maryhigginswriter.com

Sometimes you need it spelled out…

I’ve been doing much soul-searching (some might call it navel-gazing) recently and trying to really get to grips with what being a writer means. Focus, productivity and results are things I am looking forward to concentrating on more in the future. And then I saw a link on Literary Agent Janet Reid’s blog to a wonderful post by Myra McEntire called Dream Chasers (Throw Strikes).

It’s moving,  heart-warming, personal and a timely reminder that for many writers (me included) having the time (and motivation) to write is possible because of other people. Even if you are not a writer it’s a great read and is guaranteed to give a warm glow however cold it is outside.  I’m really glad I saw this today. I know how lucky I am.

THANK YOU, hubby. You are amazing.

So, last night I upgraded Wordpress to the latest version. If you run Wordpress you need to keep it updated because if you don’t you leave yourself open to security risks (like most other software). Even tech bloggers can be caught out by this. Robert Scoble recently had this problem. So if you have it, keep it updated. And before you update make sure you do proper backups, just in case.

And then…..

So I updated last night, figuring if there was any problems I could fix it without  causing disruption. I use the automatic update and let Wordpress handle everything, and I’ve never had a problem before. Last night the update went smoothly with no problems. But then. There were some comments that needed to be deleted. They had got past Akismet and, wanting everything squared away, I thought I’d tidy them up. I was not looking carefully and managed to delete all the comments on this blog. I know – pretty amazing, huh?!

So sorry if your comment was deleted. Please come back and leave another one. This time I promise not to start messing late at night. I’ve learned my lesson. Delete means it’s gone forever and although I could maybe restore the database and get them back, at this stage I’ve done enough messing. Ooopsie.

What agents say they want in a query letter

Nathan Bransford

Well, it’s been an exciting time!

“Query Letters Part 2: What Agents Say They Want” will be up in the next week or so but you’ll have to forgive the delay. I’m working on several projects at the moment and making time to blog here is proving challenging. Last week I was very excited to hear from an agent about a non-fiction proposal I queried about. They want to see the full proposal, sample chapters and writers biography so I’m busy polishing them all up so I can mail them out. I’m not going to say who the agent is, but I’m so happy they want to know more because I can really see the book sitting well with the other authors and books they are representing. Fingers crossed!

The PinkRaygun.com logo

PinkRaygun.com and The Guild Season 3

The Guild Art By Jeff Carlisle

In addition to my ‘writing-writing’, my blogging is also kicking up a notch. I regularly blog as WorldofHiglet over on “the last geek bus home” and many of my recent posts have be about The Guild, an award-winning webseries I’ve been following for the last eighteen months. Created, written and starring Felicia Day, The Guild Season 3 starts on MSN video/Xbox live /Zune on Tuesday 1st September 2009 and I will be reviewing each episode on PinkRaygun.com in a new series of articles. I’ve been a fan of PinkRaygun for a long time and I’m really looking forward to combining writing for them with watching my favourite webseries – it’s a win-win!

And after their massive music-video hit “Do you wanna date my avatar?” I can’t wait to see what surprises this new Season will bring. For one thing – it has Wil Wheaton! And as this stunning artwork from the brilliant artist Jeff Carlisle shows – there be dragons…

“Turning Left at Albuquerque” audiobook podcast surges on

And we are continuing to serialise my novel “Turning Left at Albuquerque” on turningleft.podbean.com. It started as an experiment and originally we were only going to do the first five chapters, but it’s been very well-received and Omnibus 11 (Chapters 51-55) will be published on Monday 31st August. That’s over four hours of excitement, geeky fun and heartbreak so make sure you check it out!

Okay, it’s back to work for me – how are your plans coming along?

Some might say it’s cruel and unusual and I’m not in the mood to disagree. I have been battling – and I mean battling -  with my query letter for some weeks now. I wrote the first one, sent it off to five agents and waited for the offers to roll in. I had done my research, I had written what I knew was a great book so it could only be a matter of time.

