Dear O'Abby: How do I get freelance work as a writer?

 Dear O'Abby,

A friend of mine suggested that I could make a bit of extra cash from by writing articles for different publications.  I kind of like that idea and have a bunch of ideas for stories I'd be interested in writing, but have no idea how to get into something like that.

Do you know any good ways to get this kind of freelance work?

Best wishes,

Workless

Dear Workless,

Firstly, don't Google how to get freelance writing gigs.  The first thing that comes up are a bunch of sites that suggest you sign up and work will come your way.  These sites tend to be competitive, pay badly and don't give you a lot of control over the content you produce.  As a freelance writer, you are basically setting yourself up as a business and as a business owner, you want to have control over all aspects of the business.  

So my first piece of advice is to know what kind of writing you want to do, find outlets that publish that kind of content and approach them directly with a pitch.  Make sure you thoroughly research the outlet you're pitching so you can ensure the story you pitch will be in line with their audience and editorial style.

Once you've identified the outlets, you need to pitch the story to an editor.  Editors are busy people and they get pitched at all day so make sure your pitch is punchy, to the point and that your credentials show that you are the perfect person - or better, the only person - to write this particular story.  This does not mean sending a lengthy cover letter with all your previous writing experience spelled out, or your full resume. A couple of sentences is enough if the article pitched is strong.

Because editors are busy people, it may take time for them to get back to you. It is okay to nudge if you have not seen a response after a couple of weeks (less if your story is time-sensitive), but don't badger them.  

Alternatively, a lot of businesses have blogs or newsletters that require content on a fairly regular basis and if that kind of writing appeals to you, that can be a good source of regular freelance work.  Maybe even start with one of your own previous employers, if they have such a thing.

There are a lot of opportunities for writers of all styles out there from writing reports to reviews to business letters to advice columns (like this one - although I don't get paid for this), so keep your eyes open for anything that looks like it could use help with its content and don't be shy about pitching your ideas.

Hope that's helpful!

X O'Abby

Dear O'Abby: Why do I need to read in the genre I write?

 Dear O'Abby,

I've read in a number of places that if you're going to write something, be it science fiction, romance or YA fantasy, you should read in this genre too.

I'm just finishing a YA contemporary novel, but I don't really read YA contemporary. I read mainly thrillers.  To be honest, I didn't even think I had written a YA contemporary, but everyone in my writing group tells me that's what it is.

Do you agree, O'Abby, that it's important to read in the genre you write in, or is this just a myth?

Best,

Confused Reader

Dear Confused Reader,

The fact you didn't even realize you've written a YA contemporary is all the more the reason why you definitely need to read in the genre you write.  Not exclusively, of course, but it is definitely important to read new books in your genre so you can keep abreast of any trends.  If you're in your 40s now, and haven't read YA since high school, you might be surprised at how much the genre has changed in those intervening years.  Things that may only have been hinted at in novels published 30 years ago are no longer taboo and can be writ large across the page. 

But you may not have written a YA novel at all.  It's very easy to tell a new writer that because the protagonist of their book is a teenager, it's YA.  This is not always the case.  All YA novels tend to have teenage protagonists, but I can think of several books with teen protagonists that I would not categorize as YA because the themes, voice and subject matter are definitely adult.

Apart from understanding the genre you're writing, there are numerous other reasons to read the genre you write.  If you are planning to query agents, reading books similar to your own and digging into the acknowledgements may help you to find agents who represent books like yours.  If you're planning to submit to publishers yourself, knowing which imprints and publishers take books like yours will save you time and rejections.

Having good, recent comp titles to the book you've written is important as it can be useful shorthand when trying to describe what it is you're trying to sell.  Agents and publishers often ask for comp titles, and it's important that you have recent ones at your finger-tips.  Even novels from five years ago might not swing it as comp titles, so you need to read recent books.

If you're planning to self-publish, understanding your audience is even more important.  You will need to be able to design (or brief a designer) cover art that is eye-catching and in line with other covers in your genre.  You will need to write back-cover copy that will appeal to your audience and draw them in.  And most importantly, you will need to know where your audience is and how best to reach them. Without reading with this community, you will find it harder to engage with them in an authentic way.

