The Rational Writer: A to Z

Mindy Klasky

Contents

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Introduction

1. A is for Author

2. B is for Book

3. C is for Critique

4. D is for Determination

5. E is for Edit

6. F is for Fan Fiction

7. G is for Genre

8. H is for Health

9. I is for Independent Publishing

10. J is for Job

11. K is for Kryptonite

12. L is for Luck

13. M is for Money

14. N is for Networking

15. O is for Organization

16. P is for Piracy

17. Q is for Query

18. R is for Research

19. S is for Synopsis

20. T is for Traditional Publishing

21. U is for Ugly

22. V is for Vanity Publishing

23. W is for Workspace

24. X is for (E)xposure

25. Y is for You

26. Z is for Zephyr

Thank You

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Introduction

A couple of years ago, I decided to publish The Rational Writer: Nuts and Bolts. I loved the title of that book; it connoted the gritty reality of publishing, the hard-core tools that career writers need to succeed. It alluded to the spreadsheets and plans contained inside.

But a number of writer friends asked if I had writing advice for authors closer to the beginning of their careers. What guidance could I give someone who was just starting out?

I had plenty of advice, of course. Over years of speaking to writers organizations, I’ve answered a vast array of questions, often about the most basic building blocks for a successful long-term career as a writer. With a little work, I realized, I could pull it all together. I could force it all to make sense.

I could make it as easy as A, B, C.

And that’s how The Rational Writer: A to Z was born. It was originally called The Author’s Alphabet. I wanted to focus on a couple of dozen most frequently asked questions. I wanted to provide information clearly and concisely. And I wanted to give writers a chance to ask themselves questions, to think about who they are and what they want to accomplish with their writing, about how they want to grow their careers—career prompts, if you will.

So here you have it. Twenty-six essays, each ending with a series of career-prompt questions. My window on how rational writers can and should manage their authorial lives. I hope you find it useful as you grow your career!

1

A is for Author

The original title for this book was The Author’s Alphabet, so I pretty much knew I was starting with “A is for Author.” (I suppose I could have started with “A is for Alphabet,” but then everyone would expect me to write an exposé about the mega-company-that-was-Google…)

So. Simple. Straightforward. We all know what author means. Authors write books. But writers write books too. Is there any difference between author and writer and novelist?

Big Brother

The federal government uses the terms interchangeably.

Authors are inscribed in the United States Constitution: Congress has the power “to promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their Respective Writings and Discoveries.” (Article 1, Section 8, Clause 8, emphasis added.) The U.S. Copyright Act of 1976 elaborates on those rights, setting up a system for authors to register their copyrights and to protect against infringement of their work.

But the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics doesn’t have an exclusive category for authors. Instead, it places “writers and authors” in one class, defining their primary occupation as: “originat[ing] and prepar[ing] written material, such as scripts, stories, advertisements, and other material.” Illustrative examples include Advertising Copy Writer and Television Writer. (Emphasis all added by me.)

The Internal Revenue Service requests taxpayers to list their occupations, but it does not provide a list of acceptable jobs, nor does it give any guidance as to whether it considers a distinction between author or writer.

World at Large

Within the broad world beyond government regulation, people seem to use the terms interchangeably.

Eudora Welty famously called her autobiography One Writer’s Beginnings. One of the long-standing magazines designed to help people who want to be published is Writer’s Digest, and a literary magazine goes by the name of Writer. Thousands of college programs call themselves Creative Writing departments.

And yet there’s a union of writing professionals that calls itself the Authors Guild. Amazon provides an Author Central support community. Numerous publishers (including ones with dubious reputations) call themselves Author Solutions, AuthorHouse, etc.

Distinctions Without a Difference?

Some people attempt to define the difference between author and writer as one of function. They believe that an author creates, develops, and communicates original ideas while writers record ideas created by others.

Another school of thought defines the difference between authors and writers by the passage of time: writers focus on a single work they are currently creating, and authors focus on the body of work they’ve created in the past.

Yet another group divides creators into two camps according to their status: elite authors create literature; writers create everything else (genre books read for entertainment, advertising copy created to sell products, technical writing meant to instruct, etc.)

Going Forward

This book follows its own school of thought: the Rational School. In the Rational School, author and writer are used interchangeably. Authors and writers are people who tell stories with words. They have a process for their work, regularly allocating time to achieve their writing goals. They focus on specific goals, publishing specific material for a specific audience. Authors and writers keep one eye on their craft and another on their business.

Bottom line, we agree with AA Milne, of Winnie the Pooh fame. Milne wrote: “Almost anyone can be an author; the business is to collect money and fame from this state of being.” Going forward, we’re going to focus on the money and fame, far more than the specific terminology. We’ll use author and writer interchangeably.

CAREER PROMPT

So? What about you? Do you distinguish between “author” and “writer” (and maybe even other terms, such as “novelist” or “storyteller”)? On what basis do you make your distinction, if any? What impact does that distinction, if any, have on your writing career?

2

B is for Book

Continuing on our theme of obvious alphabet letters… What exactly do we mean by book?

Formats for Books

Once upon a time, a book was a physical object that consisted of printed pages bound between covers. In earlier times, a book might have been a stone tablet or a scroll made out of papyrus, parchment, or vellum.

Now, the range of book has expanded in other ways. Books may be electronic files, suitable for reading on a computer or a specialized e-reader. Books may be audio files, intended for listening, which generates a hot debate about whether listeners have “read” a book. Even if you believe “reading” requires eyes looking at words, audiobooks maintain many of the characteristics of print books with regard to how they are marketed, sold, and used by consumers.

Length of Books

Book also has a flexible meaning regarding the length of the work in question. In common parlance, a book of fiction usually means a novel, a full-length story. It’s distinguished from a short story, novelette, or novella. But the definition of those other forms is up for grabs, according to context. Lacking an industry-wide standard for defining length, a variety of genre special-interest groups have set their own definitions that are used for the allocation of awards. For example:

- The Horror Writers of America (“HWA”) states that “short fiction” is a work of less than 7499 words. “Long fiction” is a work from 7500 words to 39,999 words. A novel is more than 40,000 words.

- The Mystery Writers of America (“MWA”) states that a short story is a work from 1000 to 22,000 words. A novel is more than 22,001 words.

- The Romance Writers of America (“RWA”) states that a novella is a work from 20,000 to 40,000 words. A novel is more than 40,000 words.

- The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (“SFWA”) states that a short story is a work of less than 7500 words. A novelette is a work from 7501 to 17,499 words. A novella is a work from 17,500 to 39,999 words. A novel is 40,000 words or more.

(All of these definitions are subject to change; some organizations debate the categories more frequently than others.)

But do these distinctions matter? When traditional publishing remained an author’s only option, length of a work was important. Various publications, usually magazines but sometimes print anthologies, would consider short stories, novelettes, or novellas, but mainstream publishers traded almost exclusively in novels.

In fact, most mainstream publishers traded almost exclusively in novels longer than 40,000 words. Some publishers, like Harlequin, maintained precise page limits for its books, manipulating margins and type size to guarantee a specific number of pages in each category of romance. Those limitations allowed the publisher to buy large quantities of paper and cardstock in advance, as well as to predict shipping costs for its substantial mail-order business.

The growth of self-publishing has expanded the options for publishing shorter works. Most self-publishing results in electronic files. Those electronic files are being read on devices such as phones and tablets, where an increasing number of readers has expressed a preference for shorter works. Moreover, the delivery cost of electronic files is low (compared to printing, shipping, and warehousing print works), allowing entrepreneurial authors to set low price points for shorter works. While a print publisher could not effectively market a short story for $0.99, an electronic publisher can do so without a problem.

These shorter works bear many of the characteristics of full-length novels. They have cover art and back-of-the-book blurb descriptions. They can be grouped in series, resembling trilogies or longer collections of works. They have an independent presence at vendors; each short story, novelette, or novella is displayed on its own page, with its own metadata.

CAREER PROMPT

So? What about you? What formats do you include in your definition of book? What lengths of story qualify as books? Using a single familiar theme (e.g., star-crossed lovers), sketch out a book that is short story length, then a novella, then a novel. How complicated can a book be if it has a limit of 10,000 words? 40,000? 100,000?

3

C is for Critique

Criticism. Most of us hate it. We make excuses. We get defensive.

But criticism is the best way for an author to discover the flaws in a book. After days, weeks, months of working with specific characters and a specific plot, most authors lose some perspective. They need an outside opinion about what is working and what is flawed. Enter the critique partner.

Finding Critics

Critique partners are trusted individuals who read and evaluate a book after it’s in a final state. These people go by many other names—beta readers, or critique group, or writers group. Most authors have more than one critique partner, and they learn different things from different critics. One partner might excel at catching plot mistakes, gaps in storytelling, or oversights in timeline that destroy the credibility of a story. Another partner might be best at noting character inconsistencies, those times when an author makes a character do something completely unexpected solely to advance a plot. Yet another partner might point out factual mistakes or grammar errors or any of a million other details that keep a book from being its best.

Ideally, an author assembles a team of critique partners that addresses all these areas, along with any other known weaknesses. It’s difficult to hand over one’s work, purposely presenting it to people who are likely to tear it apart. Yet, the improvement in the ultimate product is worth that challenge.

Methods of Delivering Criticism

There are multiple methods for receiving criticism, most of which are designed to minimize the sting. Some authors conduct all critique work online—they submit their files electronically, and they receive comments electronically. That computerized distance translates to an emotional distance. Authors can temporarily stop reading criticism if it becomes difficult to process. They can rant and rave in the privacy of their own homes, without building permanent barriers to communication with their critique partners. This method, though, can lead to a lack of understanding; without direct time-synced communication, the critic and the author might inadvertently be at cross-purposes.

Other authors conduct critique work in person, at weekly or monthly meetings. Many of these sessions follow a workshop model, where each member of the critique group presents comments within a limited time period (for example, three minutes.) During that presentation time, the author must remain silent (except, in some cases, to ask for clarification of a specific point). The author then has a limited time period to respond to all the issues raised. This method allows each critic and the author to present points in a planned, methodic fashion. It also reduces purely emotional responses. This method, though, requires real-time communication, either in person or through an electronic tool such as Skype. It also requires restraint from all parties, who must stick with time limitations and speaking restrictions.

Yet another model involves direct, ongoing exchanges between the author and his critics, without limitations on time or subject matter, either in person or by a Skype-like tool. Critics and the author make statements and ask questions without restraints on time or subject matter. This method allows everyone to flesh out ideas more completely—critics can state their problems with a work, and authors can delve more deeply, pinpointing specific issues. This method, though, has the potential to dissolve into debates. Aggressive critics and defensive authors can quickly derail the effectiveness of direct, unlimited communication.

Blueprint for a Critique

No matter the format of a critique session, a few simple rules make it easier to deliver critiques that can be processed productively:

- Begin with a general introduction. This is the place to state that you’ve never liked farmboy-saves-the-world epic fantasy novels so your comments should be taken with a grain of salt, or you had a bad experience at a high school pep rally so you have trouble finding a gym teacher a sympathetic heroine. Put your own biases on the table to allow the author to better understand your critique.

- Move on to positive statements. What works in this book? Why? Always find something positive about a work, even if it’s the formatting or enthusiasm of the author.

- Follow up with critical statements. What needs work in this book? Why? Start with larger topics (“this romance novel has no conflict between the hero and heroine”) and end with smaller topics (“the White House is on Pennsylvania Avenue, not Connecticut Avenue”). Consider grouping smaller topics into catch-all paragraphs (“Geography: review a map of Washington, DC to double-check locations for the White House, the Capitol, and the Convention Center”).

- Present potential fixes as suggestions, rather than as mandatory statements. (“Consider making the heroine a blind orphan to heighten the tension with her fellow boarding school students” instead of “Make Sally blind.”) If you don’t have a potential solution to a problem, admit as much.

Critique partners offer authors valuable insight into what works and what does not work in a book. Sometimes, that criticism is directly on point—the mere statement of the problem is enough to help an author see what needs to be fixed. Other times, an author concludes that a critic is mistaken—the critic doesn’t understand the book, or isn’t familiar with a particular sub-genre, or was having a bad day when writing that critique.

Even in those cases, though, rational writers consider the criticism as a warning that a reader was pulled off track at that particular point. Often, a critic finds fault with a particular aspect of a book (e.g., “your heroine sounds whiny when she talks to her best friend”) but an author discovers a completely different fix (e.g., “the heroine shouldn’t be talking to her best friend in that scene; instead, she should be taking steps to solve her problem more directly”). Critics aren’t omniscient, but they can be good barometers of when a story succeeds.

Breaking Up

For many reasons, critique relationships may have limited lifespans. Most critics have “pet peeves” and most authors have “darlings”; when those primary interests are juxtaposed, a long-term relationship may be doomed. If a critique partner cannot abide an author’s recurring themes, characters, or plot points, separation might be the kindest course of action. Similarly, some critique partners focus on minutiae, losing track of the author’s sorely needed big-picture issues. Others present their critiques so abrasively that a reasonable author cannot process the criticism. And some authors choose not to follow any advice from any critic; they present book after book containing the same issues. Finally, authors may shift into writing sub-genres that a critique partner cannot adequately review.

Authors and critics owe it to each other to speak plainly about their needs. If minor (or major!) changes in the relationship can fix the problems, they should be made. But time is too valuable for authors and their critique partners to continue working together without productive criticism. If accommodations cannot be made, critique partnerships should end so new bonds can be formed with other partners.

CAREER PROMPT

So? Who do you turn to for critiques? What methods of criticism evoke your best response? Are you defensive about your work? If so, how can you defray that response? Are you in danger of outliving the usefulness of your relationship with your critics? How will you find new critics, if and when the time comes?

