Sarah Nicolas's Blog, page 13

My Latest Articles at Book Riot

I haven't updated since last summer, so here are the articles I've published at Book Riot since then!

100 Must-Read Middle Grade Fantasy Books from the Last 10 Years 8-8-17
Leigh Bardugo Talks Wonder Woman: Warbringer 8-28-17
Inbox/Outbox 9-22-17
10 US Rare Bookstores You Can Visit Right Now 10-18-17
"Audiobooks Don't Count": A Suggestion of Extreme Privilege 10-24-17
12 Books to Get You Through NaNoWriMo 10-27-17
Must-Read November New Releases 11-1-17
12 Audiobooks to Listen to During Holiday Chores 11-7-17
Gifts for the Power Readers in Your Life 12-5-17
Ernest Cline is Writing a Ready Player One Sequel 12-11-17
25 of the Absolute Best Cozy Mystery Series 12-13-17
100 Must-Read Young Adult Science Fiction Books 3-1-18

Hard Truth Time: Not Every Book Deserves to be Published

I wrote this book. Let’s call it MF. I thought it was fantastic, unique, clever, wonderful, etc. It was going to be a great hit and sell movies because it was so awesome.

It was the second book I ever wrote (the first is this glorious kind of mess that I do intend on resurrecting one day) and I thought I had figured out this book-writing thing. Friends told me it was great. When I saw hundreds of agent rejections, those same friends said things like, “Have you thought about self-publishing? I heard about this author who makes so much money doing that.”

This was in that weird transitional period of self publishing where some industry people were just starting to admit its validity as a publishing option.

But I knew self-publishing was not right for that book. As green as I was, I knew how hard it was (and is) for self-published authors to sell books in the YA market. After querying it ad nauseam, I put it aside and started writing another book (which would become Dragons are People, Too).

While in the querying trenches for DAPT, I decided to go back to MF and see if I could repackage it or edit it again — do something with it.

Dear Lady Godiva, was that book terrible:

Derivative with serious pacing issues.
A sagging middle on a scale of geologic proportions.
Unlikable characters at every turn.
Absolutely no sense of place.
A magic system that makes zero sense.

With distance and a year+ of education and study, I could see the book clearly. I felt a little embarrassed that I had sent this to so many agents; that so many people I respected had actually had to read part of it. If I were to salvage it, it would require a complete start-over-from-page-one rewrite.

I’m writing this now because I see the “if this gets x many rejections, I’m just going to self publish it” conversation nearly every day now. While I fully support self-publishing (my romance alter-ego Aria Kane self-publishes most of her books), I don’t think it’s for everyone or every book and I do believe too many people go into it without enough research or knowledge. As with almost everything else in life: Just because you can, doesn’t necessarily mean you should.

I understand this supportive culture we’ve developed in this industry and I love it. Publishing is a tough gig. We all need cheerleaders sometimes. But I am so glad I didn’t have today’s resounding chorus of “Yeah! Just self-publish it!” back then. I might have listened to them and I would have regretted it.

Because, honestly, some books just don’t deserve to be published. Some books, like MF, suck big-time. And the most important part is:

that’s okay! 

It doesn’t mean you’re a bad writer. It doesn’t mean you won’t ever write a great book. It is not a judgement on your worth or your value.

It’s a tough truth to face. I know how hard it is to let go of a book that you’ve spent a year or more working on. It seems like letting go of those characters and that story will kill you or, less dramatically, that you may never write another book you love just as much.

But you will. And the next one will probably be better.

A closing note: I can’t tell you how you know whether a book is worth it or not. I struggle with that, myself. But I do know that spending time away from the book can give you enough distance to make that self-evaluation. Or find a critical someone who is really not afraid to break your heart.

Am I a Good Enough Writer or Should I Just Quit Now? #pitchwars

I wrote this twitter thread a while back, but now that the Pitch Wars mentee list has been announced, I thought it'd be a good time to Storify it and add it to my blog.

[View the story "Am I Good Enough to Make it as a Writer?" on Storify]

Win an eARC of BREAKING THE RULES OF REVENGE by Samantha Bohrman

My book Keeping Her Secret  is part of the multi-author Endless Summer series from Entangled Teen. Today, I'm giving away two eARCs of the third book in the series (each book is entirely standalone and they don't need to be read in order), Breaking the Rules of Revenge by Samantha Bohrman, releasing September 11th!

