a year of reading
I actually had to go back over my Twitter feed to refresh my memory on all of the wonderful books I’ve read this year. I’m happy to share my thoughts on the ones that stood out the most. And while they weren’t all published in 2011, that’s when I discovered them.
This year I rediscovered my love of young adult novels. I read pretty much every single one that I could get my hands on, but the ones that stand out the most are ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS by Stephanie Perkins and IF I STAY and WHERE SHE WENT by Gayle Forman. All three were just so moving in wonderfully different ways, and stayed with me long after I finished reading them. I really liked the very different world and characters of DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE by Laini Taylor, and I HEART YOU, YOU HAUNT ME by Lisa Schroeder. I haven’t read too many novels in verse, but that one really captured me. I’m still thinking about Jay Asher’s THIRTEEN REASONS WHY, which was quietly devastating and so hard to put down that I found myself reading it in the car even on short trips (but only when my husband was driving!)
One of the best decisions I made this year was to revisit the backlists of authors that I love. Elvis Cole, Joe Pike, and the wonderful world of Robert Crais kept me company up until I finished THE SENTRY last month, but I am very happy to have a new book to look forward to in January. Now I am revisiting Robert B. Parker (I think I’ll finish all the Spencer novels first and then move on to the other characters) and it’s nice to watch Spencer’s evolution starting with THE GODWULF MANUSCRIPT. I discovered some new crime fiction authors this year (well, new for me at least) including S. J. Bolton’s darkly atmospheric NOW YOU SEE ME and the very creepy BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP by S.J. Watson. I also loved new books by old favorites including Harlan Coben’s LIVE WIRE (which kept me on the edge of my seat until I was done reading) and Margaret Maron’s delightful THREE-DAY TOWN.
I wasn’t only reading crime or young adult. I also really enjoyed catching up with the friends of the traveling pants in SISTERHOOD EVERLASTING by Ann Brashares (even if they didn’t end up exactly where I wanted them to) and Alison Pace’s A PUG’S TALE, because how can you go wrong with any book that stars a pug? I loved Kat Richardson’s DOWNPOUR (I love anything with a mix of paranormal and mystery and her books never disappoint) and discovered a fascination with demons that I never knew I had through Diana Rowland’s MARK OF THE DEMON. I’m going to read the next one in that series, BLOOD OF THE DEMON, over the holidays.
I read so many wonderful manuscripts, short stories, and other writing from all of my clients, and I’m so lucky and privileged that they trust me with their words.
The biggest potential change in my reading habits came from the Kindle I received as a birthday present last March. I’ve been using it a lot less than anticipated though, as I much prefer real books. I use the Kindle exclusively for travel, but whenever I’m home I depend on real life books. I just love the way they smell and feel and the way they look on my shelves – something that a Kindle for all of its convenience can just never replace.
Here’s to another year of reading and writing wonderful stories – no matter how you like to read them!
a dingo ate my book
I’ve reluctantly returned to active society after spending two weeks traveling around Australia with my husband. Our trip was wonderful and I would have happily stayed and set up my freelance business in Melbourne if not for the call of real life. I’m happy to share just a few pictures from some of the best parts of our trip:
The Taronga Zoo in Sydney had amazing views.
We took a camel ride through the Outback, enjoying the sunset.
I took about 20 pictures of these amazing guys, and even got to hold two of them in Cairns.
I didn’t end up seeing any dingos, but I did read a lot of books. My favorites were Mindy Kaling’s IS EVERYONE HANGING OUT WITHOUT ME? (delightfully funny and I am sure I annoyed my husband to no end by reading sections out loud to him while he was trying to do his own reading) and THE UNBECOMING OF MARA DRYER by Michelle Hodkin (I am obsessed with reading young adult lately, and this one particularly hooked me).
the weight of reading
I didn’t have a Kindle the last time I went on a long vacation. Instead, I packed one entire bag with the books I’d need to get me through – mainly mass markets but a few trade paperbacks and even hardcovers, which I started to regret once I realized how heavy my haul of reading material actually was.
I think that trip was what inspired my husband to buy me a Kindle, and I’ve slowly started filling it up with books to keep me company on another long trip. The problem is that these electronic files just feel a little too disposable to me, and I’m having trouble deciding what books I really don’t mind reading that way.
