Your Platform

A popular post from March 2008

by Annette Lyon

The most important element of your book package, aside from the quality of the writing, is your platform.

Sadly, in the case of non-fiction books, platform can be far more important in convincing a publisher to take you on than having a quality manuscript.

So what is a platform?

Your platform is everything about you that helps to sell your book. Each item that makes up your platform is a "plank":

• Credentials and expertise (If you wrote a book about diet and exercise, it helps if you have a Ph.D. in, say, exercise physiology.)
• Publicity connections (Do you have an "in" with a popular radio personality? Can you get a review in a prestigious newspaper?)
• Chances for speaking engagements (Can you get into schools, community organizations, etc. to speak and promote your work?)
• Organizations you belong to (Nonprofit, hobby, etc. It helps if these relate to your book in some way; if you belong to a hiking and camping club and wrote a survival novel, you may already have potential buyers through your club.)
• Professional organizations and networks you belong to.
• Your general visibility (Do you have a newspaper column of your own? Do you appear semi-regularly as a contributor of a TV show?)

When you see what is involved with a platform, it's no wonder that celebrities "write" so many books. Their platform is who they are, and it sells books.
In those cases, really, who's kidding who? Those books aren't generally penned by the celebrity. They're ghost-written, first and foremost because celebrities are actors or singers or whatever else. They aren't writers.
But when it comes down to it, what's between the covers of those books doesn't matter all that much, because the public is already willing to plunk down $24.95 to read about Mr. Hollywood.
On the other hand, a "nobody" who has a drop-dead amazing memoir to tell may or may not be picked up simply because the marketing department will have to work so much harder to convince the public to buy the book.
Consider: Who has the better shot at getting onto the Today show: Joe Writer or Paris Hilton, who can barely spell her own name, let alone actually "author" a book?
Paris, by a mile. And she has been on that show promoting something she supposedly wrote.
That doesn't feel fair, but it's the reality. Think ahead to what your platform consists of and could consist of, because almost as important as the connections and possibilties that are in your platform now are the things you're willing to do to grow your platform.
When you submit your book propsoal, whether it's for fiction or non-fiction, write up your current platform plus your marketing plans for growing it.
If an editor loves your work, she'll have to sell it to those who hold the strings to the money bags. She'll have to convince them that they won't lose money by giving your piece shot, and that instead they'll turn a profit.
The stronger your platform, the easier it is to sell your piece to the final decision makers and to readers.
Build it plank by plank.

The Benefits of Writers Conferences

A popular post from March 2008

By Heather Moore

Writing can be a solitary activity. Well, we wish it is solitary--but there are many of life’s interruptions along the way (sometimes every three minutes it seems).

When I first started writing, I had no idea there were Writers Conferences. So when I joined my local writing chapter, I found I had a lot to learn. I had written two novels by the time I went to my first Writers Conference and this is what I learned:

1. Marketing—authors don’t just write, they market.
2. Agents—the first agent I met was in his early 20’s—this kid was going to accept or reject my very fine, mature work?
3. Self-publishing—an option I’d never thought of.
4. Vanity publishers—I met two at the conference. Glad I didn’t submit.
5. Shoes—dress to impress, but do so with comfortable shoes no matter what.
6. Advil—I’m glad I had some along. I wasn’t used to absorbing so much information in a two-day period.
7. Writing Contests—enter them if you can. It’s a great way to get feedback.
8. Networking—people that I met over seven years ago are still my friends.

Now that I have a few books published, and have attended half-a-dozen conferences, my advice is as follows:

1. Marketing—ask the published authors you meet what are the top three effective marketing tools they use.
2. Agents—make appointments with them if possible. Have a list of questions for them in addition to the manuscript you're pitching. Remember most agents find their clients through writers conferences or referrals.
3. Self-publishing—a more viable option for many. Learn from the experts first though, since there are many considerations.
4. Vanity publishers—still don’t submit.
5. Shoes—wear warm socks, too. The conference rooms can be very cold.
6. Excedrin—takes away the head ache faster.
7. Writing Contests—the feedback from an unbiased judge can be invaluable. But remember, it’s still subjective.
8. Networking—no matter how many books you have out, it's still important to network. Make new friends and pass on your own advice. The writing world is very small and can catch up with you fast. Also, volunteer to help at the next writer’s conference. Give back as much as you have received.

Most importantly, you come home with a head full of fresh ideas and re-energized to get back to writing. You realize that writing is not so solitary as you first thought.

10 Random Things You Probably Didn't Know

A popular post from July 2009

by Annette Lyon

In today's post, I'm listing 10 things I've discovered over the years that a lot of writers learn over the years but are generally stuff you pick up along the way and aren't things you learn in your typical workshop class.

#1) Fake phone numbers always start with 555. In fact, no state in the U. S. will give out a phone number with this prefix for this very reason. It's reserved for fake numbers in TV, movies, and books. You'll notice it everywhere. Anytime a guy or girl on a show is giving out their number, it's 555-whatever. Sometimes they try to hide that fact by using the letters on the keypad (like "My number is JKL-4378," but JKL is still 555).

I'm just guessing that this came about after that song in the 80s that kept singing the number 867-5309 (you remember that song, right?). Whoever had that number surely had to change it.

#2) If a book is found in a book order (a happy day for any author, right?), then it's been sold at a huge discount. That means that even though the author will likely sell thousands, they'll get pennies per book. In one author's words, they get paid "in paper clips." And keep in mind, their agent gets 15% of those paper clips.

#3) Most books that are optioned for movies are never made into movies. An option means a person or company has paid the author for the rights to be the one to make the movie over a specified period, say three years. If that time runs out and they haven't made a movie, then the movie rights are up for grabs again. Options can be renewed by the same person/company or bought by someone else, and I've seen that happen. Hollywood is great at optioning. Not so good at actually making movies. That said, I'd be happy with getting an option. It would probably be more than I've made on royalties for a single novel.

#4) Most authors never meet their editors. Even if they live near one another. I lived within thirty minutes of my editor's office for my first two books and never met her. For my next three, I lived in the same city as her office, and finally met her around, oh, book five, I think. We had plenty of e-mail interchanges and phone calls, but there was really no reason for us to meet. We just didn't get around to it. We've seen each other several times since (ironically, usually at social events since she's left the company), and I find that's pretty typical.

#5) With some exceptions (usually at small houses), authors have no say in regards to their cover or title.

