Six Things I Learned from Online Pitches

Tip of the Day: Check out the interestingly worded letter from Amazon to its customers regarding the Macmillian pricing dispute. (Yes, Amazon, customers will pay for books if we think the price is reasonable and we won't pay for them if we don't. We do that. Really, you didn't need to spell that out for us.)

I had a busy weekend, including a museum sleepover with my Girl Scout troop, which is good because it kept me away from the internet. I was dying to follow the tweets and blog posts from the SCBWI New York conference; I was trying to keep up with the Amazon/Macmillan stand off. But I was completely entranced by the Caren Johnson Literary Agency's online pitch session. Basically, agents Caren Estesen and Elana Roth held a pitchfest on their agency's web site. Anyone could submit a pitch to their online forum. Elana Roth is the YA/MG agent and you can read all the pitches with her responses in this forum thread.

So many pitches--Elana's thread is seven pages long. Seeing them all in one place like this is a great example of what an agent sees on a regular basis. Elana's responses are polite, thoughtful, and realistic. If you're getting ready to query agents, take a look. I didn't pitch myself as I had queried this agency the regular way recently, but here's what I learned:

1. Agent responses are subjective. Yes, I know, you may have heard that before. But it's affirming to see it in action. Sometimes an agent just doesn't cotton to a particular genre or subject.

2. Wow, it's surprising which subjects came up in multiple pitches. I had no idea Neanderthal books were common. I guess by sheer volume, any random subject might come up in more than one query. So just naming interesting story elements doesn't work in a pitch.

3. A hook is not a story. A main character is not a story. A setting is not a story. Even the most fascinating setup is not a story. None of those things by themselves will sell a book.

4. Your story pitch should inherently convey which age group will want to read your story. Read a bunch of these pitches and you'll see what I mean. If I can't tell if it's a middle grade or adult book, I don't know, it seems too vague and undefined to be interesting.

5. Use concrete, specific nouns in your pitches. In pitch world, lots of people discover things too late, uncover secrets, make fatal mistakes, and want things that come at a heavy price. After dozens of pitches, anything stripped of concrete nouns makes the eyes glaze over. Every other kid in pitch world is a vague troublemaker at school--the kid specifically suspected of cafeteria theft is the most interesting.

6. If I were an agent, I'd be in trouble. I'd want to request enough pages to give me 100 hours a week of work. I suppose I'd learn to be very, very selective in order to survive. "Nothing personal, your pitch sounds great, but I have to eat and sleep sometimes."

Check out the pitches and play agent for the day. I'll bet you learn something too.

-- Kate, Miss Perfecting the Pages

Love me or hate me, it shouldn't matter

Tip of the day: The Grammy awards are on Sunday night, Jan. 31st, on CBS! I predict Taylor Swift will walk away with at least a couple of them. Her CD, FEARLESS, is amazing, and if you want to tap into the feelings of many teen girls, listen to her music!

So, how many of us dream of being mobbed by fans, holding our books in their hands, screaming our name with words of adoration, much like teens do with pop/country star Taylor Swift?

Okay, maybe not quite that much adoration. But still, I think most of us do have dreams of going to a book signing where there's standing room only. Heck, I'd be happy if more than two people came, and they weren't anyone I had to beg to get there.

I've realized something recently, though, that I thought I'd share here. Popularity has nothing to do with our writing. Being popular, or not, isn't going to make my writing better or worse. The only thing that is going to make my writing better is for me to work and work at it.

I turned off my google alerts recently, and YA author Sara Zarr congratulated me on taking that step. I went searching for something she said on the subject. It was in an interview she did for another fabulous YA author, Cynthia Leitich Smith. The whole thing is a great read, so you should check it out (and read Sara's book, ONCE WAS LOST, if you haven't already). But I like this one sentence in particular:

"If you allow your writing to get tangled up in your popularity, you're going to make your writing life a lot harder on yourself than it needs to be, and you could wear down before you've really done all you want to do with your writing."

