Tag: publishing

A peek inside the publishing world

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Sorry for the late post – my eyes were so tired last night, I didn’t want to open them, let alone stare at a screen. Actually, I’m typing this with them shut right now. I know, I know, I need new glasses.

Shocking! (Photo by Morgan)

Shocking! (Photo by Morgan)

For those of us still in the depths of writing our first novels (I’m close to the twelve-year mark…what is wrong with me?), the publishing world is something of a mystery. Fortunately, there’s a lot of help out there: from authors who’ve been through it, to literary agents and editors who blog about their work, information abounds. Here’s just a sampling.

The inside scoop on getting published from 3 editors

Do big publishers accept self-published work? What can traditional publishing offer that self-publishing doesn’t? Get answers to these and other questions from Alan Rinzler at the Book Deal.

What to expect when you’re submitting

What happens once you’ve hooked a literary agent, and that agent starts submitting your work to publishers? Did you know it can take editors up to six months to even reply? YA author Natalie Whipple can help you avoid going insane.

Scary contract clauses to watch out for

Darn it, Jim, I’m a writer, not a lawyer! Kristin Nelson, a literary agent and PubRants author, warns you’d better understand the legal jargon before you sign that publishing contract.

6 reasons everything in publishing takes so long

Children’s book editor Cheryl Klein explains why you’re going to have to wait a long time to see your book in print.

How to plan a book launch

Greg Leitich Smith, a children’s/YA writer, has the down low on hosting a book launch party at a bookstore.

What being a bestselling author really means

Fast Company explains how the New York Times Bestseller list isn’t based on actual sales so much as projected sales – and how Amazon is different.

Self-published sales growth over time

Curious how many books the average self-publishing author sells? VictorineWrites.com tracks the sales of 45 different authors by the month (some also have notes about price changes, etc., informing the fluctuation in numbers).

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Want more publishing insider info like this? Literary agent-turned-author Nathan Bransford offers a rundown every week (or so).

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Everything you need to know about writing a query

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PART ONE: THE HOOK

A hook, a.k.a. elevator pitch or logline, is 2-3 sentences explaining what your book is about. It’s the heart of a query letter, the thing that gets the agent to request pages. It is also the second hardest thing you will write (next to your synopsis, which we’ll discuss later). But here are some tips that made it easier for me.

The Technical Stuff

Write in third person, present tense. Anything else will get you in trouble. Even if your book is in first person, past (“I did this, I went there”), write the hook in third, present (“He does this, he goes here”).

Keep it short. The entire letter should fit on one page in Times New Roman, 12pt. That means the hook is one or two short paragraphs.

State facts, not opinions. No fluff phrases like “thrilling page-turner,” “harrowing adventure,” “heart-wrenching tragedy” or any of the things you want reviewers to say after you’re published. That’s bragging. Don’t include your book’s theme (e.g. “about trying to find hope amidst despair,” “about love conquering against all odds”). That’s telling, not showing, remember?

 

How You’ll Really Get it Done

Start with one sentence. I took this advice from Nathan Bransford. It’s painful, but it works. Write in one sentence, as short as possible, what your book is about. Then, expand in one or two more sentences, including whatever makes your story different from everyone else’s.

Write what it seems to be about, not what it’s really about. If your story seems too complicated to narrow down to a hook, this tip is your magic key. I struggled with the same thing for years. In one book I had two storylines and at least five major characters, three of whom had back story to be explained before any of it made sense. In 2-3 sentences? Impossible. So I turned my thinking around. Yeah, when all is revealed, it’s really a complex political chess game involving secret organizations and entire worlds, but what it seems to be about, what happens in the first chapter – is a bunch of kids stranded in the wilderness. So I went with that. And it worked.

You’ll know when you’ve found The One. I read this somewhere and then experienced it myself, so I swear by it now. I sent out multiple versions of a query letter thinking each version was alright, but I never got page requests back. That was my problem; it was decent, okay. But I wasn’t in love with it. Then when I finally hit upon The One, I felt it, deep down – and I got page requests days or even hours after submitting it. So learn from my mistakes, keep rewriting your hook and don’t submit a query until you know. And none of this “I think I know.” You’ll know.

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Still confused? Read some exciting hook examples!