Book Marketing Chaos and Shortcuts to Success

I've been on a documentaries kick lately. One in particular sparked my interest. It was about chaos mathematics. Doesn't sound very writerly, does it? However, believe it or not, it really gave me something to think about in terms of book marketing.

First, we're word people, so let's get a definition down. We usually equate chaos with complete randomness, but this is not the case.

Chaos theory:the branch of mathematics that deals with complex systems whose behavior is highly sensitive to slight changes in conditions, so that small alterations can give rise to strikingly great consequences. (Google) This is commonly referred to as the butterfly effect.

Book marketing and, therefore the success of a book, is one such system. Hundreds if not thousands of systems combine to create an extremely chaotic system that Joe Writer is plunged into and told to swim once he has a published book. This is why there are no 7 keys to making your novel a New York Times bestseller. Anyone who claims to know the secret to this is trying to take your money. Certainly you can do a number of things that will increase your success, but you can't forecast trends, you can't dictate what movies are produced, you can't foresee what people's disposable income will be, you can't predict what other books will be released, or any number of other variables. 

While this could be discouraging, I find it encouraging. If you've worked hard at marketing and your book hasn't gone viral, don't feel bad. As authors do all they can to get our books noticed. We keep plugging away, in hopes that at some point this chaotic system will work in our favor. The longer and harder you keep at it, the better your chances. The more books you have in the marketplace, the better your chances. Don't give up just because your initial efforts aren't met with success. And please be extremely cautious about anyone who promises instant success, whether it would be vanity publishers, publicists, or marketing gurus. The system is just too complex to reduce it to a step-by-step process. 

The Importance of Contests (And their Hosts)

I've always been a big advocate of query contests. Its a great way to stand out from the slushpile and find agents that you may not have queried on your own. It also provides a lot of opportunities to get feedback for fellow writers and form a community online with those who are on the same path as you. There's really nothing bad about contests.

I entered in my share of contests while still in the trenches and, let me tell you, most of my partial and full requests came from said contests. In fact, my now agent, the wonderful Laura Zats, found me through #pitmad.

But now I've seen contests from the other side of the show, whether it be judging, or, in the case of this past month, organizing. And let me tell you, I was unprepared for the amount of work it can take to put together a contest. This was my first time putting together the Mystery Agent contest and it was stressful. I don't know how some people run much bigger contests on a regular basis!

So today, let's give a collective shout out to all those writers who host and help out behind the scenes with contests to give other writers a chance at landing their agent. I wouldn't be where I am today if not for those lovely people and they deserve all of the gratitude.

We are always told to give back to our community. And for many writers, this online collection of people at various stages of the writing and publishing process, is their community. So thanks to the writers who give back! We appreciate all of your hard work.

March Mystery Agent Contest Lottery!

Welcome to the lottery for our March Mystery Agent contest! Are your manuscripts polished and your pitches ready to go? We are looking for your twitter pitches, plus the first 250 words of your manuscript.

What is our Mystery Agent seeking?

Our Mystery Agent is searching for YA, MG, SF/F, Romance and Erotica

When can you enter?

Right now! The lottery will close Sunday March 1st at 11:59 pm CST.

How to enter:

•  Enter your name and email address in the Rafflecopter below.

•  Make sure you complete the last step in the Rafflecopter and email your entry to operationawesome6 (at) gmail (dot) com. Email the following in this format:

Name:

Email address:

Pen Name: (if applicable--this will be the name posted in the forum)

Genre:

Word Count:

Twitter Pitch: 

First 250 words:

Do you want to be included in the forum for feedback?

Important: Once you have completed this last step, type “Done” in step 3 of the Rafflecopter and click "Enter!" to complete your entry.

And that’s it.

Please enter only once and only if your manuscript is finished and query-ready.

The lottery will close Sunday, March 1 at 11:59 pm CST. Lottery winners will be posted here on the blog hopefully March 2 or 3. Apologies for this being late.

Twenty-five lucky entrants will be selected and not only will the Mystery Agent take a look at them for a chance to win fabulous prizes, but we'll be posting all 25 entries here on the blog on March 2 or 3 for cheerleading and constructive feedback. And last but certainly not least, the reveal, along with the to-be-announced prizes, will be posted here sometime in the month of March.