Of course I want people to read and like my books. But whether they do or not shouldn't be the reason I write. Sara also makes a good point about what we get out of google alerts. We get positive feedback, but we also get negative feedback. And guess which one we are most likely to remember?

Every time I sit down to write, I do the best I can. Some days are better than others. And yes, ultimately, some books will probably be better than others. But I can't write hoping for a mob of fans. I must write, hoping to write a book that might touch some people.

I must write, with no other goal than to write the very best book that I am able.

~Lisa, Miss Crafting a Career

Writing Styles: a look at three authors

Tip of the Day: If you are going to SCBWI conference in NYC this weekend have a FAB time!! I'm so jealous!

The Saturday before last I did a YA Panel at The Book Stall in Winnetka, IL with two awesome YA authors-- Julie Halpern, author of:

and Beverly Patt, author of:




















and it was A LOT of fun! Hopefully fun for the audience but lots of fun for me too. I love learning about other authors and how they write. Someone asked us how we knew when our book was finished and ready to send to the editor. And we all had totally different answers. Take me for example, when I think a book is as awesome as I can make it, I send it to my individual critique partners. They'll read and mark up the manuscript and then send it back to me. I'll go through their notes and make changes that I agree with and then send it to my agents. My agents will send me back notes, I'll make changes again, and then send it back to them. At this point, if they think it's cool, it goes to my editor. That's me.

Now take Beverly Patt. She meets with an in-person critique group. Before their meeting she'll send out what she wants the group to review and then at the meeting they'll discuss it. Eeeek! I'm not sure I could do this. There is something about having everyone talk about my work in-person that freaks me out a little. It's much less stressful (to me) to read an e-mail from an individual. It sounds like it works for Bev though and she even made it sound fun. Bev told a story about how she once killed off a character in one of her books and how when she got to her meeting the whole group was wearing SAVE LATONYA stickers. Too cute.

Last was Julie Halpern. Wow, I'm AMAZED at her process! It sounds awesome and works great for her as her books rock. Julie said she writes out the entire book by hand in a notebook. Then she types it into a word document. Then she sends it to her editor. That's it. Are you amazed too? She doesn't go back and stress and freak out and revise like a crazy person over and over again! No outside feedback! Just her and her editor! Whoa. Too cool.

So what's your process? What's your next step once you've finished writing your book?

Kristina, Miss Delighted to Debut















(Me, Julie Halpern, and Beverley Patt. Photo by Julie's nice hubby)

Write for the Market? (or Right for the Market!)

Tip of the Day: Are you a kidlitter who will be in NYC this Friday? Come to Kidlit Drinks Night!

Many writers say: "Don't write for the market. Write what's in your heart. Write what you are called to write."

I agree with this on some level. If you write a book right now about zombies/vampires/fae[i]ries, a.k.a. hot creatures that are currently on the shelves, you could miss that paranormal creature boat due to the length of time it takes to revise, sell, edit, and publish your novel. In that case, writing for the current market isn't really a great idea.

I also agree on some level that if your heart is telling you to write the zombie/vampire/fae[i]ry novel, go for it.

BUT! But, but, but...

If you are writing with the goal of PUBLICATION, then you need to combine a little bit of WRITING FOR THE MARKET with WRITING WHAT'S IN YOUR HEART.

Check out this post by agent Jenny Bent on how to make your own luck by paying attention TO the market without writing FOR it. Don't duplicate what's currently on shelves; do read what's currently on the shelves so you know what twist to put in your work so it will stand out.

What bothers me are those who adamently insist that any writing pro (writer, editor, agent) who advises you on what to write is wrong bc you should "write from your heart."

Look, the pros are "pros" bc they closely work closely in the publishing industry and have info that us unpubbed writers do not always have. The very peeps who have the decision on whether or not to purchase your work.

If an editor or agent, for example, doesn't "fall in love" with your novel but asks to see something else bc you have strong writing, it's basically an invitation to find something else that will appeal to that editor or agent. No, that person is not telling you to write about a specific topic/plot/character, but may suggest other things they are interested in. If that new suggested idea (more "high concept"; less "angsty"; "make it darker") rings true to you, the writer, than there's no reason not to try the suggestion. If you want to be published.

Additional thoughts?

Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing

Book Amnesia

Tip of the Day: cupcake stores are one of the world’s greatest creations!

It’s inevitable that sometime you are going to have to put a story aside. Maybe you’re being called to another book idea instead, maybe you realize you need to brainstorm plot ideas before continuing, maybe you decide to go a completely different direction and then after that detour you realize the original draft was the best way to go, or maybe you are lucky enough to go on a year-long trip around the world (wouldn’t that be nice!).

Whatever happens, though, it can be hard to get back into a story after it’s been set aside for an extended period of time (unless you have the memory of an elephant, which I’ve clearly not been blessed with).

The book I’m working on has been sitting on my computer collecting dust for more than a year. Trying to remember what on earth I was thinking when I first wrote it can be challenging. But even more challenging can be getting the voice correct and inside your character’s head again.

For that reason, I’ve found a few things helpful:

1. Rewrite a brief synopsis of the book. This is especially helpful if you are deciding that after a year, you’d like to switch certain parts of the book up. Since you’ve probably been thinking about the plot and characters for awhile, it could be helpful to write the synopsis BEFORE reading the book again. That way you won’t taint your new ideas for the book.
2. Reread the entire draft you have. This can be time consuming, especially if you have a bunch written. But one of the only ways to get to know the characters again is to spend time with them, remember their quirks, favorite sayings, and general attitude.
3. Rewrite a few paragraphs of the book. This can seem funny, but I once read that if you rewrite good writing then you get a better idea of how it’s suppose to work then by simply reading it. I think it could apply in this situation to in trying to trigger your brain to remember how you wrote the book earlier.
   

Now if you are lucky enough not to have to do any of the above, bravo to you, but if you suffer from Book Amnesia as I tend to do every now and then, you might have to take a few extra steps to get back in the groove of your book.

--Emily, Miss Querylicous

Getting the Most out of Twitter

Tip of the Day: Make your Twitter account a publishing news feed by following @PublishersLunch, @scbwi, and @GalleyCat.

Do you feel like you don't need any more internet distractions to take you away from your writing? Have you been reluctant to sign up for Twitter because you don't want another time suck?

I'm going to propose that Twitter, when used correctly, can be an internet time saver.

Moving to Twitter is like moving to a new town. At first, you're frustrated: you don't know where to get your haircut, get your car fixed, or get a good chicken salad sandwich. But after you make some friends to show you around and after you take a few chances, your new town begins to grow on you.

The trick is to move to Twitter, not use it in addition to your blogrolls, online news reading, and all your other website stops. Otherwise, you would be adding to your time online. But if Twitter becomes your blogroll and news aggregator, then a quick 15 minutes a day can update you on publishing news and point you to the "best of" your favorite blogs.

What Twitter does very well is provide me with 1) headlines to let me know what content is on a particular blog post and 2) my friends' opinions on whether the blog is worth reading. So let's say I have Nathan Bransford (agent at Curtis Brown) on my blog roll and I try to remember to read his blog, but some days I'm busy. Sometimes I remember, sometimes I don't. When I do check in, I've missed the good posts and he's on vacation. With Twitter, I don't have to check in. If he posts something new, he sends a Tweet through @NathanBransford. If the content is great, my friends re-Tweet it; so if I missed his Tweet, no big deal. If I see four or five friends re-Tweeting an article, I know that's a must-read.

Just like the trick to loving a new neighborhood is to connect with the right people, the trick to loving Twitter is to follow the right people. Twitter is for my writing life. Facebook is for my personal life. On Twitter, I have a few time wasters (@alyankovic, anyone?) but the overwhelming majority of the people I follow are writers, editors, agents, publishing houses, industry followers, and local libraries. I also follow local news outlets so I don't have to also visit news sites. And I'm writing a novel set in the future, so I follow @NASA_Astronauts because they're the only people who Tweet from outer space!

I also don't post links to links, but I'm going to make an exception for these incredible "how to use Twitter" links:

Twitter from one author's point of view by our own @lisa_schroeder is full of so many tips (like using those shortened urls), it was re-Tweeted all over the place.

Twitter Guide for Writers by @inkyelbows gives you all the basics of chats, re-Tweeting etiquette, and privacy decisions.

I recommend following them on Twitter, and also @mitaliperkins, @bonnieadamson (runs #kidlitchat) and @Georgia_McBride (runs #yalitchat). Connecting with them will get your feet wet in no time. And if you'd like to follow me, I'm @katefall.

Do you have any other follow recommendations? Also, please let me know if you'd find it useful if I posted more Twitter for writers information next week about hashtags, chats, or whatever's on your mind.

-- Kate, Miss Perfecting the Pages

Writers with day jobs - when do you know it's time?

Tip of the day: The 2009 Debs have banded together with the Leaky Cauldron Fansite to Help Haiti Heal. This weekend, donations will be taken for the cause, and random prizes given away to donors. For more information, go HERE.

Last week I mentioned that I quit my day to focus on my other writerly job.

I'm pretty sure many writers with day jobs dream of that moment when they can walk into the boss' office and hand him/her the letter that says, "This is to inform you of my resignation..."

So how did I know now was the right time?

For me, it was a few different things.

1) Royalty checks coming in. This was huge for me. No matter what else happened, I knew that in February and August, I would have some income coming in. My first novel, I HEART YOU, YOU HAUNT ME, continues to sell well, and since the advance wasn't huge, I'm now earning money on those sales. With my second book, FAR FROM YOU, now out for over a year, I'm hoping sales for that one will start to produce royalties as well.

2) Two new novels coming out within a couple of months of each other. Up until this year, I was able to balance the writing and promotion fairly well. Mostly, to be honest, because I didn't do much in the way of promotion. I decided early on that the best thing I could do to promote my books was to write more books. So that's what I did with the limited amount of time I had. But with the tween and teen publishing world getting more competitive by the day, I decided I need to have time to write AND promote. I just couldn't do it all anymore.

3) For the past five years, we built up a savings account. While I worked and wrote books, advance money was used to do things we needed to do, i.e. paint the house, put new carpeting in the family room, etc. and then, after that, it went into savings. I never would have quit unless we had a good cushion there for emergencies or whatever.

4) New projects ready, plus agent and editor support. I have two manuscripts on submission right now. My agent feels good about the possibility of selling them both. My verse novel publisher is behind my latest book, CHASING BROOKLYN, in a big way and I feel supported there. I think they want to continue to see books from me. I believe, for any author considering going full-time with the writing, you have to feel like your career is going somewhere. If you're unsure, then it's probably not the right time.

and finally...

5) My employer wouldn't let me go half-time. This was my first choice, and they said no. For any author considering quitting, I think, if you can, going gradually (FT to PT to resigning) might be a good option. Do full-time as long as humanly possible. I know it's hard, believe me, I know! I did it for a LONG time. But the longer you can do it and put money in savings and build up your body of work, the better off you'll be. Then, if possible, drop to half-time, and do that for awhile. Unless your book hits the NYT bestseller list. Then never mind.

It's a scary decision, I know, and I may end up looking for a part-time job at some point, just because there is something to be said for not only having a regular income, but also getting out and being around people. I'm going to miss that, I know.

If you're considering going FT with the writing, good luck with your decision!!

~Lisa, Miss Crafting a Career