Inquiry

Dear Self-Publishing Author,

Thank you so much for your message, asking why the design department can't just follow your instructions.

Allow me to apologize for seeking clarification. It is my fault that we bothered you in an attempt to produce the best possible version of your book.

Rest assured, we will be publishing you verbatim from now on.

Sincerely,
Next time we will let you print 'ligancy' instead of 'legacy'

Communication

Dear Self-Publishing Author,

Thanks so much for your 3 emails today, demanding to speak to me about pricing of your book.

I appreciate your candor when you called our work "unacceptable" and said the cover we designed for you was "week" (sic) and that you didn't like anything about it.

Certainly that impels me to call you. No you didn't misunderstand my email from yesterday with closing statement that you are welcome to chat with me about pricing, however, I didn't see anywhere in that email that said that we chat when it's convenient for you alone.

Please let me educate you on how conversations happen: all parties need to be available.

I can't wait to help you with the last two books of your romantic-suspense trilogy. I'm sure you'll be just delightful.

Sincerely,
Can't wait to talk to you

Book Cover image

Dear Self-Publishing Author,

Thanks so much for the image to go on your book cover. When I asked you to attach it to an email, what I meant was don't include it in the body of the email.

Thanks for having your designer send it to me.

I have just one question: what kind of graphic designer doesn't know how to attach an image to an email?

Sincerely,
Is it me?

Self in self-publishing

Dear Self-Publishing Author,

Thanks so much for your email asking me to input your About the Author because you don't see it on your system.

Honestly, is there anything you can do for yourself?

Sincerely,
Good luck figuring out how zippers work

Second Book

Dear Self-Publishing Author,

Thank you so much for your many emails. I can't tell you how much I look forward to them.

I like that you include a personal touch each time,  telling me that I have dropped the ball on your book when in fact, each and every time I was waiting on your materials.

Last week when you asked me if it was time to submit your artwork, I expected to see the artwork. My mistake. Instead I saw an email (a week later) asking about how to submit the artwork and again complaining of the time the process is taking.

As you are publishing your second book with us and have gone through this process before and are resubmitting the same artwork, I (apparently madly) assumed that you were familiar with how we do things. I sent you the instructions again and have yet to hear from you.

I'm sure you'll email me again to tell me that the non-existent progress on your book is my fault. You're right, who wants to catch flies anyway?

Sincerely,
Not your doormat...

Cover content

Dear Self-Publishing Author,

Thanks so much for your email suggesting that, although this is self-publishing, we should work together to make the best product possible.

Absolutely.

When it comes to content, however, you are the artist and you are responsible for making those choices.

So, no, I can't choose which endorsements to use on your back cover.

Sincerely,
It's not my book. Why don't you ask God, since you're so connected?

Post-Publication charges

Dear Self-Publishing Author,

Thanks for your call today questioning our bill for designer time for your post-publications revisions.

Remember when we discussed at length that you need to submit the proof in the format you received from us and not in a Word document, because that would mean laying out the book all over again? Do you remember calling the process to make those changes tedious? Do you remember telling us to go ahead and charge you for designer time?

Why then, do you now take the position that you didn't expect the bill to be that large (it is a re-layout, after all) and why do you expect me to see what I can do so that you can have the proof before January (which is when you say you will be able to pay it)?

Seriously?

Sincerely,
Isn't it sad when cousins marry?

book order

Dear Self-Publishing Author,

Thanks for your email asking if you can increase your book order.

It's too bad it comes in response to my email of the courier tracking numbers.

So, yes, it is too late to change.

Sincerely,
therearenowords

Sign off

Dear Self-Publishing Author,

Thanks so much for your voice mail and email today about our eProof sign off form.

I'm so very glad you asked me to explain the differences between the boxes that need to be checked off. You're correct; my magic decoder ring makes English clearer to me than it does for anyone else.

Sincerely,
English/English interpreter extraordinaire

Timing for Book Delivery

Dear Self-Publishing Author,

Thanks so much for your immediate response to my 'congratulations, your book is available for sale' email.

When I explained to you on Monday that I couldn't ship you 50 books by Saturday because it takes 6 business days to print them, I didn't expect that you would think that I had so much control of space and time that I could make this happen.

I hope you understand that while we can rush the printing and delivery, my control over space-time is so tenuous that these might not make it to you by your deadline.

I, for my part, will work on bending time so that next time we will be able to meet your entirely reasonable deadline.

Sincerely,
Aspiring Time Lord

ISBNs vs. BISAC codes

Dear Self-Publishing Author,

Thank you so much for the information you forwarded me on ISBNs and why you are on the verge of purchasing 10 of them.

No, you do not need to change the ISBN when you sell outside of the US. What they told you was an outright lie and they probably did that to sell you more product.

Your ISBNs were on the proof of the cover I have sent you (three times!). Ditto for the bar code. Please don't purchase one. It will be a waste of your money.

