Monthly Archives: July 2024

I’m Back!

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You probably thought I’d died or got lost while climbing Mt. Ranier (Hah! With my knees, I can’t even hike up Badger Mountain behind my house and it’s not really a mountain…more like an elevated hill.)…or…was secretly off on some remote location for the next episode of “Survivor.”

After all, why would a writer stop blogging for three months? Other than my shoulder surgery and recovery, the main reason is this.

It only took about a month (and the help of a very web tech-savvy friend) to get the new Storymakers website up and running, but it’s taken another two to get little things ironed out and get comfortable enough with the routine of site maintenance so that I’m ready to delegate much of it to my committee members.

Just in time, too, because I’m hoping to meet up with all of them at the annual LDStorymakers Writers Conference next week in Salt Lake City. There, I can sit down with them and show them the ropes (if they haven’t yet figured it out from my way-too-dense instructional email).

By the way, if you’re a Storymaker and planning on attending, please don’t miss the Meet and Greet on Thursday, May 5th at 8 pm in the hotel. Not only will you be able to meet and socialize with fellow Storymakers and begin to put faces to names, but you’ll get:

  • an introduction to the Board of Directors and its various responsibilities (so that you might be more inclined to volunteer your services for certain positions, such as mine…hint, hint)
  • a brief demonstration of the new site…AND
  • a chance to be interviewed (bring a copy of your latest book, even if it’s 5+ years old) for future placement in the Featured Video section of the website’s home page.

The conference should be awesome and I can’t wait to meet a ton of fellow writers, plus agents, editors, and publishers. (I’m pitching to Sara Megibow with Nelson Literary Agency.)

In any case, no more excuses. I promise to check in at least twice a week from here on out (since I don’t foresee any other website creation in my future).

Originally posted 2011-04-26 09:24:43.

I’m Trying a Goodreads Giveaway

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In celebration of the check for $1,000 I received in the mail from Writer’s Digest for my recent win, I decided to offer a few free copies of The Reckoning in one of Goodread’s Giveaways. If you haven’t yet read it and want to, but can’t afford a copy, it won’t hurt to click on the entry in the widget in my right sidebar (under Awards).

And just to reiterate how important a cover is, particularly if you’re thinking of self-publishing, here were the Judge’s notes on my book and some of the reasons it won First Place in the Mainstream/Literary Fiction category of the 18th Annual Writer’s Digest International Self-Published Book Awards:

(On a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 meaning “poor” and 5 meaning “excellent”)

Plot: 4

Grammar: 5

Character development: 4

Production quality and cover design: 5

Judge’s commentary: Gorgeous cover – your artist is really gifted. Wow! What an opening. Your writing is direct and beautifully crafted. Your knowledge of the setting and cultures really shows in the writing.

I really did luck out with that cover in contacting the artist, Vian Sora, and obtaining her permission to use her painting entitled Nostalgia. As you can see, it pays for writers to get to know artists.

Originally posted 2011-01-22 17:30:16.

Upcoming ANWA Conference and Why I Can’t Attend

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ANWA (American Night Writers Association) is holding a terrific conference in a few weeks. Here is some information, including a list of faculty and classes:

19th Annual ANWA Writers Conference
“Writing at the Speed of Life”

American Night Writers Association
will hold its 19th Annual Writers Conference
in Phoenix, Arizona on February 25 & 26, 2011, with

SPEAKER Chris Stewart

Author of “The Great and Terrible” fiction series, The Fourth War,
Missionary Miracles: Stories and Letters from the Field, and other works
Make the ANWA Conference your two-day Writer’s Getaway. Come to the Friday afternoon and evening workshops, and spend the rest of the evening at the “Meet & Greet,” where you will rub shoulders with the agents, editor, and authors. Enjoy the heated pool and jacuzzi, then wake up refreshed and ready for a great day at the conference. Hotel room discount is available if you book by February 2, 2011.

  • Laurie Schnebly Campbell, author of Believable Characters: Creating with Enneagrams and noted teacher of online courses
  • Chava Cannon, award-winning singer-songwriter and member of BMI
  • Elana Johnson, author of Possessions, and query letter guru
  • Cecily Markland, owner of Inglestone Pubishing, editor of The Beehive Newspaper, and a published author
  • Angela Morrison, author of YA novels Sing Me to Sleep and Taken by Storm
  • Kelly Gottuso Mortimer, agent and owner of Mortimer Literary Agency
  • Carolyn Murphy, the Family Tree Gal
  • Janette Rallison, national YA author who has sold over 700,000 books, including My Double Life, Just One Wish,My Fair Godmother, and Revenge of the Cheerleaders
  • Kirk Shaw, editor at Covenant Communications
  • Kelly Sonnack, agent from Andrea Brown Literary Agency, who specializes in all types of children’s literature, including picture books, and middle grade and young adult novels
  • Chris Stewart, best-selling author of The Great and Terrible series, and other books
  • Conrad J. Storad, award-winning childrens author of Don’t Call Me a Pig (A Javelina Story), and Rattlesnake Rules

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Here is a taste of the class list for the 2011 ANWA Writers Conference. Friday workshops are interactive and hands-on. Titles of classes that will be presented twice are followed by an asterisk (*). More class titles will be added later.