Mallory Jones is tired of being the girl who stays home and practices French horn while her identical twin, Blake, is crowned homecoming queen. So when she has the opportunity to pretend to be Blake, she takes it. At Camp Pine Ridge, she will spread her wings and emerge a butterfly. Or at least someone who finally gets kissed by a cute guy. That is, until bad boy Ben Iron Cloud shows up, ready to get revenge on Blake—aka Mallory.

If it weren’t for that infuriating girl, Ben wouldn’t even be at camp. Luckily, he now has six weeks to soak up some rays and get even with his nemesis. But the more time he spends with Blake, the more he realizes she’s nothing like the girl he thought she was—she’s kind and innocent and suddenly way too tempting. And soon enough, revenge is the last thing on his mind. Unfortunately, the girl he’s falling for is keeping a major secret…

Disclaimer: This book contains a super-hot bad boy out for revenge, all sorts of camp hijinks, and a girl who realized she’s been a butterfly all along.

Read the first chapter at Samantha's blog!

Goodreads | Amazon | NetGalley



About the Author

Samantha Bohrman lives in St. Paul, Minnesota, with her husband and three children. As a kid, she attended every summer camp imaginable—gymnastics camp, French camp, biology camp, architecture camp, debate camp, band camp, and the list goes on. Sadly, as a teen, Samantha was too shy to ever attend a camp dance. She is making up for it now with plenty of fictional summer camp smolder.

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook



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Word Counts for Children, MG, YA, and Adult books, by genre

I've been getting a lot of word count questions from Pitch Wars hopefuls, so I though I'd write everything out in a post for ease and convenience.

These ranges are generalizations and there are always outliers. If you have a book that is a little bit outside these ranges, it's an extra hurdle and your book needs to be really great for the agent/editor to take a chance on it. If you're a lot outside these ranges, it's going to be nearly impossible to get a publisher to commit to a book from a debut author. Established authors have more leeway.

Childrens Books

Picture Book: 0-800 words, preferably in 300-550 rangeEarly Reader: 100 - 2,500 words, depending on levelChapter Book: 4,000-13,000, preferably 6-10k
Middle Grade


Contemporary: 25,000-60,000, preferably 30-45kFantasy/Sci-fi: 35,000-75,000, preferably 40-60k
Young Adult


Contemporary: 40,000-95,000, preferably 55-80kFantasy/Sci-fi: 50,000-140,000, preferably 65-90k
Adult


Contemporary: 75,000-110,000Literary: 60,000-80,000Fantasy/Sci-fi: 90,000-125,000, preferably ~100kWomen's Fiction: 80,000-120,000Romance: 40,000-100,000Category Romance: 45-60kRomantic Suspense: ~70,000Historical: 60-95kSingle Title Contemporary: 60-100kNovellas: 20-45kMystery/Thriller: 65,000-95,000, preferably ~80kMemoir: 65,000-100,000Historical: 80,000-120,000, preferably <100k

15 things to leave out of your query

I had an article go up Monday at YAtopia about 15 things that should never be in your query.

Check it out.

More Articles at Book Riot

In case you didn't know, I write for Book Riot. You can see all of my articles here, but below is a list of articles since my last post here in February.


Inbox/Outbox 3-3-17Full Length Trailer for The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks 3-15-178 Middle Grade Authors Share Their Fairy Tale Escape Fantasies 3-24-17If It Doesn't Have an HEA (or HFN), It's Not Romance 4-10-17HBO to Adapt Fahrenheit 451, Starring Michael B. Jordan 4-20-17Shannon Hale Talks About Her Graphic Memoir Real Friends (And Squirrel Girl!) 5-2-17100 Must Read Books About Serial Killers 5-25-178 Reasons People Mock Romance 7-5-1710 YA Books That Will Destroy You (and You'll Love It) 7-67-17Netflix to Adapt Josh Malerman's Bird Box, Starring Sandra Bullock 7-19-17

And here are some group posts I've contributed to:


Best Books We Read in February 2-28-27Peek Over Our Shoulders 3-6-17Peek Over Our Shoulders 3-30-17Best Books We Read in March 4-4-17Peek Over Our Shoulders 4-13-17Peek Over Our Shoulders 4-27-17Peek Over Our Shoulders 5-11-17Best Books We Read in May 6-2-17Peek Over Our Shoulders 6-8-17Peek Over Our Shoulders 6-22-17

Pitch Wars Wishlist

This is my sixth year mentoring Pitch Wars and I'm so excited to be back! (If you don't know what Pitch Wars is, it's a mentoring/pitch contest combo for MG, YA, NA, and Adult fiction authors looking for a literary agent. More info here.)