ISBNs are different from BISAC codes, which is actually what I was wanting you to confirm with me.

I am not sure why you needed to 'investigate' the BISAC codes and then told me that they will not help someone looking for your book. I know that. I explained to you that the codes help book retailers determine the appropriate section for your book.

I am so glad we were able to resolve this by having me read the multiple codes to you over the phone (I was worried that leaving you with this task would result in you returning to me with more unimagined nonsense).

I was hoping you would recognize my expertise as an industry insider, but by all means, please trust the word of a customer service agent in a book store. I am sure she has lots of experience with the self-publishing industry and knows about these things.

Sincerely,
Is there an echo in here?

Search Key words

Dear Self-publishing author,

Thanks so much for your search key words. It was very helpful to receive them after your book is uploaded to our distributors and available for sale and I emailed you to that effect.

I would have hoped that you would have revised them when we were discussing them, a month ago. Thankfully, you waited until we uploaded everything about your book, because I don't know what I would have done with the extra 30 minutes to an hour that it will take me to process this direction.

I'm sure the general words you forwarded to me are much better than the specific search parameters that I suggested. But then again, God will probably help the faithful to find it, in appreciation for the love poems you have written him.

Sincerely,
Good luck finding your book on page 99,998 with those keywords

Design Queue

Dear Self-Publishing Author,

To answer your question, yes, I would take the time to review my 100,000 word piece to make sure it is correct.  I see that you haven't taken my advice, as I returned from lunch to find your eProof sign off on my desk. Sigh. I guess rather than wait two weeks for us to work up the correction you phoned me about, you decided to just rush your book out to the market.


You have paid for 3 hours of extra design time and have already purchased another proofing round, in addition to the 3 you already had. You are now back for Post-Publication Revisions. Perhaps the rush you are in has something to do with the errors you keep finding and returning for us to correct.


No, I can't shrink the Designer queue for you. Yes, I understand it is just one change and one that you say you didn't instruct us to make. I would actually disagree with your statement that it is important to get the change in front of the designers "before they forget the book". I can assure you that our designers don't memorize the projects on which they work. 


I can also assure you that our designers have worked on dozens of project since yours and, as memorable as your work is, would do the same job no matter when you decide to forward the next revisions.



No, I can't put your work in front of the queue, because, as I explained to you on the phone, that would not be fair to our other authors.


I understand that your work is important and that 'everyone will want to read it before 2012' but, unfortunately, that does not justify rearranging the queue priority. 


Sincerely,
See you in a couple of weeks when you discover another error.

Book Return Insurance

Dear Self-Publishing Author,

Thank you for your phone call to let us know you would like to purchase Book Return Insurance on your book that was published 10 months ago. As I explained to you, because the information has already been uploaded to our distributors, it will take the individual bookstores time to note that change in their records.

No, I can't call them myself. There are 25,000. No, I don't know what their internal processes are or how long they will take. As I mentioned to you several times, the last author that decided post-publication to retroactively insure their book was waiting up to 4 months for a large chain to record the change.

No, I can't do anything to speed up the process, as it is not our process. At least I'm glad you now believe me that your book needs insurance to be considered by book retailers for hard copy sales.

Sincerely,
Not talking to hear the sound of my own voice

Manuscript Preparation

Dear Self-Publishing Author,

How wonderful that you began our conversation by telling me you are bi-polar. I guess that excuses the fact that you have now forwarded 3 hard copies of your manuscript to us, despite my telling you that we need it electronically or you need to pay to have the data entered.

I guess that may also excuse the fact that you continually interrupted me and spoke over me while I was attempting to explain our process to you and explain why we don't take hard copies of manuscripts.

That must excuse the fact that even though I said I was in a meeting at 10:30 this morning, you arrived at the office at 10:30, while I was on my way out and continued into the office. I'm sure my colleagues were very happy to assist you. I look forward to their gifts of thanks and appreciation.

Sincerely,
The bi-polar people in my circle would be embarrassed by this behaviour; take your meds.

Post-Publication Revisions

Dear Self-Publishing Author,

Thanks so much for forwarding your manuscript to me for revision after you published with us. I appreciate that you sent it to me and then the next day (Sunday), revised it and sent it to me again, hoping that this wouldn't 'affect your place in the queue'.

Thanks also for the 8 emails I have received from you today. I know the 40+ other authors I am helping through this process appreciate it when someone who has already published but didn't scrutinize the proofs occupies my time.

Tell me, should I go ahead or wait for the next version which I know is coming?

Sincerely,
Next time actually read it

follow up calls

Dear Self-Publishing Author,

Thanks so much for your numerous voicemails and countless emails in addition to the several times we spoke yesterday. Number crunching to come up with your book pricing is so much easier and quicker when you incessantly interrupt me to ask if I'm finished or to remind me that you're waiting on me.

Really? I think I would have forgotten you needed to talk to our Book Promotion Specialists ASAP because you neglected to mention it in the last 90 seconds of the previous conversation/voicemail/email. Thank you for keeping me on task.

