Fiction Publishing

[MJ DeMarco]

Thx Kim for all this great info. I've been reading very closely ... plz keep us posted. Speed++

 

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[kimberland]

The Editor Is Not Always Right

9.999 times out of 10,
the editor IS right.
About everything,
especially about plot and story.

Why?

Because they are readers first
and if they don't understand your novel
or have WTH moments,
then odds are,
your average reader will too.

However, once in a while the editor will be wrong.

In this case,
your background as a reader helps.
You've read enough to know if it makes sense or not.

If it doesn't,
I usually ask the editor to give me an example
in a current work of fiction
(preferably in my genre).

If they can, easily,
then I not only know that hey, she's probably right
but I also have a reference.

If they use their OWN novel or story as reference,
run, don't walk, far, far away
(unless they are on the NYT bestseller list).

(Speaking from experience as I change editors
to one that does not view romance
with a deep seated and lasting hatred... LOL)

 

[kimberland]

Style In Fiction

That rant about editors hating romance
leads me to another issue.

Ya gotta read in your genre.

I know mystery writers
who thought switching to the more lucrative romance genre
would be easy.
It wasn't.

Every genre is different
in more ways than merely plot.

Pacing, for one, is very different
even within Romance,
especially between a contemporary romance and a historical romance
(contemporary is quicker).

That's why often NYT bestselling romance writers
will switch from historical to contemporary
and bomb.

Nora Roberts, well, one of her early fantasy novels
is so horrible that she doesn't even list it on her site.
Her historicals?
I don't know many historical romance readers
raving about La Nora's historicals.
She simply doesn't have the voice for them
(she writes traditional contemporary romance).

If you do switch genres
and your editor/publisher pushes back,
Listen!

It is very difficult to do
and I'd hazard a guess that you weren't successful.

 

[kimberland]

Rejections

Thinking about genre jumping,
I would add that everyone,
I mean EVERYONE gets rejected.

Nora Roberts gets rejections.
Sure, she has a crazy reader base
but the reader she has to sell to first
is the editor.

Some people view rejections as
a bad, bad thing.

I don't.
Rejections,
especially once you've become published,
save you from looking like an a$$ in front of the whole world.

A friend of mine,
an author I admire and respect,
recently received a rejection.
He deserved it.
The novel was horrible
and publishing it would have destroyed the years of reputation building
he had invested in
(it is his name on the cover).
Thank goodness his editor was strong enough to say no.

So should you stop shopping your novel
at the first rejection?
No.
If you did that, you'd never get published.

However, if you shop it to 50 publishers
and they all reject it,
many saying the same thing,
then you have work to do.

Good Rejections

When you submit a novel for consideration,
you include a SASE for the response.

Most rejection letters are form letters
(many not even on full pieces of paper).
Agents and publishers get so many submissions
that they don't have time for anything else.

UNLESS

your novel is good (but not great enough for publishing).
Then they will personalize it.

If they suggest changes,
resubmit after the changes have been done.
This is not a rejection,
this is the start of a relationship.

If you have any doubts about the rejection,
talk to some established authors
(all of us have seen so many rejection letters
that we can tell you immediately what they mean).

 

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[kimberland]

A Small World

One good and bad thing about the publishing world
is that, like many industries,
it is very, very small.

An agent can be an editor can be a writer
and because using pen names is common,
you'll never have an idea
they're the same person.

This is good because
once you build a rep for professionalism,
everyone will want to work with you.

This is bad because
have a public temper tantrum over one rejection
and you're toast.

So start early on in your writing career,
doing things that "give back."

For example:

As it is conference season
many writing chapters are asking for schwag
for their goodie bags.
If you look at the ROI on sending... say... pens for these bags,
it is fairly low in terms of direct book sales.
However, by sending your item,
you just made a friend with
that conference organizer,
the conference organizer spending her weekend with thousands of fans,
the conference organizer with a career in the industry,
the conference organizer booking speakers for next year's conference.

 

[kimberland]

Writing Vs Publishing

I was discussing this last night
and thought my buds on the board may benefit.

There are two questions
a prospective author should ask herself.

One is
Do I truly want to write?

Like starting a business,
writing a novel takes hard work
and determination.
Sacrifices are needed
and
the writing can be very isolating.

The bigger question, however, is
Do I want to be published?

There is a big difference between writing a book for yourself
and writing a book to be published.
As I said last night,
writing is an art,
publishing is a business.

