Writing to the Market
By Jerry D. Simmons | March 17th, 2010 | 2 Comments » (Click to add yours!)
This is a big mistake. Write the story that you want to write, not what you suspect the market wants. Whether it’s a novel or non-fiction, your background, experience and insight are what make your story unique. No other writer anywhere on the planet can duplicate your own writing!
Book sales are cyclical. If you look at the past 30 years you’d see the highs and lows of category sales. What publishers try to do is catch the rise to the top and avoid the dip to the lows. As an author, there is no way you can try to match or write to that cycle.
Forget about market timing. It won’t work. Write the story you were destined to write and focus on making it entertaining, enlightening and informative. Consumers will always buy good books so make yours as good as possible.
Publishing Changes are Coming!
By Jerry D. Simmons | March 12th, 2010 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
It’s in the wind. There is no doubt that changes in book publishing are happening fast. As we all watch bleary-eyed at the evening news and more talk about the tough economic times we are all experiencing, executives in the New York publishing houses have forgotten about the average consumer. No longer can these companies starve the market for good new writers and interesting new categories by publishing helpless titles and charge $16 to $27. They have to change to survive. Their solution over the past fifteen years has been to publish more of what they know sells, but it’s not working! Consumers aren’t buying it, and it’s about time!
There are quality writers publishing independently and for consumers interested in reading books not typically found in bookstores may I suggest you visit the web site NothingBinding.com then tell your friends and colleagues to join and post their writing. The strength of independent publishing is in our combined numbers. If all 300,000 new authors each year would join forces there is no telling what kind of impact we could have on the marketplace. To capitalize on all the changes in the book business will take some huge effort. Let’s bind together to generate sales for our independent books. Now is the time.
Self-Editing
By Jerry D. Simmons | March 1st, 2010 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
I’ve been fortunate to have toured with lots of authors and I was always fascinated with how they wrote. How they created stories, characters and pulled together the information for their books. The one constant that came from these discussions was the fact that self-editing is a very slippery slope.
Authors have told me time and again that going back to correct the little things in your writing is a never ending process. The manuscript will never be as good as you want. That is why you need an editor, someone who can help you with the process of laying the manuscript out in a logical sequence and help with character or story development.
If you’ve never worked with a true professional, then you need one. Editors help writers establish their voice and improve their writing, self-editing is a long road that never ends.
Be Your Own Best Editor in 5 Easy Steps by Diane O’Connell
By Jerry D. Simmons | February 15th, 2010 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
If you’re like many writers, getting that first draft down can give you a rush of excitement. The words flow freely, the ideas come at lightning speed, the book seems to be coming together just as you had in your head. But then you read it back and — oh, boy, does it need fixing! The thought of cleaning up the “mess” you created is about as appealing as cleaning out a garage stuffed with a quarter century of accumulated stuff — and just as overwhelming.
Many first-time authors begin the revising process by going through their manuscript line by line and painstakingly “editing”: correcting syntax, adding some things, taking out other things, cleaning up punctuation and spelling. Often, this process can seem like torture. And there’s a good reason why.
Revising and editing is a multi-stepped task. You may clean everything up and make it look pretty, but your manuscript may still not work because you haven’t addressed the underlying issues that need to be fixed. To be your own best editor, you need a plan. Here it is:
1. Read your entire draft. Grab a cup of coffee or tea, and have a pad of paper at your side. As you read, make some general notes and impressions on the pad — what things are working for you, what things don’t, places that seem overwritten, others that need beefing up. Avoid the temptation to correct anything on the draft; that will only slow you down. What you’re looking for is the big picture.
2. Identify the problems. Take a look at your comments and see if a pattern emerges. Do you have problems with structure, character development, awkward writing, point of view, length, plot, subplot, etc.? In all probability, there will be multiple issues that need to be addressed. Make a list of these.
3. Brainstorm new ideas. Take each element that needs fixing and at the top of a piece of paper, write it out (e.g., “Shelly’s motivations for leaving her husband are weak”). You can also do this on a chapter-by-chapter basis. Next, draw a line under the problem. Then brainstorm all the possible solutions to the problem. Write more than you think you’ll need. Write some crazy ones, too. Don’t censure yourself. When you’re done, review what you’ve come up with and circle the solution you think will work best. You might even end up circling two and trying both to see which one actually works better. Determine how you’re going to tackle these revisions: One at a time? Or more organically? There’s no right answer – just whatever makes the most sense to you.