#6) As a corollary, sometimes (at least with the huge writers) you can tell how big someone is by how big their name is on the cover. With Danielle Steele and John Grisham, for example, there are times you have to hunt for the title because their names are so big on the cover. That's because of the authors' huge fan base. They don't really care what the book is called; they just want the next one.

#7) Grammatical bloopers, typos, and even factual errors can be put into a book without the author knowing it. This is done by well-meaning but idiot copy editors or others along the line who should be flogged, because the author is blamed for them, but he or she didn't get to see the final proof before the manuscript went to press.

#8) Some lucky writers get ARCs, or Advance Reader Copies. These are uncorrected galleys, meaning that it's the full story, and it looks like a full book, and it may or may not have the actual cover on it--but it hasn't been proofed yet, so it probably has typos and it may even have minor inconsistencies (Sarah's eyes might accidentally turn brown on page 218) or whatever.

ARCs are sent out to reviewers, particularly to large magazines like Publisher's Weekly and Kirkus Review, places where book reviews mean a lot. They require review copies 3 or 4 months before a book hits stores, which means they need it before it's actually gone to press. Hence the ARC, which isn't perfect, but it's as close as you're going to get it before the book is actually on shelves.

#9) There's a good chance your publisher will expect you to do 90% of the marketing and publicity. Just expect it. It's exhausting, and there's really no way of knowing what areas of your efforts are making a dent, but you keep plugging along hoping that something is working, because of:

#10) In publishing, they figure that the past predicts the future. If your last book didn't sell that well, then your next one won't either, they figure. That can mean a rejection. Or that can mean a new release date, during a time in the year when you'll have less competition against heavy-hitters. Or it can mean a gentle nudge to try a different genre. Or, again, it can mean a rejection.

On the flip side, if your last book was a whopping best-seller, then your publisher might be your new best friend, wondering what you can give them next and how fast. It's all a numbers game, a difficult road to travel. One not for the faint of heart.

Wow--didn't expect to go from something as light as fake phone numbers to something so serious.

The Publishing Sandbox

A popular post from April 2009

by Annette Lyon

This past weekend I attended writing conference and sat in our own Josi's class about building your own writing community. It's a topic I hadn't thought much about as a topic, but when I stopped and sat back, I realized just how important it is.

I'm sure Josi will do a much better job of explaining it another time (please do, Josi!), but for now, I want to mention it and encourage writers to build their own communities.

You'll have many types as your career progresses, and they're all important in their own way. I can safely say that without some of mine, I wouldn't be where I am today.

Networking Opportunities
For me, the start here was with the League of Utah Writers and my local chapter meetings. Look around where you are to see if there's a similar organization where you live.

From chapter meetings, I branched out to attending LUW's annual conference (boy, was I terrified for that first one!) and then their spring workshops. I made several writer friends I'm still in contact with today.

I learned a ton, but even better, thanks to some of those contacts, I ended up landing in my next type of community:

Critique Group
I joined a group with several aspiring, but unpublished, writers. Over nine years later, we're all published, several of us are award-winning, and we've all got writing careers and deadlines.

But it's more than success our group has brought; it's also provided us with emotional support. There are some things only other writers understand, and those are the things you can share around the critique group table. I know I get antsy and on edge if I miss too many weeks of meetings. I need my group to keep me in balance.

Online Communities
These encompass a lot of things:

E-mail lists made up of lots of writers who are in the same market you are.

Your blog and the blogs of others you read and the relationships you build through them.

Online critique groups, forums, and other organizations you belong to.

Online marketing efforts.

Social networks.

And more.

These can all be amazingly powerful in many ways. My online communities have given moral support, provided answers to research questions, and brought me many friends and professional contacts.

The longer I'm in this business, the more I see that those who are willing to give and help each other out are the ones who will succeed the most in the long run.

Keep in mind that how you present yourself to some of your communities is critical. My critique group doesn't mind if I occasionally whine and throw a pity party, but you won't see the same kind of thing on my blog, where I need to maintain a bit more professionalism. Whining isn't a way to make people want to buy my books.

By the same token, be aware of how you present yourself in blog comments, at conferences, and in other professional interactions.

With blogs and e-mail in particular, you might be trying to be funny but come across in a way you didn't intend, because tone can be hard to interpret correctly in those venues.

Always be genuine and honest in every community. Be yourself. But that doesn't mean publicly criticizing someone else in your market or otherwise demeaning another person.

As Josi said in her class, publishing is a small sandbox; play nice.

What you put out will come back to you in spades, whether it's positive or negative. It's definitely worth sending out the positive.

Managing Social Media

A popular post from April 2010

By Josi S. Kilpack

Some people love it, some people hate it, but everyone can agree that when it comes to marketing and connecting with people, Social Media is a powerful tool. But how do you keep it managable and not end up spending all your writing time trying to keep up? I have a few tricks that work for me, but would love your suggestions as well. This post is not a "How to" or a "Why you should" it's simply a "How to use your time wisely." I am also not technical by any stretch, each of these things I have learned from someone else and have eventually become comfortable with it.

1--Schedule blogs. I have found it very helpful to set up specific times to post my blog. I know many people blog daily or multiple times a week. I have been unable to keep up with this both due to time and to content--I'm just not that clever. But I like to put my thoughts down. Fridays are a good day for me, but I rarely write anything on Friday. Instead, I write sometime during the week and schedule the blog through the 'post options' link at the bottom of my blog post. I assume other blogging programs have the same option. If I for some reason have a lot of ideas, I write several posts but schedule them to post on Fridays so that if I end up brain dead three weeks from now, I'm covered. I can always go in and change the posting times if I want to but at least I know the content is there. I am working on setting aside a specific time to write blogs during the week but so far haven't found that extra hour so I just take the time when I can.

2--Management programs. The one I use is Tweetdeck, but there are several others. Since I'm only familiar with Tweetdeck, however, it's the only one I can relate experience for. What Tweetdeck does is combine social media like Twitter, My Space, Facebook, etc. You basically have Tweetdeck sign you in to all those programs and it keeps a column for each one. It opens a window that hangs out behind everything else I'm working on and I get alerts when people update their statuses, send me a message etc. I don't have to log into Twitter through a browser window or keep facebook up--they are always open unless I close Tweetdeck. When I first downloaded the program I was overwhelmed and felt sure I would hate it. I made myself use it through the weekend and fell in love. I'm often the first person who posts on someones update because I spend a lot of time on the computer and I get updated immediately. I can pop over, post a comment, and get back to work in mere seconds. You can get more info at TWEETDECK and if you want more information on some of the other programs as well as Twitter info check out Jaime Theler's blog, BOOKMOM'S MUSINGS she's a twitter pro, but uses small words.