My first two choices were easy – THE FIRST RULE by Robert Crais and LOCK AND KEY by Sarah Dessen. I’ve read both before, but I’ve been revisiting the backlists of several of my favorite authors. The harder choice will be who to revisit after I finish with Crais and Dessen, although I’m thinking about Robert B. Parker.
After those two books, I added Julie Klam’s LOVE AT FIRST BARK. I adored YOU HAD ME AT WOOF- as I pretty much adore anything written about dogs – and Mindy Kaling’s IS EVERYONE HANGING OUT WITHOUT ME? For some reason, those books seem like natural Kindle choices.
But now, I’m kind of stuck. When I read a book, I really read it. I examine the author’s picture and their bio, and often flip back to the photo or the front cover as if they’ll lead me into more than I’m finding on the page. I’m having a hard time giving up that experience, for example, by adding Stephanie Perkin’s LOLA AND THE BOY NEXT DOOR to my Kindle and think that’s one for sure I’ll be picking up in hardcover and stuffing in my bag. And while I was so excited to see Sue Grafton’s V IS FOR VENGEANCE could be pre-ordered and dropped onto my Kindle right as I’m waiting for my flight home, I just can’t see myself not wanting to add the physical book next to the collection of all the other ones by her I already have on the shelf. And same for the new books by Margaret Maron and Marcia Muller that come out in time for another trip I have planned.
I know I’m not the only one that still feels like nothing beats a physical book. I think this just goes to show what an attachment to books we really have, and I guess I just have to keep going to the gym so I can handle carrying my reading load, however heavy it has to be.
what’s in a chapter?
I’ve been noticing a trend in manuscripts lately: extremely short chapters. But while this is a staple in books by authors like James Patterson, it isn’t something just anyone can pull off. It’s important to know the rules before you can break them (although having a huge built in audience who’d buy anything if it had your name on it doesn’t hurt either).
I feel like many times authors use short chapters as an artificial way to build suspense and keep readers turning the pages. They believe that with the chapters so short, a reader will keep saying, “Just one more!” all the way until the end of the book. But it’s important to know what these chapters actually convey, because if used in the wrong way a short chapter can actually cause your book to lose momentum.
All chapters should end at a natural break in the story, ideally on a cliffhanger or a bigger moment. I’ve seen too many authors trying to force these big moments. It almost seems like they say to themselves, “This chapter is already 4 pages so I’m just going to end it right here.” And that often ends up being when a scene is still going on or even right in the middle of a conversation, which just feels like an odd tease or cheat instead of a natural break.
I’d probably try to push the idea of “short chapters” out of your head while writing. If you have that as something in your mind before you even write the book, you might box yourself in instead of letting your story unfold as it naturally wants to. And if your story is what is actually driving the pace and keeping us going instead of an artificial device like chapter length, we’ll be so absorbed in your story we’ll have no idea how many chapters we’ve read or even how long they ended up being.
falling in love with your words
An author just forwarded me a rejection from an agent which essentially boiled down to her not connecting with his words. That sent him into a tailspin, and he wondered if he should just give up on writing completely.
I can’t stress enough how subjective this business is. Falling in love with a manuscript is like falling in love with a husband or wife. You might like a friend’s husband, but you wouldn’t want to marry him – and buying a book as an editor or taking on a book as an agent is often like entering the same type of long term relationship. It’s a lot of work – and you only want to do it for something you truly love.
So just because one person doesn’t connect with your work doesn’t mean that another person won’t. Of course, if you hear the same thing from a few agents, then you need to take a critical look at your manuscript – and share it with at least one unbiased reader – to make sure there isn’t a real flaw you’re overlooking.
But otherwise, just sit tight and see what happens. If you know in your heart that you’ve put your best work out there (and you’ve had several unbiased readers check it over before you submitted it anywhere – friends and family do not count!) give your manuscript a chance to find the right home. I know I always think about a manuscript I fell in love with that was literally passed on all over town (including twice at my own publishing house). But it spoke to me, my publisher let me take a chance on it, and we published it to great success.
Author Dispatch: Marsha Cornelius
Then someone mentioned writers’ conferences. That’s when I switched from light queries to 100-proof hard selling. I schmoozed with agents at conference receptions, I submitted pages for critiques, I pitched my story in three minutes, I even smoked cigarettes with agents during breaks. Reckless as it was, this behavior actually netted me an agent.