It will be with a great deal of regret that I pass you along. I am already anticipating the joy of the marketing person who will be assigned to you. I'm looking forward to their thank-you gifts.

Sincerely,
Who wants to attract flies anyway?

Acknowledgment

Dear Self-Publishing Author,

Thank you for your email asking that I acknowledge receipt of your manuscript and author photo.

My apologies. I had understood that the email communication we had, wherein I mentioned that I had received these items, constituted acknowledgment.

Why don't you let me know how you would like to be acknowledged? If not by email, how? A note, postcard, letter, package, skywriting? Until I hear from you I will endlessly reproach myself for not having the good sense to know how best to communicate with you. As you have been in North America, Africa and Europe all in the last two weeks, my apologies for assuming that email would be your communication method of choice.

Regarding the quote you would like to have for ordering a million books, can I suggest that we wait on that one until you have actually finalized the proof? It might not make sense to you, but it is easier for us to give you a quote once we know for certain how many pages need to be printed.

Perhaps you should put your talent for clarity to work for the greater good. Solve world hunger or tackle global warming. After only dealing with you for a couple of weeks, I am sure your talent for clarity and realism can only benefit the planet as a whole.

Sincerely,
Should I sky write this?

welcome email

Dear Self-Publishing Author,

Thanks for telling me I didn't send the email I can prove I sent you. It helps that you explained to me that you will not chase me. I thank you for clearing that up.

It was wonderful to explain our process to you, while you interrupted me and spoke over me. I'm sure this is the best way for us to communicate and for you to understand our procedure.

Thank you also for making me explain what the links in the welcome email would do. I'm sure the English used to describe the links in the email was insufficient.

Again, I'm very impressed that you used this phone call as an opportunity to decry my company and the self-publishing industry in general. No, it is not a mystery why you are engaging in this process. You're right: "We'll see."

Sincerely,
Working with geniuses here

Distributors

Dear Self-Publishing Author,

Thank you for phoning both me and my colleague to resolve missing information issues with our distributor. We're so very sorry. When we initially advised you that the distributors have all of your information but don't always upload everything at once, we didn't realize we were using words that were too big or otherwise incomprehensible to you.

Our apologies.

Maybe this will clear it up, so that you won't have to trouble yourself to leave messages for both of us every 25 minutes:

We can't do anything else.

We are so sorry to have wasted your time. We really hope you are writing a sequel so that we get to work with you again.

Sincerely,
Next time, try decaf

Editing process

Dear Self-Publishing Author,

When I accepted you as a friend on Facebook, I did not anticipate you would try to trash the company for which I work, saying that you can't fully express yourself because I might be listening.

I have read your book and what was your excuse then?

Saying the instructions might as well have 'been written in Swahili' doesn't address the instructional video we also presented you.

Hint: if I have already made an appointment to talk you through a system that 80% of our authors need no help with, maybe the problem is not our process.

Maybe you sound drunk each time I talk to you because you have been forced to read your own writing.

Sincerely,
Active Brain Stem

Scrutinizing Proofs

Dear Self-Publishing Author,

Yes, it is unfortunate that the name of your editor is misspelled in the book. When we urge you to pay attention to the contents of your book during revision rounds (using bold and italicized fonts!!!), we mean that you need to actually read through your book.

No, we can't correct your mistakes for free after you have signed off on the proof.

What we plan to do to correct the problem (as per your inquiry) is to suggest that you either pay to make the change or you live with your book as it is.

Sincerely,
Am I speaking English?

Rushes

Dear Self-Publishing Author,

Of course I can rush your book so that it is available before 2012.

Thank you for letting me know of the change of delivery address two days after I placed an expensive expedited rush on the delivery of your books.

I appreciate the fact that you let me know, unlike when you wanted your website address on your promotional materials but didn't tell me. I'm sorry my pyschic powers seem to be fading.

Sincerely,
Kreskin's daughter

Creative Decisions

Dear Self-Publishing Author,

No, I can't decide the title of your book. No, I can't decide if the cover you will forward me is appropriate. These are creative, artistic decisions and, as this is self-publishing and as you are the author, you are responsible for those decisions.

Yes,  I will leave a note for our design department that you want an 'odd' font to illustrate the title of your book.

Perhaps I should explain what self-publishing means (again).

Sincerely,
It's not my book.

Communication

Dear Self-Publishing Author,

You do have the right to express yourself. I assume that is why you have written a book. However, telling me you're going to create a teeshirt that tells the world how displeased you are with my company is not productive communication.

There are doctors who are trained to listen to you vent. I am not.

Or maybe you could write another scintillating book on the subject as your talents have overwhelmed me.

Sincerely,
Not impressed.

publishing packages

Dear Self-Publishing Author,

Please read your descriptions of what is included in your packages carefully.

