-deceased Irene Dunphy decided to “follow the light,” she thought she’d end up in Heaven or Hell and her journey would be over.
Boy, was she wrong.
She soon finds that “the other side” isn’t a final destination but a kind of purgatory where billions of spirits are stuck, with no way to move forward or back. Even worse, deranged phantoms known as “Hungry Ghosts” stalk the dead, intent on destroying them. The only way out is for Irene to forget her life on earth—including the boy who risked everything to help her cross over—which she’s not about to do.
As Irene desperately searches for an alternative, help unexpectedly comes in the unlikeliest of forms: a twelfth-century Spanish knight and a nineteenth-century American cowboy. Even more surprising, one offers a chance for redemption; the other, love. Unfortunately, she won’t be able to have either if she can’t find a way to escape the hellish limbo where they’re all trapped.
December 2, 2013
Two Giveaways Equals A Lot of Free Books
If you're interested in free books from Indie authors, check out these two really big giveaways. Over thirty books between them waiting for you.
Strong Women in Fiction
Blog Ring of Power: Year in Review
Strong Women in Fiction
Blog Ring of Power: Year in Review
Fall Query Extravaganza 14
If you'd like to win a private query + first chapter critique from me in celebration of 100K page views, go here.
I'll be doing a limited number of query critiques this fall. Right now my queue is full.
Participants must comment on as many queries as they can to pay it forward. All query critiques are subjective. And rabbits don't come out of my hat, but I'll do my best. Objects in mirror may be closer than they appear. Buy one and I'll throw in a set of free steak knives, just pay separate shipping and handling fees.
As sent to me:
Attn. Agent:
I am seeking an agent for DIFFRACTED, my young adult, urban fantasy novel. It is complete at 68,000 words and takes place in Prism, a civilization based on South Africa’s apartheid society.
When the Red King and Queen give birth to Zander, their only son and heir to the throne, his Violet skin challenges Prism’s segregated society and prohibits him from integrating with the Reds despite his royal lineage. The racist remarks, the looks of hatred from unashamed bigots, and the unfair treatment from his teacher and parents begin to wear him down. He almost looks forward to his Diffraction—the royal law decreeing that citizens must reside within their own skin color’s region.
As fifteen-year-old Zander struggles to adjust to his new life among the Violets after the Diffraction, he learns they need his assistance for what they covet: equality. With Zander’s insider knowledge of the Palace’s inner workings, he is the only person who could overthrow the king and queen. As he gains more information about the coup, Zander realizes his involvement could have devastating consequences, leaving him to question what is more important: the lives of his two parents, or the well-being of the hundreds of Violets who suffer under their rule.
This manuscript was influenced by my focus on African Studies at Yale University and Emory University and draws heavily from my three classes on South Africa. I am also a member of the SCBWI. DIFFRACTED has series potential, but it can stand alone as is. Due to your interest in young adult fiction, I am querying you because I believe you would be an ideal representative for this project. Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
With my comments:
Attn. Agent: Using 'Attention' might sound a little like a public address announcement at the airport. Go for the more informal and relaxed 'dear.' Never forget that agents are people too, not just giant amazing figures on pedestals.
I am seeking an agent for DIFFRACTED, my young adult, urban fantasy novel. It is complete at 68,000 words and takes place in Prism, a civilization based on South Africa’s apartheid society. Interesting concept. Word count might be a little low for a fantasy.
When the Red King and Queen give birth to Zander, their only son and heir to the throne, his Violet skin challenges Prism’s segregated society and prohibits him from integrating with the Reds despite his royal lineage. This sentence is a large bite to digest at once. I'd probably break it down some. Zander, only son and heir of the Red King and Queen, is born with Violet skin. Even his royal lineage can't break the segregation that prohibits him from Red society. The racist remarks, the looks of hatred from unashamed bigots, and the unfair treatment from his teacher and parents begin to wears him down (Again with the try--'begins'--, my padawan. Yoda says go straight for stronger sentences.) He almost looks forward to his Diffraction—the royal law decreeing that citizens must reside within their own skin color’s region. 'Almost' weakens your sentence also. Here is a good spot to work in his age. His Diffraction at age X--the royal law decreeing citizens must reside within their own color region--is a relief. I put 'is' because it sounds like the event has already happened.
As fifteen-year-old (cut because I put it in sooner) Zander struggles to adjust to his new life among the Violets. after the Diffraction (understood) Be specific here, how is their life different. Give us a reason to care about their plight. So far it just seems they have to live apart. Are they separate but equal? Are they in slums? Beat and tortured? Slaves? , he learns After all, they need his assistance for what they covet: equality. With Zander’s insider knowledge of the Palace’s inner (You don't need 'insider' and 'inner'.) workings, he is the only person who could overthrow the king and queen. Why? What does he know that will save the day? Sounds like he can lead the Violets into the palace. With Zander's memory of the palace, he's the only person who can take them inside to overthrow the king and queen. I'm still not getting a good sense of the difference between the groups. As he gains more information about the coup, Zander realizes his involvement could have devastating consequences. Again I'd probably shorten and end the sentence right here. Don't be afraid to give a little more detail., leaving him to question what is more important: This is real subjective, but I'd stick with one colon per query. Otherwise agents might wonder if all your writing is complicated and it comes across as stiff. the lives of his two parents, or the well-being of the hundreds of Violets who suffer under their rule. He'll have to weigh the lives of his parents against the well-being of hundreds of Violets who suffer under their rule.
First, we haven't seen how they are suffering yet. Second, his parents weren't so great to him. This may not be a hard decision for Zander.
This manuscript was influenced by my focus on African Studies at Yale University and Emory University and draws heavily from my three I don't think we need to number, and thus limit, the information. classes on South Africa. I am also a member of the SCBWI. All useful information! DIFFRACTED has series potential, but it can stand alone as is. Due to your interest in young adult fiction, I am querying you because I believe you would be an ideal representative for this project. Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you. Again personal preference, but I like to get the bio, genre and word count all in one paragraph. It just makes the query look better by limiting the paragraphs and it does join everything neatly as far as flow goes.
Sincerely,
You need to give us a better sense of what is at stake for the Violets. How are they suffering? How are the Reds getting the best of everything? And be more concise on how Zander can help them overthrow the Reds.
If possible, give us more about why Zander is torn between his parents and the Violets. Does he still love them? What are his feelings toward his parents?
I'll be doing a limited number of query critiques this fall. Right now my queue is full.
Participants must comment on as many queries as they can to pay it forward. All query critiques are subjective. And rabbits don't come out of my hat, but I'll do my best. Objects in mirror may be closer than they appear. Buy one and I'll throw in a set of free steak knives, just pay separate shipping and handling fees.
As sent to me:
Attn. Agent:
I am seeking an agent for DIFFRACTED, my young adult, urban fantasy novel. It is complete at 68,000 words and takes place in Prism, a civilization based on South Africa’s apartheid society.
When the Red King and Queen give birth to Zander, their only son and heir to the throne, his Violet skin challenges Prism’s segregated society and prohibits him from integrating with the Reds despite his royal lineage. The racist remarks, the looks of hatred from unashamed bigots, and the unfair treatment from his teacher and parents begin to wear him down. He almost looks forward to his Diffraction—the royal law decreeing that citizens must reside within their own skin color’s region.
As fifteen-year-old Zander struggles to adjust to his new life among the Violets after the Diffraction, he learns they need his assistance for what they covet: equality. With Zander’s insider knowledge of the Palace’s inner workings, he is the only person who could overthrow the king and queen. As he gains more information about the coup, Zander realizes his involvement could have devastating consequences, leaving him to question what is more important: the lives of his two parents, or the well-being of the hundreds of Violets who suffer under their rule.
This manuscript was influenced by my focus on African Studies at Yale University and Emory University and draws heavily from my three classes on South Africa. I am also a member of the SCBWI. DIFFRACTED has series potential, but it can stand alone as is. Due to your interest in young adult fiction, I am querying you because I believe you would be an ideal representative for this project. Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
With my comments:
Attn. Agent: Using 'Attention' might sound a little like a public address announcement at the airport. Go for the more informal and relaxed 'dear.' Never forget that agents are people too, not just giant amazing figures on pedestals.
I am seeking an agent for DIFFRACTED, my young adult, urban fantasy novel. It is complete at 68,000 words and takes place in Prism, a civilization based on South Africa’s apartheid society. Interesting concept. Word count might be a little low for a fantasy.
When the Red King and Queen give birth to Zander, their only son and heir to the throne, his Violet skin challenges Prism’s segregated society and prohibits him from integrating with the Reds despite his royal lineage. This sentence is a large bite to digest at once. I'd probably break it down some. Zander, only son and heir of the Red King and Queen, is born with Violet skin. Even his royal lineage can't break the segregation that prohibits him from Red society. The racist remarks, the looks of hatred from unashamed bigots, and the unfair treatment from his teacher and parents begin to wears him down (Again with the try--'begins'--, my padawan. Yoda says go straight for stronger sentences.) He almost looks forward to his Diffraction—the royal law decreeing that citizens must reside within their own skin color’s region. 'Almost' weakens your sentence also. Here is a good spot to work in his age. His Diffraction at age X--the royal law decreeing citizens must reside within their own color region--is a relief. I put 'is' because it sounds like the event has already happened.
As fifteen-year-old (cut because I put it in sooner) Zander struggles to adjust to his new life among the Violets. after the Diffraction (understood) Be specific here, how is their life different. Give us a reason to care about their plight. So far it just seems they have to live apart. Are they separate but equal? Are they in slums? Beat and tortured? Slaves? , he learns After all, they need his assistance for what they covet: equality. With Zander’s insider knowledge of the Palace’s inner (You don't need 'insider' and 'inner'.) workings, he is the only person who could overthrow the king and queen. Why? What does he know that will save the day? Sounds like he can lead the Violets into the palace. With Zander's memory of the palace, he's the only person who can take them inside to overthrow the king and queen. I'm still not getting a good sense of the difference between the groups. As he gains more information about the coup, Zander realizes his involvement could have devastating consequences. Again I'd probably shorten and end the sentence right here. Don't be afraid to give a little more detail., leaving him to question what is more important: This is real subjective, but I'd stick with one colon per query. Otherwise agents might wonder if all your writing is complicated and it comes across as stiff. the lives of his two parents, or the well-being of the hundreds of Violets who suffer under their rule. He'll have to weigh the lives of his parents against the well-being of hundreds of Violets who suffer under their rule.
First, we haven't seen how they are suffering yet. Second, his parents weren't so great to him. This may not be a hard decision for Zander.
