Tag Archives: Business of Books

BUSINESS OF BOOKS: FIRST, LAST, EVERYTHING – FREELANCE EDITOR J L DEAN

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What was the first publishing business advice you were given?

Be clear and be on time. There’s the myth of the maverick writer who delays and delays only to appear at the eleventh hour with a work of genius. Editors can’t do that. The role of the editor is to make a piece of writing the best piece of writing it can be. That can mean anything from a little judicious rephrasing here and there to hitting the alarm bell when a character inexplicably undergoes a personality change halfway through a novel. Editing is primarily a support role. Yes, it takes a lot of skill and yes, a good reputation will make for an excellent career. However, you’re not the star, the writer is. Editing someone else’s book is not an opportunity to rewrite it in your own writerly image. Respect their style and adapt your approach accordingly.

By being clear, I mean when the writer received their edited manuscript from you, the only queries should be regarding the suggestions you have made. It is fine if they disagree or want to challenge, but you should be concerned if they have to ask you to explain yourself. Again, you’re there for support. Don’t be cryptic, be helpful, encouraging and reassuring.

 

What was the most recent piece of publishing advice you gave or received?

I did a lot of academic proof-editing for German clients when I lived in Bonn. More often than not I’d have to go back to them and ask, “UK or US English?” A lot of the time, they wouldn’t know. I had a young client was writing an article on the Nuremberg trials for publication in England so I contacted the publisher directly and asked for their house style. My advice to him, at the beginning of his academic career, was always to ask the publisher or publication for which he is writing for a copy of their house-style. Most have them and failing to follow it can mean instant rejection or, if you’re lucky, a lot of extra work within a very short space of time. No editor, however brilliant, can save you if you overlook that piece of advice. Make life easier for yourself and make sure you get it right from the start.

 

What is the piece of advice you’d most like to pass on?

Graham Norton asked Michael Morpurgo the same question in an interview a couple of days ago. Michael’s response; “Live an interesting life”. That’s got to be my answer too. It seems to me that, at this point in time, there’s a lot of emphasis on academic qualifications in creative writing. Agents are even starting to ask for that information in submissions. I feel very uneasy about that; I think it’s the wrong route for the publishing industry to take but that’s another article! For me, writing comes from within and it needs to be fed from within.

So my advice would be; don’t rush to be the ingénue novelist who has known nothing but the inside of a university lecture hall. OK, you’ll look good in the publicity photos and the press will adore you for the full fifteen minutes, but what experiences are you drawing on. What are you really giving the reader, and therefore the world? Go out and live your life, meet people and challenge yourself. No matter if you want to write medieval crime thrillers or contemporary romance; stories are about people and people are the key to stories; even in their absence, there’s a story. You won’t learn about people in a classroom. Get out there, but take your notebook.

 

J L Dean is an a freelance editor and historical novelist, recently returned from three years living in Germany, she divides her time between work, law studies and that difficult second novel.

 

THE BUSINESS OF BOOKS: FROM PITCH TO PUBLICATION

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Jane Cable picks up a good book.

Doubts happen to every writer, at every level. For me, at this precise moment, it’s about whether I’ve written the right book. It’s a book I wanted to write, with characters I’m passionate about and a story I believe in, but as I begin the submission process the doubts have set in.

As ever, it was a writer friend who gave me a helping hand out of the hole I was rapidly digging for myself. Take a bow, Barbara Copperthwaite, for recommending an excellent book; From Pitch to Publication by the late, great literary agent Carole Blake. Barbara credits reading the book with helping her to land her agent and publishing deal. “Turns out I was doing it all wrong,” she told me. And because I know ‘all wrong’ was nothing to do with the quality of her writing, I downloaded the book straight away.

It isn’t a book you read cover to cover – you keep it by your side and refer to different chapters at different stages of your life as a writer of commercial fiction. And some of the advice seems just a tiny bit dated, written as it was in the days (not that long ago) before direct submission and digital only publishers became major players in the market. But the first chapter alone gave me plenty to think about.