Please do not act surprised when we have to charge you for more image insertions than your package allows. No, we can't insert 16 more images for free. You do read English, right?

You are at liberty to create a tee shirt that indicates your displeasure with us. I do not believe that "the only thing missing from this deal is the gun".

Sincerely,
Not owning any responsibility for this one

Expectations

Dear Self-Publishing Author,

Please pay attention when we describe time frames. It is important to understand that we give you these time frames as guidance.

If you choose to have your work edited (which I encourage!), this will add time to that estimate.

If you choose to have an extra revision round, this will add time to your estimate.

If you need any additional services, this will add time to your estimate.

Please do not act surprised when the time estimate changes because of additional services. Unfortunately, these services take time. No I can't fit these into the original time estimate.

Please also understand that taking a strident tone and becoming rude and demanding will not alter the fact that extra services will take extra time.

Please further understand that while your changes might only take our designers a short time to complete, that you are not the only author with whom we work and it will take some time to get your piece in front of a designer. Please understand that we work with hundreds of authors and endeavor to give each author the same focussed attention. I know you are in a rush because 2012 is coming and everyone will need to read this book, but we have proceedures that must be followed.

Please be advised that telling me what other companies are doing does not alter our process, nor shorten the time it takes to produce a work of quality.

Please be advised that phoning me every other day will not alter our process, nor shorten the time it takes.

Please be advised that our book promotion department has specific experience in their areas, and while you might have graduated from journalism in 1862, that does not mean you know the best way to market your book.

Please be advised that if your target market is college age readers, it might serve you well to listen to our staff, who are college aged and know how that demographic communicates.

Please be advised that becoming obnoxious and rude will not help you achieve the results you like.

Sincerely,
Amazed at lack of courtesy, logic and professionalism of some self-publishing authors.

Editorial Expectations

Unfortunately I have reached the point in my career where I am being made painfully aware that authors don't aways understand the role of an editor and don't always know what to expect when their piece comes back from a professional edit. Let's take care of that now:

Expect:
*a manuscript containing suggestions to help YOUR voice be heard. Using an editor does not mean that you are no longer the author. You choose whether to accept changes or not.
*most (90%) of spelling and grammatical errors caught. This does not include colloquialisms from different countries. This does not include corrections to proper names (unless they are widely known). This does not include every error (after all, editors are people too :)


Do Not Expect:
*data entry. If there is material missing, it is the author's responsibility to provide the editor with the full manuscript
*artistic commentary. It is not the editor's job to give writing advice. They specialize in grammar and spelling. If you have chosen to get what we call a "Content Edit", you receive commentary on the story, including pace, flow, continuity, character and storyline consistency (or for non-fiction, organization and logical flow)

Hope this helps you in your writing career!

Rejection Letters

Having applied to my fair share of publishers, I have many rejections to show for it. (I also have non-answers, which are simply just spaces in the excel spreadsheet that I keep for that purpose.)While I was accepted by one traditional publisher, that relationship ultimately faltered.

My point is that I have learned so much from the rejections that I have received. They have been at times encouraging, complimentary and some with invitations to resubmit. Although it is difficult to understand that they don't want to publish the brilliant novel I have written, when I slow down to read their wording, even form letters contain clues to help make me a better writer and literary business person. The two are not the same thing. Something that I continue to learn.

In terms of the literary business, one of the things that I have learned is the meaning of "Simultaneous Submission". I understood this term to mean "don't send us more than one thing". What it actually means is that the publisher doesn't want you sending your submissions to anyone else until they've had an opportunity to decide if they will publish it. WHOOPS!

Actually, I sent out about 25 submissions with single click of my mouse. Those that listed "No Simultaneous Submissions" are the ones from which I did not hear. Having learned the hard way that the industry is miniscule, I now know how to put my rejection letters and non-responses into a more appropriate context. This helps me look at the situation and strategize about how to make my next approach better. My response is no longer rooted in my own fear of the "No Talent" judgment I used to hear rustling under the words of the latest rejection letter.

I encourage everyone to view their rejections (if you have any :) as a learning experience and as part of the literary business of getting published. Comments?

Book readings

Okay, you've published your book and set up your first book reading. What should you do to prepare?

*Take a stock of your books to sell. We recommend you don't arrive with less than 100.
*Be prepared to talk about your next book. Often, readers who are familiar with your work will be anticipating your next book. So there are always questions about the next piece that you will have to field.
*Be prepared to be asked personal questions. This is a line every writer has to draw. Make sure you know what you are prepared to share with the world and what is off limits.
*Make sure you have promotional materials (like business cards, bookmarks, posters, etc) with the information to order your book readily available.
*If you are hoping to hold your reading in a bookstore, we STRONGLY recommend you get Book Return Insurance (most bookstores won't even stock your book without this). I have heard of bookstores refusing to allow authors to hold a book-signing because their book was uninsured (we think they don't want to help to create a demand they couldn't satisfy).
*Most important, have fun connecting with your readership. I am always bored to tears when I hear an author who is no longer excited by what they are reading.