This manuscript was influenced by my focus on African Studies at Yale University and Emory University and draws heavily from my three I don't think we need to number, and thus limit, the information. classes on South Africa. I am also a member of the SCBWI. All useful information! DIFFRACTED has series potential, but it can stand alone as is. Due to your interest in young adult fiction, I am querying you because I believe you would be an ideal representative for this project. Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you. Again personal preference, but I like to get the bio, genre and word count all in one paragraph. It just makes the query look better by limiting the paragraphs and it does join everything neatly as far as flow goes.
Sincerely,
You need to give us a better sense of what is at stake for the Violets. How are they suffering? How are the Reds getting the best of everything? And be more concise on how Zander can help them overthrow the Reds.
If possible, give us more about why Zander is torn between his parents and the Violets. Does he still love them? What are his feelings toward his parents?
November 26, 2013
HOORAY FOR 100K PAGE VIEWS!
I'm celebrating and you made it all possible! It's In The Details will soon (or already has) hit 100K page views!
That means a giveaway!
Enter the Rafflecoper to win a private query critique plus a first chapter edit. I've done a few paying editing jobs and I'll give you the works for FREE! That's line edits and big picture items!
Not enough excitement?
And until November 30th, you can also enter to win one of five autographed trade paperbacks of my book, Kindar's Cure, over on Goodreads!
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Goodreads Book Giveaway
Kindar's Cure by Michelle Hauck Giveaway ends November 30, 2013.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads. Enter to win
a Rafflecopter giveaway
That means a giveaway!
Enter the Rafflecoper to win a private query critique plus a first chapter edit. I've done a few paying editing jobs and I'll give you the works for FREE! That's line edits and big picture items!
Not enough excitement?
And until November 30th, you can also enter to win one of five autographed trade paperbacks of my book, Kindar's Cure, over on Goodreads!
.goodreadsGiveawayWidget { color: #555; font-family: georgia, serif; font-weight: normal; text-align: left; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; background: white; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidget img { padding: 0 !important; margin: 0 !important; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidget a { padding: 0 !important; margin: 0; color: #660; text-decoration: none; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidget a:visted { color: #660; text-decoration: none; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidget a:hover { color: #660; text-decoration: underline !important; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidget p { margin: 0 0 .5em !important; padding: 0; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidgetEnterLink { display: block; width: 150px; margin: 10px auto 0 !important; padding: 0px 5px !important; text-align: center; line-height: 1.8em; color: #222; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; border: 1px solid #6A6454; border-radius: 5px; font-family:arial,verdana,helvetica,sans-serif; background-image:url(https://www.goodreads.com/images/layo... background-repeat: repeat-x; background-color:#BBB596; outline: 0; white-space: nowrap; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidgetEnterLink:hover { background-image:url(https://www.goodreads.com/images/layo... color: black; text-decoration: none; cursor: pointer; }
Goodreads Book Giveaway
Kindar's Cure by Michelle Hauck Giveaway ends November 30, 2013. See the giveaway details at Goodreads. Enter to win
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Query Questions with Christa Heschke
Writers have copious amounts of imagination. It's what makes their stories so fantastic. But there's a darker side to so much out of the box thinking. When a writer is in the query trenches, their worries go into overdrive. They start pulling out their hair and imagine every possible disaster.
Here to relieve some of that endless worrying is a new series of posts called Query Questions. I'll ask the questions which prey on every writer's mind, and hopefully take some of the pain out of querying. These are questions that I've seen tossed around on twitter and writing sites like Agent Query Connect. They are the type of questions that you need answers for the real expert--agents!
Here to shed clarity over the query process is Christa Heschke of McIntosh and Otis, Inc.
Is there a better or worse time of year to query? Not particularly for me. Summer is our “slower season” so it can be a better time. I would say querying between Thanksgiving and the holidays is one of the worst times. We’re all scrambling to get things done before we head off for break.
Does one typo or misplaced comma shoot down the entire query? No, definitely not, but if your query or first pages are filled with typos I’m going to stop reading. It looks like you didn’t take the time to proofread.
Do you look at sample pages without fail or only if the query is strong? Most of the time I look at the sample pages. The only time I don’t is if the query is in an area I don’t handle or the idea sounds too familiar/overdone. In the end, it is still important to have a strong query as It will excite me to read the pages right away.
Do you have an assistant or intern go through your queries first or do you check all of them? I have my assistant and intern look through them and sort them first, but I look at all my queries.
If the manuscript has a prologue, do you want it included with the sample pages? Yes.
Some agencies mention querying only one agent at a time and some say query only one agent period. How often do you pass a query along to a fellow agent who might be more interested? We ask that you only send your query to one agent at a time at our agency. We all have different tastes, so it’s important to pick who you think is the best fit. I do occasionally pass along queries to other agents here, but honestly, not very often, as I’m the primary children’s agent there’s not a lot of overlap. But, one of our adult agents does do some YA.
Do you prefer a little personalized chit-chat in a query letter, or would you rather hear about the manuscript? I like a little personal info, but I’d keep that at the end of your query. I want to know more about your manuscript and what makes it different from other comparative titles out there. One query, which I’ll never forget, made me laugh out loud (the writer ended with a personal witty statement) so the personal can help make it stand out as long as you don’t go overboard or push it.
Most agents have said they don’t care whether the word count/genre sentence comes first or last. But is it a red flag if one component is not included? I wouldn’t say it’s a red flag, but it’s important to include somewhere in your query. I might think you didn’t mention it because the word count is too high/too low for your age group and you’re trying to hide that fact or you’re writing in a genre that’s tough to sell at the moment. But, once an agent requests the manuscript or reads some of your pages these things will be revealed so why hide it?
Writers hear a lot about limiting the number of named characters in a query. Do you feel keeping named characters to a certain number makes for a clearer query? Yes, I do not need to know who every character is in your story in the query letter. The part of the query where you’re telling me about the story should only be a couple paragraphs so you have to tell me what’s most important and why I should read on there. Naming characters without background info can be confusing, so keep it to the most important characters.
Should writers sweat the title of their book (and character names) or is that something that is often changed by publishers? I wouldn’t worry too much about the title it does often change and I don’t focus on it much when I’m reading a query unless it’s really bizarre or long. Even then it wouldn’t keep me from reading, but a really great title can get my attention in the subject line of my query emails before others. As for names, also wouldn’t worry. If it’s hard to pronounce let us know how to say it, other than that I don’t think it matters too much unless it’s distracting. For example, your character’s name is five names hyphenated together or 20 letters long and you always refer to them that way. A nickname or a shortened version can help.
How many queries do you receive in a week? How many requests might you make out of those? I’d say close to 100 a week. It’s hard to say how many requests I’d make out of those. There are times where I’ll make several requests in one week and others when I won’t make requests for a few weeks. It depends on what I’m seeing that week.
Many agents say they don't care if writers are active online. Could a twitter account or blog presence by a writer tip the scales in getting a request or offer? And do you require writers you sign to start one? Having a great online presence will not make me more likely to offer representation. I have to love the writing. It’s a bonus, sure, and if I sign the author I will mention it to editors when I submit the project, but it’s not something I’d require. I do recommend it though. Having an online presence has become increasingly more important for self-promotion and can really help with your sales down the line. I’d say if you do have one keep it current. If you don’t take the time to do that, it may be better not to have one at all.
Some writers have asked about including links to their blogs or manuscript-related artwork. I’m sure it’s not appropriate to add those links in a query, but are links in an email signature offensive? No, links in your signature are not at all offensive…I don’t mind them. I’ll generally click on them if I’m interested in the query/sample pages to see what else the author has done and what their online presence is like. You have to be careful here and make sure you come off in a positive light. You don’t want to give the impression that you’re hard to work with.
If a writer makes changes to their manuscript due to feedback should they resend the query or only if material was requested? Personally, if I reject a manuscript and I am interested in a revision I will specifically ask for one. Sometimes the project may not be a fit but I like your writing and in these instances I will ask to see future work. If I send a rejection without saying either of these things, it’s not to dissuade from sending future work, you certainly can, but with revisions please only send if I ask.
What bio should an author with no publishing credits include? I’d talk about why this project is special to you. What inspired you to write it? Where are you from? What’s your background? There’s nothing wrong with saying this is your first project and I always like getting to know the author a bit through their query. It can give me a sense of what it might be like working with you.
What does ‘just not right mean for me’ mean to you? It can mean many things. It can mean the voice/writing didn’t appeal to me or the execution of the premise itself didn’t fully engage me. Generally, this is when I can’t pinpoint specifically why I’m not loving it. Sometimes I like the idea and the writing, but I just feel that something is missing for me to fully love it. Generally though I give some editorial feedback for manuscripts I’ve requested.
What themes are you sick of seeing? These aren’t really themes, but I am getting sick of love triangles (I think they’re overdone) unless it really keeps me on the edge of my seat re: who the protagonist is going to pick. Paranormal and dystopian aren’t really things I’m looking for nor am I looking for another Bella Swan. I like my female protagonists strong and independent! I like real conflict so I don’t particularly like when all problems are solved by the power of love (although I enjoy a good romance, just a realistic one with bumps along the way).
Do you consider yourself a hands-on, editorial type of agent? Definitely! I am very editorially-minded. I work on revision with all of my clients before submitting from project to project. Sometimes it’s more minor, but either way I always like to provide some feedback. Editors want to see more polished submissions, so I think it’s becoming more important.
What’s the strangest/funniest thing you’ve seen in a query? I alluded to this above, but one query writer told me that phone or email may be best for a response as they’re from Australia and the postal system there is run by koalas. That gave the query a nice dose of personality and humor. I also have the sense of humor of an 8 year old :)
What three things are at the top of your submission wish list? All things MG, chapter books, contemporary YA romance or mystery/thriller or a YA humorous contemporary (I know that’s more than three :) But bottom line is I am really looking for all things contemporary at the moment!
What are some of your favorite movies or books to give us an idea of your tastes? Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Awkward. (TV show on MTV), The Hobbit (book) and the Lord of the Rings (movies), The Sky is Everywhere (Jandy Nelson), Perfect Chemistry (Simone Elkeles), Pride and Prejudice, The Fear Street series (R.L. Stine)…I could go on and on.
----------------------------------------------------------Christa Heschke graduated from Binghamton University with a major in English and a minor in Anthropology. She started in publishing as an intern at both Writers House and Sterling Lord Literistic, where she fell in love with the agency side of publishing. Christa has been at McIntosh and Otis, Inc. in the Children's Literature Department since 2009 where she is actively looking for picture books, middle grade and young adult projects and is currently building her list. She is a fan of young adult novels with a romantic angle, and strong, quirky protagonists. Christa is especially interested in contemporary fiction, horror and thrillers/mysteries. She is also looking selectively for steampunk and fantasy (urban and high), that pushes the boundaries of what's currently on the shelves, perhaps a new take on these genres that has yet to be seen. As for middle grade, Christa enjoys humorous contemporary, adventure and magical realism for boys and girls. For picture books, she’s drawn to cute, funny character driven stories.