The first draft of my May release,
Breach Of Trust,
took a month to write.
The selling to the publisher
and editing
has taken two years.
Most of May will be spent marketing it.
All in all,
about 10% of my time spent on the book was writing.

Then, of course, there is the feedback.
Every author gets negative feedback.
Most experience it all the way down the line,
from agent rejections
to
editor insights
(they are being paid to pick your book apart
and NOT paid to give you compliments)
to
hate mail from readers
(yes, people will take the time
to tell you how much they hated the book
and what a nasty person you must be to have written it).
It is a big part of the publishing game.
If you can't handle negative feedback,
then keep your writing to yourself.

Like any product launch,
a book release is a gamble.
I've put at least two years into something
that
(although test readers liked it)
may not interest the buying public.
I'll know in a few years whether it was worth it.

 

[fanocks2003]

Kimberland, interesting about publishing a book. I like what Amazon.com does with the free preview of books.

I would self-publish as no one else. Self-publishing is rather simple. Write an article and include a free preview for the newspapers to publish. The free previews should be considered "news-worthy" material. It gives value to the reader so to speak. I know there are magazines that publish romantic novels every week. Those magazines would be a golden opportunity to shine. For free.

Why not consider starting your own publishing company? That way you could leverage your creations from books to other interesting things. Like the woman who created Harry Potter (I don't know if she runs her own publishing company though).

 

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[AroundTheWorld]

It took you a month to write? A Month? yikes!!
Were you doing NANO?

 

[kimberland]

Kimberland, interesting about publishing a book. I like what Amazon.com does with the free preview of books.

I would self-publish as no one else. Self-publishing is rather simple. Write an article and include a free preview for the newspapers to publish. The free previews should be considered "news-worthy" material. It gives value to the reader so to speak. I know there are magazines that publish romantic novels every week. Those magazines would be a golden opportunity to shine. For free.

Why not consider starting your own publishing company? That way you could leverage your creations from books to other interesting things. Like the woman who created Harry Potter (I don't know if she runs her own publishing company though).

fanocks, I did a detailed post on self publishing
but to sum it up...
It is a possibility, especially with non-fiction.

Fiction (as this thread is on) is a different story (pun intended).
Most review sites will not only
not review self published romances
but they won't even let self-pubs advertise on their sites.
As a small press pubbed author,
I'm also blocked from advertising on some of the bigger sites.

Ya gotta know your market.

As for leveraging your book to do other things...
when you sign with a publisher,
you still own the copyright.
All you're doing is signing an exclusive
for some rights (print, ebook, film, etc)
for the duration of time (mine is 3 years from signing).
What rights you give up
depends on the contract.
I never give up rights the other party won't use
(for example: film or audio).

 

[kimberland]

It took you a month to write? A Month? yikes!!
Were you doing NANO?

LOL
I'm a plotter so I have all that done before hand
(including research)
and that's a month writing full time
AND (this is a big and)
this is for the first draft only.

The first romance novel is the toughest.
No, it is not formula
(other than the two crazy kids have to end up with each other)
but after the first one,
you figure out how best you work.

 

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[mtnman]

Slightly off topic, but I was curious about your opinions on using pen names? I see this online quite a bit, but it would seem to fit with the perception of fiction books as well.

Is there a formula or theory for deciding when or if to use a pen name when writing books or other material? Are there other benefits besides marketing? Security/privacy?

Are pen names registered somewhere in a database to ensure credibility or the ability to enforce copyrights? Is there an organization that monitors this?

Does authoring a book with your authentic name vs. a pen name change publishing procedures in any way?

My knowledge on writing and publishing is slim to none. I'm just trying to understand the reasoning for deterring credibility from who you really are. Or maybe I have the wrong idea. Thanks in advance!

 

[kimberland]

Great questions!

Using pen names depends on the industry and what your purpose of publishing is.
If you're writing a non-fiction business book,
it'll help with credibility (and as a result book sales) to use your real name.
Also most business authors use their books as a promo tool
for consulting, etc.
Again, better to use your real name (or at least the name you use for business).

In romance (my genre), pen names are the norm.
No one really cares that I've done this or that.
Readers simply want a good story.

Pen names also allow the same author to write different novels.
For example:
Nora Roberts writes under that name for her straight romances
and J.D. Robb for her mysteries.
Like any branding, it helps with reader expectations
and with sales.