3--Linking media. I have my twitter linked to facebook so if I post to twitter it automatically posts to facebook. I can text from my phone to twitter too, which, again, posts to facebook. I also linked my blog so that it automatically posts to my twitter... which posts to my facebook. I know it sounds all technical, but it really isn't. As to how to do these things, I went to google and typed in what I wanted to do and someone far smarter than myself told me how to do it. Saves me a lot of time. Additionally, in Tweetdeck I can choose if I want to just post to facebook. Twitter is limited to 140 spaces so if I want to say something longer, I can choose just facebook for that update and twitter isn't affected. I can also google how to undo this if I want to. In regard to blogging you can also set up your blog so that you can write it as an e-mail and send it to your 'blog' e-mail address and have it post automatically.

4--Google Reader. Google Reader is web based, so you have to have a browser window open, however what it allows you to do is 'follow' blogs without having to go to them individually. It keeps a 'roll' of all the blogs you follow and you can scroll through them at leisure. If there's one you want to comment on you click on it and it takes you right there. Very handy way to keep and eye on blogs. Granted I haven't logged in for about 3 months so I probably have 2,000 blog posts but you can click on 'mark all as read' and you get back to zero. I can't imagine following blogs any other way--it really brings it all to a 'glance'.

5--Delicious. Delicious is a kind of online bookmark. Similar to the 'bookmark' option on your toolbar it allows you to enter websites into 'folders'. Then you simply put it in your toolbar and it acts as a drop down menu, allowing you to quickly go to some of your favorite sites. I use it for banking, online shopping, and social media sites so that I can get to them fast. The other benefit is that it's online, so if your on a different computer, you can log in and have your favorite sites at your fingertips. You can find out more about it at their WEBSITE

6--E-mail folders. This is elementary for some people, but many people don't realize how to best utilize this feature of their e-mail program. I have about 40 files in my e-mail and recieve well over 200 e-mails a day. I set up 'rules' that sends e-mails to their folder. for instance I have a folder for "Blogger" anytime an e-mail comes through that says 'blogger' in the 'from' field, it goes to my blogger folder. I belong to about 18 yahoo groups, each of them have their own 'folder' and rule so that they also go directly to the right place. I might not have time to read all my e-mail, but I can check in on specific folders that might have more pressing information than others. Take a little time to poke around, consider making some of your folders into sub-folders of a larger one (such as I have GROUPS, which all my yahoo groups fall underneath) and really streamline your e-mail. Consider setting up an e-mail for "Facebook" and one for "Registration Information". You'll not only get things organized, but you'll save yourself a lot of time when you go looking for something specific.

So these are my tricks, what are yours?

Why Do I Buy a Book?

A popular post from July 2011 (we miss you Lu Ann)

by Lu Ann Staheli

Several weeks ago a question came up about how can we get new readers to actually buy our books. Of course it’s a wonderful thing when the local library has a copy that regularly gets checked out, and it’s even great when our best friends buy a copy and let potential new readers borrow our books, but as any working writer knows, it’s an increase number of actual sales that puts money in our pockets.

We read all sorts of responses regarding better ways to market, how to reach a potential audience, and the necessity to blog/tweet/or friend on Facebook. But I decided to attack the question from the other side, and it gave me all sorts of insight into my own buying patterns as a reader. I hope my thoughts here will spark your thinking into how your own audience’s book-buying works, and maybe we will all see an increase in book sales if we truly understand what makes them purchase a book.

To start my query, I looked back at my buying history for the past six months. I buy a huge amount of print books online at Amazon, along with several books from both Kindle and Nook applications. I occasionally visit the local Seagull Books, rarely go to Deseret Books, and sometimes I will buy a book from Confetti Antiques & Books, or pick up a used book through Amazon online sellers. I used to buy books from eBay, but the cost of postage and the auction process have made my browsing time there no longer worth my time. Today, I’m just looking at the books I bought exclusively in print from Amazon. (I know, this list alone will blow you away at the number of books I actually do buy, and in only a six month period. It’s almost scary!)

So, what books did I recently buy and why?

1.Critique Group: In an effort to always support members of my critique group (my mastermind group of friends!), I have six copies on pre-order of Variant by Robison Wells, and I bought copies of Ammon by H. B. Moore, Captive Heart by Michele Paige Holmes, and The Kiss of a Stranger by Sarah M. Eden. I bought books by J. Scott Savage and Annette Lyon last year at their release time, and I already have The Death Cure on order from our former critique member, James Dashner.

2. Utah Authors: I buy books by other Utah authors and friends, or authors with Utah connections. I either have already received or have my pre-order filed for the following books: Crossed by Ally Condie, The Alloy of Law: A Mistborn Novel by Brandon Sanderson; Illusions by Aprilynne Pike, Possession by Elena Johnson. Monster Hunter International and Hard Magic by Larry Coreia, Beyond Foo: Geth and the Return of the Lithens from Obert Skye, Sean Grisworld’s Head by Lindsey Leavitt, The Forgotten Locket by Lisa Mangum, I Don’t Want to Kill You by Dan Wells, Miles from Ordinary by Carol Lynch Williams, The Beyonders: A World Without Heroes by Brandon Mull, Miles to Go and Michael Vey: Prisoner of Cell 25 by Richard Paul Evans, and The Lost Gate by Orson Scott Card.

3. Student Recommendations: I buy books because my students will constantly ask me if I’ve read THIS yet. So, like it or not, I’ve ordered Inheritance by Christopher Paolini, The Son of Neptune and Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan, and Steampunk by Ann VanderMeer.