Lightheaded with confidence, I began binge writing. Now that I had an agent, I needed to get busy on my next book. Each time my agent got a rejection, I guzzled down her reassurances that a deal was right around the corner.
After a year of getting nowhere, I hit rock bottom. I was never going to get published. That’s when a friend suggested I self-publish. I flushed my fantasies and started searching for self-publishers online. And believe me, there are lots of them. They offer a slew of package deals in all price ranges. Here are a few of the things I’ve learned:
- Production cost – this is what it will cost you to get your Word or Mac document converted to a printable format. Most self-publishing firms will set you up with a book and cover for between $500 and $750. (NOTE: You can find people on publishing chats like Create Space who will format for around $400. You create your own cover. Just use caution, get references.)
- Setting the cost of your book – some publishers will tell you how much your book will sell for based on the number of pages. Beware of these companies. They will over-price your book so they can charge you more per book at their ‘discount’ rate. Better to find a publisher who lets you set your own price.
- Buying books – Publishers will encourage you to buy copies of your book to sell on your website, at bookstores, out of the trunk of your car. The more copies you buy, the deeper the discount. The cost is around $6 to $8 a book, so 250 books will set you back $2,000.
- Marketing your book – DIY publishers do not promote like traditional publishers. Any help they offer comes with a price tag. They are in the business of making money, not discovering the next John Grisham or Mary Higgins Clark.
- E-publishing – if you don’t have $5,000 for start-up costs (production, copies, website, press kit) consider e-books. And not just Kindles or Nooks. There are lots of e-readers out there, and they all speak their own language. If you follow Smashwords Style Guide, you can convert your own document for free, download it to their site, and start selling books. NO COSTS INVOLVED. (Although after the first two pages of the Style Guide, I’d had enough. I paid a woman $25 to format my book for me. )
- Blog. Blog. Blog. Twitter, Facebook, blog, blog, blog. If you are not into promoting your own book, GIVE UP NOW. (Although consider this. Even if a traditional publisher picks up your book, chances are you’ll be doing your own Blog. Blog. Blog . . . well, you get it.)
I don’t want to sound discouraging. But sobriety has made me look at being a published author realistically. I’m not going to get rich, and I’m not going to be famous.
If you’re serious about being published though, have at it. Get over the notion that you need an agent and a big-name publisher. Break the rules, declare your independence, publish the book yourself. Just take it easy with the expectations. Then, hopefully, the whole intoxicating experience won’t leave you in a drunken stupor.
For the last 15 years, Marsha Cornelius has been serving up chicken nuggets as a lunch lady in an elementary school, while writing in her spare time. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband and two molly-coddled cats. Her first novel, H10N1, is a post-apocalyptic thriller about a flu pandemic gone awry and you can learn more about it here and here.
Be careful who you listen to
An author emailed me the other day to tell me she was getting requests for her manuscript, but that she’d heard she should only send it to one agent at a time. I asked if this was because each agent had requested an exclusive but no…this was just what her writing group had agreed on as a good plan.
I was horrified. I couldn’t email her back fast enough to tell her to send it out right away to everyone else that was waiting. And this is only the surface of the bad advice I have heard from other writers.
Writing is a very isolating business, so of course you want to find a community of like minded people you can go to for any issue that comes up. But I can’t stress enough how careful you need to be with the people you trust with your career. And this doesn’t even just go for fellow writers – there is plenty of bad advice out there from all sorts of publishing professionals as well. Or the advice might not even be bad as much as it isn’t right for every writer – if there was a formula for how to write a book or how to get an agent or how to sell a million copies, we could all just go home.
I also had a client who wasn’t thrilled with what her agent was doing for her, but she didn’t want to rock the boat. You need to rock the boat. I know it’s hard to find an agent and you’re just so happy someone finally said yes, but it is a business relationship. They are working for you. And what kind of relationship is it if you’re too afraid to ask even one question about what they’re doing for you?
In the end, you are the only one who truly has your best interests at heart and knows what you really need. So ask questions, do research, gather up all the information you can and then make the decision that’s right for you whatever that might be.