Here to relieve some of that endless worrying is a new series of posts called Query Questions. I'll ask the questions which prey on every writer's mind, and hopefully take some of the pain out of querying. These are questions that I've seen tossed around on twitter and writing sites like Agent Query Connect. They are the type of questions that you need answers for the real expert--agents!
Here to shed clarity over the query process is Christa Heschke of McIntosh and Otis, Inc.
Is there a better or worse time of year to query? Not particularly for me. Summer is our “slower season” so it can be a better time. I would say querying between Thanksgiving and the holidays is one of the worst times. We’re all scrambling to get things done before we head off for break.
Does one typo or misplaced comma shoot down the entire query? No, definitely not, but if your query or first pages are filled with typos I’m going to stop reading. It looks like you didn’t take the time to proofread.
Do you look at sample pages without fail or only if the query is strong? Most of the time I look at the sample pages. The only time I don’t is if the query is in an area I don’t handle or the idea sounds too familiar/overdone. In the end, it is still important to have a strong query as It will excite me to read the pages right away.
Do you have an assistant or intern go through your queries first or do you check all of them? I have my assistant and intern look through them and sort them first, but I look at all my queries.
If the manuscript has a prologue, do you want it included with the sample pages? Yes.
Some agencies mention querying only one agent at a time and some say query only one agent period. How often do you pass a query along to a fellow agent who might be more interested? We ask that you only send your query to one agent at a time at our agency. We all have different tastes, so it’s important to pick who you think is the best fit. I do occasionally pass along queries to other agents here, but honestly, not very often, as I’m the primary children’s agent there’s not a lot of overlap. But, one of our adult agents does do some YA.
Do you prefer a little personalized chit-chat in a query letter, or would you rather hear about the manuscript? I like a little personal info, but I’d keep that at the end of your query. I want to know more about your manuscript and what makes it different from other comparative titles out there. One query, which I’ll never forget, made me laugh out loud (the writer ended with a personal witty statement) so the personal can help make it stand out as long as you don’t go overboard or push it.
Most agents have said they don’t care whether the word count/genre sentence comes first or last. But is it a red flag if one component is not included? I wouldn’t say it’s a red flag, but it’s important to include somewhere in your query. I might think you didn’t mention it because the word count is too high/too low for your age group and you’re trying to hide that fact or you’re writing in a genre that’s tough to sell at the moment. But, once an agent requests the manuscript or reads some of your pages these things will be revealed so why hide it?
Writers hear a lot about limiting the number of named characters in a query. Do you feel keeping named characters to a certain number makes for a clearer query? Yes, I do not need to know who every character is in your story in the query letter. The part of the query where you’re telling me about the story should only be a couple paragraphs so you have to tell me what’s most important and why I should read on there. Naming characters without background info can be confusing, so keep it to the most important characters.
Should writers sweat the title of their book (and character names) or is that something that is often changed by publishers? I wouldn’t worry too much about the title it does often change and I don’t focus on it much when I’m reading a query unless it’s really bizarre or long. Even then it wouldn’t keep me from reading, but a really great title can get my attention in the subject line of my query emails before others. As for names, also wouldn’t worry. If it’s hard to pronounce let us know how to say it, other than that I don’t think it matters too much unless it’s distracting. For example, your character’s name is five names hyphenated together or 20 letters long and you always refer to them that way. A nickname or a shortened version can help.
How many queries do you receive in a week? How many requests might you make out of those? I’d say close to 100 a week. It’s hard to say how many requests I’d make out of those. There are times where I’ll make several requests in one week and others when I won’t make requests for a few weeks. It depends on what I’m seeing that week.
Many agents say they don't care if writers are active online. Could a twitter account or blog presence by a writer tip the scales in getting a request or offer? And do you require writers you sign to start one? Having a great online presence will not make me more likely to offer representation. I have to love the writing. It’s a bonus, sure, and if I sign the author I will mention it to editors when I submit the project, but it’s not something I’d require. I do recommend it though. Having an online presence has become increasingly more important for self-promotion and can really help with your sales down the line. I’d say if you do have one keep it current. If you don’t take the time to do that, it may be better not to have one at all.
Some writers have asked about including links to their blogs or manuscript-related artwork. I’m sure it’s not appropriate to add those links in a query, but are links in an email signature offensive? No, links in your signature are not at all offensive…I don’t mind them. I’ll generally click on them if I’m interested in the query/sample pages to see what else the author has done and what their online presence is like. You have to be careful here and make sure you come off in a positive light. You don’t want to give the impression that you’re hard to work with.
If a writer makes changes to their manuscript due to feedback should they resend the query or only if material was requested? Personally, if I reject a manuscript and I am interested in a revision I will specifically ask for one. Sometimes the project may not be a fit but I like your writing and in these instances I will ask to see future work. If I send a rejection without saying either of these things, it’s not to dissuade from sending future work, you certainly can, but with revisions please only send if I ask.
What bio should an author with no publishing credits include? I’d talk about why this project is special to you. What inspired you to write it? Where are you from? What’s your background? There’s nothing wrong with saying this is your first project and I always like getting to know the author a bit through their query. It can give me a sense of what it might be like working with you.
What does ‘just not right mean for me’ mean to you? It can mean many things. It can mean the voice/writing didn’t appeal to me or the execution of the premise itself didn’t fully engage me. Generally, this is when I can’t pinpoint specifically why I’m not loving it. Sometimes I like the idea and the writing, but I just feel that something is missing for me to fully love it. Generally though I give some editorial feedback for manuscripts I’ve requested.
What themes are you sick of seeing? These aren’t really themes, but I am getting sick of love triangles (I think they’re overdone) unless it really keeps me on the edge of my seat re: who the protagonist is going to pick. Paranormal and dystopian aren’t really things I’m looking for nor am I looking for another Bella Swan. I like my female protagonists strong and independent! I like real conflict so I don’t particularly like when all problems are solved by the power of love (although I enjoy a good romance, just a realistic one with bumps along the way).
Do you consider yourself a hands-on, editorial type of agent? Definitely! I am very editorially-minded. I work on revision with all of my clients before submitting from project to project. Sometimes it’s more minor, but either way I always like to provide some feedback. Editors want to see more polished submissions, so I think it’s becoming more important.
What’s the strangest/funniest thing you’ve seen in a query? I alluded to this above, but one query writer told me that phone or email may be best for a response as they’re from Australia and the postal system there is run by koalas. That gave the query a nice dose of personality and humor. I also have the sense of humor of an 8 year old :)
What three things are at the top of your submission wish list? All things MG, chapter books, contemporary YA romance or mystery/thriller or a YA humorous contemporary (I know that’s more than three :) But bottom line is I am really looking for all things contemporary at the moment!
What are some of your favorite movies or books to give us an idea of your tastes? Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Awkward. (TV show on MTV), The Hobbit (book) and the Lord of the Rings (movies), The Sky is Everywhere (Jandy Nelson), Perfect Chemistry (Simone Elkeles), Pride and Prejudice, The Fear Street series (R.L. Stine)…I could go on and on.
----------------------------------------------------------Christa Heschke graduated from Binghamton University with a major in English and a minor in Anthropology. She started in publishing as an intern at both Writers House and Sterling Lord Literistic, where she fell in love with the agency side of publishing. Christa has been at McIntosh and Otis, Inc. in the Children's Literature Department since 2009 where she is actively looking for picture books, middle grade and young adult projects and is currently building her list. She is a fan of young adult novels with a romantic angle, and strong, quirky protagonists. Christa is especially interested in contemporary fiction, horror and thrillers/mysteries. She is also looking selectively for steampunk and fantasy (urban and high), that pushes the boundaries of what's currently on the shelves, perhaps a new take on these genres that has yet to be seen. As for middle grade, Christa enjoys humorous contemporary, adventure and magical realism for boys and girls. For picture books, she’s drawn to cute, funny character driven stories.
November 25, 2013
Fall Query Extravaganza 13
Lucky number 13! This calls for some pet pictures! Sorry folks, can't resist.
Yeah, he's that weird, but it's Darwin's birthday.
I'll be doing a limited number of query critiques this fall. Right now my queue is full.
Participants must comment on as many queries as they can to pay it forward. All query critiques are subjective. And rabbits don't come out of my hat, but I'll do my best. Objects in mirror may be closer than they appear. Buy one and I'll throw in a set of free steak knives, just pay separate shipping and handling fees.
The kitty we found now living in high style at my sister's house.
As sent to me:
Dear Agent,
My previous agent and I have parted ways. As such I'm querying again and wondering if you would be interested in representing my latest young adult novel, as well as future works of mine.
While the rest of humanity slumbers, Alison Kingston spends her nights battling creatures known as Nightmares. These beastly terrors threaten to plunge the world into chaos and misery not seen since the dark ages. When the tall, dark, and annoying Addison Hatta charmed Alice into his life, she expected things to be less guts more glory. Instead, the battles grow bloodier, the days darker, and her partner a little mad…—er.
Hatta’s deteriorating mental state eventually takes a physical toll, and Alice crosses into his home world of Wonderland—the realm of Dreams—to find answers. She discovers a growing horror in the heart of the realm. The Nightmares are
stronger there, viler, and ruled by The Black Knight, whose sharp wit and sly compliments disarm Alice better than any weapon. With his power over the Nightmares, the Black Knight unleashes a cataclysm that threatens to devour Wonderland from the inside, and Hatta along with it. Countering the spell would save Addison’s life, but the Backlash could shatter the bridge between worlds, throwing them off balance, and casting both into eternal terror.
DREAMWALKER is a young adult fantasy with series potential. The whimsy of Alice in Wonderland meets the unadulterated ass-kickery of Buffy in this story complete at 87,000 words. Per your submission guidelines, I’ve included _________. Thank you for your time and consideration.
All the best,
With comments:
Dear Agent, Some say a comma is fine instead of a colon so take your pick. I doubt it will make or break the query.
My previous agent and I have parted ways. I imagine this will perk up some eyes. This writer was wanted. As such I'm querying again with and wondering if you would be interested in representing I crossed this out because it seemed a little needy instead of confident. my latest young adult novel, as well as future works of mine.Nice that this lets the agent know you are querying something new and not what the other agent might have already submitted.
