Lately I find myself defending something I'm only moderately vested in. Why? Because I keep hearing "it doesn't exist" and other denials and marginalizations, all of which seem to deny the obvious: We're talking the shit out of it, which says to me that it does, in fact, exist. And because it exists, and represents something NEW and UNTESTED and, here's the kicker, CHANGE-y, it is scary.
TRY NOT TO BE SCARED. Writers, if you're writing it, IT EXISTS. Whatever it is, if you're doing it, it's real. This is true for every single new and scary and different literary path. The currently real-or-not hot space is not a figment of imagination that so many separate people have made up that everyone is talking about it. Neither will the next one be. Where will these new ideas go? Who knows. Will they sell, will they be niche, will they be nothing at all?
No one really knows what will sell until it does.
Write on!
/end rant of ranty rantiness
Showing posts with label marketing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label marketing. Show all posts
November 13, 2012
May 30, 2012
Agent-y stuff
A while back I went to a presentation by a literary agent (not mine) at my local library... I saw it advertised in the newspaper and thought it would be interesting. And it was!
The agent was a character, and the presentation was a little all over the place, but there were a few things I took away from it, notably this: publishing is confusing and scary, especially to neophytes. There were glazed eyes and bobbing heads all over the room as the hour progressed. I'm certain most none of them realized how a) hard or b) complex it is. And how not lucrative.
I'm writing this from weeks ago memory, so when I say "said," I'm distilling whatever she actually said down to the important ideas. The first thing she asked was how many of us in the audience had written a book. Maybe half raised hands. Next she asked how many thought said book was ready to send to agents/publishers. Maybe half of the half raised hands this time. And then she told everyone the truth:
Most of you are probably not ready (even if you think you are).
An inauspicious start, no? But I liked it. She wasn't fluffing us. People shifted uncomfortably, but better that than their mentally wrapping up their MSs in brown paper and sending them off to great success. They probably weren't ready and now they were thinking about that.
The next thing she emphasized was the most important:
This business is hard and if you want it, you can't give up.
Pretty much, that's it.
Next most shocking was the money, or lack thereof. The audience was clearly shocked to hear how low advances are and that many books do not earn them out. Another painful truth.
After that, she meandered over different things. Key points:
Today's the last day to vote in the 2012 ABNA contest! Go, read excerpts, vote! I won't tell you who I voted for, but I will tell you that it was a wicked hard choice. So much awesome!
The agent was a character, and the presentation was a little all over the place, but there were a few things I took away from it, notably this: publishing is confusing and scary, especially to neophytes. There were glazed eyes and bobbing heads all over the room as the hour progressed. I'm certain most none of them realized how a) hard or b) complex it is. And how not lucrative.
I'm writing this from weeks ago memory, so when I say "said," I'm distilling whatever she actually said down to the important ideas. The first thing she asked was how many of us in the audience had written a book. Maybe half raised hands. Next she asked how many thought said book was ready to send to agents/publishers. Maybe half of the half raised hands this time. And then she told everyone the truth:
Most of you are probably not ready (even if you think you are).
An inauspicious start, no? But I liked it. She wasn't fluffing us. People shifted uncomfortably, but better that than their mentally wrapping up their MSs in brown paper and sending them off to great success. They probably weren't ready and now they were thinking about that.
The next thing she emphasized was the most important:
This business is hard and if you want it, you can't give up.
Pretty much, that's it.
Next most shocking was the money, or lack thereof. The audience was clearly shocked to hear how low advances are and that many books do not earn them out. Another painful truth.
After that, she meandered over different things. Key points:
- Work hard.
- Find ways to stand out even if they're not related to your story, or, don't fear a non-traditional avenue to publication.
- Protect yourself from scams and be wary of anyone who asks you for money.
- Don't be a snob about self-publishing. It's valid, as means to reach trad pubbing or in its own right.
- If you're going to self-publish, get a good cover.
- Don't date your manuscript. Literally. Don't put the year on it. It does not help you for the agent/whoever to know your MS has been kicking around for 5/10/20 years.
- Corollary... if it has been kicking around for 5/10/20 years and is supposed to be contemporary, make sure it still is. Or make sure it reads period and not dated.
Today's the last day to vote in the 2012 ABNA contest! Go, read excerpts, vote! I won't tell you who I voted for, but I will tell you that it was a wicked hard choice. So much awesome!
February 17, 2012
An historic day
Yes, today will go down in history as the day I earned a follower!
_Thank you_, lovely follower. May you be the first of eventual millions. Or at least tens. I shall try not to disappoint you.
I'm off now to tell my agent that my market presence has just increased 100%!
_Thank you_, lovely follower. May you be the first of eventual millions. Or at least tens. I shall try not to disappoint you.
I'm off now to tell my agent that my market presence has just increased 100%!
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