4. Writing Projects: I buy books that will help me with a writing project or that was recommended to me by an agent or editor to fine tune my marketing. I Am Scrooge: A Zombie Story for Christmas by Adam Roberts, The Last Christmas of Ebenezer Scrooge: The Sequel to The Christmas Carol by Marvin Kaye, and Ebenezer: The Final Years of Scrooge by Donna Lee Howell will all likely point you toward the topic of the YA novel I’m currently writing, and Love Is Eternal A Novel of Mary Todd and Abraham Lincoln by Irving Stone is for my current non-fiction project. The Case of the Missing Marquess: An Enola Holmes Mystery by Nancy Springer, The Mysterious Benedict Society Collection by Trenton Lee Stewart, Ithaka by Adele Geras, Magic Below Stairs by Caroline Stevermer, Something Rotten by Alan M. Gratz, and I, Coriander by Sally Gardner all were suggested by a Dial editor who had read sample pages from me.

5. Personal Interest: I buy books to fulfill my own crazy interests and passions. Does the Noise in My Head Bother You: A Rock’n’ Roll Memoir by Steven Tyler, Making the Grades: My Misadventures in the Standardized Testing Industry by Todd Farley, The Original Argument: The Case for the Federalist Papers by Glenn Beck and Joshua Charles, Damn! Why Didn’t I Write That by Marc McCutcheon, The Roots of Obama’s Rage by Dinesh D'Souza, Stories I Only Tell My Friends by Rob Lowe, If You Ask Me (And Of Course You Won’t) by Betty White, My Lucky Life by Dick Van Dyke, One Simple Idea: Turn Your Dreams into a Licensing Goldmine While Letting Others Do the Work by Stephen Key, Spirit Driven Success by Secret Millionaire Dani Johnson, The Millionaire Messenger: Make a Difference and a Fortune Sharing Your Advice by Brendon Burchard, Surrender the Pink and The Best Awful by Carrie Fisher.

6. Series: I buy books from series I’ve been reading and enjoyed. Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting, Theodore Boone: The Abduction by John Grisham , Something Rotten (Thursday Next Novels) by Jasper Fforde

7. Book Club: I occasionally buy books for my book club. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen is on my Nook, but I won’t recommend it unless you’re not offended by explicit sex. Let’s just say, the ladies in our group where quite surprised.

8. Gifts: I buy books that either my husband or one of my boys will enjoy. My husband has been reading the Seven Realms series by Cinda Williams Chima so The Gray Wolf Throne is coming in August. Trump University Wealth Building 101 by Donald Trump, Star Wars Character Encyclopedia from DK Publishing, and The Warlock by Michael Scott were also ordered this year.

9. Market Buzz: I buy books that are getting tons of book market buzz, either at conferences, online, from TV programs I watch, or by hitting the charts of everyone’s must-reads. On this list I have A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. The 7 Tipping Points that Saved the World by Chris and Ted Stewart, White Cat by Holly Black, Robopocalypse by Daniel; H. Wilson, Johnny Appleseed: The Man, The Myth, The American Story by Howard Means, Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry, and Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. Everybody’s talking about the HBO series, The Game of Thrones from George R.R. Martin. Divergent by Veronica Roth, Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas, 20 Years Younger: Look Younger, Feel Younger, Be Younger! by Bob Greene, Starcrossed by
Josephine Angelini, Failing Mr. Fisher by James Wintermote, 2030: The Real Story of What Happens to America by Albert Brooks, Romancing Miss Bronte by Juliet Gael, Story Engineering by Larry Brooks, and Stoneheart by Charlie Fletcher, 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus by Charles C. Mann, 1434: The Year a Magnificent Chinese Fleet Sailed to Italy and Ignited the Renaissance and 1421: The Year China Discovered America by Gavin Menzies, Across the Universe by Beth Revis, and The 7: Seven Wonders That Will Change Your Life by Glenn Beck, Keith Ablow are also books I’ve bought because of buzz.

10. Author Marketing: Occasionally I run across an online blog/tweet/video/or FB advert that sounds interesting. I video forwarded by Heather Moore to our critique group led me to The Nobodies Album by Carolyn Parkhurst. I read a forlorn-sounding blog from author Kirsten Hubbard about how her novel Like Mandarin had been lost in the mid-list, and I felt sorry for her, so I bought it. Beatle Meets Destiny by Gabrielle Williams had a title that caught my eye, and John Scalzi’s tweets made me order Old Man’s War and Fuzzy Nation. I ran across author Laura Ruby there also and ordered I Am Not Julia Roberts. Shannon Hale mentioned Mortification: Writers' Stories of Their Public Shame Robin Robertson on a day she blogged about her own mortification tale.

So what does all this mean? I buy books that are recommended by friends, students, and family. I buy books that fulfill my own career and interest needs. I buy books as gifts for friends and family. I buy books that everyone says are MUST READS or by an author who has somehow touched me.

Now the challenge for all of us is to figure out how the books we write can fit into one of those categories. How can we build better relationships with potential readers so they buy copies of our books, recommend our books to others, and help put our books onto the list of books that everybody must read?

Speaking of which, with as many books that are still on this list that I haven’t yet found the time to read, I’d guess I’d better get going. I wonder how many of these I can finish before my next box of books arrives?

What's Your Book Called?

A popular post from September 2010

by Annette Lyon

This is probably the most common question I get from readers about whatever my current work in progress is.

I never have an answer for it. I used to, when the stack of rejection letters was growing. But I no longer name my books as I write them, and I haven't for many years.

Why? For starters, authors rarely get to have any say in their titles.

That can come as a surprise to aspiring writers who spend hours concocting the perfect title and imagine it emblazoned on a stack of books at their favorite bookstore.

But the reality is that the marketing department gets to pick the title, and an author is extremely lucky to have any say at all. Just about every book I've submitted has hit shelves with a different title than I gave it.

I got close with book #3: the title I suggested had the word "house" in it. The final title was House on the Hill. To my utter shock, my 7th book kept the title I submitted it with, Band of Sisters. But I can't take credit for the title, because I'm terrible at coming up with them; my husband invented that one, and it worked.

I think most authors will be honest by admitting that there's a part of us that hates having so little control over the title. It's my baby; why can't I have a say in what it's called?

But then you have to remember the one and only purpose for a title: to get potential readers to take an interest and pick up the book. If the title does that, it's a good title, no matter how well it ties in.

We write stories; that's our specialty. We aren't nearly so good at selling them. On the other hand, the marketing department specializes in selling books and knowing what kind of title grabs interest. They have entire meetings devoted to picking titles.

Since the publisher is the one footing the bills for editing, design, marketing, printing, shipping, and other costs associated with my book, it's only fair that they get to pick the title that will give the book its best shot. They have a vested interest in seeing the book do well, so they'll pick a title they think will get the final product off the shelf and out the bookstore doors.