  • Writing A Killer Query Letter (Friday Workshop)
    Elana Johnson, author of Possessions, and query letter guru
    Every submission, whether for a publisher or a literary agent, starts with a query letter. You can craft a query letter that will hook an editor or agent to request more material in just a few steps. Bring your one-page query letter to share, receive feedback, and leave this two-hour workshop with a killer query letter that will generate requests.
  • Sonoran Desert Tales—Making Nonfiction Fun for Young Readers (Friday Workshop)
    Conrad J. Storad, author of Don’t Call Me a Pig (A Javelina Story), and Rattlesnake Rules
    To become a better writer one must write. Then write more.
  • Pitching to Agents, Editors, and Publishers (Friday Workshop)
    Elana Johnson
    So you think you want to pitch to an agent or editor? You don’t need a 90 mph fastball, just a clear picture of how to talk to another human being about your book. Come learn how to say all the right things in all the right places that will impress an agent or editor enough to generate a request.
  • Read Me A Story—Reading Aloud to Cultivate the Art of Listening (Friday Workshop)
    Conrad J. Storad
    The art of listening is an acquired one. It must be taught and cultivated gradually—it doesn’t happen overnight.
  • A Match Made in Heaven: Finding the Right Publisher and Convincing Them It’s So
    Kirk Shaw, senior editor at Covenant Communications, Inc.; and freelance editor for David R. Godine, Publisher; Northwestern University Press; and other publishers
  • Avoiding Childish Mistakes When Writing for Children
    Kelly Sonnack, agent from Andrea Brown Literary Agency
    What are some of the mistakes writers make when writing for children, and how can you avoid them? What are the things that make editors and agents cringe and stop reading? Kelly will discuss the pitfalls to avoid when writing your children’s book.
  • How to Start a Book and Get it Finished
    Laurie Schnebly Campbell, author of Believable Characters: Creating with Enneagrams and noted teacher of online courses
    For writers anywhere in the process from imagining a book to completing the final chapter, this class looks at how, when and why to start writing, roadblocks and solutions along the way, and what to do after reaching The End.
  • Block-busting: Putting the Joy Back in Writing
    Laurie Schnebly Campbell
    At some point, almost all writers suffer from the inability to tell the story they want. Part of writer’s block is a lack of joy in the process, so counselor Laurie Schnebly Campbell looks at the causes—including exhaustion, boredom and fear of success—and the benefits of this block. Take home new awareness of what works for you, and renewed inspiration for returning to the craft you love.
  • Perils of Publishing: Extreme Makeover—Editing Edition
    Kelly Gottuso Mortimer, agent and owner of Mortimer Literary Agency
  • Write What You Know: Gleaning from Reality to Make Characters Breath *
    Angela Morrison, author of YA novels Sing Me to Sleep and Taken by Storm
    Gather, delve into, and create using Angela’s favorite techniques to turn what we know, love, learn, and yearn for into living characters to populate our scenes.
  • Beginning Songwriting For The Versatile Writer In You
    Chava Cannon, award-winning singer-songwriter and member of BMI
    Calling all story-tellers! Did you know that songwriting is story-telling set to music? After this 1 hour class, you too will have the skills to write a song. You will learn basic song formatting, do’s and don’ts and how to get started. Pre-requisite: NONE. No musical skill required, just the willingness to step outside the “Novel” box. Come join in the FA LA LA and add songwriting to your resume.
  • Editor and Agent Panel
    Kirk Shaw, Kelly Sonnack, Kelly Gottuso Mortimer, Cecily Markland
  • Topic: Family and Personal History Writing *
    Carolyn Murphy, the Family Tree Gal
  • Topic: Dialogue *
    Janette Rallison, national YA author

So how come I won’t be there? Unfortunately, I’ve got shoulder surgery scheduled three days before (a partial tear of my left rotator cuff) and there’s no way I’d be able to handle luggage at the airport, let alone lug all the books around that I’d probably want to buy.

But, hey! That doesn’t mean you can’t! There’s no better place to find an agent or a publisher than at a writer’s conference. Register now at a discount by going here.

Originally posted 2011-01-18 16:54:09.

Huge Contest for “Dearly Departed”

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Tristi Pinkston is hosting an absolutely huge contest over on her blog to celebrate the release of her new book, “Dearly Departed.” A new prize will be offered every twenty-four hours, and with multiple chances to win, you can’t go wrong! Prizes include books, jewelry, perfume, movies – and the grand prize is a free night’s stay at the Lion Gate Manor in Lava Hot Springs. Visit Tristi’s blog for rules and more details.

Originally posted 2010-12-01 12:46:11.

The Reckoning Wins Another (Bigger) Award

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This morning, I’d planned on posting my next piece in my Publishing’s Paradigm Shift series, but I’ll save it for tomorrow, since I have big news to share:

The Reckoning won 1st place for Mainstream/Literary Fiction in the 2010 Writer’s Digest International Self-Published Book Awards!

Not only will I receive $1,000 check, but my book will get featured in the March/April issue of Writer’s Digest next year AND I’ll finally get a real official review in Midwest Book Reviews. Hopefully, this will bump up sales. Naturally, I’m floating around today (and not because of my head cold).

My only question now is…do I add an addendum to my publishing history on those queries I’ve already sent out for my next book? And how best do I do it? I think I’d better ask Agency Gatekeeper or Rachelle Gardner. They’re always open to questions from their readers.

Originally posted 2010-11-18 10:47:36.

Publishing’s Paradigm Shift – Effect on Authors

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With all of this movement toward e-books, what can authors expect in the near future? Some of the coming changes may include the following:

•Funding for authors’ advances may begin to be provided by external investors (as they are with films and plays)

•Best-selling authors, who already have a name brand, may turn to self-publishing for higher royalties, making more room for midlist and debut authors

•Until then, the bar is higher and authors may want to consider self-publishing

•Some authors are already serializing their books online to build readership

•Publishers can’t hold on to rights indefinitely by making books available as POD or e-books, according to recent rulings (when such a book is out of print, rights will revert to author)

Average advances today are between $1,000 and $5,000 for debut literary fiction as opposed to the $50-100,000 advances of the past. For commercial fiction: $15,000 or less. And publishing houses are beginning to shrink their lists, so it’s becoming more and more difficult to get picked up as a debut author.

One option is to take your chances with self-publishing and try to find ways to grow your own fan base. One unpublished author is serializing his new book, chapter by chapter on his website where, over the next ten weeks, it will build like a part-work. In the words of a friend, he’s “doing a Dickens.” And he’s making it available for free, betting that many readers won’t want to wait and will go ahead and download the entire book for less than the cost of a paperback. After that, it will go to Amazon, with an iPod version later. A second, already published, author, John Gorman, is serializing his new thriller to a WordPress site. On the site, his Mission Statement encourages people to contribute to the story. He won’t publish their words, but he might run with their character ideas and plot twists, so there’s a collective element to this novel.

For those who decide to self-publish, Publishers Weekly now puts out a quarterly supplement, called PW Select, that announces self-published titles for $149 and reviews for free those they feel are most deserving of a critical assessment. For more information, check www.publishersweekly.com/diy.

Personally, I went the self-publishing route for my first book and it’s seen very few sales, despite the awards, simply because it’s not out there enough. I won’t go that route again. I’d rather hone my craft and keep writing and querying until I get an agent. An agent will lead me to a publisher who can get my name out there. I’m hoping that a lot of these top authors who no longer need a big publisher will go the self-publishing route, thereby making room on publishers’ lists for more midlist and debut authors.

In my next posting on this topic, I’ll share the thoughts and experiences of some of those who have.

Originally posted 2010-11-15 11:04:47.

Publishing’s Paradigm Shift – Effect on Booksellers

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Where do you buy most of your books now? Online at Amazon or other online bookstores? At big box stores like Costco? Barnes & Noble? Or are you a die-hard fan of the small, local independent bookstore where you’re on a first-name basis with the staff?

Bookstores have been a dying breed until now. So how will they be affected by the growing popularity of digitalized books? Here are some possible developments:

•Booksellers will begin adding Espresso Book Machines to stores

•Megastores may disappear and smaller, neighborhood stores could make a resurgence

•Booksellers will become more important as guides in book selection as newspapers continue to lose their book review sections

•There will be more and more niche bookstores

According to Publishers Weekly (April 16, 2010), “Lightning Source has launched an Espresso Book Machine pilot program, done in conjunction with On Demand Books, through which select publishers will be able to offer their customers the opportunity to print their titles on the Espresso machines located in bookstores…There are currently 37 EBMs in operation and 14 planned around the world. On Demand is releasing a new model of the machine which will print books faster—roughly four minutes for a 300-page book as opposed to eight minutes—and be offered at a lower price point.”