4. Rewrite — don’t tinker. If more than one-third of your manuscript (or of a section) needs to be revised, put it aside and start fresh. Yes, I know that sounds like a lot of work, but believe me, this is the most effective way to revise a manuscript that needs more than just simple polishing. The problem with trying to fix what’s already on the page is that your brain becomes wedded to what’s already there. It’s difficult to come up with a fresh way of thinking when you’re faced with what already is. Somehow, the very fact that words are put on a page in black and white lends a certain legitimacy to them. Plus, you know how hard you worked to get a particular passage right, which makes it really hard to let go of. (This is why the “director’s cut” of films is never as good as the released version; because directors can’t separate the work they put into a scene from whether it serves the story. That’s why we have film editors.)
5. Make it sing. Now that you’ve fixed the big-picture problems, it’s time to go back over the revised manuscript and polish your prose. Look for redundancies, too much reliance on adjectives and adverbs, clichés, weak nouns and verbs, dialogue that goes on too long, paragraphs that need to be broken up, poor word choice, problems with syntax, punctuation, and spelling.
Putting in the time to revise your manuscript the right way will pay off — with a better, leaner, more marketable story or nonfiction book. As any successful writer will tell you: Writing is re-writing.
Diane O’Connell Literary Services
Specializing in Working with First-Time Authors
Fiction and Non-Fiction
Find out about her very affordable Express Coaching service: http://www.docls.com
Or call (718) 268-9282
“I can state categorically that my first novel would never been published without Diane.”
— Cody McFadyen, international bestselling author of Shadow Man, The Face of Death, and The Darker Side (Bantam).
Publishing Without Editorial is a Bad Idea
By Jerry D. Simmons | February 4th, 2010 | 1 Comment » (Click to add yours!)
Writers should publish their manuscript according to their own individual goals. Some want to set the bar as high as Oprah, a major motion picture, or the New York Times bestseller list. All fine as long as that goal is grounded in reality. Meaning, authors must understand the market for their books. They need to recognize that books are published according to a set pattern, a formula, that encompasses many parts. The biggest problem with most Independently published books is that they leave out many of these parts and the result is a book that does not fit the market. The biggest omission is failure to work with a professional freelance editor, before publication. It doesn’t matter how much money you spend on marketing or top quality production, if your book is not edited, your marketing will not be effective.
Writers Must Believe
By Jerry D. Simmons | January 29th, 2010 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
The one characteristic that every writer needs to possess is a strong belief that their writing is good. You also have to believe in your ability to become a successful author. It’s important that you believe in yourself as a writer and the story or message you are writing. Publishing is an extremely competitive business and at times can be discouraging. Passionate writers who are excited about their writing are contagious. However, don’t be unrealistic. Set modest goals, be willing to take baby steps, believe in your success but understand that achieving your goals will not be an easy task.
The opportunities for a new writer to receive a huge advance and national book tour are unlikely. That doesn’t discount the fact that a strong belief in your writing and story are necessary for success. Anything in publishing is possible IF you (1) believe strongly in your writing, (2) believe strongly that you will become a successful author, (3) do all you can to distribute your work to as many readers in as many formats as possible, and (4) Learn to become a clever marketer. Don’t follow the pack, learn to blaze a new trail and you never know who might be watching and reading.
Kitty Chappell’s Trip to Poland by Kitty Chappell
By Jerry D. Simmons | January 27th, 2010 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
In 2002, even as a first-time book author, I realized the day I signed the contact with New Hope Publishers there would come a time when my book—my baby that I’d given birth to, Sins of a Father, Forgiving the Unforgivable—would one day die. I knew it would go out of print and be deleted by the same wonderful publisher responsible for its birth, the very one who had covered all its “birthing” expenses, announced its entrance into the world, and who did everything to celebrate and promote its birth except pass out cigars.
As a former business owner having dealt in a business supplying products and services, I understood that a business simply cannot continue producing products without also dropping others—those that fall below a certain sales volume—unless you want to become a nonprofit business. Understanding that business reality, however, did not lessen the pain and grief I felt the day I received the written notice by mail informing me of the demise date of my “baby”.
I made all of the necessary arrangements, beginning with asking for and receiving the copyright to my book and purchasing as many of the remainders as I could. But what was my next step?
I knew I could self-publish, but as a new widow, faced with a myriad of new responsibilities, dealing with my late husband’s business partner regarding sales negotiations from our 50% share in the business, selling our house on the lake which I could no longer afford without my husband’s income, downsizing from a 5-bedroom home into a tiny house, while at the same time trying to keep up with my speaking responsibilities. And all without the physical support of my children who lived out of state while missing deeply the love of my life who had taken care of me for 47 years. I simply had no energy for self-publishing.