Hopefully this has been helpful and you will discover some wonder YA contemporary novels to devour.  If you need any suggestions, just let me know.  I read a LOT of YA contemporary because that's what I write.

X O'Abby

Dear O'Abby: Can I be a writer when I can't spell?

Dear O’Abby,

I’m a writer, or at least, I’m trying to be a writer. But I have a big problem. I’m a terrible speller. And when it comes to grammer and punctuation, I’m even worst. I wasn’t brought up speaking English and while I’m totally fluent in spoken English now, I think I’ve missed some important rules when it comes to written language.

I have written two novels and I would love them to be published, but I’m not confidence that my grasp of written English is good enough to get an agent or a publisher. Do you have any advice?

Yours,

Second Language


Dear Second Language,

Being bad at spelling, grammar or punctuation is not the barrier to being a published writer you might think it is. It just means you need to do a bit of extra work before you send your work out to any publishing professionals.

There are a huge number of online writing tools you can use to check your work on your own. This article gives some information about the different spelling and grammar correction software options available. If you are serious about writing, it is worth investing a little money in something like this if you’re not confident of your grasp of the rules.

Once you have run your MS through one of these tools, it will still probably need another look over because for all AI is great at picking up errors, it doesn’t always correct things in a way that suits your own writing style. So do a read-through and fix anything that doesn’t sound right for your character or doesn’t fit with your personal style.

Once you’ve done this, it’s time to get a fresh set of eyes across it. A critique partner who has a strong grasp of spelling, grammar and punctuation would be good. If you don’t have one of these, maybe try reaching out to an English teacher you might know. Or ask around in your online community to see if anyone might be available to help you with this specific area. If you have a budget, you could look at hiring a copy editor, but as they usually charge by the word, it can get expensive. Especially if you’re writing epic fantasy!

Once you have incorporated the feedback from all these sources, you should have a MS that is spelling and grammar error free! And that sounds like you’ve been writing English all your life. As long as you ensure the same care is put into your query and synopsis, your submission package shouldn’t stand out from the pack in all the wrong ways.

Good luck!

O’Abby

Dear O'Abby, Punctuation woes

Dear O'Abby,

I'm published by a small press and have discovered during the editorial process that they have a style guide that forbids the use of semi-colons in their books.  Now, I don't over-use semi-colons, but I do use them where it's appropriate, and I like the feel and rhythm they give my prose.  Having removed them all for my editor, I feel like several passages now feel wrong.  The rhythm is off.  The meaning, of those sentences hasn't changed exactly, but has subtly shifted.

Do you have any advice? I mean, why have a policy like that in the first place?

Yours,

Semi-Punctuated

Dear Semi-Punctuated,

I don't think there is anything you can do in this situation. It's frustrating, I know. My small press publisher has the same policy and it irritates me every time my editor removes one of my lovingly placed semi-colons.

If you want to continue writing for this publisher, you will need to work within their style guide.  Maybe try writing your next book without any semi-colons.  Or edit them out yourself before you submit the manuscript so at least you have control over the way the sentences sound and feel without the semi-colons.

Or of course, you could look for a different publisher for your next book.  But you may find other publishers have the same style-guide.  And if not using semi-colons is the only complaint you have about your publisher, you might want to think long and hard about this option.  If you're happy with everything else they do, is this really a deal breaker?

As for why a publisher might have a policy like that, I can only hazard a guess that they were getting too many manuscripts in which authors over-used semi-colons or mis-used them frequently.  Or perhaps the editors themselves are unsure about how to use them properly and felt it was easier to just say no than to try and figure out if each one a writer uses is correct or not.  I don't know.

I know this doesn't solve your issue, but hopefully you now know you are not alone in this boat.

X O'Abby

Why publish short fiction if I'm a novelist?

As promised last week, here's the second part of that longer article, this time looking at why publishing those short stories is a good idea, even if you're certain writing novels is what you really want to do.