 

So, what have I learnt from this wonderful tome?

What is the right book?

The very first pages start with the question that had been haunting me. And answered it from a very commercial angle. Yes, write what moves you but with an eye on the eventual market. Trends are impossible to spot but there are certain aspects of a novel you can build in from the start which will help it appeal to publishers; for example the right well-researched location, the right choice of profession for your protagonists. Both need a touch of glamour – or at least desirability. Keep the word ‘aspirational’ in mind and you can’t go far wrong.
Follow your genre’s rules

Genre is massively important in commercial fiction terms and you need to understand the rules of your genre inside out. To do that you need to read a lot of it. While your idea and your voice need to be sparkling and original, your story needs to meet your readers’ expectations. Romances have to end HEA or HFN (happily ever after or happy for now). Every genre has its optimum length. But never, ever, pick a subject because you think it’s going to be the next best thing – your lack of passion for it will show in your writing.
There is a checklist… a magical checklist

I’m not going to give the whole game away, because that wouldn’t be fair and if you’re serious about a career as a commercial writer then you need to buy this book. But here are just a few of the items on it which seemed most important to me:

Is the world where the novel is set one in which readers will want to spend time even before they have come to know the characters?

Is my central character fully developed and someone readers can readily identify with?

Are my plot strands so overly complicated that readers will get confused?

Can I sum up my storyline in one sentence?

 

And finally, the magical triangle

This had never entered my head but it makes the most sense of all. As a writer you need to be able to build and control the relationship not only between writer and character, but between writer and reader – and reader and character. Not just for one book, but in a way that will forge a lengthy career. It’s a huge question but one, as writers, we really need to ask.

 

From Pitch to Publication by Carole Blake is published by Macmillan

BUSINESS OF BOOKS: FIRST, LAST, EVERYTHING – CO-AUTHOR SUE FEATHERSTONE

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What was the first writing advice you were ever given

Truthfully, I don’t remember who gave me my first writing advice or what advice was offered but the first piece of advice that stands out came from a chap called Frank Littlewood, a tutor at Richmond College in Sheffield where I did my journalism training. Frank was a plump former Yorkshire Post sub-editor, who always wore a grubby knitted yellow waistcoat, and was absolutely passionate about good writing and correct spelling and grammar.

He could be a bit long-winded sometimes but he knew his trade and every rookie reporter who sat in his classroom learned a lot from him. I can see him now, in that virulently-coloured waistcoat, wagging a finger and telling us: ‘News is people.’ In other words, stories are about people and what happens to them and why? That applies to novelists just as much as journalists: good characters matter and it doesn’t matter whether readers love them or hate them so long as they want to read about them.

 

What was the most recent writing advice you’ve been given?

That’s easy: show don’t tell.

Easy to say, not so easy to do but the trick which I’ve learned from Rebecca Carpenter, my copy editor at Lakewater Press, is to replace what she calls ‘weak’ verbs with ‘strong’ ones that paint word pictures creating heightened mood and tension.

What’s a weak verb? A really good example is the word ‘looked’, which it is really easy to overuse. For example, consider this sentence: Sally looked at her father. Here ‘looked’ is a weak verb because it tells the reader nothing about the scene or Sally’s mood or her relationship with her dad. But, replace ‘looked’ with a stronger, more descriptive verb, such as peeked, and the scene comes alive because the writer shows the reader how Sally is feeling – clearly she is apprehensive or afraid.

Think about it: Sally peeked at her father. You could change the mood again by using a different word: Sally stared at her father. This time, it’s obvious Sally is surprised or incredulous. It’s a small change but so effective.

 

What is the piece of advice you’d most like to pass on?

Oh dear! This is a really hard question because there are so many pieces of advice I’d like to pass on. These include: the harder I work, the luckier I get, which has been attributed to, amongst others former US president Thomas Jefferson and movie mogul Samuel Goldwyn.