That said, I still dislike the title of my first book. When my editor informed me that it would be called Lost Without You (now available in e-reader format on Kindle and Smashwords!), I sent her an email in hopes she could clarify what in the world the title had to do with my story.

Basically: nothing. It's just a romantic-sounding title.

Since it didn't even almost fit the story or my characters, I added a line of dialogue in the final scene so the title would both make some sense as well as reflect what I felt was the entire point of the book. (Which, by the way, wasn't the romance.)

Side note: I've had many readers tell me they had no clue why it was called that until they reached the added line. Glad I made that change!

Aside from the fact that I know whatever title I pick won't be used, there is another reason I no longer use working titles for my projects: It's emotionally and mentally tough to rename your baby.

With Lost Without You it took me a good year to be able to refer to the book by name. For months it was just, "my book." (That worked at the time, since it was my only one so far.) Since my stories always become such a part of me, it feels like an appendage gets cut off when they're renamed.

Instead of giving them working titles, I refer to my books by a significant element in them, like a character (House on the Hill was my "Lizzy" book), part of the setting (At the Journey's End was my "Honeymoon Trail" book), or the topic (Band of Sisters was my "military wives" book.)

The good news is that my publisher now asks for at least five title suggestions, along with lists of significant locations, objects, ideas, words, etc. so the marketing folks can have a better idea of what's inside the pages, and then attach a more-fitting title.

I love that it gives me some input in the process, and I must admit that all of my other titles rock; they fit the books and are catchy enough to grasp a reader's attention.

Even better, with each one, I haven't had to call them my second, third, fourth, and so on, while getting used to them. Without batting an eye, I've been able to call my babies by their final titles even before they're in print.

Next up: my cookbook, which the marketing department brilliantly titled Chocolate Never Faileth.

I never in a million years would have come up with that, but readers are clamoring for the book weeks before it's on shelves.

See? Those marketing people really do know what they're doing.

Using Social Media Effectively

A popular post from February 2012 and still very relevant today. 

by Annette Lyon

Social media is here. And for better or worse, it's here to stay. Writers who hope to reach potential readers need to learn how to use it effectively.

What "effectively" means will be different for every writer. With more and more social media outlets popping up all the time, it's easy to feel daunted. (I have yet to learn much about Pinterest, because right now it's just one more thing.)

While social media is important to your platform, it carries a danger: You can easily spend so much time networking that you don't get around to writing.

So learn what you can about different social media sites. Decide what works best for you. Focus on those and leave the others behind. For example, if blogging is more than you think you can handle, then don't blog.

I personally blog (here and at my own blog), and I rely on Facebook and Twitter for much of my networking. When I do them right, they don't suck up much time from my day. I don't play games of Facebook, for example. I use it to keep in touch with friends and family as well as to keep in contact with readers.

I use Twitter for several things, among them, to keep up on the news. I follow several news streams, and I often find out about breaking news before it hits TV. I follow industry professionals like editors and agents. I follow other writers, great writing resources, topics that interest me, and so forth. I even follow some people simply because they're entertaining and make me laugh.

That's what I do when I hang out on Twitter and Facebook.

But what do I actually post on there?

I am no expert on social media, but I have learned several things along the way:

Content Is King.

If you have lame tweets ("I'm petting my cat"), no one will want to follow you. Watch other people's streams. see what interests you and figure out what parts of your life others might find interesting.

Share links to articles or other online content that you find interesting. This includes forwarding links or tweets from those you follow. Doing so creates good will with the person whose work you're sharing, and it gives your followers good content. Win-win.

Be real.

Followers can (and will) smell fake a mile away and unfollow/unfriend in a heartbeat.

Be social.

In other words, be part of the conversation. Reply to people, especially if they initiate contact. Add your personal commentary on topics you find interesting and relevant. Don't be an island.

Update live.

Some applications let you pre-schedule your tweets. As many people attach their Facebook status updates to their Twitter feeds, both get updated at the same time with no work from you.

That may be great for a few things, say reminding people you'll be on TV in ten minutes (you can't tweet that from the set or while driving), but in general, try to really be there behind the keyboard. Interact. This goes back to being REAL.

Do not post about religion and politics.

Really. Ever. Just don't go there.

Forget yourself and your work. Mostly.

Sure, you'd like the whole social media thing to result in sales. It could. But if you get sales from social media, it'll almost certainly be a secondary effect because first you created a relationship.

Keep this in mind: the relationship comes first. (See below.) Your work and sales come a very distant second.

In practical terms, this means that the vast majority of your updates should not be about your latest release. Constant tweets and status updates about "Get my first three chapters free!" or, "Buy my book! It's got lots of 5-star reviews!" become nothing but annoying noise. You'll quickly sound like a used-car salesman, and the unfollows will be huge.

Sure, go ahead and mention revisions or release dates. If they're the exception, not the rule, people will actually notice and care.

ABOVE ALL: Create relationships.

This doesn't mean you have to be everyone's best friend, but try to be kind and aware of who is out there, who is following, who is re-tweeting your stuff, and so forth. Be gracious.

A story as an example of what not to do:

Once I followed a writer on Twitter who immediately sent me a thank you in a direct message. Odd, I thought, but okay. Neat for her to thank all new followers. I guess.

But then her stream turned into lots of self-promotion, constant requests for re-tweets (but she didn't retweet anything unrelated to her), links to her latest posts, and little else. I unfollowed.

I don't remember exactly why, but later I followed her again, maybe trying to give her another shot. Right off, I got an almost identical direct message to the first, which was phrased as if we were meeting for the first time. She obviously didn't remember that I'd followed her before (or left comments on her blog or had any other contact).

To make matters worse, every few weeks, I got a notification that she was following me. Remember: you get notifications only for new followers. Meaning she'd followed and unfollowed me a number of times. I dug around and discovered that she had a bag of tricks for increasing her follower count. Among them was regularly using an app that let you drop followers who weren't valuable (however it determined that). She'd apparently dropped me and added me about six times, all while I followed and never dropped her.

This all left a pretty sour taste in my mouth. I've since unfollowed her and will not follow again.

And you can be darn sure I won't be buying her books or recommending her to anyone else.