The scary thing is that moment when you know you’ve done as much to your story as you can. Because where do you go from here? Publishing feels like a big step, but writers write so they can be read, and a story hanging out on your hard drive is only going to be read by one person – you.  I’d jumped the gun with publishing, and had sent out a couple of those early, awful novels only to have them rejected, probably (hopefully?) unread. 

Before submitting a story to a publication, it’s a good idea to take a look at some other issues of that publication to get a feel for what they like.  It’s also a good idea to look at things like how often they publish new work, especially when it comes to online publications.   A site that publishes a new story each day is going to need far more content than a publication that might only publish one piece of short fiction per month or quarter, so is probably an easier place to get accepted.

I’m not going to lie to you.  Your story is very likely going to be rejected.  But this isn’t a bad thing.  Publishing is full of rejection (I’ve logged over 300 rejections in my career), and if you’re serious about being a writer, it’s something you need to learn to deal with.  And it’s way better to have a short story that may have taken a few days to write rejected than a novel that may have taken a few years.  I’m not saying it won’t hurt, or that it won’t be disappointing, but after the first few times, it does get easier. Honestly.  I wouldn’t lie to you.

And while your story is out in the world, waiting for its chance to shine in that literary journal or anthology, you can get to work on your next story.  Or your novel.  Just remember, the more publications you submit to, the more chance you have of getting published.  Rejections are just one of the stepping stones along the way.

As well as toughening my hide against the pain of rejection, publishing short fiction helped me build some publishing credits.  When querying a novel, having a publication history shows agents you’re serious about writing, and if you’ve been published in a well-known magazine or journal, it speaks to the quality of your writing. It also helps to build an audience for your long-form work.  If readers have enjoyed a short story you’ve written, they may also like a novel.  After reading the story, they might do some research to find out if you’ve written something else.

I don’t actually know for sure if any of the readers of my short stories have read my novels, or vice versa, but it’s certainly possible, right?

Which is a reason why it might be a good idea to continue writing and publishing short fiction even after your first novel is published and available.  Writing a novel takes a long time, and readers may be impatient to hear from you again.  Publishing short fiction keeps your name and your voice in the minds of your readers so they don’t forget you between novels.

Some publishers regularly compile anthologies of short or novella length fiction partly for this very reason – to keep their authors in the spotlight between novels. But also to discover new writers who might have unique and interesting voices. I’m lucky enough that my publisher is one of these, and last year I got to stretch my writing muscles with a novella-length story (Run to You) in an anthology of stories each of which started and finished with a kiss.  It’s called Kissed if anyone’s interested…

So, there are any number of reasons why writing and publishing short stories is not a waste of time for novelists.  So get out there and write yourself some short fiction.  I'd love to read it.

Wednesday Debut Interview: Everything that Makes You by Moriah McStay

Welcome to this week's WEDNESDAY DEBUT INTERVIEW!

Today, we're talking with Moriah McStay about her YA contemporary debut, Everything that Makes You, which debuted March 17 from HarperCollins.

Tell us a bit about yourself, Moriah. What do you like to do when you're not writing?

Outside of writing and family, I don’t have as much time as I’d like for other things. I try to exercise every day—either the gym or walking my dogs or yoga. I’m a certified yoga teacher, and I teach aerial yoga a few times a month. I spend so many hours in my head, that coffee or lunch with friends is critical to my sanity, as least a few times a week. I read a ton and travel all that I can manage.


Tell us about Everything that Makes You. What made this an important story for you to tell?

ETMY is the story of Fiona—and Fi—Doyle. Same girl, two different stories. Fiona’s face is scarred, after a freak accident when she was little. Fi was never in the accident. In two parallel story lines, ETMY follows them both, looking at how their lives are the same, different and where they overlap. It’s not a paranormal book; there’s no magic. It’s two, equally plausible options about what a girl’s life would be like, based on different circumstances.

I’d thought about writing this book years before I actually did. When I was little, I was in an accident that left me blind in one eye. You can’t notice much now, but at the time it felt significant. People could tell. I got lots of questions, couldn’t play sports, had to wear big glasses. Later on—in high school and college—I began to wonder which parts of my personality were shaped by the accident. If it never happened, who would I be? And what about my brother and sister? My parents? How did the accident effect their lives? What about everyone else’s individual experiences? What about my friend whose father died when she was young? Or the classmate with cancer? How did those events change them?