4

D is for Determination

At first glance, it seems that anyone can write. We all wrote book reports in elementary school. We wrote five-paragraph essays after that. We wrote papers in college, and some of us wrote theses for our undergraduate or graduate degrees. The vast majority of us complete some form of writing every single day in our jobs.

Everybody writes. So who needs determination?

The rational writer does.

Determination to Write

It takes determination to carve out the time to write anything that isn’t required. We all have dozens of demands on every second of our time. Family, friends, work, health, personal goals—they all take time to maintain. When you decide to add writing into the mix, you must steal time from some other aspect of your life. When that aspect begins to push back (fun invitations, boring obligations, whatever), only the determined writer will persevere.

Of course, determination in carving out writing time isn’t the only challenge for the aspiring author. Once you share your work with critics, you’ll be faced with praise. But you’ll also be presented with a list of your work’s shortcomings. Many writers decide they’re through with the game at that point; they don’t have the determination to evaluate criticism, to accept the good points, and to discard the bad.

Addressing criticism requires revising one’s work. Yep, that requires determination as well. Revisions force a writer to rework (and re-rework and re-re-rework) text multiple times. Many authors get to the point that they literally can’t see the words on the page (or screen) any longer; their brains fill in the existing text with past versions, due to the overbearing familiarity of the words. Getting past that overload, that boredom, requires determination.

Determination to Publish

Once an author has created a definitive final draft of a book, the fun is only beginning. Writers pursuing traditional publication need to find agents—a process that requires sending out multiple query letters. (See Q is for Query.) Most authors send queries in batches—half a dozen to first-tier agents, then half a dozen to the next-preferred group, etc. Agents have always been selective about taking on new clients, but in the publishing world’s current economic downturn, representation by a qualified agent is nearly impossible for new writers. Nearly impossible, but not completely impossible—that’s where determination kicks in, as writers query and query and query some more.

Even authors hoping for traditional publication who succeed in landing representation still must find editors willing to buy their books. That search can last for months or even years, as editor after editor reads, evaluates, and criticizes an author’s work. The process is grueling, with raised hopes dashed, especially in this era when an acquiring editor still needs to convince marketing and financial departments to take on a new book. Once again, authors must remain determined to succeed. (Age-old advice is still the best: authors should work on writing a new book while they wait to sell an existing manuscript.)

Self-publishing does not allow a weak-willed author to skip the determination requirement. Self-published authors must educate themselves on every aspect of the publishing process. They must hire and manage professionals, master a complicated web of distribution, and remain committed when the details of running a publishing business change overnight at the whim of a vendor. (Amazon, anyone?) Skills mastered today may be useless tomorrow. Constant re-tooling requires fierce determination.

Determination to Promote

Once a book is available to readers, the promotional bandwagon begins (or, more accurately, continues—rational writers promote their books well before the volumes hit the stands). Structuring and executing a promotional plan requires endless determination. Some activities will work, but many will fail completely. Sales, for the vast majority of books, will be lower than the author hoped. Even in the face of less-than-ideal performance, though, authors must seek out the next promotional opportunity.

The ultimate promotion requires the most determination of all: starting a new book.

Every single stage of writing requires determination. The only way to maintain determination in so many ways for so long a time is to provide rewards for accomplished tasks. Some authors treat themselves to chocolate, some to wine. Others buy books to read for enjoyment. Some plan vacations—from walks around the block to field trips at museums to luxurious travel to foreign cities. The goal, of course, is to figure out rewards that don’t wipe out the benefits of determination. (Much like the dieter who rewards the loss of a pound with a candy bar, an author who rewards completion of a word goal with a week off from writing is ultimately self-defeating.)

CAREER PROMPT

So, what challenges require the most determination in your writing career? Do you consistently get snagged at the same points in the process? Or do you discover new challenges with every completed work? What rewards do you give yourself for staying the course and achieving your goals?

5

E is for Edit

And edit again. And edit one more time. And yet once more. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

Every round of editing has a different purpose. Each is necessary to achieve the ultimate writer’s goal—a publishable book.

Private Editing—Revisions

The first round of edits are revisions. Revisions may include changes to characters (and characterization), to setting, or to plot. (Authors who create their plots organically—so-called “pantsers” or “gardeners”—are likely to invest a fair amount of time in revisions to make the beginning of their plot line up with the end.) Revisions allow an author to re-vision a story, to see it again, in a different light.

Some authors avoid doing any revisions as they write. They start their story at the beginning of chapter one, and they create straight through, without any editorial interruption, without any break to update “mistakes” along the way. Typically, these authors leave themselves notes detailing the changes they need to incorporate down the road.

Other authors execute revisions as they write. They spend a session drafting a section of their book, and then they spend the next session revising those words. This “leap-frog” system keeps the book moving forward in a consistent manner. By the time the author reaches the end of a “first draft,” the second draft is actually completed.

For a handful of writers, a single round of revisions suffices. Most of us, though, require additional drafts, integrating the revised text more completely, smoothing over errors or inconsistencies introduced by the new text. For most writers, a final round of revisions corrects grammar and usage. The end-point of revisions is the final draft.

Public Editing—Critique Partners and Groups

But editing is far from done at the final draft stage.

After authors achieve their final drafts, they’re ready to pass their work on to peer critics (See C is for Critique.) Beta readers or critique partners can help expose flaws in a book, viewing the story with fresh eyes and analyzing how it holds together over the course of the narration.

Critique partners deliver their opinions, either in person or electronically. Of course, authors aren’t bound to accept those criticisms; however, a fresh round of revisions allows the author to consider each note. Authors can answer critics’ questions, accept suggested changes, reject suggested changes, or implement alternatives to suggested changes.

Professional Editing—Outside Editors

And then it’s time for another round of editing.

Next up is developmental editing (sometimes called content editing). Developmental editors are outside professionals—employees of publishing houses (for authors who are traditionally published) or contract employees (for authors who are self-published). Developmental editors may be paid by the hour, by the word (counting the words of the author’s manuscript, not the words of the editor’s critique), or by the task. Authors should negotiate payment before the editor begins work.

Typically, a developmental editor produces two documents. The first is an overview, including reactions to the work as a whole, written in paragraph form. This overview includes notes on all aspects of the novel. It may include notes about marketability, including genre placement.

The second document expected from a developmental editor is a marked-up version of the manuscript. This markup, often completed using the Track Changes feature of the Word word-processing program, allows the editor to make comments about specific words or sentences. It also allows correction of typographic errors (although such corrections are not the primary focus of developmental edits.)

Once the author receives developmental edits, it’s time for another round of revision. Once again, the author can accept or reject changes or come up with solutions that address concerns in a different way than the editor envisioned. Self-published authors are never bound by their editors’ suggestions. Most traditionally published authors also remain the final arbiter of the manuscript; however, they might need to engage in political negotiations to do so.

Specialized Editing—Copy Editors

But editing isn’t finished yet.

The final round of editing is copy editing. Copy editors review work that is formatted for publication. The finality of formatting can vary—some copy editors read type-set galley proofs (for print books); others read PDF or .epub or .mobi files (for electronic books.) Many electronic books, though, are copy edited in a word-processor version, so the copy editor can make notations directly on the file (which is difficult to accomplish with PDF, .epub, or .mobi files.)

Copy editors wear multiple hats. They are responsible for proofreading, i.e., catching typographic errors, grammar mistakes, and usage slips. Good copy editors also read for continuity errors (including characters’ varying hair and eye color, calendar mistakes, weather inconsistencies, changing phases of the moon, etc.) The most valuable copy editors work over multiple books in a series, maintaining uniform standards throughout.

Authors can help copy editors by providing a list of all proper names in a work, along with notations about specific aspects of worldbuilding (e.g., levels of magicians in an arcane guild, or ranks in a military force.) A good copy editor returns a style sheet with the manuscript, detailing the same data (which often is more complete than the author’s original list.)

Once the author receives copy edits, it’s time for one last round of revision. Typically, authors accept most of the edits suggested by their copy editors. Some copy editors, though, overstep their bounds, “correcting” intentional non-standard usage (or, occasionally, “correcting” text that was actually correct in the original). In that case, the author can “stet” the copy edits. For a self-published author, “stet” amounts to ignoring the edits. A traditionally published author writes “stet” beside the copy editor’s suggestion, thereby signaling the typesetter to keep the original.

A complete book requires at least three rounds of edits. Some result from a dozen or more. Each stage should make the book better, incrementally building a story that can’t be resisted by readers.

CAREER PROMPT

So, how many rounds of edits do you typically do? In an ideal world, how much time, effort, and money would you allocate to completing editing for your novels? In the real world, how many resources are you investing in editing? What would it take to merge your “ideal” with your “reality”?

6

F is for Fan Fiction

(Or fanfic, if you feel like abbreviating.)

What is Fan Fiction?

Fan fiction is fiction written about characters (or, sometimes, settings) that were created by another author in a work that was previously published. (Fan fiction can also be based on television shows, movies, or other creative works.) In one very famous example, the erotic novel Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James began as fan fiction written about the characters in the young adult novel Twilight by Stephenie Meyer.

By definition, fan fiction is a derivative work under the copyright laws of the United States. The legality of fanfic is hotly debated (sometimes in court, in multi-million dollar lawsuits). Some fan authors argue their work is “fair use” and therefore not a copyright infringement. “Fair use” is a tricky area of copyright law; each case must be examined based on its individual facts, weighing a number of factors, including whether the alleged infringement destroys the market for the original work and whether the alleged infringer receives money for his/her work.

Many authors start their careers writing fanfic, either as a matter of childhood storytelling or by intentionally joining a fan fiction community. Others enjoy forays into fan fiction throughout their writing careers, long after they’ve published independent works. (Full disclosure: My first attempt at a full-length novel was fan fiction based on The Lord of the Rings, written with my then-best friend when I was in seventh grade. My friend and I never finished our sequel to Tolkien’s trilogy, and we never published our work for free or for profit. I have not written fanfic since that juvenilia withered on the writing vine.)

Authors’ motivations for writing fan fiction vary greatly. Some write solely as a tribute to authors whose work they enjoy. Others write to continue stories abandoned by authors who have moved on to other work. Some fanfic authors want to explore character motivations beyond “canon,” beyond the parameters of the original work. That exploration often includes sexual encounters between characters who do not have a sexual relationship in canon.

Many authors write fanfic because they enjoy the community built around that writing. Many active Internet forums allow authors to exchange and critique fanfic. Some exchanges are structured to allow people to request stories written about specific characters, often providing precise “prompts” to fanfic writers about plot points, other fandoms, specific actions to include in the fanfic, and levels of sex or violence such as those defined by movie ratings (e.g., “I’d like to see Harry Potter encounter the Agents of Shield in a Christmas Story set in Bali, with at least an R level of violence and at least PG level of sex; please include at least one scene involving sex between Hermione and Daisy.”)

Fanfic communities often offer extensive criticism and praise to authors. Those “boot camps” can help relatively new writers develop their skills. Moreover, fanfic communities usually provide avid support to their members who publish outside the community. Cassandra Clare and EL James are examples of fanfic authors who enjoyed copious support from their respective online communities when they made the leap from fanfic to independently written fiction.

Authors’ Responses to Fan Fiction

Authors’ reactions to fanfic vary widely.

At one extreme, some authors embrace their communities of fan writers, encouraging alternative fictions written in their universes. In fact, some authors have created entire worlds specifically for fan writers to play in. Stephanie Draven ran the Firan MUX (Multi-User Experience) for over fifteen years, inviting writers to create characters within the parameters of her Greco-Roman-inspired world. Orson Scott Card ran a similar forum in Hatrack River, an online role-playing game where users created characters in a frontier community based on Card’s Alvin Maker series.

At the other extreme, some authors flatly forbid any fan fiction. They consider all use of their characters or settings to be violations of copyright law, and they sue in federal court to protect their rights. These authors often explain that they are required by US law to police their copyrights rigorously; if they choose to overlook one fan fiction as “good, clean fun,” they might be precluded from prosecuting other fan fiction that is sold for profit or that portrays their characters in unsavory fashion. (This, however, is a misunderstanding of US copyright law. While trademarks must be policed, authors are under no obligation to police copyrights in the same manner.)

Authors who forbid fanfic sometimes state their fear that they might be unable to write a specific story in their own universe if a fan has already written a story involving similar themes, characters, or plot points. (Marion Zimmer Bradley is most frequently cited as an author kept from writing her own work after fanfic exploited a specific story, but the facts of that situation are hotly debated.)

Most authors fall somewhere between the two poles, regarding their acceptance of fanfic. Authors might state that they don’t mind fan fiction based on their work, but they won’t read it (thereby avoiding the problem that allegedly ensnared Bradley). Other authors say fanfic is fine, so long as the fan authors do not charge for their work. Some authors turn a blind eye to most fanfic but take exception to the sexualization of certain characters (or to specific sexual acts performed by specific characters with other specific characters.)

Bottom line?

Fan fiction might be a great way for an author to exercise writing skills, learning to recreate an established author’s tone and/or using known characters expected to act in specific ways.

But if you intend to publish your work, you’ll need to move beyond fanfic. That “moving beyond” should include at least “filing off the serial numbers,” erasing the specific references to character names, locations, and other details. Thus, Bella Swan from Twilight became Anastasia Steele, and Edward Cullen became Christian Grey in Fifty Shades of Grey. The special world of sparkling vampires became the elite life of a billionaire.

CAREER PROMPT

So? What’s your opinion on fan fiction? Do you write it? Do you read it, about your own characters or others? Have you reduced your fan fiction policy to writing? And if so, is it prominently displayed on your website so potential fanfic writers will know where you stand?

7

G is for Genre

Genre is vitally important to authors. Genre allows us to locate agents, publishers, and readers who are interested in the specific types of stories we write. Genre is one of the first markers that classify books. (Other markers might include author’s name, publisher, price, etc.) Specific genres rise and fall in popularity, as readers define what they’re willing to buy. Some genres get re-cast, in an effort to freshen sales. (For example, “chicklit” is generally considered to be passé, but “romantic comedy” is on the rise in popularity. A book that would have been categorized as chicklit in 2001 is likely called romantic comedy today.)