I've had similar experiences on Facebook, with people making comments on my status or my wall with little more than, "Hey, check out my book!" In some cases, it's been phrased a bit more cleverly, like, "Who's your favorite wizard? You might find a new favorite in TITLE!" (Which is, of course, their book.)

If Twitter and Facebook are too much, don't stress it. But if you want to use them, learn how to use them effectively and then be real. Above all, don't be a used car salesman. Everyone hates those people, and we all run the other direction.

Additional note:

To learn more about Twitter, how it works, and how to use it as a writer, see this interview with Christina Katz on the topic. She's also someone to follow: @TheWriterMama

A great resource for learning about social media, specifically for writers, is Kristen Lamb's We Are Not Alone: A Writer's Guide to Social Media. Follow her on Twitter: @KristenLambTX

Oh, and on Twitter I'm @AnnetteLyon.

Hitting the Top 100 Categories on Amazon

A popular post from March 2014

by Heather Moore

An alternate version of this post previously appeared on Eschler Editing Blog.

Once you have your most-excellent manuscript edited, cover designed, interior formatted into a mobi file, you are ready to upload to the Kindle platform on Amazon. When you load your book to Amazon, every word in your book becomes a searchable item. From the reviews, to the text, to the author bio. Also searchable is the book description and editorial reviews that can be added when you upload. This is why it’s important to select key words that will be repeated throughout each searchable entity. 

Before you choose your categories and key words, do some research on Amazon. Find out what categories bestselling books in your genre are listed under. Some will be very broad (fiction, romance, suspense), others will be very narrow (art, Italian hotel, Egyptian History). If you choose a narrow category, you’ll probably hit the Top 100 a day or two after your book is listed onto Amazon. With a broader category, you’ll be competing with other bestselling books in that same category.

This post will give you a quick overview of how metadata and categorizing works on Amazon, and how it can be a key sales tool for being a successful Amazon seller. Michael Alvear’s book is great at explaining how to use metadata effectively in the file creation process, and how to categorize in the upload process: Make A Killing On Kindle Without Blogging, Facebook Or Twitter: TheGuerilla Marketer's Guide To Selling Ebooks On Amazon.

In short:

What is Metadata: Metatags are search terms that readers use to find a book on a specific topic.

What is Categorizing: Done when the Kindle file is uploaded through KDP on Amazon. You can select 2 categories and 7 keywords that will help your book get categorized and positioned for selling on Amazon.

Do now: Put together a chart for your book as you research:

Example for my historical novel, ESTHER THE QUEEN:

Categories (Amazon allows 2 main categories. I prefer ‘non-fiction’ to capture Top 100. I might go in and tweak this from time to time as I watch sales.)	(I researched a similar genre book: The Red Tent) *Religion—Ancient *Biblical Studies—Old Testament Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Literature & Fiction > Fiction Books > Religion & Spirituality > Judaism > Jewish Life
Genre(s) (Amazon gives you 7 categories to list. I may tweak this as well.)	Esther, Famous Queens, Adventure, Judaism, Biblical Fiction, Religious Historical Fiction, Christian Fiction
Metadata List	Action & Adventure; Religious Fiction; Queen Esther; King of Persia; Famous Queens; Biblical Queens; Famous Kings; Biblical Kings; Book of Esther; Judaism; Jewish Life; Jewish Exodus; Middle East; Biographical; The Heretic Queen by Michelle Moran; Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff; The Red Tent by Anita Diamant; Biblical Fiction; Turkey; Mediterranean; Tombs

To explain the chart above. I looked for a bestselling Biblical novel to compare to mine. I found The Red Tent. These were the categories and rankings:

·  Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,612 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

• #77 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Literature & Fiction > Fiction

A non-fiction book on Jewish Life:

• #64 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Judaism > Jewish Life

I then went to Christian Books & Bibles, and checked out the books listed in the top 100. Then I clicked on those books to see what their rankings were. I slowly built a category list and decided where my book would best fit.

The Amazon page will also have “Other categories”

Look for Similar Items by Category

• Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Literature & Fiction > Fiction
• Books > Education & Reference
• Books > Literature & Fiction > Contemporary
• Books > Religion & Spirituality > Fiction

Other examples of books in Top 100 categories and their key words:

Sarah M. Eden’s, Seeking Persephone, with the $2.99 deal, its rank is here:

·  Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,594 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

• #20 in Books > Romance > Regency
• #66 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Romance > Historical Romance

Spring Vacation Anthology:

·  Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #13,219 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

• #58 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Relationships > Love & Romance

Novella, Third Time’s the Charm:

·  Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #23,931 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

• #11 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Advice & How-to > Parenting & Families > Family Relationships > Divorce
• #29 in Books > Parenting & Relationships > Family Relationships > Divorce

Heart of the Ocean:

·  Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #22,775 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

• #88 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Horror > Ghosts
• #98 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Horror > Ghosts

Other concepts recommended by Michael Alvear have to do with the Book Description and the Reviews. Every word in the description and a review becomes a searchable entity. In my Book Descriptions when I get a few great reviews, I’ll add them to the beginning of the description. Some recommend when you ask for a review to have the reviewer compare it to another best-selling book and use the Category words… this will become part of the Amazon algorithms.

Here is a Book Description example that uses key words in the description that will link the book to other authors and categories. I’ve bolded keywords that will help this book become categorized more effectively on Amazon. (Age, era, setting, genre, target audience, comparable authors, comparable books…)

From Leona & Me, Helen Marie (A Small Town USA novel) by Lu Ann Staheli

Seven-year-old Helen Marie Heffner has a knack for getting into trouble, followed close behind by her older sister, Leona Mae. Whether it’s walking the barn beams like a tightrope, fooling the neighbor boys into thinking they’re being chased by a fiery jack-o-lantern, or making a mess rather than transferring a pattern for Mama’s Christmas surprise, Helen comes out the winner every time.

But life is not always fun and games in 1922 for this southern Indiana family. In the wake of the Depression of the previous two years, the girls and their mama are often left alone in Hancock’s Chapel while their papa travels to find work to keep the family finances alive. Lately, Mama’s been showing signs of not feeling well, and Helen is stuck at home, missing the entire school year while she recuperates from the rheumatic fever that struck her the year before. Mama fears the worst is about to happen. Everything from the barn owl, to the chicken thief, the stranger who passed by one evening to a poor neighbor-boy who falls into the ravine, all point to signs of trouble to come. And sure enough, it does.