There are so many “what ifs”--we all have them. It’s an interesting question to explore, I think.

How long has this process taken for you, from the time that you began the first draft of this book until the date of its publication?
The drafting and revisions took about eight or ten months—but I had the idea for almost fifteen years. I probably worked on it most of 2012. I signed with my agent Steven Chudney in November 2012. He sold the book in March 2013. Two full years later, it’s in book stores. The other day, I ran into a friend I hadn’t seen in ages. When I told her the book comes out March 17th, she said, “Wow! That was fast!” I replied, “We really need to go out more often."


What do you love most about writing? What do you struggle with most?
I struggle most with balance. Since I’m writing full-time now, I have to consciously make myself go out into the world. It’s great to have so much time to write, but if I spend ALL the time writing, I feel creatively drained. Yoga and exercise helps, but this year, I’m trying to be better about seeking out different things. Art shows, new restaurants, even driving different routes to the grocery store. Anything to get my synapses to fire in new ways!


Every writer experiences some rejection and setbacks along the way. How did you learn to cope with them and move on?
I wrote two complete manuscripts before I found an agent for ETMY. Ugh, they were terrible--I can’t believe I let actual, real people read them—but the process was critical. I learned necessary lessons, and I’m a better writer for it. Sometimes I go back to those earlier ideas, when I’m working on setting or character.

I submitted both manuscripts to agents. The process is LONG, so I started new projects while waiting. I did the same while submitting ETMY, and that bare-bones effort was the spring board for my second novel, which I’m revising now. I’d say this "Keep Writing" coping mechanism was the most helpful for me. Throw yourself into something new. Not only will it keep you too busy to refresh your inbox 80 million times a day, but if bad news comes in, you’ll be excited and focused on a new project. It helps takes out some of the sting.


How did you find your publisher? What makes them a good fit for you and your book?
My agent Steven Chudney was in charge of the submission process, so he gets the credit for my awesome placement with Katherine Tegen Books. I love the depth and breath of HarperCollins--not just with range of things they publish but their long history, too. As a newbie, I feel respected and supported. The experience has been great.

Also, my editor Jill Davis is a godsend. I’m such a better writer now, because of her. She’s my own, personal MFA program.


Was there anything that surprised you about the publishing process?
The time frame can be surprising, and everything that happens behind the scenes. There are so many elements beyond me coming up with the idea and then writing down the words. ETMY feels like a joint effort now, and it's much stronger because of it.


After signing a contract with a publisher, what comes next for a debut author? What have you been doing in these months between then and now?
Social media is a biggie. I wasn’t very involved on Twitter or the blogosphere prior to my contract. My debut groups—Fearless Fifteeners and Class 2k15—have been a great resource. I’m trying to work out the balance between promoting ETMY and revising my second novel.


I remember seeing your cover around the web -- it's definitely eye-catching! How much say did you have in it? What do you hope it will tell readers about your story?
Isn’t is great? I feel like I lucked out with this. It’s not what I envisioned at all—I actually didn’t want a girl on the cover. But Erin Fitzsimmons—the art director at HarperCollins who designed it—did such a fantastic job. She gets all the credit. The hand lettering of the lyrics on Fiona’s side of the face is all her work. She ripped out a moleskine page and worked on that, to make it the most authentic.


Tell us about your title. Was EVERYTHING THAT MAKES YOU the first title you had in mind? If not, how did its change come about?
The original title was Progressions of Fate. So horrible, right? I didn’t even like it, then. When my agent said, “We’ll probably have to change it,” I was like, “Yes! Please! Come up with something better!”

My editor Jill Davis and I tried out so many titles, some better than others, but none exactly right. She sent me an email one weekend. The subject line was EVERYTHING THAT MAKES YOU!!!! It’s a line in the book, and she’d just read it while revising. Once we had the title, I wrote one of the later songs to go with it.


What's next for you after this debut? What are you working on now?

I’m revising my second book for Katherine Tegen. It’s been a long road—very normal for a sophomore novel, I’m told—but I’m pleased with the direction the book’s taken. I’m not sure when it’ll release, but it will be another standalone, contemporary YA.


