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Emerging Writers: Guest Post #15 Non-fiction – The Art of the Visit & Making a book happen
Before launching her writing and speaking career, Kathy Bertone-Obieleski was the managing partner in a merger & acquisition firm located outside Washington, D.C., where, for over a decade, she was involved in selling privately-held businesses.
Kathy knows what it takes to help all of us have successful, stress-free, fabulous visits with the people we love the most, and who often give us the most joy and pain: our family and close friends.
At a young age Kathy began organizing, rearranging, and doing everything possible to obtain, and maintain, a well-run household, often to the dismay of her family. It lasted for the better part of two days, but a determined child, she would happily start the process again. THE ART OF THE VISIT was in the making.
Now called “Hostess Extraordinaire” Kathy loves to help people have great times whenever they get together, no matter for how long . . . or who is coming! She speaks on the subject and is working on her next book.
For more, Visit the Website
Take it away Kathy!
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Being Published: Don’t Say You Can’t Until You Try Laurence has many followers who are writers, so I am delighted to share with you a perhaps surprising story of publishing success. No, I haven’t sold a million books on Amazon, and no, I haven’t made the NYT’s Best-Seller list (yet), but I do have a literary agent and a traditionally published book that is beautiful inside and out, both in word and image.
I am now a published author with all the accoutrements, featured magazine and national newspaper articles to my credit, and even some television. All great press in a few short months and I am a fairly common person who just had a pretty cool idea and took the time to learn how to properly market my book and myself. I will say, however, that I am proactive and motivated, but you are, too, or you wouldn’t be reading this post.
It saddens me to hear that so many yet-to-be-published writers are convinced they cannot be traditionally published; how publishers are not interested in first-time authors, and how it is so much quicker and easier to self-publish. Hog wash. I saw a statistic that self-published books rarely sell more than one hundred copies and besides, you do all the work and then pay for the privilege. If you are published traditionally, the publisher pays for everything from editing (hugely important for any book) to publishing.
Here is a brief overview of my trip: A few years ago I had an idea. The idea doesn’t matter. The fact that I had it and wanted to do something with it did. So while working at another job I wrote when I could. In 2009 my “real” job went straight downhill at the same rate as the US economy so I took the downtime to work on my non-fiction book and to seriously research the book publishing industry, about which I had no experience or knowledge. While doing so I found a common thread: the absolute need for a literary agent. If a good, professional agent takes you on, your manuscript or book proposal goes higher in the stack on the publisher’s desk and the likelihood of winning a book contract (were two more magical words ever written?) increases exponentially.
So I went about learning how to find an agent and how to write a query letter to entice an agent. All you have to do is Google “how to write a query letter to a literary agent” or similar wording and there is all the information you need. Read several, but they all say pretty much the same thing. I won’t take up your time now with the details, but here is something perhaps not as generally known. There is a website http://www.literarymarketplace.com where agents, those precious and allusive beings, are listed and for $24.95 for a week (and one week is all you need if you are motivated) you have website and email addresses of agents who represent your genre. Yes, they do exist and they can be contacted! I sent email queries to many and after some time received the one email reply that made my heart stop: “Kathy, thank you for your query. I do have an interest and would like to speak further.”
My agent landed me a book contract not with one of the household name publishers but with Running Press Publishers, one of the most pleasant, talented, professional group of people on the planet. I then researched what a publisher and editor do and how to successfully work with one. The result was a mutually respectful and beneficial process which resulted in my first book, “The Art of the Visit”, published about 7 months ago.
So this first-time author asks you good writers who dream of being published not to presume defeat before even trying. If you are successful it leads to so many good things, often including, as our host can attest, a series or another title. So don’t, by default, take the short— and supposedly easier—route. If you are truly dedicated to your craft and want to be professional and be seen as a professional do what it hardest and try. The process is not easy and not everyone will succeed, but believe me there are agents and publishers who are looking for a new voice and fresh talent. If you don’t reach out to them they will never have the chance to know your work.
Do what I did because no one told me I couldn’t: learn the business and then go for it.
Cheers and happy writing.
Kathy Bertone
Author, The Art of the Visit: Being the Perfect Host; Becoming the Perfect Guest
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Thanks Kathy for being our fifteenth guest post writer. I am always interested in the journey to becoming published. I know very well that it requires dedication and hard work. I wish you well with The Art of the Visit and all your projects.
This guest post is part of a series in 2013 where I will be showcasing emerging writers on this blog.