I’ve also learned that achieving your dreams is a marathon and not a sprint and that your first job may not be your dream job but it will be good preparation for the dream job.

However, if pushed, the one piece of advice that has helped me in both my personal and professional life is: treat others as you’d want them to treat you. So be polite and considerate and don’t take advantage of other people. Never say something behind someone’s back you wouldn’t say to their face and if you make a mistake, apologise and move on. And never try and attribute blame. Mistakes happen, learn from them.

 

Sue Featherstone is a former journalist and public relations practitioner turned academic then author. Together with her friend and writing partner Susan Pape, she has written two successful journalism text books and their first novel, A Falling Friend, was published by Lakewater Press in 2016 and a sequel A Forsaken Friend is published on March 21, 2018.

They now write about books at https://bookloversbooklist.com/

 

TAKE FOUR WRITERS: CELEBRATING, TOURING, SPINNING & FACE-PLANTING

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MARCH UPDATE FROM OUR FOUR WRITERS…

LUCY COLEMAN… CELEBRATING

March 1st began with a roar – the Beast from the East arrived but it just happened to be the day I started writing my fourth novel for Aria Fiction. Thankfully, after last month’s stressful IT problems, my new office set up is now working well.

The arrival of the snow was perfect timing, though, as my new WIP is a Christmas story and it helped set the scene perfectly!

I was also able to take time out to celebrate my first release with Aria. As the reviews begin to roll in this has been a month of counting my blessings. So many wonderful readers and bloggers have shown support for my first book writing as Lucy Coleman, that I have been overwhelmed.

But now my newest cast of characters are calling and I’m in writing heaven again. Have a lovely Easter and I hope to see you here again next month!  

CLAIRE DYER… TOURING

The two weeks after the publication of The Last Day saw myself and my book on tour.

Each day one lovely blogger would host us on their blog, either including a feature by me or a Q&A designed by them and answered by me. And each day I’d eagerly anticipate the tweet that would alert me to the fact that the post was public, click on the link and scroll down the page, my heart in my mouth, until I found their review of the novel.

I can assure you this was a really scary moment because their good opinion means so much. Bloggers are amazing people. They champion writers and novels and promote reading by their enthusiasm and love of all things book-related. Between us, The Dome Press and I were lucky enough to be hosted by 16 bloggers who each brought a unique insight into what The Last Day is about and how it resonated with them. I learned a great deal about my book by reading their reviews and am eternally grateful to them for each and every one.

 

ANGELA PETCH… SPINNING

You know that feeling when you are chasing your tail? It seems like you’re achieving zilch? “…Busy doin’ nothin’ working the whole day through…”? I have lots of plates spinning at the moment.

I’ve established “Write Away in Tuscany” for September 11th to 18th and found a fab tutor to run the morning classes for this course. I’ve scouted for help with covers that need revamping since Endeavour Press went into liquidation. People’s Friend encouraged me to write a serial and I had three more stories accepted. I’m co-writing a ghost book for Littlehampton Festival. I gave a talk to Ferring book club and accepted a bigger talk in Chichester in April. I attended the Southern Book Show and “networked”. And poor Mavis and Dot? They are sitting on a bench on the prom somewhere, waiting for me to write their fate in the last two chapters.

Oh yes – and I went to Snowdonia for five days to escape.

 

JACKIE BALDWIN… FACE-PLANTING

Hello, again. What have I been up to this month? Editing again! This time it is a line-edit where you really get down to the nitty-gritty. Repetitions are identified and eliminated. Very Special Forces! Someone goes to dinner and vanishes into a space time continuum for five days. Your characters leap to wild, insane conclusions and you have to go back and put the seeding in earlier on. You get the drift. The absolute opposite of fun! Right now, going to Tesco, doing the ironing, even cleaning the bathroom, seem sparkling with allure. Feeling the pressure as my book, Perfect Dead, is due out on 15th June and I still have a copy-edit to go through too. My mood was not improved by doing a total face plant in Dumfries High Street yesterday. I look like I’ve been in a bare knuckle fight and lost!