Thank you Borders
Even though it seemed inevitable, I kept hoping somehow and in someway Borders would be saved. But as we learned just yesterday, that will not be the case. All the stores will soon close and almost 11,000 book loving employees will lose their jobs.
I haven’t given Borders as much love as it deserved over the years considering what it once meant to me. When I was around eight years old, a big and beautiful new Borders opened in my neighborhood. I had never seen anything like it. Previously, all my books had come from our somewhat limited local library. Borders made my reading possibilities seem endless and I can’t even remember how many days and nights I spent there, including many weekend nights in high school (which shows you how cool I was!)
I went to my very first author event there – a signing by Nelson DeMille – and told him how much I loved reading. He wrote a special message of encouragement in my book, and I was thrilled to be able to tell him all about it when I met him years later as a real editor at a special signing for employees of his publisher. (I don’t think he knew what I was talking about, but he was very gracious.)
The loss of that Borders will be huge for my old neighborhood, and that will be repeated in various neighborhoods across the country. Not to mention the huge loss of 11,000 book lovers who will no longer be selling their love of reading. I hope they all manage to stay involved with books in someway.
I’m personally going to make more of an effort to buy books, instead of downloading them just because it’s easy (which also makes them feel a little more disposable than I’d like). It might be too late for Borders, but there are still so many stores that need our love. In fact, I took my “to read” list to a local bookstore just yesterday and that huge pile of yet to be opened books is providing some comfort right now.
The 411 on Speed-Pitching
Several of my freelance editorial clients attended Thrillerfest last weekend, and sent me wonderful dispatches from the field. One of them was kind enough to go into even more detail on arguably the hardest part of any writing conference: pitching to agents. I’m happy to share her experience with all of you. – Kristen
Since I completed the first rough draft of my manuscript a few months ago, I’ve gotten feedback from Kristen, edited it, massaged it, edited it again, buffed the edges, edited it, looked at it from different mirrors, and, you guessed it, edited it again. I *think* it’s ready. And I *think* it’s time to see if there is a literary agent who loves it like I do.
Although I sent a few e-queries just for fun, my plan all along was to pitch my manuscript in person at the literary beauty pageant known as AgentFest. Sandwiched into the four day ThrillerFest conference in New York City, AgentFest is a two hour speed-pitch session. There were sixty agents spread across four large conference rooms, each sitting at a tiny, round table with a timer to ensure you only get three minutes. I was very nervous, but then I pulled together the following strategy:
1. HAVE A COMPLETED MANUSCRIPT. I have a completed thriller manuscript. It may sound elementary, my dear Watson, but I saw more than a few people get passes (and eye rolls) when they said they were “almost done” with their manuscript.
2. RESEARCH THE AGENTS’ INTERESTS & PRIORITIZE. I know this sounds silly, but there were people pitching cookbooks, paranormal and non-fiction. I tried to stand in line directly behind them, if you know what I mean. Once you narrow your wish list down to agents who represent your genre, keep trying to figure out who might be a match. For example, I overheard an agent say she wants “unexpected, dark violence.” She might be perfect for you, but I skipped her.
3. PRACTICE YOUR PITCH. A LOT. I aimed to have a pitch of twenty-five or fewer words to both summarize my manuscript and make the agent care about my protagonist. After I wrote it, I cornered four other aspiring writers at the cocktail reception the night before AgentFest and tried my pitch out on them. I then coaxed them into a group dinner (read: captive audience) where we helped each other tighten and punch up our pitches.
4. BE SHINY. I’m sure no one noticed my (gorgeous blue Anna Sui) top or my (super cute navy London Sole) shoes, but it made me feel like a million bucks and helped boost my confidence.
5. BE EXCITED. I actually think this might be one of the most important parts of my strategy. Just before I sat down at each table, I told myself my manuscript was awe – some. I envisioned the actors who’d play my main characters in the movie version of my book and walking the red carpet with [insert name of agent currently sitting in front of me.] Obviously, do not let these crazy things out of your head, but let them excite you for those few moments. I’m convinced excitement is contagious.
All told, I pitched eleven literary agents and left New York with eleven requests for material. Not too shabby. Now go cross your fingers for me.
About Me
Learn more about my services:
Meet my co-editor, Sampson:
________________________________Blog Powered By:
