Dear O'Abby: How do i make my ending more satisfying?

 Dear O'Abby,

I've recently finished my first novel and I took it to a local writing group to get some feedback on it.  I had six different people read it, and they all said they enjoyed it, but found the ending unsatisfying. None of them could put their finger on exactly why it wasn't satisfying, so I'm curious how one makes and ending feel right.

Do you have any kind of basic information that could help me re-shape the ending of my book?

Best wishes,

 Unfinished

Dear Unfinished,

That's the worst kind of feedback, isn't it?  That everyone feels the same thing about the ending, but no one can quite give you a specific reason why it's not working for them.

My suggestion would be to look closely at your characters.  Often when something feels unsatisfying it's because a character acts in a way that isn't typical of the way they've acted through the rest of the book.  That can be jarring, especially if they change out of the blue to facilitate the ending you want without there being much growth beforehand.  If you think this might be the case, go back through and see if there are places you can show your character growing or changing to become the person they need to be to make the ending satisfying.

Alternatively, it could be that the characters haven't earned the ending you've given them.  To be a satisfying ending, your characters need to have been through hell to get there.  If everything has just fallen into their laps and they've tiptoed through the tulips to get to the end, you may need to go back and throw some obstacles in their way.  It should feel impossible that these people can ever get whatever it is that they want or need, that there is no way they can possibly overcome everything thrown in their way.  Then, when they do attain that ending, it feels like they deserve whatever it is they earn from getting through.

Or it could very well be a combination of both these things.  I suggest you go through your MS with a finetoothed comb, focusing on both these things separately.  I can almost guarantee you will find ways in which to challenge your characters more, and in turn, show their growth as people who deserve the ending you've given them.

Hope that helps!

X O'Abby

Week #35 – Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Last year on Mondays we had fun with books. This year, we'll look at most of the same books but also some new ones, and see if the first line [or first paragraph] met the goal of a first line which is ==> to hook the reader's attention.

Here are some tips on writing a first line

https://www.masterclass.com/articles/tips-for-writing-the-opening-line-of-your-novel

Week #35 –   Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gone_Girl_(novel)

First published: May 24, 2012

Here's what the story is about: The narrative alternates between Nick and Amy Dunne. Nick's narration begins shortly after arriving home on his fifth wedding anniversary to find Amy is missing and there are signs of a struggle. Nick is the prime suspect. Both Nick and Amy are revealed to be unreliable narrators.

First line/paragraph:

When I think of my wife, I always think of her head. The shape of it, to begin with. The very first time I saw her, it was the back of the head I saw, and there was something lovely about it, the angles of it. Like a shiny, hard corn kernel or a riverbed fossil. She had what the Victorians would call finely shaped head. You could imagine the skull quite easily. 

First person POV. A man musing about how he thinks about his wife. Very strange that he always thinks of her head. Not her smile or anything else about her. Always her head. We don't have anything of the plot, just this thought. I'm somewhat intrigued about a man who thinks of his wife's head before anything else about her. And in the next paragraph he thinks about unspooling her brain. A bit creepy but I'm intrigued enough to keep reading.

Does this first line/paragraph hook your attention? If you had never heard of this story, would you buy this book in 2024? Knowing the story, would you change the first line? Tell us in the comments!

Dear O'Abby: Is self-publishing becoming more acceptable?

Dear O'Abby,

I've been writing a long time now - well over 20 years - and when I started, self-publishing had a real stigma about it.  It was like people thought you only self-published as a last resort, if you'd been rejected by agents and traditional publishers time and time again.  So it's not something I've ever thought very seriously about.

Now it seems like self-publishing is a very legitimate way to publish, and self-pubbed books can have as much success as traditionally published books or even more.  

Is this actually true?  I've been publishing with a small press for several years, but they put very little into marketing or even properly editing my stuff for the 45% of sales they take, so I'm wondering if I'd be better of self-pubbing.  I just want to make sure my books won't become second-class citizens, so to speak, as a result.

Kind regards,

Uncertain

Dear Uncertain,

There are lots of things to consider when thinking about self-publishing, but you're correct in your assessment that it has become much more acceptable in recent years. I mean, the Pulitzer Prize is now open to self-published authors and there isn't much that's more prestigious than that!  

And self-published books are selling well too.  Around 30-35% of ebooks sold are self-published and there is an increasing number of self-pubbed authors earning over $100K a year.

On the downside, with this surge in popularity, the number of self-puubed books out there is growing year on year, meaning there is an increasing number to compete with in the market.  While the number of authors earning a good living from their books is growing, on average 90% of sell-pubbed books sell 100 copies or less.  So it's important to keep your expectations realistic.

The self-pubbed authors who do the best are writers who can write and publish quickly.  Once an author's work is popular, readers want more and unless the writer can provide more on a regular basis, they're quickly going to fall out of favour.  The most successful self-pubbed authors have at least 10 books for sale, usually series.

And genre is important too.  The majority of successful self-pubbed books are fantasy, romance or crime thrillers.  If you're writing outside these genres, it may be harder to break through as a self-pubbed author.

Of course, the other thing about self-publishing is that everything is on you, from sourcing cover art, to editing, to formatting the actual book to marketing and publicity.  And all of that stuff takes time (and money if you're going to do it professionally).  You need to have that time and money available to you to make a success out of self-pubbing and that often means taking time away from writing.  Which in turn, means you may not be able to publish new books as frequently as you might like to.

So while there isn't the same kind of stigma around self-publishing as there was 20 years ago, there are still a number of things you should consider before choosing to go this route.

Hope that helps!

X O'Abby.

Week #34 – The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Last year on Mondays we had fun with books. This year, we'll look at most of the same books but also some new ones, and see if the first line [or first paragraph] met the goal of a first line which is ==> to hook the reader's attention.

Here are some tips on writing a first line

https://www.masterclass.com/articles/tips-for-writing-the-opening-line-of-your-novel

Week #34 –  The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hitchhiker%27s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy_(novel)

First published: October 12, 1979

Here's what the story is about: Arthur Dent awakens to discover that the local planning council is trying to demolish his house to build a bypass. He lies down in front of the bulldozer to stop it. His friend Ford Prefect convinces the lead bureaucrat to lie down in Arthur's place so that he can take Arthur to the local pub. The construction crew begins demolishing the house anyway, but are interrupted by the sudden arrival of a fleet of spaceships. The Vogons announce that they have come to demolish Earth to make way for a hyperspace expressway. Ford and Arthur survive by hitching a ride on the spaceship. 

First line/paragraph:

Far Out in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the Western Spiral arm of the galaxy lies a small unregarded yellow sun.

This appears to be omniscient voice. The reader is introduced to a “small unregarded yellow sun” which is located in “uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the western spiral arm” of a galaxy. Which we soon learn is our own galaxy and sun, letting us know this story will be funny and irreverent. We don't know the protagonist yet, or anything about the plot, but as a reader, I'm intrigued by a humorous story about planet earth. I would read further, to see if the story lives up to its beginning, which it does and I loved this book!

Does this first line/paragraph hook your attention? If you had never heard of this story, would you buy this book in 2024? Knowing the story, would you change the first line? Tell us in the comments!

O'Abby's Writing prompt

 I realised I missed this one for August, so here we go. A writing prompt for this month.

I re-read some Virginia Woolf recently and was stuck by how, in Orlando, she writes from both a male and female perspective, often showing the same events from both sides.

This month's challenge is to write the same scene from two different characters' perspectives.  You can either pick a scene you've already written and re-write it from another POV or write something new that happens between at least two people so you can show the events through each characters' eyes.  They don't have to be a male/female pairing, just two people who would see the same events in different ways.  Perhaps parent and child, siblings, work colleagues.  It's up to you!

Post in the comments or email it to operationawesome6@gmail.com.

I'll look forward to seeing what you come up with.  Happy writing!

X O'Abby

Week #33 – Romeo & Juliet by William Shakespeare

Last year on Mondays we had fun with books. This year, we'll look at most of the same books but also some new ones, and see if the first line [or first paragraph] met the goal of a first line which is ==> to hook the reader's attention.

Here are some tips on writing a first line

https://www.masterclass.com/articles/tips-for-writing-the-opening-line-of-your-novel

Week #33 – Romeo & Juliet by William Shakespeare

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romeo_and_Juliet

https://shakespeare.mit.edu/romeo_juliet/full.html

First published: 1597

Here's what the story is about: Romeo and Juliet, a tragedy written by William Shakespeare, is about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. Along with Hamlet, it’s one of Shakespeare’s most popular plays. Juliet is just 13 years old and the couple’s romance lasted just 24 hours.

First line/paragraph:

PROLOGUE
Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;
Whose misadventured piteous overthrows
Do with their death bury their parents' strife.
The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love,
And the continuance of their parents' rage,
Which, but their children's end, nought could remove,
Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage;
The which if you with patient ears attend,
What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend. 

This appears to be omniscient voice, or even perhaps second person because the author is speaking directly to the reader. This prologue sums up the entire play, including the ending, which is uncommon for today's reader. What do you think of prologues in general, and this one in particular?

Does this first line/paragraph hook your attention? If you had never heard of this story, would you buy this book in 2024? Knowing the story, would you change the first line? Tell us in the comments!

Dear O'Abby: What do I need to study to get into publishing

Dear O'Abby,

I'm a high school student and I really want to work in publishing.  I'm going into my senior year, so thinking about college and I'm wondering what would be best to study to best set myself up for a job in the publishing industry.

Do you know or have any resources you could point me toward?

Thanks so much!

Sincerely,

College-Bound

Dear College-Bound,

Publishing is a big field with many, many facets so it's difficult to know what to tell you without knowing what aspect of publishing you feel you'd like to take part in.  Different parts of the business require different specialist knowledge.  Most people think an English degree is a must, but that is not always the case and there are many jobs within publishing that don't even require a degree at all.