For months I coasted but as I saw my hoarded book supply dwindling, I realized I must take action. As a believer, I know God cares about each of us and is vitally interested in every aspect of our lives. So I prayed.
Sometime later, I met Polish publisher Piotr Waclawik, CEO of Vocatio Publishers in Warsaw who had recently opened an office in Phoenix. We met at a mutual friend’s social function and at the suggestion of our host; I gave Piotr a copy of my out-of- print book. Piotr graciously accepted it but I could tell he wasn’t actually interested, nor did I expect him to be. (No other publisher was interested in an out-of-print book—I had already checked) To make conversation, Piotr politely asked about the book’s theme and when I mentioned forgiveness he suddenly came alive. “In Eastern Europe people are begging for anything in print pertaining to forgiveness that they can get their hands on!” After he read the book, I signed a contract with Vocatio and what happened next was amazing!
My book was updated, given a new cover and title of I Can Forgive if I Want to, translated into Polish and Danish, released in Poland in 2008 and then Denmark in 2009. Its translation into Nepali and Burmese are nearing completion and there are enquiries regarding possible translations into Arabic, Swahili, and Lithuanian.
In 2008 I was invited to speak in Poland for the entire month of October, 2009. While there I spoke 17 times in thirteen cities (four times in the Warsaw area alone) sharing my life story emphasizing not only forgiveness but also the great need for Poland to establish more shelters for abused women and children.
At my kickoff speaking event in Warsaw, a representative from The Prime Minister’s Office in the Capitol of Warsaw presented me with a long eloquent letter of welcome from Elizbieta Radziszewska, Government’s Plenipotentiary for Equal Rights. She commended me for my book (she had a copy) and my willingness to come to Poland and teach people with emotional wounds how they can be healed and overcome their past—while at the same time raise public awareness regarding domestic violence. She officially endorsed all of my scheduled public appearances throughout the 13 cites in Poland.
Jagoda Markiewicz, Women’s Forum Director for all of Poland was amazed at this endorsement by the government official, saying to her knowledge this was a first.
The level of Poland’s awareness of domestic violence is about the same as was America’s 50 to 60 years ago. Society there, as a whole, heretofore has denied the existence of abuse—relegating it to a few isolated incidents limited to the “lower class”—as did America at the time my family and I suffered abuse.
Wherever I spoke, I was overwhelmed by the love and gratitude shown to me as people hugged me and wept. My translators repeated their phrases over and over as people thanked me for bringing the message of forgiveness to Poland. One event leader in a large city greeted me with a strong embrace, and, through tears, said in her fluent English, “I have prayed six years for someone to come to Poland with a message of forgiveness. Thank you for traveling so far to answer my prayer.”
As I toured Auschwitz and relived the horrors of the holocaust, my heart broke for this great country. This brave nation has been beaten and brutalized by its neighbors during its entire existence. It has rebuilt its beautiful cities but the healing of its soul is a longer process. I felt humbled to be there at a time when the stirring of the nation’s heart is nudging them toward healing through forgiveness.
This reality was reflected by the media’s open interest regarding the subject of forgiveness as a whole. I was guest on seven radio broadcasts; two of them live radio talk shows where everyone was eager to discuss forgiveness, so much so that all of the calls couldn’t be taken—and they were one and a half hour long shows. I was also guest on one live talk show videoed for TV, and interviewed by a number of newspapers and magazines. So intense was their interest on the subject of forgiveness, domestic violence, and Poland’s need for shelters for abused women and children, that a number of those interviews were 3-1/2 hours long.
I will never understand how God works, for His ways truly are mysterious. But in looking back at the rebirth and evolvement of my book, I suspect these events and circumstances could only have been orchestrated by God. I am reminded of the statement made by Jesus in John 12:24 unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.
As painful as it was for me at the time, had my “baby”, my Sins of a Father book not died and gone out of print, I Can Forgive if I Want to would never have been born and this timely European trip would have not taken place—and thousands of people in Poland would have missed the blessing of its message of forgiveness.
— Kitty Chappell
www.kittychappell.com
Note: This updated book is yet to be released in the U.S. but is available on my website in English.
My Interview with CNN.com
By Jerry D. Simmons | January 26th, 2010 | 1 Comment » (Click to add yours!)
