Me and My Big Mouth

Have you ever opened your mouth and stuffed your own foot right in? I seem to do it all the time. I don't mean to offend people. And if I've ever offended any of you please take my deepest apologies.

In writing and blogging it's almost impossible to not offend someone. Your words are in the open space and everyone has a different lens through which they see life. So...people will disagree with even the most benign of statements, statements you thought no one could disagree with. If you say cats are great pets, someone will write to tell you the evils of cats. You can't guess everything others might take offense at, but there are some precautions you can take (and trust me I'm still learning this--I've seen very clearly in the past day how much I need to pay attention to this advice!)

1. Never write something and put it out there without time to reflect and come back. Often times just taking a break and coming back to your words with new perspective will help you see the other side of the story.

2. Write both sides if possible (even if you lean toward one perspective) when it isn't a moral issue. It's okay to have an opinion and to state it, but honest discussion is open discussion.

3. Listen to "checks" in your spirit. Often I have a niggling idea that what I'm writing could be misread, yet I ignore it and post or write anyway. This has come back to haunt me on more occasions than I can say. Learn to pay attention to that tiny voice--odds are it's giving you some good advice.

4. Let others write their opinions on your space, if you blog.

5. Be willing to edit/delete blogs where you are clearly wrong.

6. If you believe strongly in what you wrote stand behind your words. Don't apologize for them if you shouldn't. This might mean that people don't like you--you'll have to get used to this if you're putting yourself out there for the public. It's a hard thing for us people pleasers.

7. If you have a thin skin, don't be a writer or put your thoughts out for public discussion. Some people are downright cruel; they see what you wrote with sincerity through their own jaded eyes and write scathing reviews on Amazon. If you take these words to heart you'll end up feeling worthless and suicidal.

8. Remember the truth--(to paraphrase Brennan Manning) "There's nothing I can do to make God love me less and there's nothing I can do to make Him love me more." When you rest in this, even days spent with a foot in your mouth are worth living.

Hugs to all,
Traci

A Mission with a Deadline

I have recieved literally hundreds of letters like the following from readers asking for more Lake Emily books:

"I already emailed you once but have to let you know how blessed I have been to get lost in Lake Emily and meet my new friends. Wish I lived there too. Maybe I'll get invited to dinner at Virginia's home and can help hang up some clothes on the clothesline. I have loved doing that since I was a child in Chicago and my mom hung her clothes out. When we finally got a home of our own the first thing I requested was a clothesline. Nothing smells better than fresh sheets from the clotheline. Please keep writing about this wonderful place and these friendly people."

"Discovered your books on Amazon.com and bought and read all three--almost in a row! Loved them. The characters are normal, down-to-earth people, whom I think about even when I am not reading! Hope you are in the midst of a 4th book, and then a 5th, and a 6th, and a 7th...Thank you!"

I would love to write more Lake Emily books. In fact I have ideas bubbling, including twins for Trudy and Bert, a love interest for David Morgan, and more craziness for Lillian Biddle.

Here's the rub--my publisher needs to get on board! The books have sold amazingly well, especially for a first-time author. But the publisher has moved on to the next big thing.

My idea is this. If WaterBrook Press recieves hundreds (or thousands) of letters asking for more Lake Emily books, odds are they'll take notice. This is no guarantee, but it's worth a shot. I can't do it. I need you!

So, here's the mission. Tell all your friends, family, book club members, library patrons, and church libraries who've enjoying Lake Emily that we need them. Even if you didn't purchase a copy, that doesn't matter. A book borrowed from a friend or a library is still a book read.

Send your letter to:

WaterBrook Press
Attention: Dudley Delffs (more Lake Emily books!)
12265 Oracle Blvd., Suite 200Colorado Springs, CO 80921

If everyone MAILS their letter ON March 20th, they should all arrive at about the same time!
We'll keep our fingers crossed.

Thanks, guys!
Traci

What constitutes a really good proposal

Let's backtrack a bit here. You want to write a great proposal first, right? So, what are the key elements?

First, editors really don't care about formatting, font size, and spacing. Some authors seem to get all bent out of shape over this--"Do you want Times New Roman 12 point?" If your proposal is readable you should be good to go.

Editors are thinking big picture, not the details. So you need to look at the big picture too.

First, you and your agent need to have a good handle on who your customer is, and by customer I mean publisher. After all, you're selling a product. Would you try to sell blood pressure cuffs at a pool supply store? Of course you wouldn't. But you'd be surprised at how many unpublished authors waste good money sending proposals to publishers who would never in a million years publish such works. Think Horror Fiction to a publisher of science textbooks--not a good match.

Once you've found publishers who are aligned with what you want to write, you need to think about "Hook"--what will make your book stand out from all the rest? Anyone can write run of the mill--so how are you different? Stress this difference in your proposal. If you can, point out how this "angle" has worked for others in the past and yet how yours is unique from this. If you can obtain sales figures for such successes, that wouldn't be a bad idea either. Then what makes YOU the right teller of this story? And don't tell the publisher that "I've always wanted to be a writer...I wrote my first story when I was seven years old." Everyone says this. It's boring. You want to stand out.