The Pitch Wars 2017 submission window is open August 2 (12:01AM) – August 6 (10PM EDT)!

About Me

Hi! I'm Sarah Nicolas and I write YA. I'm the author of Dragons are People, Too and Keeping Her Secret. I also write romance under the name Aria Kane. I'm represented by Rebecca Podos at the Rees Literary Agency. I've worked as a Publicity Director for Entangled Publishing and in the editorial department of two small publishers, though I got my start reading slush for Liz Pelletier. I write for Book Riot and blog at YAtopia.


I love Dr. Who, wine, Stargate, cooking, Star Trek, coffee, Star Wars, and am still convinced I'm going to marry Leonardo (the Ninja Turtle). I play a lot of wallyball (that's not a typo) and my day job is planning events for a public library. My social media links are in the sidebar to your right if you want to find me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or other places. I'm an ENTJ and a Slytherin, so I'm basically *thisclose* to world domination.


What I'm Looking For

In case you just stumbled here, I'm mentoring the YA category this year. I like all genres except (red) hardcore horror. Light horror is okay, but no zombies, please. I'm also not the best mentor for straight-up historical. (However, if it has a fantasy/sci-fi bent, I'm all in. I LOVE historical fantasy.)

For me, contemporary needs a strong hook & to be high concept. (I ADORE quieter, less plot-focused YA, but am not the best mentor for it). I am not a good mentor for novels in verse.

Before you ask...


I always get questions about my genre list because I know it's more open than most mentors', but yes, I really do love them all, with the exceptions listed above. So there's no need to ask me "do you like xxx genre?" because the answer is yes unless it's hardcore horror or non SpecFic historical. And I'm definitely open to genre-benders. I'm also open to graphic novels.

As for the specifics, I love books that challenge societal norms, especially gender norms.


I love well-written romance, but a book doesn't have to have one for me to love it. Great/complicated sibling relationships are my kryptonite. I love a strong voice and am a sucker for economy of words (though not necessarily together). I like intriguing/sympathetic villains, mysteries, paranormal creatures I haven't seen a lot of, characters I can't get out of my head, and smart heroines.

I'm open to retellings in any genre, but they have to be fresh. I'm also especially interested in MCs who have a mental or chronic illness, but that is not what their story is about. (e.g. I have bipolar disorder and psoriatic arthritis, but my life is so much more than that.)


To repeat from last year: If you have a queer sci-fi, fantasy, or high-concept contemporary and don't query me I will die of disappointment. Then my ghost will haunt you forever.

DO NOT query me if your book is about sexual assault or has on-screen sexual violence.

Some recent books I've loved:
Shadowshaper by Daniel Jose OlderWords in Deep Blue by Cath CrowleyWant by Cindy PonWe Are Okay by Nina LacourFlame in the Mist by Renee AhdiehThe Hate U Give by Angie ThomasBone Gap by Laura RubyDenton Little's Deathdate by Lance RubinThe Sun is Also a Star by Nicola YoonThe Fifth Season by NK JemisinTiny Pretty Things (series) by Sona Charaipotra and Dhonielle ClaytonOf Fire and Stars by Audrey CoulthurstThe Finishing School series by Gail Carriger
My Mentoring Style

Anyone who knows me will tell you: If I give you a compliment, I really mean it. If you're looking for someone to challenge you to make your book better in every way and to help you write the best damn pitch & query letter your book has ever hoped for, that's my style.

When it comes to revision, my strengths lie in tightening plots, increasing conflict/tension, and strengthening character motivation. My strongest quality in this contest, though, is the pitch itself. My experience as a publicist has honed my pitching ability and I've been called "the pitch master" more than once.

Every book is different. I have taken on books that needed very little revision; the authors just needed a little help with the packaging. I have also taken on books that needed complete overhauls. In 2015, Leigh Mar cut 60 pages of her manuscript and rewrote much of it. How much work a book needs does not fit in to my decision process. I'm only concerned with how much I love it and it's viability in today's marketplace.

Some Previous Mentees

Elly Blake is the NYT-bestselling author of Frostblood , which was her Pitch Wars book. She is represented by Suzie Townsend.