While the rest of humanity slumbers, Alison Kingston spends her nights battling creatures known as Nightmares. These beastly terrors threaten to plunge the world into chaos and misery not seen since the dark ages. I'm a little torn on wanting a more specific example at the front of this sentence. When the tall, dark, and annoying (maybe 'unstable' instead of 'annoying' to show where the query takes us next. Maybe also 'non-Earthling' to prepare for the next paragraph. When the tall, dark, but unstable non-Earthling) Addison Hatta charmed Alice into this life, she expected things to be less guts more glory. Instead, the battles grow bloodier, the days darker, and her partner a little mad…—er. Again, I wanted a little something specific to give me a better idea of what she's dealing with. Instead Alice is up to her elbows in the blood of bystanders, the moon's hiding its face, and her partner sees enemies everywhere, even in the daycare down the block.
Hatta’s deteriorating mental state eventually takes a physical toll (eventually leaves him shaking and ridden by headaches or whatever), and Alice together they cross crosses into his home world of Wonderland—the realm of Dreams—to find answers (help him? save him? Something that lets us know what she feels about her partner. Her emotion toward him is missing.). She discovers a growing horror in the heart of the realm. The Nightmares are stronger there, viler, and ruled by The Black Knight, whose sharp wit and sly compliments disarm Alice better(faster?) than any weapon. With his power over the Nightmares, the Black Knight unleashes a cataclysm that threatens to devour Wonderland from the inside, and Hatta along with it (Wait, did he go with her? Better make that clear.). Countering the spell would save Addison’s life, but the backlash could shatter the bridge between worlds, throwing them (does this mean the worlds or the characters. Pronoun confusion.) off balance, and casting both (both characters or both worlds?) into eternal terror. (Can you be more clear on what the 'eternal terror' is? Does that mean they have to live among the Nightmares forever?) Seems like destroying the bridge would be a good thing for Earth, but I think you're saying that's not true.
DREAMWALKER is a young adult fantasy with series potential. The whimsy of Alice in Wonderland meets the unadulterated ass-kickery of Buffy in this story complete at 87,000 words. Per your submission guidelines, I’ve included _________. Thank you for your time and consideration.
All the best, I usually let 'thank you for your time...' handle both jobs: the thanks and the closing. Again it's subjective.
I found this query pretty clear and in good shape. What I'd like to see is Alison's feelings toward her partner. Is it a romantic thing or a loyalty thing? I'm a sucker for a romantic thing between work partners. (Castle anyone?)
Yeah, he's that weird, but it's Darwin's birthday.I'll be doing a limited number of query critiques this fall. Right now my queue is full.
Participants must comment on as many queries as they can to pay it forward. All query critiques are subjective. And rabbits don't come out of my hat, but I'll do my best. Objects in mirror may be closer than they appear. Buy one and I'll throw in a set of free steak knives, just pay separate shipping and handling fees.
The kitty we found now living in high style at my sister's house.As sent to me:
Dear Agent,
My previous agent and I have parted ways. As such I'm querying again and wondering if you would be interested in representing my latest young adult novel, as well as future works of mine.
While the rest of humanity slumbers, Alison Kingston spends her nights battling creatures known as Nightmares. These beastly terrors threaten to plunge the world into chaos and misery not seen since the dark ages. When the tall, dark, and annoying Addison Hatta charmed Alice into his life, she expected things to be less guts more glory. Instead, the battles grow bloodier, the days darker, and her partner a little mad…—er.
Hatta’s deteriorating mental state eventually takes a physical toll, and Alice crosses into his home world of Wonderland—the realm of Dreams—to find answers. She discovers a growing horror in the heart of the realm. The Nightmares are
stronger there, viler, and ruled by The Black Knight, whose sharp wit and sly compliments disarm Alice better than any weapon. With his power over the Nightmares, the Black Knight unleashes a cataclysm that threatens to devour Wonderland from the inside, and Hatta along with it. Countering the spell would save Addison’s life, but the Backlash could shatter the bridge between worlds, throwing them off balance, and casting both into eternal terror.
DREAMWALKER is a young adult fantasy with series potential. The whimsy of Alice in Wonderland meets the unadulterated ass-kickery of Buffy in this story complete at 87,000 words. Per your submission guidelines, I’ve included _________. Thank you for your time and consideration.
All the best,
With comments:
Dear Agent, Some say a comma is fine instead of a colon so take your pick. I doubt it will make or break the query.
My previous agent and I have parted ways. I imagine this will perk up some eyes. This writer was wanted. As such I'm querying again with and wondering if you would be interested in representing I crossed this out because it seemed a little needy instead of confident. my latest young adult novel, as well as future works of mine.Nice that this lets the agent know you are querying something new and not what the other agent might have already submitted.
While the rest of humanity slumbers, Alison Kingston spends her nights battling creatures known as Nightmares. These beastly terrors threaten to plunge the world into chaos and misery not seen since the dark ages. I'm a little torn on wanting a more specific example at the front of this sentence. When the tall, dark, and annoying (maybe 'unstable' instead of 'annoying' to show where the query takes us next. Maybe also 'non-Earthling' to prepare for the next paragraph. When the tall, dark, but unstable non-Earthling) Addison Hatta charmed Alice into this life, she expected things to be less guts more glory. Instead, the battles grow bloodier, the days darker, and her partner a little mad…—er. Again, I wanted a little something specific to give me a better idea of what she's dealing with. Instead Alice is up to her elbows in the blood of bystanders, the moon's hiding its face, and her partner sees enemies everywhere, even in the daycare down the block.
Hatta’s deteriorating mental state eventually takes a physical toll (eventually leaves him shaking and ridden by headaches or whatever), and Alice together they cross crosses into his home world of Wonderland—the realm of Dreams—to find answers (help him? save him? Something that lets us know what she feels about her partner. Her emotion toward him is missing.). She discovers a growing horror in the heart of the realm. The Nightmares are stronger there, viler, and ruled by The Black Knight, whose sharp wit and sly compliments disarm Alice better(faster?) than any weapon. With his power over the Nightmares, the Black Knight unleashes a cataclysm that threatens to devour Wonderland from the inside, and Hatta along with it (Wait, did he go with her? Better make that clear.). Countering the spell would save Addison’s life, but the backlash could shatter the bridge between worlds, throwing them (does this mean the worlds or the characters. Pronoun confusion.) off balance, and casting both (both characters or both worlds?) into eternal terror. (Can you be more clear on what the 'eternal terror' is? Does that mean they have to live among the Nightmares forever?) Seems like destroying the bridge would be a good thing for Earth, but I think you're saying that's not true.
DREAMWALKER is a young adult fantasy with series potential. The whimsy of Alice in Wonderland meets the unadulterated ass-kickery of Buffy in this story complete at 87,000 words. Per your submission guidelines, I’ve included _________. Thank you for your time and consideration.
All the best, I usually let 'thank you for your time...' handle both jobs: the thanks and the closing. Again it's subjective.
I found this query pretty clear and in good shape. What I'd like to see is Alison's feelings toward her partner. Is it a romantic thing or a loyalty thing? I'm a sucker for a romantic thing between work partners. (Castle anyone?)
November 22, 2013
Getting the Call: Veronica Bartles
Everyone knows this fantastic lady from twitter, where she lends a helping hand to many. She's the definition of courage. I'm so excited to bring you a new dose of inspiration direct from Veronica Bartles.
When I was in first grade, I won second place in the state Young Author’s competition. And I decided that I was going to be a famous author when I grew up.
I started a pencil collection, determined that I would write my very first published novel with these special pencils. For years, I added to my collection, staring lovingly at these pencils that would someday make me rich and famous – as soon as I was good enough to write books for real.
But when I graduated from college, and “someday” loomed, I worried that I wasn’t good enough.
My 6-month-old son provided the perfect excuse to put my story pencils away for a bit longer. As a busy mom, I reasoned, I simply didn’t have time to write seriously yet. I’d chase my publishing dreams later, when my son was older. But then my daughter was born. And then 2 more daughters. And I kept “someday” tucked away for a future moment, where it was much less frightening.
And then, in 2008, I went to a Time Out for Women symposium, where the keynote speaker was NYT Bestselling author, Jason F. Wright. As I listened to him speak, and then chatted with him briefly, I realized that this highly-successful author was just a regular person. Like me. “If he can write bestsellers, then I could do it too,” I thought. So I came home and sharpened my very first story pencil.
Three weeks later, I had a completed first draft of my very first “real” manuscript. It was a mess, but I had written something. And I knew I could make it beautiful.
Many revisions later, I sent out my first batch of ten queries. And I quickly received nine form rejections. But the tenth rejection included a bit of encouragement that gave me the push I needed to keep going.
Once I was sure my novel was perfect, I entered it into a contest that promised feedback for all entries from one of the judges (an anonymous panel of published authors, agents and editors). And I didn’t win. In fact, my critique from the anonymous judge told me that he/she didn’t believe that my main character would have friends because “no one in his right mind would ever care about a character like that.”
Ouch!
I put my manuscript away and decided I wasn’t cut out to be a writer after all.
But that collection of story pencils called to me. Maybe my first novel wasn’t right, but perhaps the next one would be better. So I sharpened a new pencil and wrote LETTERS FROM HEAVEN: a middle grade novel about twelve-year-old Missy Tuttle, whose mother dies from a brain tumor. Dad starts dating too soon, her best friends have gone AWOL, and Missy has no one to turn to. But then, a letter arrives, signed Love, Mom. When the letters keep coming, referencing events Mom couldn't possibly have predicted, Missy realizes she's receiving actual letters from heaven.
As I was dealing with the effects of my own brain tumor, this story hit incredibly close-to-home for me, and even though I felt like I needed to write it, I didn’t want to. I kept putting the story away, but I couldn’t stop thinking about it, and I knew the story wanted to be told.
Initial feedback was overwhelmingly positive, but I couldn’t shake the fear. What if no one could ever care about this character either? So I finished the first draft and then tucked this manuscript away as well.
Fast forward to August 2011. I discovered an amazing online writer’s conference called WriteOnCon, where I devoured tips and hints from a long list of authors, agents and editors. And I participated in a live Q&A session with literary agent, Jessica Sinsheimer, who was so easy to talk to that I started following her on Twitter, and I even chatted with her from time to time about recipes and other non-writing-related (“safe”) topics.
I rewrote my first manuscript, keeping the main characters and a really good line or two. And eventually, I was getting more encouraging rejections than form letters. But with every rejection, no matter how much praise it contained for my writing, my voice, my characters, I heard a little voice whispering “no one in his right mind would ever care about a character like that.” So I decided to put the story away.