You can help by clicking through to their sites, buying their books, sharing this post on Twitter and Facebook and coming back for the next post. You can also follow this site (click the button above right), to be notified by email on who is next in a few days time.
And if you are a writer and want to be featured send me an email lob@yourasms.com and I will send you the submission guidelines.
And please support this site and the promotion of new writers by buying: The Istanbul Puzzle or The Jerusalem Puzzle.
Emerging Writers: Guest Post #7 On selling out and tucked away gems
Daniella Latham is a senior writer for a global corporation and has spent her career in the advertising industry.
She holds a B.S. in Journalism and English Literature from the University of Miami’s School of Communication and is currently working on her first novel.
Take it away Daniella.
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Selling-Out, v3
1/21/13
Who Cares About Selling-Out?
If you’re reading this now, perhaps you’re sitting in your office or taking a glance during the 11pm news – but the chances are it’s a way to get your mind off of the day. Maybe there’s an undiscovered voice that shines through and piques some type of interest. As it naturally unfolds with readers, we explore the narratives that appeal to us, and they may be a bit more delicious when the general public hasn’t honed in yet.
Suppose your favorite indie author “hit it big”, signed with one of the major houses and sold millions…would that change your opinion of their talent? And if they stayed with the non-traditional publishing route, would you place a higher value on their work?
But the question is: what’s really considered “selling-out”, since talent is talent, right? What I’ve uncovered from a completely non-scientific poll of my fellow book enthusiasts is that it doesn’t make a difference as to whether it’s an independently published novel that’s only heralded by the most cynical of literary critics –or a traditional blockbuster that made the author undeniably, filthy rich, but a pariah in “those” circles.
It only depends upon how the words made you feel – something, anything. To love or hate is the ultimate compliment. At least it evoked emotion. When we’ve become enveloped in the thoughts of the character or the story, the author isn’t selling-out. They’re making us believe in something other than what we know, than what we’re used to; it may be unconventional or uncomfortable, but it‘s real.
Sure, the mass-produced books from mainstream authors will always exist and nothing can be done about it. Entertainment for the majority, the “beach reads”, no matter what you call them, they’re not disappearing anytime soon. On the flipside, those tucked-away gems that keep you wanting more and guessing – they’re out there too, waiting for your unveiling and analysis.
It’s really a win from either angle. And if reading this during a spare moment made you briefly forget about the high mortgage, the stressful job and what the future will bring, these random words just may have done their job.
I’m currently crafting a novel and work as a senior writer for a global organization.
Latest article at indieauthor.com
Author twitter feed: @CopyByDee
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Thanks Daniella for being our seventh guest post writer. Selling out is a tricky subject! Deciding what we write about is part convention, part desire to be published and part personal voice. Each of us makes our own choices about the balance we want to strike.
My question for readers here is this, what are the hidden gems you would like others to read? Please note them in the comments below.
This guest post is part of a series in 2013 where I will be showcasing emerging writers on this blog.
You can help by clicking through to their sites, buying their books, sharing this post on Twitter and Facebook and coming back for the next post. You can follow this site (click the button above right), to be notified by email on who is next in a few days time.
And if you are a writer and want to be featured send me an email lob@yourasms.com and I will send you the submission guidelines.
Emerging Writers: Guest Post #4 Song at Dawn – 1150 in Provence!
Jean Gill, a Welsh author living in France, tells us about some of the difficulties authors can encounter. They will make you wonder why we do this.
Jean is the Winner of the Global Ebooks award for Best Historical Fiction
Song at Dawn is available from Amazon here.
Take it away Jean!
It is 25 years since my first book was published by a reputable small press. Since then, my work has ranged from military history to a cookbook. I’ve been published everywhichway except bestselling – yet – and have been rejected everywhichway except pleasurably.
Each publishing method carries its own pros and cons. Big publishers give you a good time for up to a year, then, if you haven’t become a Big Thing, your book is relegated to the warehouse, prior to being remaindered, while your Editor seeks the next Big Thing. And the publisher still owns you – it’s easier to sign that contract than get out of it. You have the kudos of a big publisher but once the romance has gone, there’s no love.
Small presses love you longer and many of them produce better quality print books than the major publishers. They often have grant/arts funding to create books but they have no marketing budget so they don’t try much to sell books. They are run by two overworked people in a tiny book-filled office, so don’t expect anyone to turn up when you give a performance at a festival – you’re on your own. They are delighted if you make it big and move on – no-one makes it big and stays. Small presses stay small and like it that way.