The Traditional (Print Book) View

It used to be easy to classify books by genre: Just figure out where to shelve them at the local bricks-and-mortar bookstore. Authors (and their readers) could make straightforward declarations: This book belongs in Mystery, that one in Travel.

But bookstore classifications aren’t really that simple.

Should there be a single section called Science Fiction, and a separate one called Fantasy? Or can Fantasy piggy-back on SF? What about Horror, where does it fit in? Should we create a category for movie tie-ins? Should we include card games like Magic? What about character-driven games like Dungeons and Dragons, with their handbooks and guides and manuals? And how should we handle non-fiction genres, like History? Should History be broken down by geographic region? By general time periods? Solely by author’s last name?

And why does anyone really care?

In the bricks-and-mortar setting, genre is vitally important. Bookstores must decide where to shelve their stock. They can’t sprinkle one copy in every section where a book potentially fits. (The order for most new books at a chain store is at most three, and “singleton” books often get damaged by handling.) Therefore, physical bookstores rely on genres to cue readers about where to find the books they want.

Obviously, for online sales, shelf space and physical layout is not crucial. Books can be classified in multiple genres, with simple electronic links taking potential buyers from one section of the store to another. There’s no danger of lonely single books getting lost or damaged.

Perhaps as a result, genres are fracturing.

The Evolving (Print and Ebook) View

All books—print or electronic—sold online are typically organized using genre codes. In the United States, the industry relies on BISAC (“Book Industry Standards and Communications”) codes, which are promulgated by the Book Industry Study Group. BISAC Codes are organized into 52 major sections. They consist of three letters defining the broad genre, followed by six numbers defining a sub-genre. One book might be described by several BISAC codes. For example, my baseball romance novel Perfect Pitch can be listed as FIC038000 (Fiction/Sports.) It can also be described as FIC027020 (Fiction/Romance/Contemporary).

Similarly, British libraries rely on BIC codes, which are promulgated by a trade association, Book Industry Communication. Those codes are less specific than BISAC codes. They consist of one to three letters, with longer codes being more specific than shorter ones. For example, Perfect Pitch is listed as FR—Fiction/Romance. (While FRH would indicate Fiction/Romance/Historical, there is no three-letter code for Fiction/Romance/Contemporary.)

How are these genre codes used?

Many online booksellers rely on BISAC or BIC codes as one tool to classify books, adding those classification links that connect buyers to multiple books in a genre. They also rely on all of a book’s other metadata—the title, sub-title, “back of the book” copy, keywords, etc. As a result, customers are able to “drill down” to books they are likely to enjoy. Instead of browsing through all the possible romance novels available, customers can search just sports romances. The result is a win-win—readers are more likely to find books to enjoy, and authors are more likely to sell books.

The explosion of metadata associated with books has resulted in narrower and narrower sub-genres. For example, Jennifer Stevenson’s A Hinky Taste of You, which has a heroine who skates in Roller Derby, is classified in the following categories on Amazon:

Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Sports > Individual Sports > Rollerskating & Rollerblading

Books > Sports & Outdoors > Individual Sports > Rollerskating & Rollerblading

Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Romance > Sports

Try to imagine a bricks-and-mortar store with a specific aisle dedicated to books about rollerskating and rollerblading! But by choosing a relatively obscure topic, Stevenson increases her likelihood of reaching one of Amazon’s “Top 100” list. She is more likely to reap the benefit of the promotion opportunities Amazon provides to those bestsellers. (Note that the Amazon classification technically considers Stevenson’s light paranormal novel to be “Nonfiction.” In a bricks-and-mortar store, mis-shelving a novel with nonfiction books would typically destroy any patron’s chance of finding the novel, but online customers are still able to locate the work they desire.)

Practical Use of Genres to Sell Books

Authors can take advantage of these relatively narrow definitions of genre. They can join forces with fellow authors of similar books to cross-promote, either in traditional advertisements, boxed sets, or special user communities in social media. At the same time, they can launch separate promotional efforts for their novels in separate sub-genres. (On a personal note, I can promote my spicy baseball books separately from my light paranormal ones, without boring or offending any of my readers.)

The splintering does raise a potential problem: It’s possible to define sub-genres on too granular a basis. For example, Perfect Pitch could be placed in a sub-genre of romances set in Raleigh, North Carolina, with heroines who are beauty queens and heroes who have blue eyes. In theory, vendors could set up a genre system to pull together all books that meet those specific markers. But how many other books meet those requirements? What use is a genre populated by a single book? Readers’ tastes aren’t that restrictive. Therefore, it’s not worth anyone’s time to create such a detailed system.

CAREER PROMPT

So? Have you found your definitions of genre changing over time? Do you classify books in a more general or more specific way than you used to? What “surprise” categories can you use to increase the visibility of your books? Are your reactions different as an author than as a reader?

8

H is for Health

Writers are prone to a variety of health challenges, both physical and mental. It’s important to develop strategies to combat these problems—ideally, before they reach career-stopping levels.

Physical Health

As an initial matter, writers must create a working environment that avoids physical pain. Ergonomics—the study of efficiency in the workplace—addresses many of these issues. Volumes have been written about specially designed chairs, about the proper height of desks, about the ideal distance of a computer monitor from a user’s eyes and the best angle for that monitor. By definition, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. Each author will need to experiment with equipment to find a system that avoids (or, at least, limits) strain in the eyes, neck, wrists, and other body parts.

Some authors avoid traditional desks altogether. Treadmill desks (allowing a user to walk while typing on a keyboard) enjoyed great popularity a short while back. Earlier trends have included standing desks, inflated exercise balls used as chairs, and kneeling chairs. Some authors work in bed, using lap desks, and others have created successful work spaces in recliner chairs. (See W is for Workspace.)

No matter which work environment is chosen, a healthy writer takes regular breaks from that setting. Of course, the secret to writing success is in balancing the number (and length) of breaks against the amount of time spent working. Some resources suggest taking a five-minute break every fifteen minutes, standing and stretching and walking during the time away from work. Many writers, though, would never finish a book if they spent twenty-five percent of their available writing time in non-writing activities (likely more, in fact, because there’s always a transition period back to writing after taking a break). Other guides suggest taking a break every twenty minutes, half hour, or forty-five minutes. One doctor of my acquaintance says it’s unnecessary to schedule breaks if a writer regularly consumes a gallon of water an hour—visits to the bathroom will guarantee sufficient breaks. He’s only partially joking.

As you develop your own healthful workspace, determine a break schedule that works for you. Consider investing in a timer (or use the one on your watch, or any number of free apps.) Develop a set of exercises to complete during your breaks, including stretches for your hamstrings, quads, hip flexors, biceps, triceps, and pecs. You’ll know you’ve found the right set of exercises and the correct frequency of breaks when you have more energy and efficiency in your writing, compared with working straight through for hours.

Physical health is not just a matter of ergonomics and breaks. Nutrition counts too. Most writers give themselves treats for accomplishing difficult tasks—an allowance of chocolate after writing a particularly challenging fight scene, a bowl of chips after polishing off a difficult flashback. Completing a manuscript is often celebrated with alcohol, a dinner out, and an elaborate dessert.

Some writers engage in “extreme writing,” offering themselves extreme rewards. One New York Times bestselling mystery author used to complete his annual physical, get a clean bill of health, and check into a hotel room with his portable typewriter (!), a ream of paper, and a case of Scotch. He emerged one week later with a completed novel and his writing quota completed for another 358 days.

Less intense writers go on writing retreats where they may consume higher-than-usual amounts of alcohol, sweets, and comfort foods. Similarly, multiple pots of black coffee have pushed many an author through a seemingly-impossible deadline.

If you’re trying to build a regular writing career, though, you should determine a nutrition regimen that works for you long-term. Figure out how much food and drink of what types you can consume and remain at your most alert and productive. Abide by those limits more often than not.

Mental Health

Of course, there’s another component to health: mental health. Writers experience greater incidences of mental illness than the population in general. We’re more likely to have depression and anxiety. Female writers are also more likely than the general population to suffer from drug abuse, panic attacks, and eating disorders. (Similar relationships may exist for male writers, but they have not been studied to the same extent.) Psychiatrists have theorized that there is a direct relationship between creativity and psychopathology.

In light of these connections, the rational writer develops systems to encourage mental health. These may include seeking professional medical attention including, in some cases, pharmaceutical intervention. Support groups (either in person or online) assist other writers. Good mental hygiene can be bolstered with appropriate diet and exercise (bringing us back to the physical health points above).

Poor health—either physical or mental—results in a loss of writing productivity. Therefore, the rational writer develops strategies to improve health as part of a general career plan.

CAREER PROMPT

So? What is your ideal work system for maintaining both physical and mental health? What is your actual system? Have those ideal and actual systems changed over time, as your career advances and as your body ages? What concrete steps can you take to move your actual closer to your ideal?

9

I is for Independent Publishing

“Independent publishing” or “indie publishing” sprang up a few years ago, originally as a synonym for “self-published.” It contrasts with “traditional publishing” (sometimes called “legacy publishing”). Authors who publish independently and traditionally are often called “hybrid” authors. See T is for Traditional Publishing. And while you’re at it, see V is for Vanity Publishing.

In indie publishing, authors are responsible for getting their books to market. In addition to writing their books, they assume all the functions of a traditional publisher. In exchange, they retain control over their projects and they receive substantially more of the income from sales. Let’s break down each of those elements in turn.

Functions of an Independent Publisher

An indie author is responsible for editing her book. See E is for Edit. Virtually every writer’s guide for professional writers exhorts self-published authors to hire editors. Developmental editors help define and strengthen the overall shape of the story, while line editors focus on individual words in individual sentences. Copy editors concentrate on continuity, grammar, and spelling, and proofreaders conduct a final pass, reviewing for typographic errors.

While some indie authors hire developmental editors and line editors (at costs upwards of $1000 for a full-length novel), many others rely on an informal network of other writers or beta readers to edit their work. Similarly, some independent authors pay for copyediting (an additional $300-$500 for a full-length novel), while some decide to skip that stage. The vast majority of indie authors do not hire proofreaders; instead, they rely on their own review of their manuscript and the attention of their copyeditor (if any).

In addition to editing, an independent author assumes responsibility for the formatting, generation, and distribution of a book. This includes defining and creating all of the front matter (title page, copyright page, teaser text, review quotes, and “Also By” page), along with all of the back matter (acknowledgments, “About the Author” page, glossaries, indexes, and other related material). The book also needs a cover (just the front cover for ebook-only editions and a “wrap-around” cover (front, spine, and back) for print editions). The book must be formatted, typically in .mobi (for distribution through Amazon) and .epub (for distribution through other ebook providers), along with .pdf versions sometimes (for distribution in print or as an alternative ebook format for some ereaders). Formatting for print publication includes a large number of specifications, including alternating headers on pages, page length standardization, gutter calculation (the right margin on left-hand pages and the left margin on right-hand pages), etc.

Independent authors also need to manage the distribution of their books. For ebooks, this distribution is conducted by uploading electronic files to one or more vendors. For print books, authors can opt for print-on-demand (where no inventory is maintained; rather, each customer who orders a print book receives a copy printed at the time the order is placed) or an inventory-based system (where the author warehouses books, sending them to bookstores or other vendors who take them on consignment).

Indie authors also must assume responsibility for marketing, publicity, and promotion. This may include creating and distributing advance reader’s copies for reviews, building and maintaining a presence on social media, conducting book-specific tours (either in person or online), placing advertisements in print and electronic venues, attending conferences, etc. Promotion may entail special sales pricing for long or short periods of time.

Very few authors have the skills to complete all of these functions (in addition to actually writing the book!) Therefore, authors typically hire out the jobs they can’t do (or don’t want to do) themselves. Writers’ organizations such as Novelists, Inc. or Romance Writers of America often maintain lists of contractors who can perform each stage of book production. Legitimate contractors will provide references, along with samples of their work.

As an alternative, innovative service providers such as Draft2Digital provide “one-stop shopping” for many publisher tasks, allowing authors to create a single set of front matter and back matter to include in each of their books.

Why Bother?

Presumably, authors become authors because they enjoy writing books. Why would any sane author assume so much responsibility for so many non-writing-related tasks?

First, authors enjoy substantial control when they become independent. They are no longer bound by traditional publishers’ notions of what will sell to readers and what will not. Authors can write in very crowded, exceedingly popular genres, or they can write in micro-niches. They can even combine genres that would flummox a traditional publisher that is strongly focused on where books get shelved in a bricks-and-mortar bookstore. Furthermore, independent authors do not have to negotiate the traditional gatekeepers of agents, editors, and publishers’ marketing committees.

Indie authors can also control the number of books they publish in a particular time period, along with the length of those books. While traditional publishing remains focused on novel-length work, indie authors can combine a variety of short stories, novellas, and novels to balance their storytelling workload. If a particular project calls for the rapid release of many books in a very short time period, indie authors can move forward without concerns about monopolizing the scarce resources of a traditional publisher.

Moreover, indie authors control the appearance of their books. They have full control over the cover design, without being overruled by editors’ beliefs or marketing committees’ determinations. They’re freed from the expectations—even demands—of book buyers at chain stores. Not only can they choose their own covers, but they can select fonts and other design elements.

Many indie authors believe that the marketing, publicity, and promotion they establish for their own work is no more than they would be doing for traditionally published works. Most traditional publishers no longer have budgets for new and midlist authors. All authors—indie-published or traditionally published—are expected to invest their own time, effort, and money into advertising campaigns. Indie authors are at least able to tailor every detail of those campaigns, including book prices for strategic sales of their work.