But I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to the characters yet, so I spent NaNoWriMo writing a novel “just for me.” One that I could be as silly with as I wanted, because I wasn’t trying to impress anybody.
I sat down with Andi, the little sister of my main character from that first manuscript and wrote TWELVE STEPS. The story about how she creates her own twelve-step program to steal the spotlight from her perfect sister and get the guy.
By the time November ended, I loved these characters more than ever. And so I revised, and edited and polished and revised some more, until the manuscript sparkled. I entered a few online pitch contests and got several requests from top-notch, “rockstar” agents.
While I waited to hear from these requesting agents, I pulled out LETTERS FROM HEAVEN, the middle grade manuscript I’d been working on off-and-on for three years. As difficult as it was for me to write, I finally realized that I had to finish it, for me. Because I couldn’t stop thinking about the story. So I set a goal to get the manuscript query-ready before I heard back from the agents who were considering TWELVE STEPS. And as I pushed myself through the difficult scenes, I fell in love with LETTERS FROM HEAVEN for the first time.
Then, I received 2 requests for TWELVE STEPS from publishers who had seen my pitch in a contest, and both requests quickly turned into offers of publication. I sent emails to all of the agents with my partial or full manuscript, to let them know that I had an offer.
I didn’t end up signing with an agent for TWELVE STEPS (I didn’t know at the time that, when participating in pitch contests, it’s best to choose one path – editor or agent – to focus on, although I soon discovered that it can potentially put both agents and editors in an awkward situation when the offers come rolling in), but one of the awesome agents I talked to helped me understand the differences between the offers on the table, and on her advice, I accepted the one from Swoon Romance.
Meanwhile, I kept working on LETTERS FROM HEAVEN.
I still wasn’t sure if I had the courage send it out into the world, but I loved it more and more with each revision. And so I made a deal with myself: I decided to enter LETTERS FROM HEAVEN into Brenda Drake’s Pitch Madness contest. If it was meant to be, I reasoned, I’d make it in.
I didn’t.
But Jessica Sinsheimer sent me a message on Twitter to say that she really enjoyed my blog post about how a manuscript that didn’t make it into the final round of an online pitch contest might have been really close to getting that “yes.” We started talking from time to time on Twitter, and the more we talked, the more I felt like she might be interested in a manuscript like LETTERS FROM HEAVEN. But I was afraid that our easy conversations might get awkward if I queried and she rejected. So as I was building my query list, I almost decided not to send a query to Jessica.
Luckily, Brenda smacked me upside the head and told me I was crazy. I sent the query, and almost immediately, Jessica requested the full manuscript. And about two hours after I sent the full, she let me know that she’d already started reading. And it made her cry on the subway.
Less than 24 hours later, she asked if we could set up a phone call.
And we totally clicked.
But I had other agents with my work. And I'd queried each of them for very strong, specific reasons. I couldn't just write them off. So I emailed the other agents to let them know I had an offer.
I always thought it would be awesome to be that writer with dozens of offers at once, but I quickly realized that the reality didn't fit the fantasy. How could I possibly turn down any of these rock star agents?
When a few agents told me, "This manuscript is wonderful, with a lot to love, but it's not right for me," or otherwise passed, the rejection didn't sting.
Deep in my heart, I knew I'd already made my choice. Jessica totally “got” my manuscript, and I was over-the-moon excited with her plans for it. So in the end, I accepted her offer, and I couldn’t be happier!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As the second of eight children and the mother of four, Veronica Bartles is no stranger to the ups and downs of sibling relationships. (She was sandwiched between the gorgeous-and-insanely-popular older sister and the too-adorable-for-words younger sister.) She uses this insight to write stories about siblings who mostly love each other, even while they’re driving one another crazy. When she isn’t writing or getting lost in the pages of her newest favorite book, Veronica enjoys knitting fabulous bags and jewelry out of recycled plastic bags and old VHS tapes, sky diving (though she hasn’t actually tried that yet), and inventing the world’s most delectable cookie recipes.
Veronica’s first novel, TWELVE STEPS, will be published by Swoon Romance 25 March 2014.
Links:Website: http://vbartles.com
When I was in first grade, I won second place in the state Young Author’s competition. And I decided that I was going to be a famous author when I grew up.
I started a pencil collection, determined that I would write my very first published novel with these special pencils. For years, I added to my collection, staring lovingly at these pencils that would someday make me rich and famous – as soon as I was good enough to write books for real.
But when I graduated from college, and “someday” loomed, I worried that I wasn’t good enough.
My 6-month-old son provided the perfect excuse to put my story pencils away for a bit longer. As a busy mom, I reasoned, I simply didn’t have time to write seriously yet. I’d chase my publishing dreams later, when my son was older. But then my daughter was born. And then 2 more daughters. And I kept “someday” tucked away for a future moment, where it was much less frightening.
And then, in 2008, I went to a Time Out for Women symposium, where the keynote speaker was NYT Bestselling author, Jason F. Wright. As I listened to him speak, and then chatted with him briefly, I realized that this highly-successful author was just a regular person. Like me. “If he can write bestsellers, then I could do it too,” I thought. So I came home and sharpened my very first story pencil.
Three weeks later, I had a completed first draft of my very first “real” manuscript. It was a mess, but I had written something. And I knew I could make it beautiful.
Many revisions later, I sent out my first batch of ten queries. And I quickly received nine form rejections. But the tenth rejection included a bit of encouragement that gave me the push I needed to keep going.
Once I was sure my novel was perfect, I entered it into a contest that promised feedback for all entries from one of the judges (an anonymous panel of published authors, agents and editors). And I didn’t win. In fact, my critique from the anonymous judge told me that he/she didn’t believe that my main character would have friends because “no one in his right mind would ever care about a character like that.”
Ouch!
I put my manuscript away and decided I wasn’t cut out to be a writer after all.
But that collection of story pencils called to me. Maybe my first novel wasn’t right, but perhaps the next one would be better. So I sharpened a new pencil and wrote LETTERS FROM HEAVEN: a middle grade novel about twelve-year-old Missy Tuttle, whose mother dies from a brain tumor. Dad starts dating too soon, her best friends have gone AWOL, and Missy has no one to turn to. But then, a letter arrives, signed Love, Mom. When the letters keep coming, referencing events Mom couldn't possibly have predicted, Missy realizes she's receiving actual letters from heaven.
As I was dealing with the effects of my own brain tumor, this story hit incredibly close-to-home for me, and even though I felt like I needed to write it, I didn’t want to. I kept putting the story away, but I couldn’t stop thinking about it, and I knew the story wanted to be told.
Initial feedback was overwhelmingly positive, but I couldn’t shake the fear. What if no one could ever care about this character either? So I finished the first draft and then tucked this manuscript away as well.
Fast forward to August 2011. I discovered an amazing online writer’s conference called WriteOnCon, where I devoured tips and hints from a long list of authors, agents and editors. And I participated in a live Q&A session with literary agent, Jessica Sinsheimer, who was so easy to talk to that I started following her on Twitter, and I even chatted with her from time to time about recipes and other non-writing-related (“safe”) topics.
I rewrote my first manuscript, keeping the main characters and a really good line or two. And eventually, I was getting more encouraging rejections than form letters. But with every rejection, no matter how much praise it contained for my writing, my voice, my characters, I heard a little voice whispering “no one in his right mind would ever care about a character like that.” So I decided to put the story away.
But I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to the characters yet, so I spent NaNoWriMo writing a novel “just for me.” One that I could be as silly with as I wanted, because I wasn’t trying to impress anybody.
I sat down with Andi, the little sister of my main character from that first manuscript and wrote TWELVE STEPS. The story about how she creates her own twelve-step program to steal the spotlight from her perfect sister and get the guy.
By the time November ended, I loved these characters more than ever. And so I revised, and edited and polished and revised some more, until the manuscript sparkled. I entered a few online pitch contests and got several requests from top-notch, “rockstar” agents.
While I waited to hear from these requesting agents, I pulled out LETTERS FROM HEAVEN, the middle grade manuscript I’d been working on off-and-on for three years. As difficult as it was for me to write, I finally realized that I had to finish it, for me. Because I couldn’t stop thinking about the story. So I set a goal to get the manuscript query-ready before I heard back from the agents who were considering TWELVE STEPS. And as I pushed myself through the difficult scenes, I fell in love with LETTERS FROM HEAVEN for the first time.
Then, I received 2 requests for TWELVE STEPS from publishers who had seen my pitch in a contest, and both requests quickly turned into offers of publication. I sent emails to all of the agents with my partial or full manuscript, to let them know that I had an offer.
I didn’t end up signing with an agent for TWELVE STEPS (I didn’t know at the time that, when participating in pitch contests, it’s best to choose one path – editor or agent – to focus on, although I soon discovered that it can potentially put both agents and editors in an awkward situation when the offers come rolling in), but one of the awesome agents I talked to helped me understand the differences between the offers on the table, and on her advice, I accepted the one from Swoon Romance.
Meanwhile, I kept working on LETTERS FROM HEAVEN.
I still wasn’t sure if I had the courage send it out into the world, but I loved it more and more with each revision. And so I made a deal with myself: I decided to enter LETTERS FROM HEAVEN into Brenda Drake’s Pitch Madness contest. If it was meant to be, I reasoned, I’d make it in.
I didn’t.
But Jessica Sinsheimer sent me a message on Twitter to say that she really enjoyed my blog post about how a manuscript that didn’t make it into the final round of an online pitch contest might have been really close to getting that “yes.” We started talking from time to time on Twitter, and the more we talked, the more I felt like she might be interested in a manuscript like LETTERS FROM HEAVEN. But I was afraid that our easy conversations might get awkward if I queried and she rejected. So as I was building my query list, I almost decided not to send a query to Jessica.
Luckily, Brenda smacked me upside the head and told me I was crazy. I sent the query, and almost immediately, Jessica requested the full manuscript. And about two hours after I sent the full, she let me know that she’d already started reading. And it made her cry on the subway.
Less than 24 hours later, she asked if we could set up a phone call.
And we totally clicked.
But I had other agents with my work. And I'd queried each of them for very strong, specific reasons. I couldn't just write them off. So I emailed the other agents to let them know I had an offer.
I always thought it would be awesome to be that writer with dozens of offers at once, but I quickly realized that the reality didn't fit the fantasy. How could I possibly turn down any of these rock star agents?
When a few agents told me, "This manuscript is wonderful, with a lot to love, but it's not right for me," or otherwise passed, the rejection didn't sting.