Jennifer Blackwood is the USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance. Her debut Unethical  was her Pitch Wars book. She is represented by Courtney Miller-Callihan.

Chelsea Bobulski is the author of The Wood  (releasing August 1) and is represented by Andrea Somberg. She is a far better writer than I could ever hope to be.

Leigh Mar is represented by Elana Roth and is now not only a fabulous Pitch Wars mentor, but on the leadership team. We were co-mentors last year.

Shannon Cooley is an excellent writer represented by Victoria Marini and I expect big things from her.

Amy Bearce is the author of the World of Aluvia series, which begins with her Pitch Wars novel Fairy Keeper .

Questions? 

Please let me know if you have any questions in the comments. Just a head's up, I won't be answering "pre-queries" i.e. when people ask questions like "would you be interested in a book about a dragon shapeshifter who works for the us government protecting the president's son?"
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How to Prepare for an Author Signing Event

You've booked an author signing event. Congratulations!

Now what?

In my dayjob as a library event planner, I host at least four Local Author Festivals every year, featuring at least ten authors per event. I deal with a lot of authors who are doing their first signing ever and am frequently asked questions like, "What should I bring?" So I decided to write it up here instead of typing it out every time!

I've broken it down into five categories for you.

1) What you need to know before packing:Every venue is just a little bit different. Since I'm an author who does a lot of events, I try to answer all these questions right away, but I know A LOT of event organizers don't. So here's a list of questions you should ask if you don't have the answer provided:
Is the venue providing a table and chair? If so, how many chairs?(i.e. don't bring your spouse/assistant/etc and expect there to be a chair for them without asking first)Is the venue providing a tablecloth?Does the venue have free wifi access available for authors?this is especially important if you're selling your own books; see belowIs the venue handling book sales or is the author expected to? Who is providing the books? (some events may have a bookseller that will handle sales for a commission, but you provide the books)Are you expected to speak/read or is it table-only?If you are speaking at some point, is there going to be someone to watch your table while you're away?Where should you park?When should you arrive to setup?Where do you go once you arrive?How long is the event expected to last?What is the expected attendance?(Sometimes the organizer may not be able to answer that question, but they should be able to give you an order of magnitude (a handful? tens of people? hundreds? thousands? etc))Is there a facebook event or another website you should use in your promotions? Are there any particular images you should use to promote the event?
2) What you absolutely must bring:Whether or not you're selling your own books, there are a couple must-haves. (If you are selling your own books, there are more must-haves below)
Pens/sharpies - signing utensils of some kind. Some venues supply them, but most don't and it's always best to be prepared.Bookmarks or some other "flat paper" handout like postcards or fliers. This is for readers who may not want to buy right away, but want to check your books out later.At minimum, this needs to have a book cover and some way for them to find more information, such as your website url.Tablecloth, if venue is not supplying. Many event tables are rough and you're going to want to cover that up. I've used a large scarf in a pinch.Table and chair(s), if venue isn't supplying. Most do, though.

3) What you might consider bringing:There are some things that work for some events/authors, and not others, so here's just a list of things to consider bringing:
Additional swag/giveawaysbranded items such as pens, notepads, flashlights, keychains, etcbusiness cards (better for networking with other authors)candyFirst-chapter teasersNewsletter signup sheet (and remember, readers must give their explicit permission to be added to your mail list)One-sheets for school visits or writing workshops if there may be attendees who can arrange such things. (Mine is downloadable here, for example)Extra battery packs for phones/tablets - many places do not provide access to an outletWater/snacks - talking to a lot of people makes you thirsty! And if you don't know how accessible food/water will be at the venue, it's better to be prepared.mints/gum - I hate chatting with readers when I feel like my breath stinksA sweater - just in casePost-it notes - so the readers can write their name for you, so you don't spell it wrongAn attention-getting giveaway, like a giftcard (that you can email to the winner) or a cool bookish item (ask for numbers so you can call the winner to pick it up before the end of the event)Depending on state laws, you may use this as a newsletter signup tacticDon't forget to develop a plan on how to distribute to the winner!Table decorations (for ex: I have a baby dragon figurine that sits on my table at events and people love him)A sign that says "Meet the Author" or something similarly simple.This is useful at events where it's not immediately apparent that you're an author, such as bookstore signings or multi-purpose events like craft fairs.Book stand w/display book. If you're selling your own books, consider getting a book stand to display the book(s) nicely.If a bookseller is selling your books at a separate table, bring one copy of each to display at your table.Signage about your book(s)signs that stand on your table or hook to the edge are cheaper and less likely to get in the wayfree-standing banners are eye-catching, but sometimes there isn't room for them. Never assume you can tape/pin anything to anything. All fasteners should be zero-damage.