How does it feel to have your book out in the hands of readers? Do you have any events planned that you'd like to tell people about?
So crazy! HarperCollins has gotten lots of ARCs in the hands of bloggers and readers. I love the unsolicited love—the emails, tweets and reviews--I get from people I don’t know. It’s surreal seeing conversation threads of people talking about your book, like it’s a real thing.

My book launch is March 17 at Booksellers of Laurelwood, an awesome Indie bookstore in Memphis. I’ll be in Jackson, MS March 31 for some school visits, all organized through Lemuria Books. We’re still fine-tuning the other events, but I’ll announce them on my website as they get nailed down.


Is there any other advice you'd like to pass on to others pursuing publication?
For me, it was getting involved in social media. I hadn’t done much of it before my contract. I got on board with the Fearless Fifteeners early on—Jasmine Warga and I are in charge of the ARC tours—and that network had been invaluable. Similarly, I’m a member of Class 2k15. I can’t recommend this type of networking enough. Not only can you bounce ideas off of people in your same boat, but you’ve got a supportive group behind you, when your turn to pub comes.


And, just for fun, what's one song that you think relates well to EVERYTHING THAT MAKES YOU, and why?
“We Made a Mountain” by the Mynabirds. While I’m sure it’s not the original intent of the song, it seems like something Fiona and Fi would share with the other, if they could. It makes me teary every time I hear it.

Thanks so much for the interview, and congrats on your debut!

Wednesday Debut Interview: Sachael Dreams by Melody Winter

Today for our WEDNESDAY DEBUT INTERVIEW, we have some questions for Melody Winter, whose new adult romantic fantasy, Sachael Dreams, debuted yesterday from REUTS Publications.

Hi, Melody! First off, tell us a bit about yourself!
I’ve been married to my hubby for over 15 years, and we have two energetic boys, aged fourteen, and twelve. I’ve lived in York, England, all my life, and never been much of a traveller apart from summer holidays to Majorca with my family. I’d love to buy a villa out there and spend my time writing while drinking sangria.

I work part-time as a finance manager, which I always think makes for a strange combination with writing. I view them as complete opposites, but I know several other ‘finance’ people who write as well, so may be the two are a natural combination.


Tell us about SACHAEL DREAMS! What's the one thing you love most about it?
The mood of the book. I feel that it’s almost mythical at times, and I think it’s like that because of where it takes place. The book is set in Ravenscar, which is known as ‘the town that never was.’ It’s on the North East coast of England, about an hour drive from my house.

It’s a beautiful place to visit. It’s quiet, secluded, and has an air of mystery that is difficult to place. It’s very easy to slip into Estelle’s head whenever I walk along the coastal paths there.

Without Ravenscar, I doubt I would have ever caught the true sense of peace and tranquility that’s experienced by Estelle in the book.


How long has this process taken for you, from the time that you began the first draft of this book until the date of its publication?
I first started planning Sachael Dreams in September 2012, started writing it in January 2013, and completed the first draft by June 2013. I spent a lot of time editing, before feeling confident to send it to a select number of writing friends to look through. After I received feedback, it was on to more edits. Then I started sending it out into the real world.

I signed with REUTS in May 2014, and published on 24th February 2015 so from the very start to publication it’s taken me 2 years 5 months.


What aspect of writing do you find easiest? Most difficult?
I think it all depends on the mood I’m in. Sometimes I have plenty to say and therefore the words flow and I write quickly. Other times I prefer to plan or go over a scene that I know needs more work. Because I’m writing a series each of my 4 manuscripts is at a different stage. I’m now marketing and promoting Sachael Dreams, I’m about to start line edits on Sachael Desires, Sachael Delusions is going through its first ‘hard’ edit, and I’m writing Sachael Destiny.

Like most authors, I enjoy the writing the most, and it’s potentially the easiest (When it’s going well) and also the most difficult (When no words will come.) I've been surprised by how much I enjoyed doing line edits—perhaps it’s because I could see my story getting stronger.