Assisted publishing/ outsourced services offer you what you’re not good at yourself; copy-editing, jacket design, marketing everything that makes a book is for hire. This is the biggest growth sector in the new age of self-publishing. It’s also here that the crooks hang out. Check authors’ comments on ANY service you pay for. Look for examples of their work.
Crooks are good at what they do and there is usually enough credibility to draw you in. Then they take your money and leave you with a broken contract, no books and a damaged reputation.
I am now writing historical novels set in the 12th century. I’m self-publishing and love it. One positive aspect of NOT finding ‘Mr/Ms Right Editor’ is that I’ve always had the freedom to write what I wanted, when I wanted, and now I can combine writing freedom with publishing freedom – perfect!
Contact Jean at jean.gill@wanadoo.fr or via her website http://www.jeangill.com
Song at Dawn is available from Amazon here.
Jean blogs at http://www.jeangill.blogspot.com
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Thanks Jean for being our fourth guest post writer. I love historical fiction. Please Tweet a link to your book to me at @LPOBryan and I will RT it to all my followers.
This guest post is part of a series in 2013 where I will be showcasing emerging writers on this blog.
You can help by clicking through to their sites, buying their books, sharing this post on Twitter or Facebook and coming back for the next post. You can also follow this site (click the button above right), to be notified by email on who is next in a few days time.
And if you are a writer and want to be featured send me an email lob@yourasms.com and I will send you the submission guidelines.
Emerging Writers: Guest Post #1 On Finding the Right Voice
Sliding on the Snow Stone author, Andy Szpuk, tells us about finding the right voice:
It was back in 2007 when I conceived the idea of writing Sliding on the Snow Stone. I’d already written a box full of short stories and was developing my writing craft, taking small steps daily, and occasionally, bigger leaps.
However, when my father recounted the experiences of his childhood in Ukraine and subsequent journey through the horrors of famine, Soviet Terrors and Nazi brutality during World War 2, I knew I had no choice.
It was a story that needed to be told. Ideas began to form in my head about how to approach it. First, I considered producing it in standard biographical format. Biographies are generally written in the second person, but with much of my father’s material consisting of so many powerful personal experiences, I felt second person would create too much of a distance for the reader.
Often, biographies can become academic in their tone. Instinctively, this didn’t feel right for my father’s story. I felt I needed a way to project the emotional drama, to capture how it must have felt.
I spent many hours talking to him, and making copious notes, collecting details and building a picture. It was sometime during this process when I realised it was HIS story, so I needed to write it from his point of view. I decided it would need to be written in the first person.
It presented many challenges over many months. Managing a story in the first person presents obstacles: the viewpoint is limited, and the voice needs to be consistent and authentic, and also there needs to be variation in the first person delivery, i.e. starting too many sentences with ‘I’ can become over-repetitive for the reader.
Finally, after much editing, Sliding on the Snow Stone was published in 2011 by That Right Publishing. It was quite a journey to undertake, but I feel I’ve added a small piece of jigsaw to the history of the world, and I’ve given voice to a story that might never have been heard.
For details on my other written work, including a diary of a 10-day stay in Ukraine in 2012 when I visited my father’s old home, visit my blog: Lines from the Word Lab
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Thanks Andy for being our first guest post writer. Your story is very interesting. War casts a long shadow. Please visit Andy’s site and if you like what you’ve heard Sliding on the Stone it’s available to buy there.
This guest post is the first in a regular series in 2013 where I will be showcasing emerging writers on this blog.
You can help by clicking through to their sites, buying their books, sharing this site on Twitter or Facebook and coming back, or by Following this site (click the button above right), to see who is next in a few days.
And if you are a writer and want to be featured send me an email lob@yourasms.com and I will send you the submission guidelines.
2 months after getting published – the reality!
Thank you all for following my progress.
As you know my first novel, The Istanbul Puzzle, was published Jan 19 by Harper Collins UK.
The Istanbul Puzzle cover art
The last two months have been very busy. There was great excitement in the first few weeks when the book was reviewed very positively in the UK Telegraph newspaper, The Irish Independent, The Lancashire Evening Post and The Examiner. I was also pleased to be interviewed on TV3′s AM morning television program, the Ryan Tubridy show on RTE radio and on some local radio stations. All that was great.