Any other suggestions?

What your bookshelf says about your writing

Have you ever taken a good look at your bookshelf? It should not be news that what you read informs and shapes your writing. What are your favourite authors? Do you see their influences in your writing? Why or why not?

The fundamental premise that art influences art definitely applies. Is it only literature that inspires you? Do you hear notes of your favourite music humming through your work? Or do images of the last gallery/movie/poster/graphic novel you saw find themselves in your work?

A great way to stimulate your writing is to step outside your comfort zone artistically. What works for you?

There Must be 50 Ways to Sharpen your Writing

How do you keep your writing fresh and flowing?

Like leaving a lover, there are a variety of ways to keep your pencil sharpened:
*writing groups
*writing contests
*writing exercises
*submitting your work (I have learned more from the rejections that I have had than the acceptance I had)
*reading
*courses
*conferences/writing festivals
*above all, consistent attention to your writing

What twist ties your bread bag?

A little light humour...

You have probably seen this before, but I just chortled my way through it and wanted to share:

http://personanondata.blogspot.com/2010/12/so-you-want-to-write-novel-im-talent.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Personanondata+%28PersonaNonData%29&utm_content=Google+Reader%27

seriously funny! Happy Friday :)

Marketing your book

Promote. Promote. Promote.

Sell. Sell. Sell.

The mantra of traditional and self-publishers alike.

As I mentioned in a previous post, more traditional publishers are off-loading book promotion to authors. Self-published authors are in the same boat.

So how does an author actually go about promoting their book?

Of course we all know about book signings and book readings, but how does one go about actually setting one up? Is that really all there is to promoting your book?

The short answer is no. There are so many options available to traditional and self-published authors today. You will need to develop a book promotion strategy. Do you plan to promote in print, radio or tv? What about social media? Are you known in any particular venues? What connections do you have and are you ready and willing to exploit them?

The first thing to do is know your audience and know your demographic. You need to ask yourself some hard questions:
What does your audience look like? Do they even exist? What are their demographic markers? What kinds of things do they do in their spare time? Would they even attend a reading/signing event? Is your name sufficiently known to attract a crowd to a promotional event without anything else?

Depending on your answers, you might need to adjust your book promotion strategy. Look at examples of what other authors have done to make themselves stand out. Do you want to be one book on a shelf in a bookstore that stocks thousands if not millions of books? One author was able to rent space and start his own bookstore. The brilliant part was he only stocked his book!

Here is another example: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/29/us/29bcbart.html?_r=2

Don't be afraid to think outside of the cube. Think about how to make your book stand out. Good Luck!

Secret Pitfalls of Traditional Publishing

At the London Book Fair, the debate waged around the question: "Will Publishers Soon Be Irrelevant?"

This is fascinates me, as a writer, reader and someone who works for a self-publisher with ties to traditional publishers. I myself was surprised by my own  experience with a traditional publisher. It was quite different from the fairytale I had imagined.

I was signed with an emerging but traditional publisher in 2008 and it was only then that I found out that you sign away your rights. The publisher had final say over the manuscript. I tried everything I could to eliminate or water-down that clause (having been a lawyer in a previous incarnation) but to no avail. I eventually signed, thinking that the likelihood of substantial changes was rare.

Boy was I wrong!

There were changes that were made to my main character that pulled the teeth from the very essence of the story. As persuasive as I am (or believe that I am :), I could not cajole, convince or bully the publisher to restore the character to my satisfaction. So for a month or two, I was in the unenviable position of having a book come out in my name but with whose contents I did not agree.

This publisher also supplied an editor to me that I don't believe had ever previously edited fiction. Upon coming up with my own editor, I was told that the time line did not accommodate whole scale revisions.

In fact, this publisher suggested that I edit the document myself. I have a HUGE problem with that, to which anyone who has read my previous posts can attest.

I was also advised to approach authors that I admire and ask them to review my book and hopefully give me a quote that I could use with the book. I began to wade in the mire of approaching publishers to ask them to ask their clients to read my book. It was unproductive and frustrating in the extreme.

The marketing plan was lacking but to my inexperienced eyes, it promised talk show appearances, radio interviews and numerous book tours. I have now heard that traditionally published authors still have to perform much of their marketing and in fact have heard that some publishers will take part of the author royalty to pool for 'shared marketing'.

Although to many of us, having a piece traditionally published is the signal achievement, look closely at the fine print of the deal: the devil is in the details!

I am now seriously considering self-publishing with my employer. I know the quality of work we produce and I know how our connections to traditional publishers work. If I have learned anything in my time on this gorgeous green rock, it's that you need to work with what you have.


I hope you find the publishing deal that works best for you :)

Best of Indie Authors

Hi Everyone,
The Indie Booksellers list of favourite books of 2010 is out!
These books are chosen by the staff at independent bookstores across America and usually comprise my reading list for the summer. Check it out:
http://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2011/05/02/indie-booksellers-choice-awards-finalis

INspiration

As I was writing yesterday, I realized that bringing my laptop along on our picnic might not have been the brightest idea: I found it impossible to type lying on our blanket.

As I rolled over to relax, I found myself staring up into the budding branches of an anonymous tree that tatted the blueing sky. After a few blinking moments, gusts of inspiration blew into my poor, tired brain and I delved into my sitcom idea even further.

It strikes me that my inspiration is nearly always taken from nature.

How do you enter that mysterious zone? What brings you in_spiration?

Writing excuses

I thought I'd share this giggle from The Onion:

http://www.theonion.com/articles/why-havent-we-finished-our-novel,19351/

I'd like to add: I haven't finished my novel because I'm in mourning for the promised but undelivered ending of LOST.

Common Writing Mistakes

As I gain more experience in the industry, I notice that newly-minted writers seem to make the same types of mistakes. The next time you are looking over your manuscript, you might want to check for these things:
*verb-tense inconsistencies
*run-on sentences
*dialogue that doesn't advance the plot
*dialogue that isn't specific to the character
*characters acting out of character
*Telling and not showing the story

These are just a few of the common errors I routinely run across. These tips do not replace a professional edit (I have previously posted on this) but will help get your manuscript into better shape before an editor sees it. 

Happy writing!

How to successfully self-publish

As self-publishing gains more currency in serious publishing circles, it becomes more apparent that writers need to understand what self-publishing involves and the best way to capitalize on the process.

1. Understand the process and its limitations.
*Are you willing to enter into a partnership with your work? Many times, authors with whom I work believe our process is identical to traditional publishers. This is definitely not the case. When you self-publish, you are assuming more of an entrepreneurial role. You assist with pre-production. You do the proofing. You are responsible for any errors after the proof is signed off. You market your book (with our guidance and tools).
*Is your book suitable for the process? Are you writing a 300 page colour book? Print-On-Demand (POD) doesn't handle colour books over 32 pages very well. The final selling price becomes astronomical.
*Is your anticipated book size available through POD?
*Do you have a cover already designed? Have you thought about your cover?
*Are you comfortable on the computer? Can you learn how to revise your proof using a Track Changes function?
*Find out the final selling price at the beginning of the process. Is it competitive?
*Are the various formats available through POD appropriate for your book?
*Has your book been professionally edited?

2. If you need illustrations, have you decided what style of illustration works best? Have you researched how much to pay an illustrator or whether your self-publisher provides illustrators?

3. If your goal is to get into a brick and mortar bookstore, do you have Book Return Insurance? Do you have a Book Promotion Plan? Do you have any connections at your target bookstores?

4. If you are writing a book that triggers you emotionally, are you able to be objective about it? If not, you might not be ready to publish. Are you prepared for reviews of your work?

5. Be prepared to be responsible for marketing your book.
Our most successful authors already had realistic marketing ideas. They learned from our Book Promotion department and had identified their goals early on. They knew their readers and tailored their approach appropriately.

6. Are your expectations realistic (both in terms of process and sales)? I can't tell you how many times I have heard authors say they will sell 1 million books or that they will get on Oprah. Although there are a few writers with startling rags-to-riches stories, they are the exception, not the rule. Be prepared to compete against books published by traditional publishers and their marketing know-how and connections.

7. Will you be able to take advantage of the global distribution networks? Do you have a plan to capitalize on that?

Not all books are appropriate for self-publishing, but hopefully those authors that will capitalize on the advantages of the process will come to it better informed.

Good luck with your book!

Is Self-Editing ever a Good Idea?

One of my biggest frustrations involves the perception on the part of authors that professional editing is only an option. Typically, upon inquiring whether an author has had their work professionally edited and I hear, almost inevitably, "I've edited it myself" or "I have spell check" or "My partner/spouse/child/neighbour/co-worker looked it over".

Self-Editing
The inescapable truth is that, as authors, we are NOT able to judge whether we have successfully conveyed our ideas, because we already know what we want to say.
Very few authors are trained to spot verb-tense inconsistencies, awkward phrases, style inconsistencies or even simple grammar.

That being said, there are some tricks to revising your manuscript that you can do yourself:
a. reading it aloud, to yourself or to someone else
b. reading it backwards to catch spelling and grammatical mistakes
c. computer grammar and spell-check, as a starting point (although this should never be exclusively relied upon)
These should never be used to replace a professional edit, but can be used to revise the manuscript before an editor sees it.

Spell Check on the Computer
This should never be relied upon as the sole source of vetting your manuscript, for a number of reasons:
a. These are dialect specific, so as a Canadian, my spelling will differ from both American and British versions.
b. Most computers have spell-check but not necessarily a check for grammar. Homonyms frequently escape this detection (eg. foul and fowl)
c. highly technical or unique jargon is problematic
Again, these do not stand in the place of a thorough, professional edit. 

Non Professional Editing
While a professional edit is expensive, there is really no substitute. Often I will try to help writers find a reasonable facsimile where the price is out of reach by suggesting they find a graduate student or teacher. Sometimes this works out well, but sometimes, writers will substitute someone who is not trained to identify these issues. While I think it's great that your partner/spouse/co-worker/neighbour wants to be supportive and give you their input, their qualifications are not necessarily up to snuff.

In short, is any other form of editing able to replace a professional edit? My answer is a resounding NO. Who wants to read a book full of typos and syntax erros? A professional edit is ultimately a sales tool.

If you can't afford a professional edit, you aren't ready to publish.

How to write and have a full, productive life

A big problem that I often hear in talking to writers is how to combine writing with a busy life schedule. Here are some tips that I have found helpful:

1. Set up a place to write and only write there. I find I don't write well where I pay my bills or where I play games with my family. I'm not sure of the reason, but I need a space that is dedicated only to writing.

2. If possible, make that space as full of inspiration as possible. I am lucky that we have a half room off of the bedroom. I have put up posters, sayings, thought-provoking bits of information or questions. I also have a sound system in there, so when I'm stuck, I can lose myself in different kinds of music.

3. Establish a schedule and stick to it as much as possible. I used to get up to write in the morning, but my current schedule no longer permits that. I then switched to writing on the weekends, but that too got swallowed up. Now, I write when I can after work. Although this is more difficult than the other two times, I find the writing more productive. The key here is to know your own patterns and account for them.

4. Recognize what feeds your art. Do you like to attend concerts, poetry readings, football games, the circus? Where ever you draw your inspiration, make time to attend the events that float your boat.

5. Don't turn this into a drudgery. If you have lost touch with the fun that you had writing, switch projects.  Write in verse. Do some writing exercises. Join a writing or critique group that stretches you out of your comfort zone. Take a break from writing. Critique someone else's work. Review your rejection letters (I have learned more from my rejections than anything else). Change whatever you need to so that you are reinvigorated.

6. Work out life obstacles through writing. I have often thought about how one of my characters would deal with whatever issue I'm dealing with at the moment. This not only allows me to over come the blank screen with the lonely flashing cursor, but in some cases has given me a solution I wouldn't have happened upon otherwise.

I hope that some of these suggestions are helpful. Please feel free to add your own.

Etiquette: A word of warning

Working for a self-publisher who has connections to a few traditional publishers puts me in a unique position. We have just short-listed a number of our authors' books from which we will select five to forward to those traditional publishers for their consideration.

In reviewing the selections, there were some books that surprised me by their absence but in retrospect, I shouldn't have been surprised.

While the books themselves were worthy of consideration, the conduct of these authors when dealing with our staff was unprofessional. I'm not referring to poor grammar or lack of technological knowledge but personal behaviour. We decided to forward authors who would be easy to work with in a traditional mileau.

After all, we want to maintain a good reputation in the industry. Putting forward an author whose work is solid but who is abusive on the phone or unreasonable in terms of process will not reflect well on us. It is important for authors to note that publishing is a pretty small community (cf. Jacqueline Howett) and your conduct can impact your success in unexpected ways.

Creating Characters

I have learned the hard way that a believable character that resounds with the readers I one day hope to have is a bit of an art form. I actually have 9 pages of typewritten interview questions that I pose to them, including What is your favourite flavour of ice cream and Why are people poor. Sometimes the answers surprise me but the characters get fleshed out in a way that gives me some insight to their potential reactions to some plot points.

These pages always include a physical description, backstory, idiosyncrasies and description of their home environments.When those characters show up in subsequent stories, I make sure that I do this again, because they have changed with the experience of their first mention.

What do you do to make your characters real?

Self-Publishing: Fact vs. Fiction

As an aspiring writer who works for a self-publisher, I am industry insider. There are many inaccuracies that litter the question of whether you should self-publish. Let's clear some of those up:

1. Writers who self-publish don't have talent. FALSE. I have seen some quality manuscripts. My employer actually has connections to the big publishing houses and we take the time to forward our top 5 staff picks in the hopes that they will be picked up. Mind you, I acknowledge that these are not the majority and many of the manuscripts I have seen could do with at least a copy edit, and even better a content edit. I don't believe that editing is a choice if you truly care about your writing.

2. All talented and skilled writers will get published by a traditional publisher. FALSE. Unfortunately, they reject something like 95% of manuscripts submitted to them. I am told of submissions being returned having never been opened.

3. Self-publishing has no credibility in the industry. This is both TRUE and FALSE. Some publishing houses rely on the sales figures from self-published works to indicate a work that might have potential for them. Others will assume that self-published authors just aren't quality writers.

4. One self-publisher is as good as the next. FALSE. A really good way to find out who you are dealing with is to google the name of the company with the word "complaint" or "complaints". This should let you know what other authors have experienced with that company. We are actually owned by a printing company, so have inherent interest in helping you sell your book but I don't want this to turn into a plug for my employer.