Deep in my heart, I knew I'd already made my choice. Jessica totally “got” my manuscript, and I was over-the-moon excited with her plans for it. So in the end, I accepted her offer, and I couldn’t be happier!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As the second of eight children and the mother of four, Veronica Bartles is no stranger to the ups and downs of sibling relationships. (She was sandwiched between the gorgeous-and-insanely-popular older sister and the too-adorable-for-words younger sister.) She uses this insight to write stories about siblings who mostly love each other, even while they’re driving one another crazy. When she isn’t writing or getting lost in the pages of her newest favorite book, Veronica enjoys knitting fabulous bags and jewelry out of recycled plastic bags and old VHS tapes, sky diving (though she hasn’t actually tried that yet), and inventing the world’s most delectable cookie recipes.
Veronica’s first novel, TWELVE STEPS, will be published by Swoon Romance 25 March 2014.
Links:Website: http://vbartles.com
November 21, 2013
Fall Query Extravaganza 12
I'll be doing a limited number of query critiques this fall. Right now my queue is full.
Participants must comment on as many queries as they can to pay it forward. All query critiques are subjective. And rabbits don't come out of my hat, but I'll do my best. Objects in mirror may be closer than they appear. Buy one and I'll throw in a set of free steak knives, just pay separate shipping and handling fees.
As sent to me:
Dear Agent,
Twelve-year old Jace Folsom may need to pay closer attention in health studies because he doesn't remember learning about sprouting wings during puberty.
He also doesn't remember hearing about a world called Aeternus where all mythical creatures have been extinct to but he is about to visit.
When one of the creatures that perform the extinctions abducts his dad, Jace, his best friend, and kid brother must go on an unusual rescue mission. Jace learns not just how to fly and master a bosk stick for defense, but what strengths lie deep within himself to save his father and this new wondrous land he now calls home.
JACE FOLSOM; EXTINCTION, complete at 48,000 words, is a middle grade, adventure- fantasy; the first in a trilogy
My thoughts:
Dear Agent, There's been a rash of these lately. A colon goes here, not a comma.
Twelve-year old (all in hyphens: Twelve-year-old) Jace Folsom may ('May' weakens the sentence. Remember Yoda. Do or don't do, there is no try.) needs to pay closer attention in health studies because he doesn't remember learning about sprouting wings during puberty. Tighten. because he doesn't remember puberty means sprouting wings.
He also doesn't remember hearing about a world called Aeternus(comma) where all mythical creatures have been extinct to but he is about to visit. This last part is confusing me. Do you mean the creatures are extinct in Aeternus? Because they are also extinct here on Earth. Or perhaps this should say exiled? They exiled mythical creatures from Earth to Aeternus. Maybe the rest of the query will make it more clear.
I would get rid of the 'about to visit' part and wait for us to get to that point in the query.
I think I've got it now. Maybe something like this:
He also doesn't remember hearing about a world called Aeternus. But rabbit-headed creatures (use the real thing from your story) are crossing over to Earth to create extinctions. Where'd the dinosaurs go? Well, it wasn't an asteroid after all. And now Jace and his genetic-mutation wings are next.
When one of the creatures that perform the extinctions abducts his dad, Jace, his best friend, and kid brother must go on an unusual rescue mission. Big question here. Why do the creatures want Jace's dad? It sort of sounds like they want to make dads extinct, but I'm sure that's not what you meant. It would be easier to read if you identify the creatures. When the rabbit-heads abducts Jace's dad because he's about to spill the beans, Jace and his pals must go on an unusual rescue mission. Jace learns not just how to fly (Is this the wings in the first paragraph, because I would like to see the wings explained more. Right now, it feels like your hook got lost. Why does he have wings?) and master a bosk stick for defense, but what strengths lie deep within himself to save his father and this new wondrous land he now calls home. Save from what? You haven't spelled out the danger to the new land or why Jace is now living there. Your stakes could use a reboot.
JACE FOLSOM; EXTINCTION, complete at 48,000 words, is a middle grade, adventure- fantasy; the first in a trilogy. A little rearranging. Complete at 48,000 words, JACE FOLSOM; EXTINCTION is a middle grade adventure fantasy with series potential.
I would guess this query suffers from the author being too close to the story, and trying to be short and exact. The things that got cut from the query are probably the information we needed to understand what's happening. One thing we never came back to is the wings in the first paragraph. Nor are the stakes clearly explained, or why Jace switched to a new land. Why was his dad abducted?
Don't be afraid to expand on the word count to give us these answers.
Participants must comment on as many queries as they can to pay it forward. All query critiques are subjective. And rabbits don't come out of my hat, but I'll do my best. Objects in mirror may be closer than they appear. Buy one and I'll throw in a set of free steak knives, just pay separate shipping and handling fees.
As sent to me:
Dear Agent,
Twelve-year old Jace Folsom may need to pay closer attention in health studies because he doesn't remember learning about sprouting wings during puberty.
He also doesn't remember hearing about a world called Aeternus where all mythical creatures have been extinct to but he is about to visit.
When one of the creatures that perform the extinctions abducts his dad, Jace, his best friend, and kid brother must go on an unusual rescue mission. Jace learns not just how to fly and master a bosk stick for defense, but what strengths lie deep within himself to save his father and this new wondrous land he now calls home.
JACE FOLSOM; EXTINCTION, complete at 48,000 words, is a middle grade, adventure- fantasy; the first in a trilogy
My thoughts:
Dear Agent, There's been a rash of these lately. A colon goes here, not a comma.
Twelve-year old (all in hyphens: Twelve-year-old) Jace Folsom may ('May' weakens the sentence. Remember Yoda. Do or don't do, there is no try.) needs to pay closer attention in health studies because he doesn't remember learning about sprouting wings during puberty. Tighten. because he doesn't remember puberty means sprouting wings.
He also doesn't remember hearing about a world called Aeternus(comma) where all mythical creatures have been extinct to but he is about to visit. This last part is confusing me. Do you mean the creatures are extinct in Aeternus? Because they are also extinct here on Earth. Or perhaps this should say exiled? They exiled mythical creatures from Earth to Aeternus. Maybe the rest of the query will make it more clear.
I would get rid of the 'about to visit' part and wait for us to get to that point in the query.
I think I've got it now. Maybe something like this:
He also doesn't remember hearing about a world called Aeternus. But rabbit-headed creatures (use the real thing from your story) are crossing over to Earth to create extinctions. Where'd the dinosaurs go? Well, it wasn't an asteroid after all. And now Jace and his genetic-mutation wings are next.
When one of the creatures that perform the extinctions abducts his dad, Jace, his best friend, and kid brother must go on an unusual rescue mission. Big question here. Why do the creatures want Jace's dad? It sort of sounds like they want to make dads extinct, but I'm sure that's not what you meant. It would be easier to read if you identify the creatures. When the rabbit-heads abducts Jace's dad because he's about to spill the beans, Jace and his pals must go on an unusual rescue mission. Jace learns not just how to fly (Is this the wings in the first paragraph, because I would like to see the wings explained more. Right now, it feels like your hook got lost. Why does he have wings?) and master a bosk stick for defense, but what strengths lie deep within himself to save his father and this new wondrous land he now calls home. Save from what? You haven't spelled out the danger to the new land or why Jace is now living there. Your stakes could use a reboot.
JACE FOLSOM; EXTINCTION, complete at 48,000 words, is a middle grade, adventure- fantasy; the first in a trilogy. A little rearranging. Complete at 48,000 words, JACE FOLSOM; EXTINCTION is a middle grade adventure fantasy with series potential.
I would guess this query suffers from the author being too close to the story, and trying to be short and exact. The things that got cut from the query are probably the information we needed to understand what's happening. One thing we never came back to is the wings in the first paragraph. Nor are the stakes clearly explained, or why Jace switched to a new land. Why was his dad abducted?
Don't be afraid to expand on the word count to give us these answers.
November 20, 2013
Facebook as a Promotion/Marketing Tool with Jean Oram
Jean Oram, author of Champagne and Lemon and now, Whiskey and Gumdrops, is a model for marketing and promotion. Knowing the market for sweet romances was tight, she forged ahead and took control of her own destiny by self-publishing her books and putting the first of the Blueberry series books out free. I hope she won’t mind my comparing Champagne and Lemon Drops to a cozy mystery, only take out the word mystery and insert romance. She writes the type of cozy romance that makes you want to curl up with her books before a fire, and just enjoy.
Now Jean has released her second book, Whiskey and Gumdrops. To celebrate she put on a grand Facebook release party. I couldn’t help but notice her large following of fans and their dozens of comments to her posts. We could all take a lesson from her.
How long had you been building your Facebook page before your newest book released this month? Would you recommend starting well before you publish?
Oh, ages. But nothing really happened for the first few years with my Facebook page (www.facebook.com/jeanoramauthor). I made it years ago to ‘reserve’ the URL (The ‘jeanoramauthor’ part) even though I felt like a poser calling myself ‘author’—it was while I was still aspiring to make the writer-to-author leap. I ignored the page for years. Then about a year ago I started using it a bit more. With the release of Champagne and Lemon Drops (my first book) last March I started using the page more and making sure I had links to it on my website and in my email signature.
I would recommend writers and future authors start a Facebook page ahead of time. For two reasons. 1) So they can reserve their URL—ideally their name. When you use a vanity URL (such as your name) with Facebook, it makes it easy for people to find your page—and for you to remember.
2) If you use Facebook ahead of time you can enjoy the bumps and spills without a big audience or higher stakes. Made up example: Readers like to friend authors which is really cool (this part is true). But do you want them popping over to your profile and seeing your old college roommate’s posted photo of you with a bong? Does that fit your Christian Romance author image and brand? Not so much. If you play around ahead of time you can do things like start two Facebook profiles or use Facebook features to sort out who sees what on your profile page, etc. Basically, you have time to prepare and figure things out while the stakes are low.
Why a Facebook release party? What can Facebook do that other forms of social media lack?
Everyone else was doing it. Oh, um I mean…
The easy answer is, Facebook is a platform that allows readers to jump to one place and interact and see the whole string of a conversation. It’s easier to interact than, say, Twitter, where using a hashtag can be unreliable (you see the same tweets more than once, or you miss some). In my case, a lot of romance readers are on Facebook. I didn’t use Facebook much before releasing my book, but now that I’ve figured out that is the best place to interact with my readers, it is where I spend the bulk of my social media time.
So, in my case, Facebook provided the platform I needed for the type of celebration/event/party I wanted to hold, and it was also where my audience was. (Or at least a good portion of it.) For the launch party, I created a Facebook event.