Bottom Line

Indies retain approximately 70% of the earnings from all electronic books they sell. (That number is typically somewhat lower for books sold at low or high price points, for books sold through Barnes & Noble’s Nook Press, and for books sold through a support service such as Draft2Digital or Smashwords, which take their own cut of the profits.) By comparison, the best traditional publishing contracts generally give authors 25% royalties on their books’ sales. Many traditional publishing contracts give lower royalty rates on ebook sales, along with single-digit royalty rates on print sales.

Is indie publishing for everyone? Definitely not. But through the judicious use of contractors, indie publishing can work for many more authors who would previously only have considered traditional publishing.

CAREER PROMPT

So, have you pursued indie publishing? What are the pros and cons of that market segment, in your opinion? Do you believe the indie publishing market “has legs”? Will it be here in the years to come? How can you best position yourself to take advantage of independent publishing, if you aren’t already maximizing your potential?

10

J is for Job

Writing is the toughest job you’ll ever love. (Sorry, Peace Corps.)

When most writers start out, they have a day job. You know—the one that pays the rent, puts food on the table, buys the computer and reference books so the writer can write. The actual author stuff takes place in spare time, time that could be spent socializing or relaxing or sleeping. The distinction is somewhat ironic, because successful authors need to apply all the discipline of a day job to succeed in their writing job.

Show Up for Work

For starters, writers write. They don’t just plan on writing (although good writing takes planning). They don’t just talk in online forums about writing (although online participation can stimulate good writing). They don’t get distracted with Facebook and Twitter and the latest game on their phone.

Writers write. For some, that means generating a certain number of new words every day. For others, setting down new words for a specific number of minutes. Or completing a specific designation, such as a scene or a chapter. Or editing a defined section of text. Or.…

You get the idea. If you worked in a cookie factory, you wouldn’t get paid for thinking about the best cookie you ever ate as a kid. Your writing job is every bit as demanding.

Complete Your Job

A corollary of the “writer’s write” rule: Writers meet deadlines.

Deadlines can be specific dates that you set for yourself. You’re going to get chapter 1 done by January 31. You’re going to finish a draft of the book by March 31. You’re going to finish your first pass of editing by July 31. You’re going to hire a content editor by August 31 and turn over your final draft by that date.

There are all sorts of fancy calendars that can track your deadlines. (I’ve created writer-specific spreadsheets, detailing every single deadline necessary to publish and distribute a book; it’s available for download in my book The Rational Writer: Nuts and Bolts.) But all the high-tech calendar systems in the world won’t do you a lick of good if you don’t meet your deadlines.

Once again, this is a basic job function. If you were a lawyer, you’d file your motion for summary judgment by the court’s due date. Give your writing self the same respect.

Don’t Fight with Co-Workers

Other aspects of “job culture” bleed over into the life of a successful writer.

For example, writers maintain professional courtesy for other writers. They don’t savage other writers without good reason. (And even then, they make their attacks in the open, instead of lurking “backstage” in corners of the Internet where their victims can’t follow.) This doesn’t mean, of course, that all writers must always agree with all other writers at all times. Rather, disagreements should be handled with respect and professionalism.

Even more importantly, writers maintain professional courtesy for readers, especially reviewers. It’s impossible to publish a book and get 100% positive reviews. Some reviewers—brace yourself; this is shocking—get things wrong. They might not understand the fine points of the book an author wrote. They might mistake facts. They might have completely, 100% unreasonable opinions.

But the professional writer never engages reviewers. That interaction will never work in the author’s favor. The author might be considered a prima donna or worse, attracting much more negative attention than the negative review itself. Even if a reviewer is completely absurd, engaging solely in ad hominem attacks, writers are better off letting absurdity speak for itself. The cost of interaction (especially including the time to engage) is just too high.

(One possible exception is when a reviewer is mistaken about objectively quantifiable facts; a dispassionate correction of a provable fact might not work against an author in the long run. Another possible exception is when a reviewer commits libel; an author may be advised by legal counsel that some public response is necessary.)

CAREER PROMPT

So? What other aspects of job culture have worked for you in advancing your career? Are there aspects of day-jobs (even unattractive aspects) that can advance your writing career? How can you harness those traditional job skills?

11

K is for Kryptonite

I’m sure you’ve brushed up on your superhero lore. There are a couple dozen types of Kryptonite, but they all mean disaster for the Man of Steel—he loses his powers when he’s confronted with the stuff.

Identifying Your Personal Kryptonite

As authors, we all have our Kryptonite, too.

For some of us, it’s related to the physical act of writing: We’re bad at putting our butts in chairs and our hands on keyboards, or we’re bad at staying there once we’ve seated ourselves, or we’re bad at taking breaks once we’re there, so our bodies end up twisted into unrecognizable heaps of aching bones and joints and tendons.

For some of us, it’s related to the act of developing a story: We don’t outline, so we get caught halfway through a novel with no idea of how to work our way out, or we do outline and we’re bored to tears and incapable of writing once we start, or we tell the same story over and over and over again, or we forget that a story needs to have a beginning, a middle, and an end.

For some of us, it’s related to prepping a story for publication: We don’t have an editor (or a copy editor), so we believe we can skip that step, or we don’t have a cover designer, so we think we can just throw something together in Word, or we don’t have an ebook formatter, so we rely on vendors to do that work for us without checking the end results on any device.

And for some of us, it’s related to promoting the work we’ve published: We don’t like interacting with people, so we avoid promotion opportunities in person, or we do like chatting on social media, so we spend countless hours online when we should be doing other things, or we find it easier to spend money than to invest time, so we throw thousands of dollars at an advertising campaign without any sense of whether we’re getting a positive return on our investment.

There are dozens of steps from coming up with a brilliant idea to selling a finished book to thousands of readers. And every one of those steps can become a stumbling block—Kryptonite—for you.

Managing Your Personal Kryptonite

So what are you going to do about that?

First, take a close, critical look at your life as an author. Unflinchingly evaluate your weaknesses. Don’t allow yourself to believe that problems will magically disappear, especially when those problems have persisted since the very first time you considered writing a story. For example, you might feel an uncontrollable urge to drop in on social media during the time that you are supposed to be writing—every single time you sit down to write.

Second, brainstorm solutions to conquer your Kryptonite. At this stage, don’t hold back. Consider all possible methods for controlling the problem you’ve identified, regardless of the cost (in time, effort, money, etc.) In our example, you might ask your social media friends to send you reminders to knock it off if they catch you online during specific hours. You might turn off your phone or close applications on your computer or disconnect from the Internet. You might purchase and install blocking software such as Freedom, which will limit your ability to reach certain websites during certain times that you determine in advance. You might buy a second computer that has no capability of accessing the Internet.

Third, determine the costs for each of your options. While asking friends to police your behavior has no financial cost, it might take a large emotional toll and cause you embarrassment. On the other hand, no one has to know if you’ve spent your money buying discipline in the form of a second, Internet-free computer, but you’ll have to allocate funds.

Fourth, stage your response to your personal Kryptonite. Don’t assume that one minor action will resolve your problem. Rather, have back-up methods ready in case your initial response fails. Give yourself time, though, to make sure that the first approach isn’t working, if you’re disappointed in a single short-term test. For example, if you determine that your first step will be turning off your phone while you work, but you lack the discipline to leave your phone off on Day One, don’t give up on that strategy immediately. Instead, try it again on Day Two. Maybe even on Days Three, Four, and Five.

But don’t try to fool yourself, either. If you’ve tried a strategy for five consecutive days and you can’t make it work, then that strategy likely isn’t going to be a good long-term solution for you. Look at your “staging” notes. Try your next strategy.

Not one of us is perfect. We all fall off the wagon sometimes. But rational writers develop a series of tools to defeat known weaknesses.

CAREER PROMPT

So? How about you? What specific Kryptonite do you face in your writing career? What specific strategies can you develop to defeat the forces of evil?

12

L is for Luck

I’m not going to mince words here. Sometimes, you can follow every rule, you can do every single thing right, and your writing career isn’t going to go the way you want it to go. Computer equipment crashes. Stories refuse to be reduced to pixels on a screen. Publishers mess up book launches. Vendors change their terms of service.

Those are the bad luck days.

But there are good luck days, too. A friend connects you with a beta reader who helps you to create your best work yet. An advertising service had a last-minute cancellation and they can take your ad on launch day after all. A librarian just happens to love your work and chooses you to be the subject of a library-system-wide reading program.

As an author, you’re going to have more bad luck than you ever imagined was possible. And you won’t always recognize your good luck, even when it’s staring you right in the face.

Bad Luck/Good Luck

So what can you do to manage “luck” as an aspect of your career? Bad or good, you can be prepared.

Because, bottom line, the worst of circumstances and the best of circumstances are going to require the same response from you: More. You will need to devote more time, energy, and resources to resolving a bad situation than you had originally planned on spending. And, perhaps unexpectedly, you’ll need those resources when good things happen, too.

I don’t need to explain how you need resources on hand to deal with bad luck. You can spin out all the horror stories in your own head—the costs to print replacement promotional materials, the energy to accommodate new editors after a catastrophic housecleaning at your publisher, the time and energy all that grappling takes away from your “real” job—writing.

But picture this: In the same week, your book is recommended by your favorite talk show host, your favorite politician, and your favorite movie star. (What? It could happen!) Immediately, a public that had never heard of you is clamoring for your attention. They want to buy your book, but they also want to interview you in distant, exotic places. You’re going to be front-page news on every newspaper, magazine, and blog post in the country. But before all that happens, you’ll probably going to want to buy new clothes. Get a haircut. Buy a new necktie or shoes or whatever. It’s the best of luck, but it’s going to cost you.

Managing Resources

So, the best way to deal with luck—bad or good—is to develop a plan. No, you won’t be able to account for every conceivable instance of bad or good luck, much less the inconceivable ones. But your contingency plan can consist of several broad strokes:

Time: Develop a plan to devote more time to a project. You might push deadlines on other projects, if you control those. You might schedule leave at your day-job, spending one or more vacation days on dealing with the crisis. You might trade off household responsibilities with a friend, partner, or spouse.

Energy: Develop a plan to sustain your energy during a luck-based event (or, as so often seems to happen, chains of multiple events). You might keep a special stash of chocolate (or liquor or… well, you know your favorite reward). You might have a massage therapist you can call in a pinch. You might have a rejuvenating place you can visit on short notice—a friend’s house or a B&B or a rental property.

Money and other resources: Develop a plan to increase or re-allocate your resources in response to the emergency. You might have a fund of “mad money” to purchase solutions. You might be able to rent office space or computer equipment to cope with an unexpected change. You might be able to hire experts (editors, designers, psychologists) who can help you manage what luck has brought to you.

Commiseration: Develop a plan to share your feelings. You might have a supportive friend, partner, or spouse who is removed from the writing world but understands what you’re going through. You might have a writers’ group, a handful of people who know your goals and can listen to your emotions about your current situation. You might have a writers’ organization such as Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, or Romance Writers of America, or Mystery Writers of America, where others are experiencing the same or similar results from the luck that’s hit you. (Just keep in mind that if you’re experiencing good luck, most fellow writers won’t enjoy listening to you whine. Try to share good news with writers who are more successful than you, or at least temper your complaints to those who are less fortunate.)

Once the luck-induced crisis is over, you have one task left to complete: analyzing what happened, with an eye toward keeping it from happening again (in the case of bad luck) or making it happen again (for good luck). Figure out what happened, exactly. Why did the event affect you? Is it possible for that event ever to happen again? If yes, figure out ways to respond faster, or better, or more completely, and incorporate that information into your contingency plans.

CAREER PROMPT

So? When have you been spectacularly lucky in your career? What could you have done differently to better take advantage of that luck? Conversely, what was one really unlucky event on your path to your current position? How could you have minimized the effects of that bad luck?

13

M is for Money

Do you write for money? If you’re a professional writer, the answer is almost definitely, “Yes.” (Of course, if you’re writing to preserve a story for yourself, your family or your friends, you might not have any intention of earning any money. You’re also probably not reading this book.)

“Money” is a dirty word in many circles. Most people are socialized not to talk about financial matters in public; we don’t share how much we earn (never enough!), or what we paid for our latest extravagance (often too much!), or what percentage of our income we’re reinvesting in our business. As an author, though, you need to focus on money, because money is a proxy for many important career decisions.

Setting Goals

Stories regularly appear in major mainstream publications about authors who earn vast sums of money through their publishing careers. Sometimes these financial superstars are first-time authors who hit it big. Sometimes they’re authors who have generated dozens, even hundreds, of publications over many years, steadily developing a following. Sometimes they’re entrepreneurs who developed new business strategies, creating new markets or expanding existing ones in previously unimagined ways.

Many non-authors read these articles and assume that all writers are wealthy. Like Stephen King, we all must be making major donations to our hometown’s infrastructure, funding libraries and swimming pools. Like James Patterson, every single one of us must be sponsoring millions of dollars in annual gifts to bookstore employees. Or, at least, we could, if that’s the way we chose to spend our filthy lucre.

The reality, of course, is that most authors earn far less than the superstars. Some studies indicate that—on average—fewer than 100 copies are sold of each ebook published. Print books, especially self-published ones, do worse.

But authors aren’t immune to speculation about other writers’ money. Many believe they’ve failed if they don’t reach certain outsize benchmarks. They become disappointed with their chosen career and frustrated with the market.

Rational writers set financial goals before launching a book. They examine the marketplace, studying how books in their genre typically sell, at what prices, and in what amounts. (A collection of abstract poetry might be a breakout success if it sells 100 copies in a week. A contemporary romance with the same level of sales would be unremarkable.)

Rational writers develop financial expectations based on facts rather than hype. Those facts are not necessarily easy to come by. Few competitors will say exactly how many books they sold at which price points over what time period. But the more information authors can glean and the more details they can pin down about dollars and cents, the more realistic they can be about the success or failure of their writing careers.