Leona and Me, Helen Marie, a middle grade novel from A Small Town U.S.A. series, is hometown historical fiction in the style of Richard Peck (A Long Way from Chicago, The Teacher’s Funeral, Here Lies the Librarian) and Kate DiCamillo (Because of Winn-Dixie), with a touch of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House on the Prairie thrown in for good measure.

Categorizing is not a one-hit wonder method, but it’s an important marketing tool to use when selling on Amazon. You can change your categories and key words anytime, but know that it takes 2–3 days for them to become effective. When I change them, I wait a few weeks to see which lists are being hit. If I’m not happy with the results, then I can easily go back in and change them.

Interview with middle-grade author Frank Cole

I’d like to welcome Frank Cole to our blog. If there’s one word I could use to describe Frank it’s: enthusiastic. He has a contagious enthusiasm about him that draws the kids in.

Frank is the author of the middle-grade series, Hashbrown Winters. His newest book is the middle grade book, The Guardians of the Hidden Scepter. Frank has had 4 books come out in two years—I think he’s found a niche.



Something I’ve learned from my writer friends who write in the children’s genre is that children’s authors have to put themselves right into the action—and go to where their readers are: Elementary schools. So if you are reluctant to spend time speaking to a group of school kids (over and over), it will be tough to compete with the other children’s authors out there who are working hard to connect to their audience.

I hope you enjoy the interview!

Heather: Like I mentioned, being a successfully published children's book author requires school visits. Tell us how you manage to work these in and if you think they are worth the effort. Also let us know if you have any tips for new children's book authors out there who are planning on doing school visits.

Frank: I honestly feel it is one of the best ways to promote your work to kids. Especially for the younger middle grade audience. I think kids need to connect with the author and by providing a fun, educational presentation at their school, you create that connection. It can become difficult trying to juggle writing, marketing, and delivering school presentations, but I think it is well worth the investment of time. My tips would be to have as much fun as you possibly can. When the presentation becomes a chore for you, the kids will pick up on that and lose interest. Be animated and be funny if you can. And keep them involved throughout the presentation, whether with Q&A or with activities.

Heather: You’ve had 4 books come out since 2009. Tell us about your publishing experience. Did you get your first book written published? And how long did it take to find a publisher?

Frank: I went through your typical grueling experience to become published. Tons of rejection letters. Tons of rewrites. Always questioning whether or not I truly wanted to continue. The first book I wrote took the brunt of most of my rejections and no it has yet to be published. (Probably never will.) From the moment I realized I wanted to be a published author to the day my first book appeared on bookshelves took about 8 years. Still, I feel it was worth the wait!

Heather: I love hearing the stories of how authors have persevered through rejections and revisions. Well done! I think many of us have those first manuscripts that are buried on an archaic disk drive somewhere. It’s important for new writers to know that their first, most beloved, book may never be published, but we all have to start that next book. What are some things you wished you would have known when you had your first book published?

Frank: How much work I would have to do to promote it. It really doesn't matter if you're published by one of the big publishing companies or an independent publisher. The real work begins when you sign the contract.

Heather: Agreed. Yes, if you are on the A list with a publisher, you’ll get more advertising, but the author still has an incredible amount of self-promotion to do. Speaking of promoting one’s self, social media has become a must in promoting books. In fact, publishers are asking their authors to create an on-line presence. What type of social media do you use in marketing your books? And what do you find to be the most effective or useful?

Frank: I blog (franklewiscole.blogspot.com), I use Facebook quite a bit, and I've recently started building an e-mail list (should've started earlier.) So far, Facebook has been my most effective tool in spreading the word.

Heather: Your newest book, The Guardians of the Hidden Scepter, is separate from your Hashbrown Winters series. Give us the elevator pitch.

Frank: The Guardians of the Hidden Scepter is my take on action adventure with an Indiana Jones type feel, but with kids as the stars. If you like action and suspense, but also enjoy laughing along the way, this book should appeal to you.

Heather: Sounds great. What has been your most rewarding experience since becoming an author?

Frank: I love seeing a book I wrote on a bookstore shelf, but I think the most rewarding experience has been whenever a parent or a teacher at an elementary school approaches me and tells me my books have helped ignite a love of reading within their child or student. That's what it's all about!

Heather: I definitely agree with that. It’s very humbling, yet very motivating as well and makes the grueling hours of editing more worthwhile. What have you learned about the publishing industry that you didn't know before you got your contract?

Frank: I think I've learned there are literally thousands of people trying to get something published and most of them are quality writers with really great ideas. It's intimidating. I've also learned for most people in the industry (myself included) writing an awesome story is only the beginning. Marketing your project, putting it in people's hands, presenting yourself in as many places possible is the very next step.

Heather: Thank you, Frank. In parting, what advice do you have for aspiring authors?

Frank: Don't give up and keep writing. Rejection is part of the business. If you give up after the first or fiftieth rejection, you'll never realize what you could have accomplished. Don't stay married to your first novel. The best thing you can do is to keep writing and learning. You abilities will develop after each book you finish. It's likely your first novel won't be the one that receives the contract. So, start cracking out your second and third.

Frank Cole's Blog
Frank Cole's Hashbrown Winters series on Amazon
The Guardians of the Hidden Scepter on Amazon

Spilling the Beans

by Heather Moore



This past weekend I attended the League of Utah Writers Conference in Midway, Utah (think Heber or Park City—it’s beautiful up there).

It was one of those full circle moments. In 2002, I attended my first writers conference ever—the LUW conference. There I heard from writers that I had admired for years. I entered the contest with a manuscript and earned a 3rd place award. I used the validation to keep me motivated as I waded through plenty of rejections in the months to come.

This year—2009—I attended the conference as a presenter. Even though I felt that I had a lot of insights to share—especially my own bumpy road to publication—I was there to learn. On the side, I was also there as a fan.

I was excited to meet Sandra Dallas. I also took a workshop from Richard Paul Evans, a local author who has been a NY Times Bestseller most of his career. In Evans’ “former” life he was an advertising executive—a very successful one. Transitioning from an ad ex to a successful author is something to note, and believe me, I was writing down every word he said.



So I decided to spill the beans. Some of it you’ve probably heard before, but when Richard Paul Evans says “When I get up in the morning, I go to work against John Grisham,” you suddenly sit up and take more notice.