As for why a release party…it seemed like a fun experiment. I wasn’t sure what to expect and part way through the 2-day event of 14 hour days I questioned why I was doing it as well as my sanity. (This was coupled by the fact that I had moved house a week prior and was still living out of cardboard boxes and the Internet guy hadn’t arrived yet—meaning I held the event using my cell phone as a hot spot with its 1 bar of service. Oh, and Mother Nature threw in a snow storm which meant my go-somewhere-else-and-poach-Internet backup plan was yanked off the table.)
Anyway, the party turned out well. The readers enjoyed it. They invited friends. People bought my book. Left reviews for book 1 & 2. Downloaded the first book (Champagne and Lemon Drops which is a FREE romance!). And they subscribed to my newsletter so we can stay in touch—a place where they’ll hear about new releases and other goodies that are exclusive to newsletter readers. (By the way, you want to connect with readers on your own turf (like a newsletter) because what happens if Facebook suddenly disappears or everyone scatters to Twitter and Google+ and Pinterest and twenty other new online places? Then where are you for connecting with your readers?)
But most of all…I connected with readers in the launch party. I heard their stories. I know who they are now—and vice versa. We had a ton of fun. And as a nice side effect, I also now I have more Facebook interaction on my page. I didn’t used to. I would post things and nobody would like, see, comment, share, etc. Now I post and people interact! HOLY MOLY. That has been one of the coolest results of the launch party (readers are thinking of me as a friend and are interacting!). It’s something I couldn’t have predicted and could never guarantee as a given result.
Did you also link to other social media, like twitter?
I have connected with readers on Twitter and my blog. But not in the same way I have with Facebook. I do still use Twitter for mentioning giveaways, newsletters, etc., but I find Twitter works best for networking with other writers.
Attracting a large Facebook following is an achievement, but do you have some hints on how you got such an active group of fans? I posted a comment to one of your status updates and my inbox was full the rest of the day with other people responding also.
Sorry about that. The inbox can be a casualty in all of this excitement. I don’t have a huge Facebook following, but they are, for the most part, people who are genuinely interested in my books or me. I haven’t jumped into ‘page liking’ events as I figure those people aren’t likely to be my real audience. For me, it is about gaining genuine, quality followers rather than quantity (same with my newsletter). (I have 391 likes at the time of writing this. About 100 of those came in the past two or three weeks—with the book launch activities—and the bulk are definitely readers.)
To find those quality readers, I mention my Facebook page in places where readers are—my readers (or potential readers—has to be my genre!). For example, in the signature of my email, in my newsletter, in the back of my book. And I try to post things on my page that would be of value (interest/entertainment/helpful) to my readers. As well, if I am doing cross-promotion with other authors, if it is fitting, when I am saying goodbye to readers I’ll reach out and say something like, “You can stay in touch with me on Facebook by liking my page at www.facebook.com/jeanoramauthor.” You’ve got to make it easy as well as give them a reason to connect that has value for them.
But the big thing is to interact in a genuine manner and show real interest in these really cool and intriguing people, offer them something of value, and then let them know where to find you. They aren’t likely to go looking for you if you don’t know you are there. And it’s all about relationships.
You asked fellow authors to help out with your release. What did you have them do?
Yes. I had 16 amazing and generous authors help me out. I didn’t ask them to promote me. I asked them to come and meet my readers. Hang out if they had time. Hold or sponsor a giveaway of one of their books or other item of their choice. And then I promoted them. I shared a tidbit about them around an hour ahead of their giveaway to make them real to the reader/guest and mentioned whether they had a free book, etc. I tried to always swing it so there was something of value being offered to the reader/guest. Many of the authors popped in to say hi, hold their own giveaway along with a little game or what-not.
I did not ask the authors to promote me. Although quite a few of them did. Readers seemed to enjoy meeting other authors, interacting, and getting free books, etc.
What kind of status updates work best for getting comments?
This depends a bit on your audience and what intrigues them. I’ve found that status updates that readers can interact with seem to work well. Ask them a question. Share a good book and ask if anyone has read it. Posts that not only show you are human, but also what it’s like to be you—the author—and ask them to interact with you seem to work well. Photos can be good too. (Watch out for copyright!)
And reply. If you are going to interact, you’ve got to show up. You can’t throw an update against the wall and run away. Some authors have found certain times of day work best for them or that a certain number of posts work well. Experiment. (It’ll change over time too.)
I noticed you had giveaways of small items, like hand-crafted necklaces. Where did you get the idea and was that successful? What other sorts of items do you believe would work well as giveaways?
I gave away about twenty necklaces and keychains that sported the cover art of Champagne and Lemon Drops or Whiskey and Gumdrops. They were made by a reader I met in another author’s launch party while I was doing cross-promotion. She was making them for other authors (with their cover art) and I told her they were wonderful and special. They truly are. She—the VERY generous soul that she is—made me a keychain and necklace for myself and my daughter and sent them to me. I was over the moon! In the end, she generously made some for the launch party as well. I can’t take any credit for those little treasures—it was all her and her generous soul.
As for what readers like to take away—I think something unique and special. A gift card for Amazon is nice, but anyone can get one of those. A signed paperback means a lot. As well, little mementos mean more, too. But, it is a funny thing. When I asked my Facebook page readers a few months back if they wanted Blueberry Springs coffee cups they said nope. So ask your audience. But generally, the true love-to-read-and-aren’t-about-the-iPad-giveaways folks love the items that are special. They don’t have to be big.
Did you include giveaways of Whiskey and Gumdrops as incentives also, or is that something you would save for later on in the book’s publishing timeline?
I was holding a giveaway of Whiskey and Gumdrops on a reader’s Facebook page during the launch party, but I didn’t have a giveaway of Whiskey and Gumdrops in the launch party until the very final hours.
Readers did want giveaways of the book.
I wanted sales.
You know… launch the book high and hope for visibility and for it to stick up somewhere good. With the giveaway—because it had been mentioned in the launch party—I heard from some readers that they were waiting to see if they won before purchasing the book. Nooooooo! Did they run out and buy it when they found out they hadn’t won? I dunno. The winners of the giveaway were announced after the hoopla of the launch party when the impetus to hit the ‘buy with one click’ button had been lessened.
If holding a giveaway for the book in the launch, I would do it early on. Really early.
There will be more giveaways for Whiskey and Gumdrops. I am currently holding one this weekend (Nov 15-18th) on a reader’s blog. I also am planning a paperback giveaway on Goodreads as soon as I can get my act together. Hopefully this week. No promises on that though seeing as a somehow blended a gasket in with my cream soup in the blender the other night. The black bits…not pepper, kids!
Do you include links to your Facebook page in your books and have you any indication that readers actually use them?
Yes, I do include a link to my Facebook page in the back of my books. Do readers use them? I don’t know. But they do sign up from my newsletter using the link at the back of the book and I do have likers pop up here and there on Facebook, so I’m going to say yes. But it isn’t an amazing outpouring of Facebook liking happening. I get more newsletter subscribers.
What’s the most important thing to remember when using Facebook as a marketing tool?
Always direct them home every once in awhile. In other words, make sure you exist off of Facebook (or other forms of online media that are run by others and not controlled by you) in case Facebook suddenly nixes Facebook pages or something equally rash. You are building your platform on someone else’s turf and using their rules. So, be sure to use a belt as well as suspenders (this is your income, after all) and direct readers back to something you (hopefully) have more control over like your website or newsletter as a way to stay in touch.
As well, read Facebook’s rules. Yes, it sucks reading the fine print. But so does having your page removed without warning because you broke a rule—it’s happened to authors. Beware!
Oh, and have funnnnnn! If you aren’t having fun, it’ll show. Make this journey yours. However that happens to look.
Anything you would change or improve for next time?
Yep. I would not launch right after moving house. I would ensure I had Internet coming out the wazoo. I would also likely spread out the giveaways in the launch party a bit more. Hold a book giveaway earlier. And most of all, remember to breathe. ;) Oh, and make sure my books were uploaded way ahead of time on places that are slower. It really sucks to have only 2 of 4 major vendors selling your book at launch. (Again, part of that was the Internet issue which was related to moving…but you get the picture.)But there is so muchI wouldn’t change. And that’s what really matters. JThis is what has worked for me. What’s worked for you and your readers, Michelle?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BIO:Jean Oram loves to read and has worked as a librarian--a job that is a serious contender for the best job ever as duties include buying thousands of new books with someone else's money! She also loves the great outdoors and has worked as a beekeeper as well as a ski instructor in Alberta, Canada. She loves to travel and people watch and now puts her experiences to the page with zany characters and a mysterious (very ugly) couch that keeps reappearing in different stories. Now... if she could only get those odd socks to pair up at home!
Jean's first novel (FREE!) is Champagne and Lemon Drops with many more planned in the Blueberry Springs series. She loves to connect on Twitter (@jeanoram) and share lots of great, free romance on her blog (www.jeanoram.com) as well as on Facebook (www.facebook.com/jeanoramauthor) and more writing tips at www.thehelpfulwriter.com. She lives with her family and a multitude of pets.
WHISKEY AND GUMDROPS:
AMAZON: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00G...
Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/eboo...
Barnes and Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/whisk...
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/whiskey-and-gumdrops/id728592847?mt=11
Smashwor
CHAMPAGNE AND LEMON DROPS:
Amazon.com: http://amzn.com/B00BR3AT9G / http://www.amazon.com/Champagne-Lemon...
Kobo:http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Champa...
Barnes and Noble:http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/champ...
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/cham...
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
Sony Ereader Store:https://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/jea...
Now Jean has released her second book, Whiskey and Gumdrops. To celebrate she put on a grand Facebook release party. I couldn’t help but notice her large following of fans and their dozens of comments to her posts. We could all take a lesson from her.How long had you been building your Facebook page before your newest book released this month? Would you recommend starting well before you publish?
Oh, ages. But nothing really happened for the first few years with my Facebook page (www.facebook.com/jeanoramauthor). I made it years ago to ‘reserve’ the URL (The ‘jeanoramauthor’ part) even though I felt like a poser calling myself ‘author’—it was while I was still aspiring to make the writer-to-author leap. I ignored the page for years. Then about a year ago I started using it a bit more. With the release of Champagne and Lemon Drops (my first book) last March I started using the page more and making sure I had links to it on my website and in my email signature.
I would recommend writers and future authors start a Facebook page ahead of time. For two reasons. 1) So they can reserve their URL—ideally their name. When you use a vanity URL (such as your name) with Facebook, it makes it easy for people to find your page—and for you to remember.