Two hours after I emailed agent #5, I realised I had made a mistake

Guess what? You can never do enough research. While I was writing ‘the book’ I did a bit of reading around the edges about what the next steps were. Then I did some edits and polish and declared the book complete and immersed myself in the Internet and reference books, working out how to write that perfect query letter. But did that stop me from not realising that 142 k words was too long for a novel? No. No, it didn’t. After I had sent of that first batch of query letters I found and started to read Query Shark and there the lovely Ms Shark googles at word counts over 115 k (in fact, the ‘accepted’ word count of fiction is between 80k to 100k).

Always with the more research

But a little thing like realising I’d written two books instead of one wasn’t going to deter me. I went back and edited the be-jeepers out of my script and- hey presto! It actually reads *much* better now! Where did all those words go?!? (Many of them have gone into the sequel, actually, but that is literally another story). Then I went back to read the queries submitted to Query Shark with a mixture of elation that I’d found some answers and utter fear of being ‘that query’ (okay, there was a little bit of schadenfreude in there, too, but I’m only admitting to a smidge of that!).  I also read everything I’d read before about queries and agents. And then I started to read some of the many agents who blog to pick up any advice that might help. And I realised that the word count was not the only thing wrong with the first letter I sent out.

So then, how do you write that perfect query that will get you the agent of your dreams, will unlock the keys to the golden gates of publishing and will ultimately propel you into the upper echelons of authorly acheivement?

There is no such thing as a perfect query letter

I can say that now with perfect clarity and authority. Even though I have no agent and have not been published I know that the perfect query letter does not exist. How? Because every agent is looking for something different. And not only that, each agent may be looking for something different from one week to the next. And not only that – each publisher is looking for different things. And not only that, but each publisher is looking for different things from one week…well, you get the picture.

You know, that’s not as helpful as you might think

I know. How does this new knowledge help? Should I give up? Should I encase my work in concrete and bury it? No. I’m not going to do that and neither should you. Because there is hope….

A new hope?

No, not that one. A different one. The hope that, if you are careful and can construct an interesting and meaningful query and send it to the right agent at the right time, it will herald the start of a beautiful and beneficial relationship.

Tune in next time for:

• What agents say they want in a query letter
• What agents say they don’t want in a query letter
• What to do while you’re waiting for the replies
• How to cope with rejection
• Suggestions for organising your queries
• So you’ve written your query letter – have you done your synopsis yet….?

In the meantime are there any stories you would like to share about the query process or any advice you want to offer? Maybe you found an agent via a query – in which case would you like to share your query letter?

Tags: agents, editing, fiction, queries, Query Shark, writing

It seems easy at the start

One day you wake up and think “I’m going to write a book/poem/short story…” and off you toddle to your computer (I know some people still use typewriters and/or pen and paper, but for the purposes of this blog post, we’re going to use a computer). Some time later* you emerge, fingers worn, nerves shredded and eyes blinking against the cruel light, your masterpiece saved to hard drive, pen drive, burnt to CD, emailed to yourself and several friends and back-up on your external storage device. YOU ARE A WRITER!

Or – are you?

Not long after the initial jubilation has worn off, the doubts set in. Are you a writer now, or do you need to be published first? And how will you find a way to be published? And is it okay to self-publish? And what if….a- hundred-other-reasons-to-doubt?

First rule – finish it!

Believe me, when I was writing my first book the last thing on my mind was how I was going to sell it. I wanted to finished the thing before even starting to worry about that. I had already decided I wanted to have a Literary Agent, so I deferred thinking more clearly about the whole “selling” bit until after I’d finished, done the edits and redrafts and was finally in a position to think clearly. Joss Whedon’s first rule of writing is “Finish it” and I’m not going to argue with the master. So, what happens when you have that book ready – edited, proof-read, ripe for selling?