Advance or No Advance?

Money—and analysis of monetary needs—can also help authors make one of the most basic publishing decisions for their work: Whether to be traditionally published or self-published. Traditional publishers often pay an advance, money up front that never needs to be paid back, even if the work fails to generate sales (and royalties) down the line. If you need a chunk of money at a specific time, then you may choose to pursue a traditional contract with a publisher who can pay you a lump sum, even if that sum means your royalty payments will be deferred or possibly never arrive.

Within the traditional publishing world, some contracts obviously offer a large advance and some offer smaller advances (with the anticipation that the advance will be earned out sooner and royalties will roll in earlier). Authors might prefer a large advance because that payment is certain; a publisher can’t demand that you refund payments, even if a book flops. Authors who prefer large advances often argue that their publishers are more invested in their careers; they’re more inclined to spend money on marketing and publicity to recoup the cost of the advance.

Other authors, though, prefer smaller advances. They believe they’ll be more attractive to a publisher if they consistently “earn out” their contracts, if they generate enough sales to cover their advance and quickly move on to receiving royalty payments instead. They prefer to be seen as team players, taking a risk with all the other professionals involved in bringing the book to market.

By contrast to the traditional publishing advance calculations, self-published authors have zero guaranteed income from their books. Nevertheless, they’ll enjoy a higher royalty on every single book sold. With the option of keeping a book in print as long as the author desires, the self-published author can receive “long tail” income—royalties that pay out for years, even decades, longer than a traditionally published book would pay.

The best financial decision will obviously depend on an author’s given monetary situation. (Of course, there’s also the factor that traditional publishers might not choose to accept a particular book, but that’s the subject of other chapters… See T is for Traditional Publishing.)

Genres—Stay or Switch?

Money also functions as a proxy when authors decide whether they should continue writing in one genre or experiment in others. An author might sell very well in one genre but only poorly in another. The writer then faces a decision: to continue writing in the poorly selling segment of the market or to write exclusively in the successful genre (or some other genre).

Of course, many factors might contribute to this decision beyond the financial bottom line. Authors might diversify their writing in anticipation of market changes. They might simply enjoy a new corner of the writing world. They might be experimenting with finding a new voice, accepting one or more less successful work(s) as they hone their skills.

But if all other things are equal, authors will likely choose genres where they sell well. Money shapes the artistic direction.

Many of us would love to believe that we write for a sense of artistic fulfillment, that we create entertainment and/or art for our own enjoyment and for the enjoyment of our readers. But the rational writer understands that there’s more at stake. Dollars matter. Addressing those financial realities head-on can ultimately lead to greater career satisfaction.

(In The Rational Writer: Nuts and Bolts, I’ve written extensively about tracking money in your writing career. I’ve provided spreadsheet templates for authors to track their income and tax deductions. Also, there are expert accountants and lawyers who can give personalized advice about money matters, based on an individual’s specific financial needs.)

CAREER PROMPT

So? What financial studies have you undertaken to bolster the launch of your next book? Have you reviewed how other books in your genre are doing? Do you know how they’re priced? Do you have a general sense of what’s selling and what isn’t? Have you read articles by authors who share their finances? Have you spoken with peers in general or specific terms about your financial foundation? What steps have you taken to control the financial end of your career?

14

N is for Networking

Writing is one of the loneliest careers you can choose. You don’t report to an office. You don’t share meetings with colleagues. You don’t have a water cooler, a break room, or any of the other social trappings most people are accustomed to finding in other jobs. Rather, you sit alone in a garret, scribbling away (for modern values of “garret” and “scribble” of course).

And yet, writing is hugely dependent on communication with others in order to succeed in the fast-changing, diverse world of modern publishing. Authors need to understand trends and developments in publishing and distribution. They need to be aware of other authors in their field, friends and competitors (the two terms are not mutually exclusive), along with blockbuster successes. They need to reach out to readers, to the ultimate consumers of their work—readers—with an eye toward growing that audience on an ongoing basis. And, of course, they need to remain aware of the exciting events going on outside their garrets!

Authors need to network. And they can do that networking both in person and electronically.

In-Person Networking—Critique Groups

Many writers rely on critique groups for their “entry-level” marketing. They meet with fellow writers on a regular basis (typically, once a month), sharing works in progress. At those meetings, they often discuss news in the field (which publishers are buying what, who is paying large advances, which markets are trending at which vendors, what changes are being made in distributors’ terms and conditions, etc.) Because they’re human, they also gossip (which author made a scene at which industry event, who got into an online flamewar with whom, who got upset with whom about a perceived slight, etc.)

Critique groups are typically small; otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to process the crucial business of evaluating authors’ works-in-progress. But they can be a rich source of networking, because everyone at the gathering has a common interest—publishing.

Critique groups are a good option for authors who are introverted. There aren’t too many people in attendance, and authors usually know everyone at any given meeting before they arrive. Critique groups are also a good option for authors who have limited finances. Typically, an author might be expected to bring food or drink (or to purchase food or drink, if the group meets in a public space), but there are no membership fees, no travel costs, no accommodation fees, etc.

Critique groups, however, are not likely to “spread a wide net.” Due to the relative insularity of the group, members will not necessarily get a broad range of perspectives, and they might not learn new topics.

In-Person Networking—Conferences

Conferences lie at the other end of the in-person networking spectrum. Conferences (as they’re known in the mystery and romance worlds) or conventions (as they’re known in the fantasy and science fiction worlds) or cons (as they’re known in fandom) are gatherings in public spaces, where anywhere from a hundred to a hundred thousand people get together to discuss their field.

Conferences typically have panels, where speakers address pre-determined topics. (At some conferences, these discussions are relatively ad hoc, with panelists conducting little or no prep work. At other conferences, panelists are required to submit written handouts nearly a year or more in advance.) Conferences also usually have book-signing events where readers can purchase books and have them signed by attendees. They may have official parties, awards ceremonies, off-site tours, etc. Editors and agents may take appointments with individuals during the convention.

Some conferences function as the annual meeting of a specific writers organization (e.g., RWA Nationals is the premier meeting of the Romance Writers of America). Others are sponsored by interested groups of fans (e.g., Worldcon, the World Science Fiction Convention, is run by a group of volunteers from whichever city is hosting that year’s conference). Conferences may be devoted to a particular genre, or they may have attendees interested in multiple genres (e.g, the Novelists, Inc. conference).

Authors desiring to network at a conference should do some scouting work ahead of time. They should determine whether a specific convention has the features they’re looking for in terms of size, formality, types of panels, ability to appear on panels, availability of appointments with industry professionals, etc.

In a relatively recent wrinkle, some authors are limiting their attendance at panels based on the operating policies of those conferences. Some authors won’t appear at conferences that do not have written harassment policies, or policies about accessibility, etc. Generally, those policies can be determined online by studying the promotional sites of the conferences.

Given the vast variety of conferences available, authors are likely to be able to find one that meets their needs in terms of subject matter, location, time, money, and scale. The networking opportunities are wide, although some conferences provide better access to publishing professionals, some to fellow writers, and some to readers.

Electronic Networking

Social media exist to allow authors (and others) to connect with people. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and thousands of similar communities typically allow members to build communities of like-minded individuals, often creating smaller groups or lists based on common interests (such as a private group for editors, or a private group for authors collaborating on a single project, or a public group for fans of a particular series of books).

The largest social media networks provide free platforms for people to communicate. In exchange, they harvest data about those people. The networks have policies to influence that data-gathering, often forbidding types of speech, or limiting communication deemed to be promotional in nature. Social media giants change their policies on a frequent basis. Networking strategies that worked well in the past may not function at all in the future.

Nevertheless, social media networks are a good option for authors who have financial limitations. At the same time, though, social media networks can become a huge time drain, requiring many hours to build and maintain relationships. Also, the transience of social media network rules may result in the loss of an author’s “social capital.”

CAREER PROMPT

So? What methods of networking have you tried? Why do they work for you? What can you change about your behavior to make them work better for you?

15

O is for Organization

A writing career requires vast amounts of organization. Authors must be organized in creating their work, in promoting their work, and in running the day-to-day aspects of their business.

Work Creation

Different authors have different methods for writing a story. Some—usually called plotters or “architects”—create detailed outlines, describing every encounter in each scene in each chapter of the finished book. Others—usually called pantsers or “gardeners” or “organic writers”—fly by the seats of their pants, developing the story as they go. Both plotters and pantsers, though, need to be organized.

Both types of authors need to track information about their story as they create it. They need to know which scenes they’ve written and which remain to be done. They need to know the details of their characters and their settings. They need to know information about other books in the series (if any), including things that happened in earlier volumes and things that will happen in future stories.

Even if they don’t need to know those details in order to write, they must know them after they’ve written, so that one hundred pages later, they can say with certainty whether their character has blue eyes or brown, whether the village down the lane is Great Snoring or Little Haven, whether the villain’s dog is named Rover or Spot.

The problems get more complex in certain genres, e.g., fantasy (where authors fabricate entire worlds complete with rules of magic and social hierarchies and imaginary creatures) and small-town romances (where they’re expected to remember which shops are located next to which and who is related to whom).

Organization also becomes more important for series of related works. Details that are defined in one volume need to persist into future works, or explanations need to be provided for the variations. Readers embrace books, in part, because they’ve mastered those details. Every time authors mistakes their own facts, they’re breaking a covenant with their readers.

These details are often called a “series bible.” Bibles can be captured in a variety of ways. Some authors are “old school,” relying on three-ring binders, with looseleaf paper, including inspirational photographs torn out of magazines, etc. Other authors keep their information electronically, either as a set of word-processing documents or within a spreadsheet, often based on a single template. Some programs, such as Scrivener, specifically include folders for research, allowing authors to create and maintain large numbers of files, all in one place.

Work Promotion

Authors need to be organized in promoting their work as well. Promotion might include written material (e.g., business cards, postcards, and bookmarks), online appearances (e.g., blog tours, Facebook launch parties, and giveaways), and in-person appearances (e.g., bookstore readings and conferences).

Multiple appearances require tracking—where one is supposed to be when. They also require a comprehensive list of what should be brought to each event—written material, special pens for signing, buttons or ribbons or other gifts for attendees, etc.

Promotion works best when it’s cumulative. Potential reviewers, readers, and other targets should receive uniform information—book covers, tag lines, blurbs, etc., are all more effective when they build on earlier information.

Leaving things to chance creates multiple opportunities for failure. Instead, authors should have a calendar (print or online) and checklists of supplies. Collecting a book’s promotional metadata in one place also facilitates uniform, effective promotion. (My book, The Rational Writer: Nuts and Bolts, includes a comprehensive metadata spreadsheet for tracking individual books and series. The same book includes a tactical plan that includes scheduling basic promotion for individual books.)

Business

It’s always easier to maintain a system than to build one from scratch. Therefore, rational writers implement business organization strategies early and continue to build on them throughout their careers.

Those systems should include career planning (a strategic plan for achieving over-arching goals over relatively long periods of time such as one year), time management documentation (including the above-mentioned tactical plan with its specific deadlines for the creation of one or more books), the above-mentioned metadata management system, and sales quantification.

Moreover, authors need systems for tracking income, business expenses, and government filing deadlines related to taxation and corporate status (if any).

Specific systems for work creation, promotion, and business are beyond the scope of this chapter. (My entire book The Rational Writer: Nuts and Bolts consists of descriptions of business systems, along with downloadable templates for those aspects of career management.)

CAREER PROMPT

So? Are you an organized author? What systems do you have in place to advance your career? What is the single system you most need to develop? What’s keeping you from doing that? What can you change to meet your needs?

16

P is for Piracy

Pirate. The word sounds sort of sexy. Pirates sail around in cool-looking boats, talking with funny, growling accents, and defying pompous prigs. They laugh a lot (yo, ho, ho), and they really know how to throw a party (that bottle of rum), and they’re portrayed in major motion pictures by big name actors. (Hello, Johnny Depp!)

But in the writing world, pirates are scum. They’re thieves. They take authors’ work without paying, sometimes without attribution.

High Seas

The typical pirate website hosts thousands of electronic books. Some are files copied from legitimate ebooks; they’re duplicated and posted without permission. Others are scanned copies of printed books; pages are fed through a mechanical scanner that churns out poor-quality electronic files, often rife with typographic errors. Yet others are PDF files, the electronic equivalent of photocopies of book pages.

No matter the format, pirated copies all have one thing in common: authors aren’t being paid for their work.

Different book pirates have different models for distributing their illegal books. Some make copyrighted material available for free, often invoking the misunderstood statement, “Information wants to be free.” (Information—facts—might want to be free, but creative works are not mere information.) Other pirates charge a fee for their booty; they’re in the business to make money. Still others never actually have a book file to offer; rather, they use authors’ names and the titles of their books to seduce unwary people to divulge credit card numbers, expiration dates, and security codes.

People who acquire pirated books also have a variety of motivations. Some have no intention of reading the books they steal; rather, they merely want to own the largest number of books possible. Others find themselves too poor to purchase books, so they download them from pirate sites in the mistaken belief that authors have no legitimate financial interest in their work. Still others could afford to buy books, but they choose not to, because they place their own interests above those of authors.

Just as there are different types of pirated books, different types of pirates, and different types of readers, there are different types of authors: those who have been pirated, and those who have not been pirated yet. Virtually every book that is available electronically will eventually be pirated.

Lowering the Boom

So, what’s an author to do?

The United States Copyright Act allows authors to sue people or businesses that infringe their copyrighted works. That litigation, though, is costly and time-consuming. If the author did not previously have a work registered with the United States Copyright Office, maximum damages will be limited to the financial harm actually suffered, a number that can be difficult, if not impossible to prove. Even if the author did register the work before the pirates distributed it, copyright infringement litigation is expensive. An individual case may take years to conclude.