2) If you use Facebook ahead of time you can enjoy the bumps and spills without a big audience or higher stakes. Made up example: Readers like to friend authors which is really cool (this part is true). But do you want them popping over to your profile and seeing your old college roommate’s posted photo of you with a bong? Does that fit your Christian Romance author image and brand? Not so much. If you play around ahead of time you can do things like start two Facebook profiles or use Facebook features to sort out who sees what on your profile page, etc. Basically, you have time to prepare and figure things out while the stakes are low.
Why a Facebook release party? What can Facebook do that other forms of social media lack?
Everyone else was doing it. Oh, um I mean…
The easy answer is, Facebook is a platform that allows readers to jump to one place and interact and see the whole string of a conversation. It’s easier to interact than, say, Twitter, where using a hashtag can be unreliable (you see the same tweets more than once, or you miss some). In my case, a lot of romance readers are on Facebook. I didn’t use Facebook much before releasing my book, but now that I’ve figured out that is the best place to interact with my readers, it is where I spend the bulk of my social media time.
So, in my case, Facebook provided the platform I needed for the type of celebration/event/party I wanted to hold, and it was also where my audience was. (Or at least a good portion of it.) For the launch party, I created a Facebook event.
As for why a release party…it seemed like a fun experiment. I wasn’t sure what to expect and part way through the 2-day event of 14 hour days I questioned why I was doing it as well as my sanity. (This was coupled by the fact that I had moved house a week prior and was still living out of cardboard boxes and the Internet guy hadn’t arrived yet—meaning I held the event using my cell phone as a hot spot with its 1 bar of service. Oh, and Mother Nature threw in a snow storm which meant my go-somewhere-else-and-poach-Internet backup plan was yanked off the table.)
Anyway, the party turned out well. The readers enjoyed it. They invited friends. People bought my book. Left reviews for book 1 & 2. Downloaded the first book (Champagne and Lemon Drops which is a FREE romance!). And they subscribed to my newsletter so we can stay in touch—a place where they’ll hear about new releases and other goodies that are exclusive to newsletter readers. (By the way, you want to connect with readers on your own turf (like a newsletter) because what happens if Facebook suddenly disappears or everyone scatters to Twitter and Google+ and Pinterest and twenty other new online places? Then where are you for connecting with your readers?)
But most of all…I connected with readers in the launch party. I heard their stories. I know who they are now—and vice versa. We had a ton of fun. And as a nice side effect, I also now I have more Facebook interaction on my page. I didn’t used to. I would post things and nobody would like, see, comment, share, etc. Now I post and people interact! HOLY MOLY. That has been one of the coolest results of the launch party (readers are thinking of me as a friend and are interacting!). It’s something I couldn’t have predicted and could never guarantee as a given result.
Did you also link to other social media, like twitter?
I have connected with readers on Twitter and my blog. But not in the same way I have with Facebook. I do still use Twitter for mentioning giveaways, newsletters, etc., but I find Twitter works best for networking with other writers.
Attracting a large Facebook following is an achievement, but do you have some hints on how you got such an active group of fans? I posted a comment to one of your status updates and my inbox was full the rest of the day with other people responding also.
Sorry about that. The inbox can be a casualty in all of this excitement. I don’t have a huge Facebook following, but they are, for the most part, people who are genuinely interested in my books or me. I haven’t jumped into ‘page liking’ events as I figure those people aren’t likely to be my real audience. For me, it is about gaining genuine, quality followers rather than quantity (same with my newsletter). (I have 391 likes at the time of writing this. About 100 of those came in the past two or three weeks—with the book launch activities—and the bulk are definitely readers.)
To find those quality readers, I mention my Facebook page in places where readers are—my readers (or potential readers—has to be my genre!). For example, in the signature of my email, in my newsletter, in the back of my book. And I try to post things on my page that would be of value (interest/entertainment/helpful) to my readers. As well, if I am doing cross-promotion with other authors, if it is fitting, when I am saying goodbye to readers I’ll reach out and say something like, “You can stay in touch with me on Facebook by liking my page at www.facebook.com/jeanoramauthor.” You’ve got to make it easy as well as give them a reason to connect that has value for them.
But the big thing is to interact in a genuine manner and show real interest in these really cool and intriguing people, offer them something of value, and then let them know where to find you. They aren’t likely to go looking for you if you don’t know you are there. And it’s all about relationships.
You asked fellow authors to help out with your release. What did you have them do?
Yes. I had 16 amazing and generous authors help me out. I didn’t ask them to promote me. I asked them to come and meet my readers. Hang out if they had time. Hold or sponsor a giveaway of one of their books or other item of their choice. And then I promoted them. I shared a tidbit about them around an hour ahead of their giveaway to make them real to the reader/guest and mentioned whether they had a free book, etc. I tried to always swing it so there was something of value being offered to the reader/guest. Many of the authors popped in to say hi, hold their own giveaway along with a little game or what-not.
I did not ask the authors to promote me. Although quite a few of them did. Readers seemed to enjoy meeting other authors, interacting, and getting free books, etc.
What kind of status updates work best for getting comments?
This depends a bit on your audience and what intrigues them. I’ve found that status updates that readers can interact with seem to work well. Ask them a question. Share a good book and ask if anyone has read it. Posts that not only show you are human, but also what it’s like to be you—the author—and ask them to interact with you seem to work well. Photos can be good too. (Watch out for copyright!)
And reply. If you are going to interact, you’ve got to show up. You can’t throw an update against the wall and run away. Some authors have found certain times of day work best for them or that a certain number of posts work well. Experiment. (It’ll change over time too.)
I noticed you had giveaways of small items, like hand-crafted necklaces. Where did you get the idea and was that successful? What other sorts of items do you believe would work well as giveaways?
I gave away about twenty necklaces and keychains that sported the cover art of Champagne and Lemon Drops or Whiskey and Gumdrops. They were made by a reader I met in another author’s launch party while I was doing cross-promotion. She was making them for other authors (with their cover art) and I told her they were wonderful and special. They truly are. She—the VERY generous soul that she is—made me a keychain and necklace for myself and my daughter and sent them to me. I was over the moon! In the end, she generously made some for the launch party as well. I can’t take any credit for those little treasures—it was all her and her generous soul.
As for what readers like to take away—I think something unique and special. A gift card for Amazon is nice, but anyone can get one of those. A signed paperback means a lot. As well, little mementos mean more, too. But, it is a funny thing. When I asked my Facebook page readers a few months back if they wanted Blueberry Springs coffee cups they said nope. So ask your audience. But generally, the true love-to-read-and-aren’t-about-the-iPad-giveaways folks love the items that are special. They don’t have to be big.
Did you include giveaways of Whiskey and Gumdrops as incentives also, or is that something you would save for later on in the book’s publishing timeline?
I was holding a giveaway of Whiskey and Gumdrops on a reader’s Facebook page during the launch party, but I didn’t have a giveaway of Whiskey and Gumdrops in the launch party until the very final hours.
Readers did want giveaways of the book.
I wanted sales.
You know… launch the book high and hope for visibility and for it to stick up somewhere good. With the giveaway—because it had been mentioned in the launch party—I heard from some readers that they were waiting to see if they won before purchasing the book. Nooooooo! Did they run out and buy it when they found out they hadn’t won? I dunno. The winners of the giveaway were announced after the hoopla of the launch party when the impetus to hit the ‘buy with one click’ button had been lessened.
If holding a giveaway for the book in the launch, I would do it early on. Really early.
There will be more giveaways for Whiskey and Gumdrops. I am currently holding one this weekend (Nov 15-18th) on a reader’s blog. I also am planning a paperback giveaway on Goodreads as soon as I can get my act together. Hopefully this week. No promises on that though seeing as a somehow blended a gasket in with my cream soup in the blender the other night. The black bits…not pepper, kids!
Do you include links to your Facebook page in your books and have you any indication that readers actually use them?
Yes, I do include a link to my Facebook page in the back of my books. Do readers use them? I don’t know. But they do sign up from my newsletter using the link at the back of the book and I do have likers pop up here and there on Facebook, so I’m going to say yes. But it isn’t an amazing outpouring of Facebook liking happening. I get more newsletter subscribers.
What’s the most important thing to remember when using Facebook as a marketing tool?
Always direct them home every once in awhile. In other words, make sure you exist off of Facebook (or other forms of online media that are run by others and not controlled by you) in case Facebook suddenly nixes Facebook pages or something equally rash. You are building your platform on someone else’s turf and using their rules. So, be sure to use a belt as well as suspenders (this is your income, after all) and direct readers back to something you (hopefully) have more control over like your website or newsletter as a way to stay in touch.
As well, read Facebook’s rules. Yes, it sucks reading the fine print. But so does having your page removed without warning because you broke a rule—it’s happened to authors. Beware!
Oh, and have funnnnnn! If you aren’t having fun, it’ll show. Make this journey yours. However that happens to look.
Anything you would change or improve for next time?
Yep. I would not launch right after moving house. I would ensure I had Internet coming out the wazoo. I would also likely spread out the giveaways in the launch party a bit more. Hold a book giveaway earlier. And most of all, remember to breathe. ;) Oh, and make sure my books were uploaded way ahead of time on places that are slower. It really sucks to have only 2 of 4 major vendors selling your book at launch. (Again, part of that was the Internet issue which was related to moving…but you get the picture.)But there is so muchI wouldn’t change. And that’s what really matters. JThis is what has worked for me. What’s worked for you and your readers, Michelle?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BIO:Jean Oram loves to read and has worked as a librarian--a job that is a serious contender for the best job ever as duties include buying thousands of new books with someone else's money! She also loves the great outdoors and has worked as a beekeeper as well as a ski instructor in Alberta, Canada. She loves to travel and people watch and now puts her experiences to the page with zany characters and a mysterious (very ugly) couch that keeps reappearing in different stories. Now... if she could only get those odd socks to pair up at home!
Jean's first novel (FREE!) is Champagne and Lemon Drops with many more planned in the Blueberry Springs series. She loves to connect on Twitter (@jeanoram) and share lots of great, free romance on her blog (www.jeanoram.com) as well as on Facebook (www.facebook.com/jeanoramauthor) and more writing tips at www.thehelpfulwriter.com. She lives with her family and a multitude of pets.
WHISKEY AND GUMDROPS:
AMAZON: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00G...
Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/eboo...
Barnes and Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/whisk...
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/whiskey-and-gumdrops/id728592847?mt=11
Smashwor
CHAMPAGNE AND LEMON DROPS:
Amazon.com: http://amzn.com/B00BR3AT9G / http://www.amazon.com/Champagne-Lemon...
Kobo:http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Champa...
Barnes and Noble:http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/champ...
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/cham...
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
Sony Ereader Store:https://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/jea...