4) What to bring if you're selling your own books:Your books (duh)How many? This is such a hard question to answer. Most non-headliners sell somewhere between zero and twenty books at most multi-author events. If you're a featured speaker or popular, you may sell more.Always bring more of the first in a series than the sequels.Some way to take credit card payments!I know it takes a little more effort, but you WILL lose out on sales if you don't have a way to do this. Square and Paypal are both easy to use (on a phone or tablet) and they take a small percentage of sales. Cash box with change - don't expect the venue to have change for youSome way to keep track of sales. Depending on the state, you may need to collect sales tax and distribute it to the state.
5) Also consider... Purchasing a rolling cart or collapsible handtruck in case you have to park far from the event venue. I use an older rolling suitcase for my events.Avoid being aggressively salesy. Americans don't like to be aggressively sold on anything - think about how much we mock used car salesmen.Make genuine, friendly conversation. Make readers feel comfortable with you.No one may come. It happens to us all and it is unavoidable. Mentally prepare yourself for the possibility to avoid disappointment. Bring something to do that also doesn't make you look antisocial. Never make comments about how few people are there. It will always sound like you don't appreciate the readers who did show up.Avoid negativity in general. The book/publishing community is small and interconnected. Even if the event is not up to your expectations, the connections you form and relationships you make can be invaluable.Practice your autograph! Your autograph should be different from your legal signature, for purposes of avoiding identity fraud, etc.Preparing a phrase for your signature that has to do with your book.For example, I will write "Loyalty and justice, always" in between the reader's name and my signature, which is a phrase from a note my main character's father leaves her. Please let me know if you have any questions or suggestions to add to the list! I wish you all the best at your future author events.

My Articles at Book Riot

Hey everybody! I'm still regularly contributing to Book Riot and I wanted to give you a little update on my posts since my last update in August:


Romance is Trashy, and Other Things You Need to Stop Saying - 8-19-16 Cookbooks that Started as Food Blogs - 8-24-16 Bygone Badass Broads: Historical Women About Whom I Need All the Books - 8-30-16 8 Book Recommendations from an Unexcitable Reader - 9-14-16 The Books of Marvel's Luke Cage - 10-4-16 Literary Tourism: Morocco - 10-9-16 Comparing Trump's Remarks to 50 Shades is Sexist and Indefensible - 10-10-16 Books for When You Still Don't Understand Sexual Consent - 10-21-16 A Bookstore Owner Discovers Delightfully Grumpy Reviews Inside Donated Books - 11-8-16 45+ Book Cures for Your Post-Election Hangover - 11-10-16 Bookish Ways to Fight the Good Fight - 11-15-16 Watch the Big Little Lies Trailer from HBO - 12-8-16Buy, Borrow, Bypass: Winter Romances - 12-19-1612 Book-To-Screen Adaptations to Watch in 2017 - 12-22-16 20 Reading Challenges for 2017 - 1-4-17 Awesome Book Events in Every State - 1-16-17 100 Must-Read Books: Food in Fiction 1-23-17 

I've also contributed to the following group posts:

Things To Do While Listening to an Audiobook - 8-16-16 Peek Over Our Shoulders - 8-18-16 Best Books We Read in August - 8-31-16 Peek Over Our Shoulders - 9-1-16 Peek Over Our Shoulders - 9-15-16 Dispatches from Library Land - 10-17-16 Peek Over Our Shoulders - 10-27-16 Best Books We Read in October - 10-31-16 Peek Over Our Shoulders - 11-10-16 Peek Over Our Shoulders - 11-25-16 15 Best Audiobooks of 2016 (Part 2) - 12-7-16 Peek Over Our Shoulders - 12-8-16 Best of the Backlist - 12-19-16 Peek Over Our Shoulders - 12-22-16 Best Books We Read in December - 1-3-17 Peek Over Our Shoulders - 1-5-17 Peek Over Our Shoulders - 1-19-17 Best Books We Read in January - 2-1-17 Peek Over Our Shoulders - 2-2-17 Peek Over Our Shoulders - 2-16-17