So before you make any decisions, think about where your skills and talents might best be utilised. Publishing encompasses many different areas - art and design, editing, sales, marketing, digital, legal and administration - so there are multiple routes you can take.

Most publishers also have internships available, so before making decisions about where you think you might fit, it could be worth getting some real-life experience by interning for a period of time and getting a real feel for how the industry works.  Through being on the inside and seeing the work people do, you are likely to get a better idea where you might fit and what job will make you happiest. It may not be what you think!

If that's not possible, my suggestion is to just pick college classes that you're interested in and that you're going to enjoy.  Not everything you study needs to lead to a possible career.  Employers are often looking for people with a diverse range of knowledge and skills rather than something specific.  Having a college degree shows that you can learn and through doing a bunch of different classes, you can demonstrate that you're a multi-faceted person with a wide range of interests. 

So best of luck for the future.  Take your time to enjoy college and the see what might be out there for you on the other side.  It may not be what you expect, but it may be the exact right thing for you.

X O'Abby

Week #32 – Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Last year on Mondays we had fun with books. This year, we'll look at most of the same books but also some new ones, and see if the first line [or first paragraph] met the goal of a first line which is ==> to hook the reader's attention.

Here are some tips on writing a first line

https://www.masterclass.com/articles/tips-for-writing-the-opening-line-of-your-novel

Week #32 –   Lord of the Flies by William Golding

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_of_the_Flies

First published: September 17, 1954

Here's what the story is about: A British airplane crashes on an isolated island in the Pacific Ocean. The only survivors are preadolescent boys. Ralph is elected their chief and tries to establish a society, but the majority of the boys turn idle. Jack calls an assembly and tries to turn the others against Ralph. He initially receives no support, but eventually forms his own tribe with most of the other boys gradually joining him. The book explores establishing a society, bullying, and savagery.

First line/paragraph:

The boy with fair hair lowered himself down the last few feet of rock and began to pick his way toward the lagoon. Though he had taken off his school sweater and trailed it now from one hand, his grey shirt stuck to him and his hair was plastered to his forehead. All round him the long scar smashed into the jungle was a bath of heat. He was clambering heavily among the creepers and broken trunks when a bird, a vision of red and yellow, flashed upwards with a witch-like cry; and this cry was echoed by another.

This appears to be third person limited or omniscient voice. The reader is introduced to a schoolboy with fair hair who is apparently wearing regular clothes, not a swimsuit, but he's wet and walking toward a lagoon. It sounds like a shipwreck or maybe a plane crash because of the “long scar smashed into the jungle”. We have apparently the main character, along with the setting. The story starts in media res, and the reader is looking around the beach with the boy. And we are introduced to a mystery: why is the boy at a beach and wet, but wearing regular clothes? I would definitely continue reading.

Does this first line/paragraph hook your attention? If you had never heard of this story, would you buy this book in 2024? Knowing the story, would you change the first line? Tell us in the comments!

Dear O'Abby: Is it a good idea to sell books directly from my website?

 Dear O'Abby,

I'm a self-published author and have always sold my books through external platforms (mainly Amazon through KDP), but I feel like this gives me very little control over my sales and marketing.  

I have been thinking about setting it up so I can sell directly from my website.  My partner works in e-commerce and has the skills and expertise to set this up for me, but I'm wondering if it's worth it?  I sell reasonably well on Amazon and am a little worried that changing things up might result in lower sales.

Do you know anything about this kind of thing?  Any advice would be gratefully accepted.

Yours sincerely,

Self-Pubby

Dear Self-Pubby,

This is something I've been hearing a bit about recently given the changes both Amazon and Facebook have made in regards to setting up ads.  You are in the enviable position of having someone around who can help with the initial set-up which is the part other authors often struggle with.

You will need to remove any titles you wish to sell directly from KDP, and I believe that takes about a month, so you may be without a platform for sales for a period of time.  But if you're set up well in advance, you should be able to limit that.

The advantages of selling directly are that you receive the money more quickly than you do through Amazon or other retailers, so you can more quickly adjust your marketing spend to ensure profitability.  You are also better able to track customer movements from ads to purchase to ensure any advertising dollars are being well spent.

That and the fact you can easily track sales in real time rather than waiting for reports to come, often months after the fact.  Which can be both a blessing and a curse.  Be careful not to get too obsessive about it!

My advice would be to ensure you're very thorough and remove any old ads that point the reader to another retailer (unless, of course, you're planning to leave the book on some external retail sites as well) and focus all future ads toward your own website sales page. 

It might take a little bit of time to start generating the level of sales you want, but by keeping a close eye on things, you should be able to be far more responsive with ad spend and tracking where traffic to your website is coming from, and how people are using your site.

There is a very helpful four-part series about a self-pubbed author who has done this very thing here.

Hopefully that helps!

X O'Abby