Nevertheless, a 1998 amendment to the Copyright Act, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (“DMCA”) provides a more immediate form of relief. The DMCA states that an Internet Service Provider (“ISP”) is not liable for hosting an infringing work. However, when an ISP is put on notice that a work infringes, the ISP must remove that work from its site. ISPs are put on notice when they receive a takedown notice.

A takedown notice is a legal notification with specific requirements. It must:

- Be in writing,

- Be signed (physically or electronically) by the copyright owner or the owner’s designated agent,

- Identify the copyrighted work that has been infringed,

- Identify the material that infringes that copyrighted work,

- Include the owner’s contact information,

- State that the owner is acting in good faith,

- State that “under penalty of perjury, the information contained in the notification is accurate,” and

- State that the signatory has the right to proceed because he or she is the copyright owner or the owner’s designated agent.

Traditional publishers typically set up large-scale operations to detect and combat piracy. They hire services to track down pirated copies of their authors’ work, and they routinely send takedown notices to offenders. Most traditional publishers provide their authors with a contact person or email address, so that authors can forward notices of infringement that they discover.

Some self-published authors follow the same protocol. They use alert services to track appearances of their own name and/or the names of their books, and they regularly prepare and send takedown notices. Some authors delegate that work to a third-party service such as Muso. For a fee, the service monitors piracy and dispatches takedown notices.

Authors can spend substantial amounts of time and money policing their works, attempting to remove unlawful versions from all possible pirate sites. Some writers, though, limit their monitoring. They might, for example, only send takedown notices to pirates who are charging for infringing works, ignoring the numerous pirates who merely make books available for free.

(Some authors believe that they must police all of their works against all possible infringement, or they will lose their copyrights. This, though, is not an accurate understanding of United States copyright law. It is a summary of United States trademark law, which requires trademark owners to enforce their rights against all infringers.)

CAREER PROMPT

So? Where do you draw the line with regard to defeating pirates? How much time are you willing to devote each week to enforcing your copyrights? Will you send takedown notices to all offenders, or only to some? How will you make that determination?

17

Q is for Query

Once upon a time, nearly every published author had mastered the art of the query letter. Most authors sent query letters to agents, tracking down a representative to serve as a middleman to an editor. Even authors who worked without agents had mastered querying those editors directly, reaching out to seek publication of their book. (Yes, a tiny fraction of authors attended a conference or knew an editor personally and pitched work verbally, without a formal query letter. But those circumstances were relatively rare.)

Now, with the advent of self-publishing, fewer authors seek representation. Authors may work their entire careers without ever completing a query letter. If you’re one of those authors, congratulations. You’re through reading this chapter.

For everyone else…

A query letter is one of the most highly refined forms of writing you will ever complete. It consists of a single, one-page introduction to you and your book. It’s not your resume. It’s not your book’s synopsis. It’s a maximum of 250 words that is professional and intriguing enough to stand out among the—literally—hundreds of letters your agent of choice might be reading at one sitting.

In its simplest form, a query letter is a three-paragraph essay.

Paragraph 1: The Hook

The first paragraph is the hook. This single sentence is a tagline—an intense, distilled summary of your book that is so captivating the reader has to ask for more. Your hook should emphasize the aspects of your work that are unique. These might include a setting or time period, a specific character, or a startling circumstance.

Paragraph 2: The Summary

The second paragraph of your query summarizes the entire plot of your novel. Yes. In one paragraph.

Obviously, you can’t shrink 100,000 words into 150. Instead, you’ll need to focus on certain key aspects, the most important parts of your novel that make it stand out from all other novels in its category.

You will almost certainly not be able to condense your plot into this one paragraph. Instead, focus on what emerges from the mechanical operation of the plot. How do your main characters change? What essential, existential problems do they face at the beginning of the story? How are they transformed by their efforts to solve the problem? How does your specific setting or time period cause or influence that change?

Some writers create their summary paragraphs as if they were writing haiku. They focus on selecting individual words, weighing every syllable to guarantee that it serves the ultimate goal of describing the plot. Other authors start with a much broader scope, recording many details and far-ranging thoughts, only to pare them down to the final precious paragraph. However you approach the challenge, the end result will be the same: a single paragraph that contains the essence of your novel.

Paragraph 3: The Biography

The final paragraph of your query focuses on you, the writer. This isn’t a chance to tell every detail about every step on your writing journey. Rather, you want to share details related to the specific work you’re pitching. Why were you the best person to tell the story you told? What unique experience did you bring to the job?

If you have nationally recognized credentials (you’ve won the Pulitzer, you’ve received a MacArthur grant, you are a New York Times or USA Today bestseller), share that information here. But if your greatest writing recognition so far has been the prize you won in Mrs. Robinson’s third grade language arts class, don’t bother mentioning it.

Don’t be afraid to skimp on your biography. Less truly is more in this instance. If you pare enough words from your biography, you can “lend” them to your summary, adding more description about your book.

So, there you have it. A simple formula. Once you’ve drafted (and re-drafted, and re-re-drafted ad nauseum) those three paragraphs, you’ll want to review your query letter to make sure it includes a handful of other details. Specifically, make sure that you include:

- The agent’s name. (Not “Sir or Madam.” Not “To whom it may concern.” You want this letter to be the most powerful, personal appeal you’ve ever written, so make sure you address it to a person.)

- The book’s title. (Your title may very well be changed by the agent, an editor, or a marketing department. But this is your chance to give an agent something to hang her proverbial hat on. Use your title to snag attention.)

- The word count and genre of the book. (You should already have familiarized yourself with your field, so you know the typical length for books in your genre. Do not delude yourself into believing that your first novel, a 250,000-word young adult fantasy epic, is good enough to warrant an agent and editor taking a chance. That’s too long. And you won’t look professional if you pitch it. Edit before you ever get around to writing your query.)

- A brief thank you for the agent’s time.

CAREER PROMPT

So? Is it time to draft your query letter? Do you have a finished manuscript of your novel? Have you revised it as completely as you can? Are you ready to distill your masterpiece into three paragraphs?

18

R is for Research

As an author, you have two basic needs for research. First, you need to research markets, including how publishing works. Second, you need to research specific facts for use in your books. Different strategies work best for each of these goals.

Researching for your Career

Rational writers conduct exhaustive and ongoing research about their careers. They understand all the key markets in their specific field, including new and emerging opportunities. This awareness includes familiarity with the major individuals who work in their niche. (If they’re traditionally published, these players include agents, editors, and publishers, along with a broad range of people who are crucial to the promotion of your work. If they’re self-published, the players include contractual service providers, sales outlets, and a similarly broad range of people crucial to production and promotion.)

Authors should also be familiar with storytelling and marketing trends in their fields. What sub-genres are selling well? What is the typical price for a novel, novella, and short story? Are there new tools such as boxed sets, bundles, or other novel promotional gimmicks that are having an impact on sales? What do covers look like for books in their area? How are blurbs being structured?

Resources for this information will vary according to genre. A good starting place for popular fiction writers is the national group affiliated with their field—Romance Writers of America for romance, Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America for speculative fiction, etc. In addition to having online spaces for writers to communicate, those entities typically have publications (e.g., Romance Writers Report and The Bulletin). They may also have in-person conferences, sponsored either directly by the organization (e.g., RWA Nationals) or allied with other key players in the field (e.g., the World Science Fiction Convention). Of course, there are also specialty publications that focus on individual genres (e.g., RT Book Reviews and Locus).

Social media provide other means of research, uniting authors with other authors and with readers. Collaborative groups of authors often use private groups on Facebook, or Google hangouts, or Twitter DM groups to discuss their ongoing issues with writing and publishing. Many of these groups offer emotional support in addition to providing factual data.

Additional research can be conducted in stores—either by browsing the shelves in a bricks-and-mortar location or by studying sales venues online. Of course, authors should read some of those books as well; they should always be familiar with what other writers are creating in their field. (They may want to emulate those authors, or they may want to avoid what’s already been done.)

Industry norms change rapidly. The rational writer collects facts and figures, focusing on specific details to gain the best position in a highly competitive field. It is difficult to do too much research on how our business works.

Researching for your Book

By contrast, it’s extremely easy to conduct too much research for a specific book.

Let’s face it. A lot of us would rather research than write. We’d rather submerge ourselves in reference volumes or browse website after website. Each new fact we learn opens up another possibility for more exploration. A quick search for a single fact can expand into a deep dive for hours.

And most books require at least some research. Books that are set in historical periods of our actual world may require vast amounts of research. Authors can safely assume that some reader somewhere is an expert on whatever topics they include in their work. Waving hands and pretending that details are unimportant can doom an otherwise excellent story.

So, authors must walk a fine line. Research, of course, can be conducted in a number of different ways, through various media. It may be completed in print resources or online. It may be done in person or through a librarian or by relying on an expert. It might be done at the beginning of a project, before the first word is committed to the book, or it might be scattered throughout the writing process, on a “catch as catch can” basis.

But research for a specific book can be the enemy of a career author. Every hour spent fascinated by research is an hour not spent writing. Efficiency can deteriorate. Deadlines can be blown.

Rational writers strive to limit research to the specific facts mandatory to a given work, erring on the side of doing too little research and going back to conduct more research at a later date if absolutely necessary. They can always open up the Pandora’s box of research a second time, or a third. But if they’ve allowed a project to consume all of their resources, they cannot regain that lost ground.

CAREER PROMPT

So? What tools do you use to stay current on the market? What are your favorite tools for researching specific books? And are you tempted to continue your research past the time it’s yielding necessary results? If so, how do you curb that impulse?

19

S is for Synopsis

After a query letter (see Q is for Query), a synopsis might be the most challenging form of writing you ever create. In common parlance, a synopsis is a summary of a book’s plot. To the rational writer, though, a synopsis is much more. It’s a document written in paragraph form, in the present tense. Composed in third person, it tells a complete story; there are no “spoiler alerts” and no pulled punches about the plot resolution. It has one specific purpose: to sell your story.

Traditionally, authors wrote synopses after an agent or editor responded positively to a query letter. That is still a valid reason for traditionally published authors to write synopses. In addition, those authors might create a synopsis to assist their editors’ presentations to marketing committees or to prepare the art department before a cover is designed.

But self-published authors need to master the art of synopsis writing too. For a self-published author, a synopsis is vital to summarize an entire book for cover artists and for experts in publicity and marketing. In the crowded marketplace, you want evangelists who can promote your book far and wide. Those enthusiastic partners can best sell your work to others if they understand the story you are telling.

Formatting Your Mini-Masterpiece

Use an easy-to-read format for your synopsis. In a heading, include your name and contact information. If you have an agent, put that name in the heading as well, along with contact information. Clearly state your manuscript’s name, genre, and word count.

For the body of the synopsis, double space your text. Leave one-inch margins to facilitate easy reading. Use a clean, readable font. The synopsis is not an appropriate place to advertise your creativity by selecting artistic fonts that require careful parsing.

Length of Synopses

Debates rage over the appropriate length of a synopsis. Some industry professionals maintain that a synopsis should be no more than three double-spaced pages (around 750 words). Others consider a reasonable length to be ten or fifteen or twenty pages, whatever it takes to capture the scope of your work. There is no standardized definition, no coded language for “short synopsis” or “long synopsis.”

So what’s the rational writer to do? Ask. Contact the person who is going to use the synopsis—an agent, an editor, a blog tour organizer, whoever—and ask that person’s preference. That one simple question can save hours of otherwise-wasted time.

The Meat of the Matter

The body of the synopsis consists of three major parts: the hook, the characters, and the plot. Each of these components works with the others to generate a rock-solid depiction of your book.

As with your query letter, the synopsis hook is short. Often only one sentence, the hook is an intense distillation of your entire book. It is so captivating that the reader must ask for more. As with the query, your hook should emphasize the aspects of your work that are unique. These might include a setting or time period, a specific character, or a startling circumstance. Hooks are elevator pitches—a summary of your work that can be conveyed to the world’s most important decision-maker in the time it takes to ride an elevator from the ground floor to a penthouse office suite.

The primary focus of your hook should be the tone of your novel. You won’t be able to fit in all the details of your intricate writing—even in summary format—and you shouldn’t try. Rather, your goal is to capture the spirit of the work. The hook for a romantic comedy will sound completely different from the hook for an epic fantasy or a thriller or a literary novel. Prepare your synopsis reader for what comes next.

The next section of your synopsis is a brief character summary. Limit yourself to two characters—usually your protagonist and antagonist. (If you’re writing a romance novel, you’ll typically describe your heroine and hero.) If you absolutely, positively cannot restrict yourself, you can add a third character description. Each character gets his or her own paragraph. By tradition, a character’s full name is written in ALL CAPS the first time it appears.

For each description, provide the character’s goal, motivation, and conflict. (In simplest terms, the “goal” is what your character wants. The “motivation” is why they want it. The “conflict” is why they can’t have it.) This section should not include details about a character’s physical description unless that information is vital to the goal, conflict, or motivation. (In general, we don’t need to know that a heroine has long blond hair. But if the character is Rapunzel and her goal is to find true love and escape her tower prison, then we do need to know she has both the world’s strongest scalp and the longest hair.)

The majority of your synopsis will focus on your plot. Your goal, though, is not to recite what happens first, then what happens second, then what happens third. Rather, your goal is to focus on how plot events change your characters. Each major plot event should be summarized with an action by one character, a reaction by the same or a different character, and a summary of the effect. The culmination of your plot summary is the description of your character’s arc. Thus, your plot becomes a tool for displaying emotion, thereby gripping your reader.

You will likely write one paragraph for each major transition of your story. You definitely do not want to include every beat (the smallest unit of storytelling.) You may not want to include every scene (comprised of multiple beats.) But every time a character reacts to a substantial action and changes direction in a meaningful way, you’ll add a summary to your synopsis.