BUSINESS OF BOOKS: FIRST, LAST, EVERYTHING – INDIE AUTHOR JULIE STOCK

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Julie Stock is an indie author of contemporary romance from around the world: novels, novellas and short stories. Her latest novel, Over You, is now available. Follow Julie on Twitter @wood_beez48

What was the first writing advice you were ever given?

The first writing advice I remember being given was in November 2013 when I attended a Festival of Romance in Bedford, near where I live. I’d been writing my début novel for about 8 months by then and I had about 80,000 words of my story written but I just couldn’t seem to finish it. I sought feedback from so many different places and my head was spinning from the conflicting advice I’d been getting.

I remember being so excited to find there was even going to be a Festival of Romance in Bedford, of all places! I went to a session in the morning where I saw Sue Moorcroft and listened to her reading from her latest book. Then I walked around the big hall in Bedford town centre, meeting romance authors who were selling their books. Straight after this, I sat down to listen to a panel of authors chatting about writing and publishing their books. Bravely at the end, I asked them for advice about my dilemma. That was when Phillipa Ashley and Rowan Coleman both advised me without a second’s hesitation to join the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s New Writers’ Scheme. I went on and joined in the January of 2014, and published that début novel the following year. I’m now an independent member of the RNA, and I wouldn’t have achieved that without their support.

 

What is the most recent writing advice you’ve been given?

Along with many writers, I suffer from doubts and insecurities about whether my writing is any good on a fairly regular basis! Usually, this happens when I’m struggling with a first draft or when I get feedback telling me that something in a book isn’t working. I find rewriting and editing the hardest job, and really have to force myself to do it. So, when I felt like this most recently and mentioned it to one of my writing friends, her advice was not to give up. She reminded me that I’d felt like this before and that I’d probably feel like it again.

It is hard to keep going when you’re finding it hard to write or to rewrite, but it is also true that you can find inspiration in the strangest of places. I know as well that rewriting has definitely made my books better, and sometimes this is all that keeps me going to get through to the end. Then when you publish and someone takes the time to tell you how much they enjoyed the book, it makes all the pain worthwhile!

 

What is the piece of advice you’d most like to pass on?

I didn’t start writing until I was in my late 40s. I was having a tough time in my job then and I began writing as a way of taking my mind off things. It became a form of therapy. When I started, I hadn’t even heard of self-publishing, although I had recently received a Kindle from my husband. Then I read Sealed With a Kiss by Rachael Lucas, and she explained how she’d self-published it. As I was approaching my 50th birthday by then, I didn’t want to waste any time approaching agents/publishers, I just wanted to get on and do it. And I did. So I think my advice is not to let yourself be put off from doing something you really want to do. Reinvent yourself if you want to – it’s never too late!

 

THE BUSINESS OF BOOKS: THE DREADED S WORD

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Jane Cable tries to pick out the positives of writing a synopsis

Having completed the edits on one manuscript and having rescued my rights for Another You from Endeavour Press, this month has been all about considering submissions – which in most cases involves the bane of my writing life – the synopsis.

I’m not talking about the sort of synopsis you use as you create your novel, or to check structure and record plot points as you go along; I’m talking about that big, scary, one-and-only-chance-to-get-it-right document which accompanies your submission to agents and publishing houses. The synopsis as sales tool – in particular the short version – fills me with dread in a way no other blank page can.

This time, I thought I’d cracked it. Fellow RNA member and Choc Lit author Lynda Stacey very kindly sent me her template and using it made perfect sense. Like me, Lynda writes romantic suspense and has to shoehorn complex plots into a single page. I was happy with what I’d written, but when I showed it to Claire Dyer (an editor as well as an author) she drove a coach and horses through it. Clearly I need to improve.

So, what have I learnt from this sorry state of affairs.

A template to follow is really, really useful

When you are staring at a blank piece of paper there is nothing more helpful than something which lists the paragraphs you need and gives you some guidance about what to put in each. It helps you to have a method. For my short synopsis I set out the beginning of the book, then the end of the book, and filled in the middle last. It was also brilliant for pulling out the main plot strands and that focussed me through my final edits.

You’re going to need more than one carefully tailored synopsis

I’m concentrating on the direct submissions route for my novels and am hand picking the publishers I think would be right for them and who I’m really keen to work with. I don’t mean to sound arrogant, but I’m quite comfortable being an indie author if I can’t land that special deal. But what struck me when I was making my shortlist was that they all want something different; everything from a 3,000 word essay to a two paragraph blurb. It’s so important to tailor what you send to their requirements and to show you understand where your book would sit in their portfolio.

A synopsis is not a blurb It may be a selling document, but it’s not a blurb.

I was delighted when my first choice publisher asked for a blurb as I find them so much easier to write. Of course there are similarities – both have to grab the person reading it – but in different ways. A blurb entices, teases, reveals just enough. A synopsis tells the whole story. No surprises. The most important thing to bear in mind is that a publisher or agent will be thinking about how they can sell the story – a reader will be using the blurb to decide if they want to buy it.

Not everyone you submit to will need a synopsis

Yes. Really. But don’t use it as a cop out or to select who you submit to. Most agents require a synopsis, but the length varies. So will most publishers, but some have other priorities, such as finding out about your author brand – they will rely on your manuscript to see whether your book is worth taking on. You will need to become expert in selling your novel in all sorts of ways but one thing is certain: the better you become at all of them the more chance you have of landing a deal.

 

BUSINESS OF BOOKS: FIRST, LAST, EVERYTHING – EBOOK PROGRAMME MANAGER MEGAN LOCKWOOD-JONES

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Megan Lockwood-Jones is the Ebook Programme Manager at my favourite assisted publishing house, Matador. She is the first point of contact for ebook authors and her knowledge is second to none. 

What was the first piece of publishing advice you were given?

The first piece of publishing advice I was given was to ensure self-publishing authors are choosing the right company and right services for them. At Matador we assist over 500 authors a year to publish physical and ebooks. However, it is important that authors do their research to ensure that they are using a reputable company and that the company they choose can offer the services that are right for them – not every author will have the same requirements or aims when publishing. Some may only want a few copies of a book for family and friends, others want to see their book stocked in bookshops, others only want an e-version. Read testimonials to find out what other authors’ experiences with that company were like. If you are new to the world of publishing then you’ll want to find a company that are easily contactable via telephone rather than one that can only be contacted by email – as a first time author, you may not even know the kinds of questions you should be asking so sometimes a phone call can be more reassuring.

What was the most recent piece of publishing advice you gave?

I spend the majority of my day talking to authors about ebook publishing options – as well as speaking at events such as The Self-Publishing Conference and the Experience Days we run at our offices.

The most recent advice I gave was in regards to ebook distribution. There are many different routes that authors can take, for example if you have a non-fiction ebook, why not consider making it available for pre-order? Readers are more willing to pre-order and wait for an ebook on a subject that interests them, rather than a fiction ebook where they can simply browse and select ebooks in similar genres that are already available. If you make a lot of sales during a pre-order period then these accumulate and count towards the total number of sales made on the release date, which boosts your ranking on retailers’ sites, in turn making your ebook appear earlier in search results.

If you’re interested in making your ebook available for free for a short period of time, Amazon’s KDP Select programme could be a good option for you. To be eligible, your ebook has to be exclusive to Amazon for 90 days, so it’s worth bearing this in mind if you’re considering selling the ebook through other retailers too. During the KDP Select period, you can make your ebook available for free for up to five days, and any downloads during this time can increase your ranking in the Free charts!