“The new bookstores may be book/coffee/tea shop hybrids, with a while-you-wait book printing facility, digital connections to facilitate e-book browsing and purchase, and staff who know and love the books they sell.” (Richard Day, publisher of Self-Councel press)

Check out the video below showing how the Espresso Book Machine works.

Originally posted 2010-11-04 13:59:14.

Publishing’s Paradigm Shift – Effect on Agents

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I had listed the possible effects on literary agents as follows:

•Some, like Scott Waxman, will become e-book publishers, as well

•They will need to become well-versed on self-publishing options as fewer manuscripts get picked up by traditional publishers

•They will need to be able to envision e-book possibilities for their authors

•As their 15% gets less and less for more and more work, they’re looking at alternatives to make ends meet

Scott Waxman saw an opportunity for growth and started up Diversion Books, a straight eBook publisher for quality projects that can’t seem to find a home with traditional publishers. It’s a totally separate company, with different personnel, and Waxman Agency is not a shareholder. While he’s a co-founder, he’s not running it. Waxman says,

“Any author who has a project they think would fit, we’re happy to talk about it, but we’re not soliciting it.”

To make ends meet, some of the other options agents are beginning to consider are:

•Shifting their compensation from a contingency basis to billable hours (like lawyers)

•Charging for services now offered free

•Raising their commissions to 20%

Think of all that an agent now does—reads and responds to queries and manuscripts (30-50 queries a day), edits, submits books that never sell, etc. In a highly competitive environment, with shrinking advances (at the midlist level, anyway) and cautious publishers, it’s getting harder and harder to make a living. Some may begin charging for services like editing, lecture and tour arrangements, marketing, promotional activities, website management, and social networking.

Could you really blame them?

Originally posted 2010-11-01 11:29:52.

Writer’s Contest for LDS Women

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For those of you who may be interested and fit the parameters:

Segullah: Writings by Latter-day Saint Women is pleased to announce its annual writing competitions in the genres of personal essay, poetry, and fiction. Segullah welcomes unpublished entries which address any subject in harmony with its mission: to publish insightful writings which explore life’s richness and complexity while reflecting faithfulness to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Entrants must be female members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Entries will be judged by Segullah editors. Winners in each category will be awarded $100. Deadline is December 31, 2010. For more information, visit http://journal.segullah.org/contests/.

By the way, Segullah also puts on a terrific one-day writer’s conference each spring in the Salt Lake area. I attended last year and found the presentation on essays particularly enlightening.

Originally posted 2010-11-01 10:01:49.

Publishing’s Paradigm Shift – Effects on Publishers

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Perhaps most anxious about all the brouhaha over e-books have been the publishers. Traditional publishers are worried, perhaps even afraid of all the change, while self-publishing companies (including POD, or print on demand companies) have visions of greater revenues. In any case, I see the main effects as follows:

  • The more adaptable traditional publishers will survive and even thrive after a few bumps in the road
  • There will be more specialized publishers aimed at niches
  • There will be more and more self-publishing
  • Cost of entry for future publishers will be minimal
  • Among the big publishing houses, there will be a devolution from complex, centralized management to semi-autonomous editorial units
  • 50% digital royalty rate may be inevitable
  • Despite all the change, the greatest value of traditional publishing will remain–the editorial process–ensuring their survival

In the latest self-publishing development, Barnes & Noble has now launched their own digital self-publishing platform called PubIt to compete with Amazon’s Create Space. (They’re also coming out with a color Nook to try and take down Amazon’s Kindle and compete more evenly with the iPad.)

As an example of the devolution that is beginning in traditional publishing, in early 2011 Simon & Schuster will reorganize into “small teams of editors, publicists, and marketing specialists.”

According to their new head, Jonathan Karp, each team, comprised of 2 editors, 2 publicists, and a marketing specialist, “will propose, develop, and execute their own publicity and marketing plans, from the moment of acquisition through paperback publication…”

“The chief objective is to create the publishing environment most conducive to focused concentration on our authors,” he continued. “Those who are present at the creation are more likely to bring a greater depth of understanding and experience to the publication of these books. Our authors will benefit from having a dedicated team working on their behalf early in the process.”

Such a development can only be good for writers, who, at times, have had to kowtow to unknowns in the large marketing or sales departments in order to get their books even approved, however lauded their work may be by the editors.

These were the main effects I could forecast from all I’ve read. If you foresee any others, please comment.

My next post will deal with the effects on agents.

Originally posted 2010-10-25 14:01:50.