Every writer experiences some rejection and setbacks along the way. How did you learn to cope with them and move on?
My first rejection hurt the most. It was almost a shock. You spend so much time creating and nurturing your characters that you fall in love with them—how can it not hurt? I realise now, I sent my MS out too early. There was still a lot of work to do on it. But I received some wonderful advice as well. So after the first shock and then a few more after, I picked myself up and carried on. This meant ignoring my MS for a month. When I went back to it, it was fresh and I saw many ways to improve it, and armed with the advice I had received, I attacked it again. I always believed in myself and my story, and convinced myself there was someone out there who would love it as much as me—I just had to find them. Eventually I did :)


Tell us about your publisher and how they came to acquire your book. What makes them a good fit for you and your book?

The whole series, the Mine series, is due to be published by REUTS Publications. I’m very lucky that they fell in love with my characters and the world I’ve created. I never imagined that they’d want to offer me contracts on the full series. It was a dream of mine for Estelle and Azariah to have a home—and now they have.

I first noticed REUTS on twitter and started following them, they followed back, and after a few tweets I sent them my submission in line with their guidelines. I heard back very quickly, within two weeks, and they asked for the full manuscript. Then began the waiting. I noticed on twitter through various tweets that they were inundated with manuscripts. I think I was one of the last to pass through the initial submission before this hit them. I waited months for an answer from them, only sending my manuscript out to a few others during this time, as I really wanted to sign with REUTS. Their friendliness and general support are areas they excel at, and I had my eyes on their editor, Kisa. I really wanted to work with her.

As far as a good fit for my book—I think this comes down to their openness and approachability. Kisa was so in tune with my characters that she saw things even I hadn’t.

When she gave me initial feedback I knew there wasn’t anyone else I wanted to work with. And they haven’t let me down. Their support and encouragement have never wavered and I’m pretty excited about sending the second book to them to read. I think there will be a few surprises in there.


Was there anything that surprised you about the publishing process?
The waiting. There are long periods of time spent waiting for responses to queries and submissions. And even when signed, there is still the waiting in line for your manuscript to be dealt with by editors, and cover illustrators. Even though you like to think you are the only person they deal with, the reality is that there are many others also in the waiting line. You have to wait your turn.


After signing a contract with a publisher, what comes next for a debut author? What have you been doing in these months between then and now?
For me, it was some structural edits. There were a few little changes to make and one major one. So I was immediately involved in discussing these details with my editor. Once I had the go-ahead to the changes, I had to write them.

After the edits were finished I had to wait until line edits started several months later—evidence of the ‘waiting line’ I mentioned earlier. Then everything started happening a few months before release. Marketing kicked in, line edits, and cover designs all hit. It was crazy, but great fun.

I filled all my waiting time by writing the other books in the series. If I hadn’t had those to turn to, I would have started writing my next book, or at least planning and researching it.


Tell us about your book cover. Who designed it? How much say did you have in it? What do you hope it will tell your readers about your story?
I LOVE my book cover. Ashley Ruggerilo, REUTS Publications designed it. I had a lot of say in it, but felt that Ashley really caught the mystery and the dream like qualities that the book revolves around. I hope the cover tells the reader that Sachael Dreams is a book featuring romance, mystery, a connection to water, night-time walks into the sea, perhaps even the hint of the moon reflecting on the surface. There are a lot of subtle clues in the cover as to what the book contains.


Tell us about your title. Was this the original title you'd had in mind? If not, what made you change it?
It was always the title I had in mind, but that was only after I’d decided on what to call the species of men from the water. I didn’t want them to be mer-folk (even though they feature as Oceanids in my books) I wanted a unique species, something that was ‘mine’. After searching through random things connected to water, I saw a reference to a ‘Sachael’ as one of the 7 arc-angels of water—they help purify our thoughts and evoke a feeling of peace. It fit exactly with what I wanted, and hence the name was used. The ‘Dreams’ part of the title was always there, as so much revolves around dreams for a Sachael.