The road to writing a good synopsis is strewn with traps:

- Avoid vague, flowery, and unclear language—you’re trying to create a road-map, not show off your most extensive vocabulary.

- Don’t try to fool your reader about characters’ secret identities, including surprise villains.

- Don’t wallow in excessive plot details.

- Don’t skip around in narrative time; rather, craft a simple, straightforward narrative to help your reader understand your plot’s direction.

The final paragraph of your synopsis is its conclusion. Your goal is to summarize your characters’ successful arcs, underscoring how they have grown and changed. At the same time, an ideal conclusion wraps around to the initial hook at the beginning of the synopsis, mirroring the large questions set forth at the outset.

Once you’ve finished drafting your synopsis, invest several rounds of editing to make the most of your creation. Verify that every word is essential to the story you’re conveying; don’t give your readers a chance to be distracted by any unnecessary text. Test the strength of every verb you use, focusing on choosing action verbs that connote emotion, rather than weaker forms of “to be.” Similarly, concentrate on specific adjectives, searching for descriptors that carry shades of meaning.

As you near the end of your polishing, consider sharing it with a beta reader or other critique partner. Someone less familiar with the text can help you identify snags that aren’t easily found on a tenth, eleventh, or twelfth reading.

Wrap up your editing with a grammar check and a spell check. If you’re sending your synopsis electronically, make sure to save it at 100% view, so your reader can open it in that same manner.

CAREER PROMPT

So? Are you ready to tackle the rarefied writing that forms a synopsis? If you don’t have a completed manuscript of your own to practice on, consider drafting a synopsis for a favorite book or movie. Can you summarize The Lord of the Rings in ten pages? What about Pride and Prejudice in five? Or your favorite Nancy Drew book from childhood in three pages or less?

20

T is for Traditional Publishing

Prior to approximately the year 2000, the adjective “traditional” wouldn’t have been necessary—publishing was publishing. There were large presses, sure, and small presses, and various publishers were known for their work in specific genres. But one major model existed: an author wrote a book and sent it to a company that published the book, creating physical copies and distributing those volumes to various points of sale.

Despite the massive changes brought about by self-publishing, the traditional model still exists. Through consolidation, mainstream publishers have been reduced to five major players:

- Hachette

- HarperCollins

- Macmillan

- Penguin Random House

- Simon & Schuster

Each publisher is comprised of many imprints, each of which specializes in a genre or sub-genre, releasing books with appeal to a specific market segment. In addition, many small presses continue to exist, transacting business as traditional publishers.

Functions of a Traditional Publisher

An author’s first contact with a traditional publisher is likely to be with an editor, after an agent has sold a work to the publisher. (None of the major traditional publishers accepts unsolicited manuscripts across the board. A handful of imprints do accept unsolicited manuscripts; however, the review time for those submissions may amount to years. The “gatekeeping” function of traditional publishing continues to foster the impression among many readers that traditionally published books are superior to self-published books.)

Editors are responsible for developing an author’s work. Specific actions will depend on an editor’s work habits, as well as the state of the submitted manuscript. Typically, an editor reads a manuscript and prepares an edit letter, describing a variety of changes the editor believes will make the manuscript better. The letter is sent to the author, along with a deadline by which the changes must be completed. (Editors may make multiple rounds of edits, gradually moving from broad, developmental notes to more specific comments on individual sentences or words. In some genres—such as young adult or middle grade—it’s more common to receive sequential edit letters than in others—such as romance.) Once the manuscript is finalized, it is reviewed by a copy editor to polish continuity, grammar, and spelling.

While the editors are working with the author to create the strongest content possible, an art department concentrates on a book cover. Someone on the publisher’s staff—often the developmental editor—drafts back cover copy, describing the book. A title is selected, often one that is different from the author’s original name for the book. Ultimately, the work is placed into a final publication format (ebook or print) and all of the text (the book, the cover copy, etc.) is reviewed by proofreaders for typographic errors.

All of those professionals—developmental editors, copyeditors, proofreaders, formatters, typesetters, artists, printers, etc.—are hired by the traditional publisher. Each is expected to conform to various “house rules” ranging from acceptable subject matter to common cover design to spelling conventions. The author is never out-of-pocket for any of those expenses.

Once the book is finalized, the publisher is responsible for getting it to sales venues. For online stores, this means determining metadata (which are generally protected as trade secrets) and uploading the books. For bricks-and-mortar stores, publishers maintain a staff of salespeople who approach the buyers for the few remaining large chain stores. They prepare a catalog to support those salespeople (although the print catalogs of old have almost entirely given way to online catalogs). Once again, the author does not pay for those services.

Even before the book is available for sale, the traditional publisher develops a marketing plan. (Indeed, at most publishers, the marketing department is engaged with the book from the instant it is acquired. At most publishers, the marketing department has the ability to “blackball” any prospective acquisition on the basis that it will not readily find a market niche.) The marketing plan might include (increasingly rare) author tours, press releases, physical swag, etc. While special sales pricing is occasionally used, most traditionally published books are sold at a fixed price. Marketing dollars are generally allocated to books the publisher believes will be bestsellers. Books by new authors or authors who are not selling well will generally not be promoted extensively, if at all. As before, though, authors do not pay for marketing arranged by publishers. (But they might well pay for their own marketing efforts.)

Money, Money, Money, Money

In the realm of traditional publishing, authors should not put out any money for the publication of their books. Rather, traditional publishers pay money to the writer. (Note that the rules are different in self publishing, see I is for Independent Publishing, and vanity publishers notoriously charge writers for nearly everything, see V is for Vanity Publishing.)

Publishers’ payments come in two forms: advances and royalties. Not all publishers pay advances; however, for decades, the payment of an advance was the hallmark of a legitimate publisher. An advance is a payment made as an advance against royalties. The author receives the money and never needs to repay it, even if the book fails to sell well. While arrangements vary from publisher to publisher, many advances are paid in installments: 1/3 upon signing a contract, 1/3 upon delivering an accepted outline, and 1/3 upon delivering an accepted manuscript. (Some publishers include a fourth payment point, upon publication of the finished book. That arrangement works against authors’ best interests, because the authors can’t control when books are actually published.)

In addition to an advance, most publishers pay royalties. Royalties are a percentage of the sales price of the book. Depending on the contract, different percentages might be paid based on format, market, etc. Those percentages might be calculated on the cover price or an actual sales price or some other number.

Compared to self publishing, traditional publishers’ royalty percentages are low. While a self-published author might receive 70% of a book’s sale price when they sell on Amazon, a traditionally published author might receive only 10% (or less, if the book is a mass market paperback or sold in a small market following translation).

Nevertheless, traditionally published books often sell many more copies than self-published books. Generally, traditional publishers have greater success placing their books in bricks-and-mortar bookstores, and they have much greater reach in library sales and international sales. Therefore, an author might make more money with a traditional publisher, despite the relatively low amount received on each individual book.

CAREER PROMPT

So? How do you feel about traditional publishing? Do you have or aspire to a traditional publishing contract? Do you think this business model can persist in today’s world?

21

U is for Ugly

There are some ugly truths about writing, things no one wants to admit. I’m talking about the emotions we all try to hide away.

What emotions? How about:

Anxiety (or its cousins, Fear and Frustration)

Some authors fear they’ll never be able to capture the stories they see inside their heads; they fear they don’t have the skill to communicate those images. Even when authors succeed in transmitting their visions perfectly, they often feel frustrated by an inability to write faster or better or with more marketable themes. Authors worry about whether they’re doing enough promotion, about whether their stories will ever find the proper audience. Authors who rely on their writing for a meaningful amount of income are often anxious about whether a book is selling well enough to meet specific bills, or whether a particular story is selling well enough to merit more books in a series.

Despair

(Perhaps the extreme form of anxiety, fear, and frustration.) Despite spending days and weeks and months and years to create a book, some authors find that their books don’t sell. When authors attempt to write more books, or to work in different genres, or to try additional promotional techniques but still see dismal results, disappointment may turn to despair. All roads seem to be blocked on a permanent basis. No alternatives seem to exist.

Guilt

Every hour spent writing is an hour that could be spent doing something else—spending time with family and friends, working on other skills, working at a day job, etc. Authors are often left feeling guilty for the choices they make when they persist in writing, especially when that persistence means missing milestones of children or other family members.

Jealousy (and its fraternal twin, Envy)

Many (most? all?) authors are envious of more successful authors; we want to have their success in creating a number of books or selling those books to a wider audience or making a bestseller list or any other marker of success in this crazy field. We may also feel jealous, fearing that another author is going to supplant us in sales rankings, or that a new author might lure away our readers with a shiny new book in our genre. These feelings are exacerbated by mainstream media, which love to tell stories of overnight successes, often ignoring the years that went into creating that success. Similarly, the popular press loves stories about authors doing extraordinarily well, the superstar bestsellers who sell millions of books. By comparison, our own careers can seem paltry.

Sorrow

Writing careers can lead to sorrow. There are the inevitable losses that stem directly from the business of writing—when a traditional publisher places a book out of print (but not out of ebook availability, so there isn’t the corresponding joy of rights reversion), when a profitable sales venue closes, when a beloved series simply fails to catch the interest of readers. There are also more abstract sorrows—when a loved one dies before seeing an author’s success or when a relationship ends because someone is unable to give a writer the time needed to write.

All those ugly feelings exist, along with dozens more. Rational writers are prepared to experience negative emotions. They accept the feelings at the time. They understand that the negativity will pass. They consciously shut down the whispering cycle of ugly thoughts and turn back to writing again, and again, and again.

Some writers augment their emotional strength by confiding in writers groups. Others balance the lonely, cerebral exercise of writing with physical activity. Writers may seek outside support from career coaches or therapists or religious leaders. They may resort to comfort food and drink—wine or macaroni and cheese or Ben & Jerry’s by the pint.

The rational writers are the ones who regroup, who return to their work, attempting to solve whatever problems actually can be solved. The rational writers get back to writing.

CAREER PROMPT

So? Which ugly emotions are you most likely to experience? And what strategies do you have in place to survive the negativity?

22

V is for Vanity Publishing

Once upon a time, it was easy to spot the vanity publishers (also known as vanity presses or subsidized publishers). They were the ones who advertised in magazines, promising to turn an author’s brilliant prose into printed books. They hinted at magnificent fame and fortune—if only an author paid a large sum of money up front.

As frustrating as vanity publishing was, it was easy to warn off new authors. More experienced folks could explain, “Money flows to the author.” If a publisher asked for money up front, then it wasn’t legitimate.

But the development of self-publishing has blurred that bright line. Self-published authors do pay for services up front. They hire editors and designers and formatters and marketing experts. So how can an author determine whether a potential business partner is legitimate in the modern publishing world?

Unreasonable Enthusiasm

Vanity publishers typically guarantee bestsellers. They promise to get books on the New York Times or USA Today lists. Those assurances are often bolstered by claims that an author’s manuscript is so well-written that it doesn’t need editing. The plot is perfect, and each individual sentence is crafted flawlessly. In fact, copyediting and proofreading are often (allegedly) superfluous.

Legitimate publishers cannot guarantee that any book will be a bestseller. The market is too complex, distribution is too complicated, and readers’ tastes cannot be measured with absolute certainty.

Moreover, every manuscript—especially the manuscript of a new author—has some flaws. Publishing is a collaborative enterprise, with editors bringing tremendous value to the table. Authors who believe their prose is perfect cheat themselves out of the opportunity to become better at their craft.

Anonymous Contacts

Vanity publishers typically limit contact between their authors and professionals within the publishing house. An author may not even have an editor; rather, there’s a single contact (a salesperson) who handles all requests, guiding the project from acquisition to distribution.

By contrast, legitimate publishers have dozens of people who are associated with each book they publish. Editors are different from copyeditors, and both are different from proofreaders. While an author’s editor may be a liaison to the art department, the marketing department, and others, that editor does not work in a vacuum.

Perhaps because they have so few staff, vanity presses typically have very small physical and online footprints. They may not have a street address or a phone number. They might not allow direct communication through their website until an author hands over valuable contact information. By contrast, legitimate publishers occupy entire buildings in New York City. Even small presses have updated websites and extensive presences on social media.

Money Abnormalities

Vanity presses are structured to be efficient money-earning businesses. They typically break their services into tiers, promising additional services for more money up front. They demand reading fees before they’ll accept a manuscript for publication. At the same time, they demand a royalty on all books sold. They often charge for each sales venue where a book is released—one fee for Amazon, another for Barnes & Noble, etc.

No legitimate agent or publisher will charge a reading fee. Ever. Traditional publishers provide their services for free, taking a financial risk on new books. Self-publishing service providers require payment, but they don’t have a royalty interest in the resulting books.

Before you arrange to work with any publishing professional—a potential publisher, an editor, a formatter, anyone—do some basic research. Type the potential business partners’ names into a search engine and see if people have complained about (or complimented) their services. Visit some websites that track writing scams—Google is your friend!—and see if your potential business partner is listed. Check with writing organizations like the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America to see if members have had negative experiences with the business.

Most of all, use your common sense. If a company is offering too good a deal—guaranteed bestseller status! published books in less than a month!—ask yourself what secret formula they’re using that no one else in the business is able to access.

CAREER PROMPT

So? What steps do you take when you consider working with a new business partner? Have you ever been burned? Did you report the offender to a writers organization or other authority?

23

W is for Workspace

Every author has a preferred workspace. Lucky authors get to work under those conditions on a regular basis. Everyone else figure out ways to make do.

A workspace has many elements. First, authors have to have some way of setting down their words. Some people work with pen and paper. Others work on computers (including phones, tablets, and anything else that takes typed or tapped input). Others record their work, using programs to transcribe the spoken word into a file that can be edited later. Brainstorming is often done with a variety of office supplies, spreading out inspirational notes on walls or tables.