I like the privacy angle of pen names
(though if you sell enough books,.
there are plenty of websites that will link the two names).
I would rather prospective business partners not Google me
and find my name on the often sexy romance sites.

Some other considerations:

I have a difficult name
so using a pen name makes branding easier.

There are many male writers in romance (surprise, surprise).
Mostly female readers are less likely
to buy a romance novel written by man.
Using a female pen name solves this problem.

As for using a pen name,
nope, no registration necessary.
You'll want an unique one
(to avoid any mix ups or legal claims - Google is great for searches).
If you are floating your writing through a corporation,
you might need a doing business as registration
(depending on where you live).

Contracts will be drawn up as
Your Real Name writing as Your Pen Name.

 

[kimberland]

Oh, as for picking a good pen name,
one consideration is to use your real first name
(if possible).
Why?
So when people call your name,
you actually pay attention.

My real name is Kim
and many people call me Kimber
so I'm used to answering to that name.

Also look at the prominant authors in your genre.
Nora Roberts is a big one in romance
(hundreds of books).
If I was writing as Kimber Roberts,
my books would be right next to hers.
Could be good (more traffic),
could be bad (lost amidst her books).

 

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[kurtyordy]

Great questions!

Using pen names depends on the industry and what your purpose of publishing is.
If you're writing a non-fiction business book,
it'll help with credibility (and as a result book sales) to use your real name.
Also most business authors use their books as a promo tool
for consulting, etc.
Again, better to use your real name (or at least the name you use for business).

In romance (my genre), pen names are the norm.
No one really cares that I've done this or that.
Readers simply want a good story.

Pen names also allow the same author to write different novels.
For example:
Nora Roberts writes under that name for her straight romances
and J.D. Robb for her mysteries.
Like any branding, it helps with reader expectations
and with sales.

I like the privacy angle of pen names
(though if you sell enough books,.
there are plenty of websites that will link the two names).
I would rather prospective business partners not Google me
and find my name on the often sexy romance sites.

Some other considerations:

I have a difficult name
so using a pen name makes branding easier.

There are many male writers in romance (surprise, surprise).
Mostly female readers are less likely
to buy a romance novel written by man.
Using a female pen name solves this problem.

As for using a pen name,
nope, no registration necessary.
You'll want an unique one
(to avoid any mix ups or legal claims - Google is great for searches).
If you are floating your writing through a corporation,
you might need a doing business as registration
(depending on where you live).

Contracts will be drawn up as
Your Real Name writing as Your Pen Name.

thanks, I always wondered about pen names as well

 

[fanocks2003]

Fiction (as this thread is on) is a different story (pun intended). Most review sites will not only not review self published romances but they won't even let self-pubs advertise on their sites. As a small press pubbed author, I'm also blocked from advertising on some of the bigger sites.

I was not aiming at advertising though. I was aiming at getting a little part of your story published as a "treat" to the magazines readers. Free of charge. A value to the magazine, a value to the reader of the excerpt and a value to you.

Even if you do not use magazines at all, you could distribute a little part of your book as a "treat" to companies doing promotions etc. Stimulating task I have to say. To much fun to hand over to someone else.

I have seen a trend in the publishing and recording industry. It has become very much like sellaband.com. I think self publishing will be the next wave (it is really the new wave as I see it), because it really gives the "little guy" great chances of reaching out. I do not know the publishing industry so correct me if I am wrong here. But I have gotten the impression that the publishing companies wants big demands for the books they are promoting (I mean BIG demand)? There needs to be a big market for it? If that is so, self publishing should be considered a very viable way of reaching out for those that cater to a very small reading crowd.

You will certainly succeed though. You seem well experienced in publishing after what I have read so far. Good post.

 

[kimberland]

fanocks,

I wish it was so easy to place excerpts in magazines.
The problem is
every author on the planet is competing for those rare spots.
Of course, they give first dibs to the authors with the largest readerships
or, shockers, authors/publishers that pay.

It is easier (though not much)
to write articles and work the byline angle.
With so much competition,
everyone wants original content.
You have to offer something special though.
They are swamped with "How To Write" articles.

You are correct.
The NYC publishers do massive print runs.
However, most small press publishers use print on demand.

And your point reaffirms mine.
With everybody and their sister having a romance novel out,
readers are looking for a way to filter the books.
One way they do this is with review and reader sites
and since they don't accept self pubbed romances...

 

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[kimberland]

2nd Wave Marketing Spend

After you've commited to an initial advertising spend
on different review and reader sites,
you'll be offered subsequent promo opps.