What's next for you after this debut? What are your plans for the future of your writing?
There are three more books in the series which continue Estelle’s journey into this mysterious and unknown world of Sachaels. There’s a lot to learn, and I hope the reader enjoys the first book enough to continue reading. I may also be tempted to write the first book from Azariah’s POV. Whether this is released on my website for members, or as an actual book, I don’t know at the moment.

I’m also drafting out ideas for a NA Dark Romantic Fantasy—The Ascent. We’ll have to see what happens with that.


How does it feel to finally have your book out in the hands of readers? Do you have any events planned you want people to know about?
It feels GREAT! When I started writing Sachael Dreams, all I wanted was to hold my book in my hands. Not only do I get to do that with Sachael Dreams, but with the whole series!

It’s very exciting at the moment, but also incredibly nerve-wracking. It’s out there now, there’s no turning back. I just hope people like it.

I’ll be running a Goodreads giveaway at the end of March for a signed copy of the book.

Also, my website will be selling signed copies and a few extra items that cannot be found anywhere else!


Is there any other advice you'd like to pass on to others pursuing publication? Any mistakes you've made that other writers might be able to learn from?

Never give up. If you have a story in you that demands to be told, keep going. Find like-minded writers through talking to people on twitter and facebook. You’d be surprised how many people are out there who want you to succeed, and who will help you along the way.

Join facebook groups, check what your favourite authors are doing, and enter twitter pitch competitions—they are amazing at building friendships with other authors, not just for trying to get an agent or acquisitions person’s attention. Mistake wise, I’d say that I sent my manuscript out too early, but it’s difficult knowing when it is ‘ready’. If possible, once you think it’s ready, shut it away for at least a month, and then attack it again. If you can’t find anything to alter then it’s as ready as you can make it.


And, just for fun, what celebrity do you think would enjoy your book? Why?
That’s difficult. Rather than what famous celebrity do I think would enjoy my book, I’ll mention who I’d like to read it, purely because I see them as characters in the book. In no particular order we have Mila Kunis, Angelina Jolie, Julianne Moore, Clive Standen, Chris Hemsworth, and Alex Pettyfer. I’ll leave you to guess who should play which character.

Thanks so much for the interview! Congrats on your debut!

Buy Sachael Dreams now!
Amazon US
Amazon UK
REUTS

Acknowledging Acknowledgments

I've been getting ready to write my acknowledgements for Deadwood, and it's harder than I thought. It's not as if I haven't been drafting them in my head for the past five years that I've been seriously working towards publication, but the text is always changing.

As I writer, I do pay attention to acknowledgements, but I pulled out a few books to see how they're usually done.  The basics: Some acknowledgements are on the copyright page, some in the back. Some are brief, thanking editors or spouses. Some read like bibliographies of sources. Some resemble a Who's Who on recent best seller lists, and some are more like Who's Who among the writer's relatives and babysitters.

Wrong Assumptions
A lot of my assumptions about acknowledgements didn't hold up. I figured that historical fiction would have the longest acknowledgements and that contemporary novels, with fewer expert sources, might have brief ones.  I thought first novels might have the longest acknowledgements, theorizing that debut writers might want to clear their artistic debts in case they didn't get another chance. I thought more confident, multipublished writers would be more matter-of-fact about their success, and probably less effusive.

None of these were consistently true. For example, Libba Bray's acknowledgements for her debut historical fantasy, A Great and Terrible Beauty, are a succinct one page, while for her recent contemporary satire, Beauty Queens, they stretch to 3 1/2 pages -- with footnotes!

It may be that publishers indulge popular (and witty) authors with more space. But maybe that's not the only reason acknowledgements grow.

Add It Up
Gratitude is cumulative. If my first novel had been contracted on its first round of subs, I would have had only my husband and my agent to thank -- my only two readers until that point. But it wasn't published.

So I still have those debts to all those who supported me and helped me getting better throughout the sub process for my first unpublished book, added to all those writers and readers who have helped me with this one, plus all the other projects I've written since. All those critiques, encouragements, and even rejections have gotten me here.

That's a lot of people to thank. My hope is that for my next book, the list is even longer.

Do you write acknowledgements in your head? Who do you credit for helping you continue and improve? What style of acknowledgements do you prefer? Do you pay attention to the acknowledgements in the books you read?