Evans said to ask yourselves these questions when writing your book:
-Is there an audience?
-Is that audience big enough to earn success?
-Who will purchase the book (i.e. parents purchase books for their children; women purchase books for their husbands, etc.)
-Can you create perpetual motion with your sales? In other words, will you get more energy (sales) out of the product than what you put into it (marketing)?

He also advised:
Find your unique selling proposition and market to it! He gave the example of a book that was published called Compact Classics. It was a glorified and condensed version of Cliff Notes in which you could read a summary of a classic in just a couple of minutes. Sales lagged. Then it was discovered that people were reading this book in the bathroom . . . and the book was renamed: The Great American Bathroom Book. Sales skyrocketed.

Listen to your reviewers. What are they saying about your book? What is the main theme they restate? This is your unique selling proposition.

And finally:
Take Prisoners! You need to capture your audience by creating a mailing list. Evans shared story after story of authors who had their first books sell like crazy. But they didn’t capture their audience (collect addresses or emails), and they weren’t able to market their next books to the audience that loved the first one. When Rick goes to a signing or event, he hands out sign-up cards where the reader can sign up for his email letter, or be on his postal list. Readers can also go to his website to sign up for his newsletter. He also recommended that as a writer, we should sign up for other authors’ newsletters so that we can learn how they are marketing their books.

Titles, Schmitles

by Annette Lyon

With all due respect to Steve Almond, his latest article in Writer’s Digest wasn’t exactly en pointe.

This is the first time I’ve disagreed with a word he’s said. Usually his fiction column is a great resource, and I find myself mentally cheering him on with each example and explanation. (His piece on metaphors a few months ago was priceless.)

But this month . . . not so much.

In it he touts the importance of picking a title for your work. He claims that those poor souls who don’t pick a title might not be ready to show their work to the world, and then he proceeds to give a lesson (a pretty great one, actually) about how to come up with titles.

All well and good . . . if authors of published novels actually picked their titles.

Which happens, oh, about 1.3% of the time.

Okay, I made that statistic up, but in my experience, that might be guessing high. Sure, Dickens and company got to pick the titles of their books (really catchy ones, too, like David Copperfield and the one that makes you so eager to read it, Bleak House). But in the last, say, ten years, I’m aware of maybe three novels that hit shelves with the title that their authors submitted.

Writers are good at writing. We aren’t so good at selling stuff. That’s the marketing department’s job. That’s also why they hire professional graphic designers to make the covers—so prospective customers might actually pick up the thing and read the back liner . . . and maybe walk out the door with it.

And it’s why they get to pick the title. By and large, these guys have a ton more experience than we writers do in seeing what kinds of titles sell books and which ones land on their faces.

When they’re wrong, well, the author pays the price, because generally you’ll be at their mercy. You might be able to give suggestions or ideas, but in the end, they get the final say. The one exception might be with short stories, but if you’re planning on writing novels, there’s very little point in fantasizing about what they'll be called.

If you’re lucky enough to keep your title, party on. Throw confetti and toast your success.

But I know too many would-be writers who obsess about their titles, to the point of avoiding the nitty-gritty job of making a great book behind the brilliant title. A catchy name isn’t going to sell your work to an agent or editor. Knock-your-socks-off writing will.

Don’t get me wrong; I’ll probably use some of Almond’s suggestions when coming up with something to call my next manuscript before I submit it. But I won’t be married to the title, and I won’t be remotely surprised when (not if) it gets changed.

So I’ll be focusing my efforts where they really matter: Writing the best story I’m capable of.

Then I’ll let the marketing folks worry about assigning a title and a cover to it. That’s their job.

I think mine’s much more fun anyway.

Pushing the Envelope

by Lu Ann Staheli

So many want-to-be writers have the same roadblock stopping them from success—they don’t send enough submissions.

For some, the fear of rejection stops them from actually sending their work out to editors. For others, they are so busy worrying about the arbitrary rules set down by publishers—no multiple submissions, agented submissions only, wait 6-10 months for a response, etc.—that they either wait months at a time for a rejection that is sure to come or they fail to send their submission to a house or publication that might be waiting for just what they have written.

All too often, today’s publishers do not even respond to submissions, SASE or not. The author who follows the rules might wait for a long time, never having the nerve to send the same submission to another house, always in hopes that the one place they’ve sent it will come through in the very end. I hate to break your bubble, but that scenario isn’t likely to happen.

So, if you want to increase your chances of publication, you have to break the cycle of follow-the-rules, then sit and wait. Here are a few tips to help you get around those roadblocks and into the fast lane toward publication, even if it means more rejection.

First, let me assure you, a fast rejection is not a bad thing. The quicker you find out who doesn’t want your manuscript, the better chance you have to find the right house or publication for your work. A quick rejection will help you cull the list of potential markets for all of your work, saving you the trouble of submitting again and again to an editor or house who isn’t a good match for your style.

Next, remember that multiple queries and multiple submissions are two separate things. There is absolutely no reason why you can’t send several queries out for a single project at the same time. The likelihood of more than one publisher wanting to grab it up is slim, and even if they did, what a great place to find yourself. That is how bidding wars that drive up an author’s advance and the final contract percentage happen with books. I know one writer who had two houses buy the same non-fiction book from the same query. The author took the same information and wrote one book from a humorous slant while the second was for the more serious sportsman. Two advance checks and royalties for the same work, all because he sent multiple queries for a project he believed in.

As for those editors who say they only accept submissions from an agent, this may not be entirely true. Some editors will accept queries from anyone, agent or not. Others will accept queries and submissions from people they have met (interpret this to include spoken-in-front-of) at a writer’s workshop or conference. If you’ve attended a conference, or if you belong to SCBWI, it doesn’t hurt to add a label on the outside of your submission envelope stating this.

Even a rejection of a particular manuscript or idea does not mean the editor has rejected you altogether. Pay attention to any notes or comments you might receive that encourages you to submit something else to the same editor. I use a self-addressed postcard with check-off options in my submissions. Many times editors will choose the option that states: “Although this manuscript does not meet my current needs, please feel free to query me on another project.” I always take advantage of that invitation, and so should you.

Editors can’t buy your work if they don’t know you’re out there, so, if you’re sitting around waiting for that response from a single editor, wait no more. Get busy and send your query out to additional places who buy the same kind of pieces. Every time a rejection comes back, send the query out to another house. Keep track of where and when you are sending, then be ready to smile when the request for a completed manuscript a contract offer comes through.