 

What is the piece of advice you would most like to pass on?

One of the aspects of my job I enjoy the most is cover design but if designing your own cover, think about how it’s going to be viewed by customers. Ebook jackets will be seen as thumbnails on retailers’ sites so you need to ensure that the title can still be read. A small, thin font in a colour that doesn’t stand out isn’t the best and don’t clutter your cover – try to keep it simple and avoid too much text.

If you’re paying for a professional cover design, be open-minded about the designer’s ideas. Designers spend a lot of time researching trends and amazing covers can be created if they are given a little freedom. As the author, of course you know the book best so do share any ideas or thoughts with the designer so that they can incorporate them, but let them use their expertise! Remember, you’ve paid for a professional designer for a reason, so have faith in them and trust that they aren’t going to design a cover that will be detrimental to sales.

 

 

 

TAKE FOUR WRITERS: LAUNCHING, DRAFTING, EDITING & MULTI-TASKING

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FEBRUARY UPDATE FROM OUR FOUR WRITERS…

CLAIRE DYER… LAUNCHING

January and February have seen much excitement in the run up to and the actual launch of ‘The Last Day’. I have been overwhelmed by the love and support of my publishers, bloggers and fellow authors during this time, especially as no one knows the joy and despair of times like these like they do.

I’ve come to learn that it’s all about letting go. We tend to write in the privacy of our own homes and, for a long while, it’s all about just the two of us: ourselves and our book. And then if we’re lucky, we send it to our agent and, if we’re even luckier, thence to a publisher and eventually, if we cross our fingers and toes tightly enough, it goes out into the big wide world.

And this is where the joy and despair comes in. Will the world like it? That’s the despair. And, the joy? Well, that’s easy: the book I wrote is an actual real thing with pages and a cover and everything!

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ANGELA PETCH… DRAFTING

I am almost three quarters through my writer’s draft of “Mavis and Dot” and I use walks along the sea to plan out the final chapters. There is something scary about finishing off a novel. In the meantime, I have been busy hunting for an illustrator. Unfortunately, my first three candidates dropped out, for reasons varying from cold feet and time factors. I hope I have at last found someone to work with. She is a very supportive editor of a local magazine and after tea and cakes (and discussion), she is on board. I am trying not to be too distracted from M & D but the publisher of my two first novels recently went into voluntary liquidation. It means a return to indie publishing but there is relief in the return of control. However, it entails more work. My other concern is to which cancer charity I should donate my profits. A writer’s work is never done…

 

JACKIE BALDWIN…EDITING

Hello, February has been a rather grim month. I have been completely immersed in my structural edit. Day after day I have sat at my desk from first thing in the morning until last thing at night editing. Then, eat, sleep, repeat. You get the idea! It’s a bad state of affairs when your characters have a better social life than you do. However, by the time you read this, I will be done! Hurrah!

I did get one overnight pass which was a wee trip to Newcastle to read at Noir at The Bar. It was the first time I had read the prologue from Perfect Dead. I also met loads of new crime writers and readers which was fun. During the day, I edited at the Lit and Phil which is a fab library. It even sells cake!

See you next month!

 

LUCY COLEMAN… MULTI-TASKING

February TO DO list:

Set up new office and new computer equipment in new house.
Online celebrations for launch day of first book with Aria Fiction, under new pen name.
Daily social media activity to support TWO book tours running concurrently for new arrival.
Produce new graphics to celebrate latest book baby.
Complete and submit Aria book no. 3 manuscript to my agent for comments.
Complete round one of structural edits for my other publisher.
Action suggested revisions by my agent for book no. 3.
Keep up with normal daily social media for my other books and write blog posts etc.
Get through February with your sanity intact.

Okay, so I’m exaggerating a little because I did survive the month, but only just! My new laptop seemed to get slower by the day after its first round of software updates. If I action a retweet on Twitter it times out! The battle continues.

If only it was JUST about the writing …