Some of it, including guest blog spots and reader chats,
is absolutely free.
Of course, take full advantage of those.

You'll also be offered deals on other advertising.
For example:
I booked a 12 month membership with Coffee Time Romance
(this will cover multiple books).
They then offered me spot in their October Romantic Times ad
... for a slight fee.
This is a great opp
... if I have the cash.

Lucky for me, I do
but that is because I held back a portion of my budget
for exactly these sorts of offers.

Don't hold back a lot
(your first month of sales is very important)
but do allocate a few dollars to this second wave
of promotion.

 

[kimberland]

Book Launch Day

Okay, I should know this,
I DO know this,
but very few projects actually launch on time
and this is very true of books
(especially print as that depends on a third party bookseller).

Yesterday was supposed to be my book launch day.
It was... just not yesterday morning.
Breach Of Trust went live on my publisher's site late at night.

Lucky for me,
I don't have any media events happening this week
(these snafus, plus staff training issues,
are why stores and restaurants have grand openings a month or so
after they actually open).

Unlucky for me,
I've been putting May as the launch day
on my site and my siggie.
That meant that I got a flood of
(very sarcastic and some downright funny)
emails
asking me where my (imaginary) book was.

But it is launched now
(the easy part, the challenging part is selling it).

After the 200 copies
are sold to the early adopters,
it'll go to print.

BTW... Got my first reader feedback,
and wow, that is an emotional (in a good way) experience.

 

[kimberland]

Copywriters

Seth Godin has a great post on copywriters
and how they love to smooth out the corners.
That is even more true of fiction copywriters.

Except that for some reason,
my editor likes a certain profanity I don't ever use
('cause I try not to break the Big Ten).
He replaced my other profanities with that one.

When you're Seth,
you can fight and fire your editors
('cause you have the sales).
When you're a newbie,
do this cautiously
or no one will want to work with you
(the publishing business is VERY small).

 

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[kurtyordy]

congrats on the launch

 

[kimberland]

Okay, new lesson...

There's another issue with going through a publisher
and that is,
lack of sales feedback.

I get sales reports every six months
(July and January, yep, talk about timely)
and with the eBook edition of Breach Of Trust
being primarily sold on the publisher's site,
I have no idea how well or poorly the book is selling
(this is not just a small press thing,
I understand that most publishers aren't big on sales updates).

Luckily,
I'm funneling all the advertising
through my own website.
That way, I know what marketing works (or not).

So that is a BIG benefit to self publishers.
Authors will know immediately about sales.

 

[kimberland]

First bit of sales feedback...

My eBook, Breach Of Trust,
is still on limited release
(i.e. it hasn't been listed on the big eBook resellers
like AllRomanceEbook or Fictionwise)
yet was number two for my publisher in sales last week.

I also received my first official review.
Coffee Time Romance
gave it 4 cups (out of 5) - An Outstanding Good Read

Here's some of what Wateena, the reviewer, had to say about it...

“Breach of Trust is story of business deals, trust, betrayal, and love. From the beginning you are pulled in by the tension and chemistry between Phillipe and Anne, and kept turning the pages as things start to heat up between these two. There is never a dull moment, and there are lots of twists and turns that keep the reader really enthused. Hot steamy love scenes only compliment this story like whipped cream on apple pie. An exceptional read.”

What does this mean?
Two great reasons to send out another round of press releases!

I still have no idea about sales
but at least now, I feel like my promo is working.
I'll talk a little more about promo in a separate post.

 

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[kimberland]

I joined up as a book reviewer.

One of my big lessons?

Almost every book is sent as an eBook to review,
even the novels exclusively released in print.

SO... you HAVE to prepare an eBook version regardless.
Makes sense, no mailing charges and easy for reviewers to handle.

And I'm thinking that if you have to go to all that work
(eBooks requiring formatting tweaks),
you might as well have it available for sale,
if not on your own site,
on eBook resellers.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Pulled this from my Facebook account ...

Read on and discover why…

It’s an open secret that fiction is the most notoriously difficult of genres to break into as a writer aspiring to achieve the recognition that leads to publication.

The biggest majority of competent wordsmiths activate their innate skills for years on end but all they have to show for persistent effort is a never-ending stream of rejection slips.

And it's getting more difficult with each day that passes. The book trade is now almost totally geared towards bestsellers and so-called celebrities. Breaking in new fiction authors and placing their work in bookshops is no easy matter.