Any method of capturing words should include a method of backing up data. Handwritten words can be photographed or photocopied and stored offsite or promptly typed into a computer file. Computer files can be backed up to thumb drives, external hard drives, and off-site locations such as cloud storage. Audio tapes can be duplicated and transcribed. Ideally, each file will be saved in multiple ways in multiple places.

Of course, authors rely on furniture to support them while they’re writing. That furniture must accommodate whatever writing method is used. Some authors stand at tall desks or walk on treadmills while they work. Others prefer a more traditional chair (often, one that is ergonomically designed) while sitting at a standard desk. Some people work in an armchair; recliners can be especially comfortable for people with certain back problems or reduced mobility. Authors who dictate sometimes walk as they work, taking inspiration in a changing landscape.

A workspace includes other elements as well. Writers often need telephones (to speak with other writers, business partners, and takeout Chinese restaurants for those nights when inspiration is flowing and there isn’t time to cook). Occasionally, writers need to print documents including—for some—entire manuscripts, and they may need to scan documents as well. Sometimes, materials must be sent by mail or other delivery service, and a well-designed workspace includes office supplies to complete those transactions.

Some writers are fortunate enough to have a dedicated home office. Others make do with allocated space elsewhere in a home—a table in a family room corner, a dining room table, a laptop computer that can be stored away when not in use. Still others rely on co-working space outside the home, taking advantage of office machines, electricity, and an absence of distractions.

Bottom line, the rational writer is flexible about workspace. If a computer has run out of power, the rational writer switches to writing words in ink on paper. If a home office doubles as a guest room, the rational writer stows away writing supplies in a different location, ready to snatch a few moments of creative time if the possibility arises.

Those disruptions can actually be a positive thing. While changes in routine can be unnerving, they can also help the brain to break out of ruts. Authors can find inspiration in new surroundings. They might enjoy brainstorms as they physically manipulate novel objects—paper, pens, recording devices, etc.

Changes don’t need to be permanent. A single walk, taken with a notepad and pen in hand, might shake free new ideas for a particularly stubborn story. Reclining in a family room chair might provide inspiration for a new book’s outline.

CAREER PROMPT

So? What about you? What is your current workspace? What is your ideal one? What barriers are keeping you from working in your ideal workspace? Can you remove any of those barriers today?

24

X is for (E)xposure

(So sue me. Or give me an idea of another “X” word to write about.)

Before an author publishes a book, they revise it, edit it, copyedit it, proofread it, and format it. Through each of those iterations, the book becomes better and better. By the time it hits stores, it’s the best version of that book the author could write.

But that’s not enough for the book to sell well. Rather, potential readers need to learn that the book exists. The author needs exposure.

Once upon a time, authors were told that the only exposure they needed was a good website and a blog. Authors were expected to post regularly to their blog, building an avid following of readers. A handful of authors mastered the platform, creating a veritable new form of entertainment and attracting tens of thousands of fans. Most authors, though, maintained a steady communication without substantially changing their readership statistics.

Various social media began appearing on the scene. MySpace and LiveJournal gave way to Facebook and Twitter. New forms evolved to take advantage of near-ubiquitous cell phones equipped with cameras, and Instagram and Snapchat became popular. Tumblr filled a need for some people, along with LinkedIn and Pinterest and a thousand other services for online denizens.

Authors followed the developments. Sometimes, they reserved accounts so other people could not use their names on the various social media sites. Other times, they developed unique marketing plans that took advantage of the various media. In each case, a handful of authors mastered the new platform. Most, though, used the various services without gaining a substantial number of new readers.

So, how are authors supposed to get their books noticed?

Creating Exposure

First, figure out which media work best for you. Consider whether you prefer words or pictures. Are you better with pithy sayings, or do you best express yourself in flowing paragraphs? Are you primarily a computer user, or is your phone surgically attached to your palm? Take stock of your preferences, and choose modes of communication that play to your strengths.

Second, determine your social media schedule. Your schedule is a guideline, a reminder to make posts on a regular basis. It doesn’t bind you to specific topics on specific days, but it helps you to structure your broad range of ideas. Set your schedule by creating a chart for each form of social media you intend to use:

- In the far-left column, write down half a dozen broad subject areas that appeal to you. These can be specific books you want to promote, causes that you believe in, holidays or vacations or other activities you want to share, etc.

- Across the top, write each day (or time of day) you intend to post. All forms of social media work best when contact with followers is regular. Plan on maintaining your frequency for an entire month. Don’t lie to yourself that you’ll post once an hour, every hour, seven days a week—you won’t be able to keep up that pace. Be realistic.

- Complete your grid, sketching in a subject-matter idea for each time period. You don’t need to go into detail; just leave yourself enough information to jump into your social media post when you’re ready. You’ll have one entry in each column (each day or time of day you intend to post). You may have more than one entry in each row (if you have more days than you do topics).

Third, stick to your schedule. Consider your social media—the exposure that’s going to result in sales of your books—as important as creating the books themselves. If necessary, draft posts ahead of time, maintaining them in a spreadsheet or word processing file so you can cut and paste them into social media. Depending on your media of choice, you might be able to raise your profile by sharing other people’s posts (“Share” on Facebook, “Retweet” on Twitter, etc.) Don’t allow your account to consist solely of sharing; advance your own personal agenda.

Fourth, restrict the time you spend on social media. As your exposure builds and your social network expands, you’ll be tempted to spend more time interacting with other people. Some of that interaction is good—it helps to build fans. It gives you a break from the strain of creating your books, and it’s fun. But it’s very easy to forget how much time you’ve been online—time that could be spent writing, or with family or friends.

Evaluating Exposure

At the end of your first month, set aside some time to study your social media. Consider whether you stuck to your schedule. If you didn’t, determine why you didn’t, and whether your modifications were for good reasons or bad ones.

Also, review the effect of your social media campaigns. Did you increase your number of followers? Did you increase the amount of interaction with existing followers? Did you connect with more prominent members of your online community? Did you see an effect on book sales?

If you saw improvement in all metrics, fantastic! You can continue doing exactly what you were doing.

If you saw improvements in the amount of interaction but not in the number of sales, consider continuing your same plan for another month (or two). It often takes time for social media contacts to “mature” into purchases.

If you did not see improvements, then consider ways to change your plan. Are there other topics that interest you that might be of greater interest to your social media community? Are you posting often enough to build a community? Are you posting too often, so your posts are ignored as if they were spam? Are you using the correct form of social media to find readers interested in what you write? Can you try another social media platform, where you might receive greater exposure? Modify your plan, taking into account answers to these questions.

CAREER PROMPT

So? Where are you going to start your social media plan for exposure? What social network will you target first? And what are three topics you’re especially interested in discussing?

25

Y is for You

You’ve now had a chance to read two dozen essays about writing. You’ve had the opportunity to answer questions about every topic, organizing your personal thoughts.

Along the way, you’ve certainly found some advice that conflicts with your own knowledge or beliefs. You’ve read suggestions that will never work for you, given what you write or how you write.

And that’s okay. No writing advice book is perfect for all writers at all times. You’re not only allowed to disagree with the advice in this book, you’re encouraged to do so. You should test every single idea against your own process and determine what works for you and what does not.

Then, you can move forward with building your unique career.

CAREER PROMPT

So? Take a moment and look back at the previous twenty-four chapters. Where have you disagreed with my advice? What specific advice would you offer instead? How can you test that advice, to make sure it’s best for the growth of your career?

26

Z is for Zephyr

Zephyr is the west wind, a light wind, one that has traditionally been considered the most mild and favorable. Your writing career is beset with winds of change.

The past ten years have seen massive consolidation in the traditional publishing field, with many long-time leaders merging. Imprints have been dropped and treasured editors have been let go. Ten years ago, Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing did not exist; today, it is the largest self-publishing platform for writers. The Kindle itself had not been released, although other ereaders were around. (The Rocket Ebook proudly boasted that it could hold up to ten books!) Apple’s iPhone did not exist; today, it is the sole ereading device for many readers.

Borders Books and Music closed in 2011, and many believe that Barnes & Noble will be gone within another year (although they’ve been saying that for at least the past two years). At the same time, many independent bookstores are blossoming, rising up to fill niches in distribution now that the large-chain bookstores are losing their grip.

Individual authors have seen their fortunes rise and fall. Amanda Hocking made the news in 2011 when the formerly self-published author sold four books to St. Martin’s Press (part of Macmillan, one of the surviving Big Five traditional publishers) for a seven-figure deal. Ms. Hocking, though, has not been mentioned in publishing news in years. Her accomplishments were supplanted by Joe Konrath and Hugh Howey, by Liliana Hart and Sylvia Day. By the time you read this, some other author will likely top the charts with breathtaking success.

Some writers are imbued with entrepreneurial spirit. They thrive on harnessing new technologies, exploring the potential of evolving channels of distribution, finding new readers for new books.

Other writers follow behind, fine-tuning those discoveries, honing advances and pinpointing successful strategies.

Then there are the writers who change nothing, who continue to write books exactly as they’ve written them, who attempt to sell them to the same publishers, promoting them in the same ways to the same readers. As publishers fail, though, as promotional messages are diluted by “noise” in the system, as readers are distracted by the latest, shiniest, newest attractions, those staid writers find themselves selling fewer and fewer books. Their prospects become dim. They fail.

The only thing constant is change. And rational writers learn to manage that change.

No one has to become an expert at all things. No one has to master traditional publishing and self publishing, every vein of promotion, every aspect of storytelling. But rational writers strive to be familiar with every aspect of writing. They play to their strong points. They hire expertise to advance their weak points.

You’ve already taken the first step, by reading this book.

CAREER PROMPT

So? What are you going to do going forward? How will you stay informed? How will you adapt? How will you prepare yourself for wherever the winds of change see fit to bring you?

Thank You

I can’t thank you enough for choosing The Rational Writer: A to Z from among all the writing books out there! Without readers like you, I would never have my writing career.

I’d love to keep in touch with you. Please sign up for my newsletter, Virtual Cocktails. It features five “ingredients” in every issue—everything from book giveaways to deleted scenes to announcements of new books. And I always include at least one thing that made me laugh out loud in the previous month! Of course, I promise to never, ever, ever sell your email address to anyone else.

You may not realize it, but you’re in the best position to help authors by telling your friends about books you love. Honest reviews for The Rational Writer: A to Z are especially valuable, because many advertisers require authors to have a certain number of reviews before we’re allowed to buy advertising.

Whatever you do, don’t be a stranger! I’m mostly online at Facebook, but I’m on Twitter too, and I keep a blog on my website. I look forward to hearing from you soon!

www.mindyklasky.com

mindy@mindyklasky.com

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The first step-by-step guide to project management for writers, equally suited to authors who self publish or publish traditionally. Topics include strategic planning, time management, tracking data, quantifying career success, and specialized issues in successful publishing. (This book includes passwords for personalizable spreadsheets and legal forms.)

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Girl’s Guide to Witchcraft

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Capitol Magic (a cross-over with the Washington Vampires Series)

“Dreaming of a Witch Christmas” (a Yule short story)

Nice Witches Don’t Swear (a crossover with the Magic and Mayhem Universe)

Magical Washington: Four in Hand (a boxed set containing Girl’s Guide to Witchcraft; Fright Court; The Library, the Witch, and the Warder; and The Witch Doctor Is In)

Magical Washington: Witch and Warder (a boxed set containing Girl’s Guide to Witchcraft and The Library, the Witch, and the Warder)

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Fright Court

Law and Murder

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The Washington Vampires Series, Volumes 1-3 (a boxed set containing Fright Court, Law and Murder, and High Stakes Trial)

Capitol Magic (a cross-over with the Washington Witches Series)

“Stake Me Out to the Ball Game” (a short story)

Magical Washington: Four in Hand (a boxed set containing Girl’s Guide to Witchcraft; Fright Court; The Library, the Witch, and the Warder; and The Witch Doctor Is In)

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The Library, the Witch, and the Warder

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Magical Washington: Witch and Warder (a boxed set containing Girl’s Guide to Witchcraft and The Library, the Witch, and the Warder)

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Act One, Wish One

Wishing in the Wings

Wish Upon a Star

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Keara’s Raven: Betrayal

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Stand-Alone Book

Season of Sacrifice

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Perfect Pitch

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Reaching First

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Third Degree

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From Left Field

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Always Right

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The Daddy Dance

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Edited by Mindy Klasky

Nevertheless, She Persisted

About the Author

Mindy Klasky learned to read when her parents shoved a book in her hands and told her she could travel anywhere in the world through stories. She never forgot that advice.

Mindy’s travels took her through multiple careers—from litigator to librarian to full-time writer. Mindy’s travels have also taken her through various literary genres, including cozy paranormal, hot contemporary romance, and traditional fantasy. She is a USA Today bestselling author, and she has received the Career Achievement Award from the Washington Romance Writers.

In her spare time, Mindy knits, quilts, and tries to tame her endless to-be-read shelf. Her husband and cats do their best to fill the left-over minutes.

About Book View Café

Book View Café Publishing Cooperative (BVC) is an author-owned cooperative of over fifty professional writers, publishing in a variety of genres including fantasy, romance, mystery, and science fiction.

BVC authors include New York Times and USA Today bestsellers along with winners and nominees of many prestigious publishing awards.

Since its debut in 2008, BVC has gained a reputation for producing high-quality ebooks. BVC’s ebooks are DRM-free and are distributed around the world. The cooperative is now bringing that same quality to its print editions.

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Copyright © 2015 by Mindy Klasky

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

This is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Published by Book View Café Publishing Cooperative

P.O. Box 1624, Cedar Crest, NM 87008-1624

www.bookviewcafe.com

ISBN 978-1-61138-619-6

Discover other titles by Mindy Klasky at www.mindyklasky.com

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