I was delighted too, and it makes me very hopeful, to learn that The Istanbul Puzzle has sold to be translated into 8 foreign languages: Spanish (world rights), Italian, Greek, Polish, Czech, Turkish, Serbian and Slovakian. I look forward to supporting the publishers in all these territories.
My goal is to support myself and my family from my writing. It’s a big ask. Only about 5% of published authors earn over £75,000 a year, never mind the millions that people often think published authors earn. My earnings to date are very limited, given that I only got a small advance and will have to wait until everyone has paid up before getting anything from any sales. One of things that has stuck me forcefully in this process is that with the publisher’s system of only being paid twice a year for royalties you had better have a job or a rich spouse supporting you, even long after you get a publishing deal, if you want to survive.
I expect to start earning enough simply to live on about two years after getting the three book deal, that is about a year from now. That will be the point that I have two books out, and the second is being sold to foreign languages, and I start getting royalty payments from the first and second books mid year after earning out my advance.
As I was made redundant four months ago I am living on borrowed time too. So I have decided in the next three months, before I have to go back to the nine to five, that I will write a guide book to social media, called Social Media is Dynamite.
I intend to make it a practical guide to how to get the most from social media. It will feature my experiences of how social media helped me win a three book publishing contract and some of the things I have learned that enabled me to build twenty thousand followers and many great relationships on the way. I also plan to offer social media consultancy. If any one needs help with social media let me know.
UK sales are good, The Istanbul Puzzle is selling in the tens of thousands, and it is holding up well on the Kindle charts. If you liked it please tell your friends and review it on Amazon whatever you thought of it or even just like it. I am working on the next installment, The Jerusalem Puzzle, right now. I am on the ending at the moment. It will be a multi part ending, which I hope will pull together some of the loose threads left dangling from the first book.
I will keep you posted on progress occasionally (monthly most likely) and I look forward to your comments, bad or good, in the meantime.
Here is a picture I took a few weeks ago when I was on a research trip in Jerusalem:
A monk collecting candles
From A to P – F – Frantic Editing
This post was posted in September 2011.
In July 2011 I put up a post here on editing my novel, The Istanbul Puzzle. I had spent six weeks doing a thorough edit based on suggestions from my publisher Harper Collins. I submitted my heavily edited version soon after and hoped that that would be it, bar a final check for minor problems.
I was wrong.
A few weeks later the manuscript came back. Another editor at Harper Collins had gone through it and had a number of general issues for me to consider, as well as cuts and suggestions for every page. At first I wondered was this unusual, was my manuscript in need of extra help because it was so poorly written. The monster of self-doubt doesn’t need much encouragement to come trampling across the garden!
So, I called a long published author friend, with a dozen novels under his belt. He told me what was happening was more common that not these days and was called a “second pass” edit. Slowly I learn the truth.
And the thought that came to me as I scanned through all the suggestions was this; don’t ever get involved in trying to get published with a major house if you don’t want to work hard. Very hard. Like seven days a week 3 – 4 hours a day until your brain hurts and your patience frays atomically thin.
But I’ve survived. And it’s over. I submitted the revised version yesterday. And I have to say that the suggestions from HC were really very good. A much better novel is emerging. The changes are in the following areas:
- cuts for pace, there were many of these and every rambling paragraph or word has been spotted by HC,
- cuts in myths and legends. I had packed in too many. The new version sticks to the very best.
- Sean and Isabel, getting their relationship right, and describing Sean more clearly early on will help readers understand the main characters better.
- The ending. I have twisted the ending further, adding depth and a smoother ride to the bloody finale.
The novel stands at 100,700 words now. About 7,000 have been cut. It is with my editor. I await her response. I am quite happy to have another run at it, if she feels it needs it, but with the date for publication fast approaching (Jan 19) and a self-imposed deadline for a first draft of my next novel in the series, The Jerusalem Puzzle, coming up in January too, I do hope the next edit will be a little less taxing.
For a first time published author with Harper Collins UK the big surprise for me in the past few months has been the level of hard work and the nitty-gritty editing that has been required. The editors at HC spotted every little thing that I let go, that niggled and I passed over. Don’t let any one ever tell you that the art of editing is dead at major publishers. It certainly isn’t at Harper Collins Avon.
Here is a slideshow of scenes from The Istanbul Puzzle. I will be posting more of my story from aspiring to published author over the next few months. Please subscribe on the right, down a little, if you want to learn more.