But it was ever thus in the publishing industry. What for example do these celebrated authors have in common?

Alexandre Dumas

D.H. Lawrence

Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Rice Burroughs

George Bernard Shaw

Gertrude Stein

James Joyce

John Grisham

Mark Twain

Mary Baker Eddy

Rudyard Kipling

Stephen Crane

Upton Sinclair

Virginia Woolf

Walt Whitman

William Blake

Zane Grey

These famous masters of fiction were all obliged to take the route of shelling out hard cash to have their debut novels printed before they acquired celebrity status.

So what, if anything, can contemporary scribes do to circumvent this seemingly insurmountable barrier?

They can add a vital edge to their fiction; a cutting edge that will transform them from hopeful writers into published authors aspiring to bestseller status; a cutting edge developed by an author who first made his mark with a stream of bestselling books in the realms of non-fiction and who is now duplicating that success with his fictional output; a cutting edge that will do the same for any writer.

If you would like to read more of this author’s thoughts on cutting edge fiction visit his website.

JIM GREEN is a bestselling author in the realms of both fiction and non-fiction. How to Write Cutting Edge Fiction

How to Write Cutting Edge Fiction

 

[kimberland]

Great post, MJ.
I think I disagree
(though I wasn't too sure,
he might be making the same point I am).

It is NOT getting more difficult to get published
(there are SO many small press and e- publishers).
It is getting more difficult to sell
and more difficult to be placed on physical shelves
(virtual shelves are easier).

And yes, having a different angle makes this easier, much easier.

 

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[kimberland]

I'm putting together a holiday promo
and contacting authors.
I wanted a range of authors,
NYT Bestsellers, mid list, first book with small press authors
in a range of different genres.

Here has been my experience...

The NYT Bestsellers respond right away.
They may say no but they always respond.
And when they respond, they do it in such a friendly way,
I want to run out and buy their books.

The mid list usually always respond,
though a week later.
They ALL said yes
(a promotion hungry group).

The small press gang were the worst responders.
Most didn't (unless I personally knew them).
When they did,
they were suspicious,
asking things like "how much will this cost me?"
(ummm.... nothing).

I'm thinking all this isn't a coincidence.

 

[yveskleinsky]

Kimber,

You had mentioned in another thread (which I can't seem to find) about the magic number of books that need to be written in the romance industry as being five. ...I've been thinking about this a lot lately (yes, this is the type of random stuff that keeps me up at night), and what if you were to poll your audience ahead of time and getting them to vote on a plot, and then write the book based on what they want? (There is a guy, and for the life of me I can't find the article or his site, who hosts tshirt design contests and then prints the winning design. It's a great concept: ask your audience what they want then give it to them.) Just a thought.

 

[kimberland]

LOL

You and I think the same way (pretty darn scary).
I've been thinking of writing a choose your own romance eBook
(remember those choose your own adventure books?).

Dove (I think it is Dove) has done the same thing
so I'm waiting on the results of that promo
to see if there is any interest.

I have to do something different.
I'm not a 3 book a year author.
I only have 1 book a year in me.
That traditionally is not enough to maintain romance readers
so I have to think of another way
(i.e. not be traditional).

And I have the trial issue.
Convincing readers to try a new author is tough.
The market is very competitive.
I'm testing another idea for my February launch.

 

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[yveskleinsky]

I have been experimenting with this concept with my writing (short stories) and have found it really helpful. I started out asking for input: plot, theme, character development, etc. My audience gave me all the info I needed, all I have to do is assemble the fragments of what they are telling me they want; it really speeds up the writing process. I have not monetized this site at all, right now it's just for fun, so it's hard to say if the readership would actually buy what they are telling me they would want.

--Keep me posted on how it goes for ya!

 

[kimberland]

But if you're going that route,
why don't you simply write what the agents say they want?
(Right now, historical is hot,
and yes, paranormal is still alive and kicking,
the more erotic the better)

BTW...
if I was to do it all again,
I would have started with a bunch of novellas and shorts,
built an audience with them
(because I can write those fairly quickly)
and THEN come out with the full length, full priced novels.
From what I hear,
that is the best technique for romance eBooks.
Get them sampling at a lower price point.

I listened to the print folks
where it is all about the full length novels.

Also, it is all about series.
The handful of people that read Breach Of Trust
want to read Gregory's love story (a secondary character).
Build a world that YOU own.