Unfortunately the self-publishing industry has exploded in the last 5 years and not everyone is concerned with the quality of product or with helping you sell your book. (The top 4 companies, AuthorHouse, iUniverse, Xlibris and Trafford are all owned by the same company: AuthorSolutions Inc.) I have heard horror stories from authors who come to us from other self-publishers to republish with us. Tales like not receiving what they contracted, quality of the sample being vastly different from the quality of product received, zero marketing support, piling up additional services, unpaid royalties and misleading royalty percentages, the list goes on.  Sadly, there are quite a few scams out there. Be careful.

Questions to ask of potential self-publishers: How many traditional stores carry your authors? Can I set the price of my own book and if I disagree with your recommended price, can I change it and if so, will it cost me? How often is my royalty paid and is there a minimum to cut a cheque? What is the time line to publish? What sort of book promotion do you do? How are the publishing requirements made clear to me? Is there a contact for me during the process? What is your average sale per book?

5. Am I locked out of traditional bookstores if I self-publish? Mostly TRUE. Many of the bigger stores will tell you they don't carry self-published books. This is a problematic mind-set because it is not based on the quality of the piece. We did have an author in B&N, but we think that was because she had a Book Promotion Plan and the insurance against returns that they generally require. 

Advantages to self-publishing
You can build up a following through self-publishing that might help you attract the attention of a traditional publisher.
You are in control of your content.
There is usually a higher royalty percentage, but much less market penetration.
You retain the rights to your work.
Most self-publishers will offer non-exclusive contracts, so if you do get picked up, you are free to sign with a more traditional publisher.

Disadvantages to self-publishing
There is no measure of the quality of the published work.
Most self-publishers are not concerned with your booksales and do not offer much in the way of book promotion.
Book sales are (on average) low.
Your book will not likely get into the hands of traditional publishers.
Books and promotional materials are frequently low quality.
You may be locked out of the larger bookstores.

Whether you decide to self-publish or go the traditional route, I really hope you invest in a good editor, writing group and professional cover design.

Responding to reviews of our work

In light of recent twitter and fb traffic about self-published writer Jacqueline Howett, it might be timely to discuss how and whether to respond to reviews of our work. Ms. Howett caused quite a stir by responding to a review of her work that was not as complimentary as she would have wished. (booksandpals.blogspot.com) Although the reviewer noted her work "compelling and interesting", he also noted consistent spelling and grammatical mistakes. Ms. Howett took exception and ultimately responded in vulgar fashion.

Should we ever respond to reviews of our work and if so, how?

I am new to this community but from what I have seen, responding to reviews, even those we view as unfair, is not productive. If you haven't managed to enthrall your reviewer, then it's one of two situations: either the reader is not your target demographic and you weren't speaking to them or your writing still needs work. In either case, responding (particularly with vitriol) won't help you find the audience you seek.

I feel very strongly connected to my writing, but if I publish my work, I expect that it will not be met with universal approval. I'm sure it will be difficult to stomach what I consider to be unfair reviews, but I hope that I will be able to let go of my passion (and/or ego) and see the opportunity for improvement that may present itself.

What do you think?

An Ideal Writing Group

My ideal writing group is small, maybe 6 people or so. It is a mix of published and unpublished authors who are serious about writing and who review each others work in depth. I am not picky about grammar until I nail the feeling of the scene. I prefer reviews that address character complexity, appropriateness of dialogue and generally make me think about how the story wants to be told.

I have found writing groups at the gym, on line through Craigslist and google and through word of mouth. I am trying out a group now in Victoria, but so far it has been mostly about writing exercises and not peer review. The organizer is trying to change that. I like the idea of a writing group on line, but find I get more energized when meetings are in person.

I have had difficulty with poetry writing groups. I don't want to be a poet, but most times, that is how stuff comes out of me. I don't like the pretentiousness of poetry groups filled with aspiring poets but I know that my work is still developing and needs critiquing.

When you find the right group, you know it. I have such fond memories of my group in Vancouver.

Good luck to all in finding a group that fits them and urges their work to break on through to the other side.

Writing Exercises

Writing exercises are a great way to hone your skills (and procrastinate the novel you've stalled under).
This is a great site to get exercises:
fictionwriting.about.com/od/writingexercises/tp/craftexercises.htm
 Enjoy!

Introduction

Hi Everyone,
I have meaning to start one of these for a while. I am a writer who works at a self-publishing house. I will be posting about writing mostly. There may be the occasional travel picture. Right now I want to post a listing of writing contests that I found on-line. I find that the act of writing for a contest, even if you don't place or win, refines your craft.

Creative Writing Contests

www.be-a-better-writer.com
I hope to hear from other writers and develop an exchange to help us survive what some are calling the death of the book printing industry. eBooks are doing quite well, though, so there is hope.
That's all for now