If only there was a road-map

The publishing industry is going through tremendous changes at the moment, ones that will have profound effects on writers, agents, editors and readers alike. And guess what? There is no magic formula that says ‘writing a book’ + ‘these magic steps’ = ‘getting your book published’ + “you earn some money’. Really. Even if you knew what ‘these magic steps’ were, you would not be guaranteed to sell your book and/or receive any return on you not-insubstantial investment. But – there is help out there.

Author 2.0

Someone I’ve been following on Twitter for a little while is Joanna Penn (who goes by the name @thecreativepenn). If you want to know what’s hot for writers then you would do well to follow her because her Twitter is full of the latest information. Joanna is also an interviewer and writer, and she has just launched a new venture, Author 2.0. The free document lays out some of the many choices you have and the factors at work when trying to manage your writing career.

I would recommend the Author 2.0 PDF to anyone who wants to know more about publishing their work. And there is also a private, members program for those people who need help putting things in place.

Back to the grindstone

For me, I am busy getting the next podcasts ready for the “Turning Left at Albuquerque” audiobook and working on a new query to send out to some new Lit Agents, but I’m not just doing that.

Have you read Author 2.0 yet? Are you going to change what you are going to do?

First off – what is Social Media?

The quick definition is “Social media are primarily Internet-based tools for sharing and discussing information among human beings.” (from Wikipedia). So if you use Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Friendfeed, Flickr etc, you are using Social Media.

Why do people do it?

There is no answer to this Or rather there are many, many answers. There is no one reason why people use Social Media because everyone is looking for something different. It can be used to keep in contact with people. make contacts, share information and, yes – sell things.

Should writers use Social Media?

In my opinion – absolutely! But with every shiny new toy comes a price. It takes time to set up and build a community in Social Media. Unless you are Oprah Winfrey you won’t join Twitter and get 1000’s of followers on the first day. But if you are interesting, funny and generous you will build up a group of people you enjoy interacting with. The same is true of any online endeavour. Felicia Day (who, at the last count had over 608 K followers on Twitter) wrote a brilliant blog post about Twitter and that’s a great place to start.

And don’t forget that many Agents and Publishers are online and in the SM fray. They offer a truly valuable insight into the mechanism of book publishing and are replete with useful – nay essential – advice. You can follow Query Shark on Twitter (great advice about writing queries) or dive in and comment on the blogging Agents such as Janet Reid,  Agent Kristen at Pubrants and the ladies at Bookends, LLC. [Note: when I say dive in and comment, I do mean read what they have to say, first! ]

Agent Kristen published a post recently about the Power of Twitter. Her client, the wonderful Lisa Shearin, had a big boost when Felicia Day twittered about her love of Lisa’s books. Felicia had written about “The Trouble With Demons” and tweeted it, resulting in 10, 000 clicks to Lisa’s site. Now that’s a result!

It’s all about you

The best value you will get out of SM is be participating. You can sign up for 10, 20 or 100 different platforms but unless you take part you will never see the potential. It is all about you, but more than that it’s about you connecting with other people. And you truly will get out of it what you put in.

All about me!

If you want to find me, I have many SM places but these are the ones I frequent most:

Twitter

Facebook

Friendfeed

See you there!

Tags: Bookends LLC, facebook, Felicia Day, friendfeed, Janet Reid, Lisa Shearin, pub rants, Query Shark, social media, twitter, writing

It’s been an exciting week

I published Chapter One of my new novel, “Turning Left at Albuquerque” on Monday, and Chapter Two has been published this morning. The feedback has been very positive so far, both on the podbean site and on FriendFeed. And more than that – it’s really exciting to be producing again! I decided to use Podbean as my podcast publishing platform because other podcasters I knew were using it. It is simple to set up and free for the basic package.