Also in your cover letter, you'll need to boil down your story to one amazing sentence. Sound hard? It is. Editors are busy people--they need sound bites to save on time. If your premise grabs them, it might grab actual readers. So distill your story to one succint statement. Try it out on friends and see if it makes them think.

You'll also want to include a synopsis in your proposal, a chapter by chapter, play by play of what exactly will happen in the story down to the ending itself. A synopsis is the "telling" of what the book should later "show." If you're a student of writing you know these terms well. Don't make your synopsis so long as to be a book in itself. Now's the time to get rid of plot holes--this will save a lot of time in the actual writing of your story down the road.

Finally, three sample chapters. This should be your best writing, polished to a sheen. Work and rework these chapters. Start with STORY, not with interior dialogue or backstory if at all possible. Get the reader immediately involved in what's HAPPENING now. There will be time for all the details that got your character into that predicament in the first place later in the story (that is if it truly matters to the main plot; if it doesn't matter odds are it's filler anyway)--and your main characters should be in a predicament. In plot-driven fiction this predicament will be easier to define (escaping a villain, finding the Holy Grail, whatever...); in character-driven fiction it's still there but perhaps a bit more subtle (finding a sense of purpose, coming out of depression, etc...)

Your agent, if you have one, will be essential in creating a really good proposal so take every bit of advice he/she has to offer. They're your first reader, so odds are they're right. Plus you want them to sell something they believe in.

I've said enough for today. Next time we'll talk about the LONG WAIT--waiting for acceptance.

More later,
Traci

So, You Think Your Book has Broad Appeal

I promised more advice so here goes. You think your book will appeal to the masses, not just neighbors and kin. Great. So what comes next?

While there are some publishers out there who do still accept unsolicited manuscripts directly from authors I suggest using an agent. An agent is your advocate, someone aside from you who believes in you, your writing and your book. That alone tells a publisher that at least two people like your writing! An agent wants to get you the best deal possible, especially since they're getting a percentage of your paycheck (usually around 15%). Since most agents represent multiple authors they also have clout within the publishing industry and can pitch your work to the houses that best suit your work. As in all businesses there is a hierarchy of agents. The more exclusive agents work for the higher paid authors. So you might have to trade up as your career progresses, unless your agent is able to move with you. But take that step as it comes.

How do I find an agent? This can be tricky if you don't have any inside connections in the publishing industry. My first agent actually called me. He was representing Ted Dekker at the time and I was Ted's editor. Ted had simply told him about me. My current agent was a coworker at Bethany House Publishers so I know him well and trust him implicitly. I realize most of you aren't in this situation, so here's your best bet.

Create a really good proposal--that's first no matter what. That's where your critical critiquer comes in. We can go into detail later about what constitutes a really good proposal. Then send your proposal to reputable agents or pitch it to them at writers' conferences.

There are several ways to find "reputable agents":

• Sally Stuart's Christian Writer's Market Guide, updated yearly, lists agents, publishers and their current needs, all kinds of useful resources for the up and coming author as does its American Booksellers counterpart the Writer's Market Guide. Keep these books on your shelf and read them regularly; they're a huge help. If you do contact an agent, ask for references of other authors these folks have represented and contact the authors to find out their experience with this agent.
• Visit writers' conferences. Not only can you learn a lot about the craft of writing from gifted authors, many agents attend and set up tables where authors can pitch their titles, (as do some acquisitions editors from the major publishing houses). Here are some conferences to choose from:

American Christian Fiction Writers

Mount Herman

Glorietta

Greater Philadelphia Christian Writers Conference

Blue Ridge Mountains Writers' Conference

Sandy Cove Christian Writers' Conference

Christian Writers' Info Net--this lists multiple conferences across the nation

As does this one...

• Look in the credits of books similar in style/genre to yours. Often authors will thank their agents in the front acknowledgments. Then Google them to find out more about the agent's credentials and openness to new authors. This also works for discovering the names of key people in the publishing houses--it gives you a name to call or address! Sneaky, I know, but it works.

Be bold. When you approach an agent, tell them that you want to be NYT bestseller material. (Unless you're writing something with a very narrow market--then you'll just look silly. But then who knew Eats, Shoots and Leaves would be a bestseller?) You are a salesperson now, so talk the big talk. And believe what you're saying, otherwise your words will ring false.

A couple notes, when you do find that agent and have checked out their references, be sure there's an "exit clause" in your contract stating that you can get out of the agreement within a reasonable amount of time. If your contract is with a larger agency and not just your agent, you may end up having to work with someone you don't know if the agent decides to leave the parent company. Also, good agents never charge you extra fees. If the agent wants cash for sending out proposals or up-front money, send them packing. Better to work without an agent than with these folks. Good agents charge a flat percentage of what they sell. They pay to print and send proposals themselves, it's part of their investment in you. If the agent doesn't believe enough to foot the $5.00 postage bill what are the odds they'll get you a good deal at contract time?

Next week we'll talk about the long wait to acceptance.

More later,

Traci DePree