Several months ago, a wonderful writer by the name of Todd Leopold from CNN.com called to ask questions about the past surge in memoirs, published both Independently and by the big houses. The article recently popped up somewhere on the web and I decided to mention it again, here is the link to the story.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/books/04/15/memoirs/index.html
The most important thing to remember about memoirs is that the writing must be a “recollection” of facts. You cannot fabricate people, places or things and call it a memoir. Memoirs are different from biographies or autobiographies since the facts are not “vetted” for the truth. Biographies and autobiographies are supposed to be scrutinized by their publisher to insure the writing is accurate and truthful.
If you are writing a memoir, keep in mind, it needs to be as factual as possible. Don’t make the mistake of creating people, places or things that never existed.
Book Publishing is a Business
By Jerry D. Simmons | January 13th, 2010 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
Any writer who doesn’t view their work as a business is making a huge mistake. Book publishing for the big New York companies is about generating revenue, occupying shelf space and selling copies. Unfortunately it’s not about “great writing.” If you wish to become a successful author and make a career as a writer, you must create good content that has an audience. It is in the best interest of all writers to view their work as a business. Book publishers are not in the business of taking care of writers, they are in the business of selling books—selling content.
Regardless of how you publish, your writing must be considered a product that is in search of an audience. Every decision you make, from basic marketing, publicity and promotion should center around the idea of creating an audience that is interested in reading your work. New York publishers market an inch deep and a mile wide. As an author you need to market yourself and your writing an inch wide and mile deep. The more you can distinguish your writing form every other author in your genre the better chance you have of becoming successful.
When Your Writing Is Attacked — How to Cope With Soul-Crushing Rejection by Diane O’Connell
By Jerry D. Simmons | December 15th, 2009 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
At the beginning of my online writing seminars, the students each introduce themselves. On more than one occasion, a student will reveal that he or she is coming to the class after having experienced a devastating rejection. By that I mean, not the standard rejection you get when you send your work out to get published, but the more personal kind that rips apart your writing with no constructive feedback, the kind of rejection that feels as though you are being personally attacked, and leaves you wondering if you were crazy to ever think you could write.
One of my students had entered her manuscript in a contest. As she said, “two of the judges had really helpful critiques, but the 3rd really ripped me to shreds. I’ve been having a hard time writing and revising since, wondering if I even have any talent, if I’m just wasting my time, etc, etc.” My heart goes out this writer. I know exactly how she feels, because I’ve been there.
In my case, the nasty rejection came from a teacher I had revered. I was utterly and completely devastated. I stopped writing. I became completely blocked. The worst part of it all was that I allowed another person to take away from me something that gave me joy. It was only after reading Julia Cameron’s wonderful book, The Artist’s Way, that I healed myself and began writing again.
Here are some ways you can cope with this kind of soul-crushing rejection:
Step away from the emotion. The natural response to getting a nasty rejection is to want to jump out a window, burn the manuscript, cry into a pillow. It’s okay to feel that way, and crying can be cathartic. But before you do anything more drastic, allow your emotions to calm down.
Keep it in perspective. If you look at the quote from the writer above, you’ll see that she got helpful critiques from two judges, but it was the nasty critique that had the greatest impact on her. Don’t shut out the positive or helpful responses or put too much credence in the negative ones.
Ask yourself what else might be going on. Sometimes people are jealous and attack you. Others are looking to make a mark and go about it in the wrong way. Some may have suffered devastating criticism in the past and are really getting back at the person who hurt them. Still others are looking to stroke their own egos by bringing someone else down. And some just want to be Simon Cowell.
Read between the invective to see if the critique has any validity. Easier said than done, I know. But sometimes people get really ticked off over a particular thing and allow their feelings to run away with them. For instance, let’s say your spelling and grammar are not up to par. Well, it could be that your characters are well drawn, your story compelling, your dialog sparkling, but the reader goes ballistic over writing mechanics. So, maybe that’s something you need to work on.
Get back on the horse. Don’t stop writing – not even for a day. Write because you love to write, because you have to write, because writing brings you joy. Don’t ever allow anyone to take that away from you.
Diane O’Connell Literary Services
Specializing in Working with First-Time Authors
Fiction and Non-Fiction
Find out about her very affordable Express Coaching service: http://www.docls.com
Or call (718) 268-9282
“I can state categorically that my first novel would never have been published without Diane.” — Cody McFadyen, international bestselling author of Shadow Man, The Face of Death, The Darker Side, and Abandoned (Bantam).