New Widget and iTunes

Podbean also allows you to create a podcast player and I’ve embedded one in the right-hand side bar. This is a very handy way of letting people play your content anywhere you can put the player (and fans can add it to their sites, too). One of the steps to take is register your podcast with iTunes and this is now live. So you can search for Turning Left in iTunes and you’ll find the podcast. And if you subscribe in iTunes every episode will be automatically sent to your account for you to listen to, which is very handy.

More Editing

I’ve nearly finished my final, final polish. After conceding that 142,000 was simply too long for the novel to be considered for publishing I have taken a surgical approach to editing. Some of it has been moved to Book Two, and that will work really well. Some of it has sadly been simply removed, possibly to come back later as something else. And the rest? Well, once you start it’s addictive. Does that line add to the story? Is there a more simple way of saying that? Is it clear what this means? Even though I’ve cut out what amounts to nearly a third of the book, it is a better book for it.

Why swim against the tide? I want to be published and 100, 000 words is the benchmark amount. And, even though I had edited before, this is a whole different game. And the more I edit and polish, the more I love this book. Try the podcast and you can listen for yourself!

Tags: editing, friendfeed, podbean, podcast, writing

I am on a mission

Having completed my novel I am now at the painfully delicious stage of deciding what to do with it. There are various options open to me but I am concentrating on finding an agent for the moment.

What does an agent do?

There are many, many agents out there. But why would you want one? One really useful website, AgentQuery.com sums it up neatly on their ‘About Literary Agents’ page:

“A literary agent is exactly that—an agent for literary works. Literary agents represent books. They do not represent stage plays, screenplays, or television scripts. You find those agents in Hollywood, and that’s a whole ’nother website. Yes, it’s true that books become movies (usually bad, bad, very bad movies), but that’s because your literary agent, who sold the publishing rights to a major publishers, also successfully sold the movies rights to a major Hollywood studio. Again, whole ’nother website. 
What’s important to know is that literary agents function as the middleman between you—unknown unpublished writer of a brilliant first book—and the Major New York Publishers. Literary agents have the contacts in the New York publishing world (and beyond) to get your book sold. Literary agents negotiate publishing contracts, sell subrights like foreign rights and media and electronic rights, and just plain manage your financial and business affairs so you can focus on your literary business of writing. 

AgentQuery.com is a fantastic resource for all writers and I recommend you spend extended amounts of time reading up on how to write queries, find an agent and avoid common mistakes. And remember – no reputable agent will charge you an upfront fee. They make their money by receiving a commission on selling your work to publishers. AgentQuery.com also have information on how to spot a potential scammer. After all the hard work of writing a book you don’t want to lose out, so make sure you know what to look for.

How do you find one?

When I was researching I found the author Ben Woods’ website. He has written a sci-fi book called “The Developers”. During his quest for an agent he kept a record of all the agents he contacted and what the response (if any) was like. This is really useful because it helps to:

1. Underline that finding an agent is a serious business that needs to be approached in a professional manner
2. Show the incredible variety of response times you can expect
3. Highlight agents you might want to contact/steer clear of

Now, agents are human (yes – really!) and anyone can have a off day, so I would use this list as a starting point, not a template. But Ben should be applauded for sharing this because it is an insight into the efforts required to find an agent. To find the right agent you need persistence and research skills. 

Agents who blog

There are many agents who actually go the extra mile and share hints and tips about how you can maximise your chances of finding the right agent. Rather than give a long list here I suggest you go and read ‘Pub Rants’ by Agent Kristen. This blog is choc-full of practical advice, tips, hints and insights into how Agents go about their business. There is a listing of other agents who blog on her site, so there is plenty to sink your teeth into.

And now?

I have a list, I’m reviewing and finessing my query letter, and making sure I have everything in place so I can start the next phase. And I also have another plan. In addition to finding an agent I will be marketing my book in another way. More details soon, but it’s exciting! And if you have any resources you would like to share please let me know.

Tags: agents, pub rants, queries, writing