If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments. Also check out Wendy Nikel's interview with Melody Winter, also on the blog today! (We ended up having to double post).

Good luck!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Distribution of a Writer's Work

It would be nice if being a writer was just about writing, huh? Back when I was younger and still writing stories in my journals, that's what I thought. That authors just got to write all day long and spend their lives in their imaginations. And maybe sometimes they had to talk about their books. Maybe edit them a few times.

Lol, young me. You were so naive.

Today, here's what I've found to be the actual distribution of work.

Writing- 15%

Editing- 30%

Marketing and social media- 20%

Reading and Researching- 10%

Avoiding Writing- 15%

Getting Distracted by New Ideas- 5%

Crying and Watching Disney Movies- 5%

Maybe that last section is just me.

Whatever the case, so little of being an author involves writing the rough drafts of books. Editing takes an eternity. You have to constantly build your online presence. You clean the house to cure writer's block. You want to write anything but what you're supposed to. Sometimes you might get time to read a book. It can be tough.

But we still love it. As writers, we still put ourselves through this because, deep down, we really enjoy ourselves through the pain. Writer's block and editing are killer but the result is worth it as we push through. And that's the amazing thing about writers, isn't it?

Also...

NEWS ABOUT MARCH MYSTERY AGENT CONTEST

It is still happening but the rafflecopter might be going up a little bit late. I'll post it as soon as I can. If the schedule is a little pushed back, never fear! It will be happening! Just be on the look out if you're game for a contest soon!

It's the Middle of January; Do You Know Where Your Resolutions Are?

Well, do you?

I know not everyone is as organization-challenged as I am. I have some amazing organizational examples as blogmates here on Operation Awesome. But for me, it's generally a trick to remember, exactly what were those fifty goals I set on January 1st on the high of New Year fireworks? By the middle of the month, I'm awash in daily life and lucky if I remember to follow through with two or three of those original fifty.

If you're feeling a bit swamped by daily life, you're not alone. I'm right there with you. Fortunately for us, there are organizational genius like Abby who create downloadable spreadsheets entitled, "2015 Writing Goal Tracking Spreadsheet."

Yay, Abby! Does it get any better? I submit that it does not.

So while Abby's awesome tool helps you keep your writing goals, I'll just mention a new tool I've been using. It's called THE VISION BOARD.

It's not a storyboard. It isn't framed in filigree, although it could be. Shoot, it would be so much better in filigree. Don't judge me, Pinterest.

It's just a poster I made to include some of my favorite hopes and dreams, as cut out of magazines or as coined in clever phrases, like "Live Life On Purpose!" But mostly my vision board is personal. It's customized to me. I plastered the background with images of lush, green gardens; cozy, stone fireplaces; and rich, hardwood bookcases filled with treasured tomes. These are the places where I want to write. These are the inspirational images that lure my imagination from its daily-sludge hiding place.

Writing goals--or any goals, for that matter--ought not to be about the guilt you feel when you don't keep up, or even the totally awesome feeling you get when you reach them (though that is the huge payoff we all crave). Goals are about the journey. 

I may not have read all 500 something books on my bookshelves (one of my lofty previous New Year's Resolutions), but looking back on the past year, I can say that my time was well-spent. The journey took me through a pregnancy, the discovery of an amazing ancestor, a failed attempt to buy our first house (the one owned by that ancestor)... followed by a successful attempt to buy a different first house (one frankly more suited to us), and the birth of my fourth child. We enjoyed celebrating our first Christmas in our own, really-own place. I even made a construction paper fireplace.

We hiked, we danced, we camped, we watched sunsets, we randomly met old friends in unexpected places, and read a billion books that found us (ones that weren't on my to-read list, incidentally, so they don't count toward that goal). We lived. It was absolutely unusual and inspiring. And I wrote.

I could make a list of things that didn't happen. But that would be ungrateful. As the guru says, "Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans." Or maybe that was John Lennon.

Never be afraid to make those other plans. That's how the journey begins! Bon Voyage!

The NaNoWriMo Finish Line

Its the last day of NaNoWriMo and all over the world, writers are sprinting to hit their word goals. Many writers have already hit them and are collapsing into writing comas as we speak. I personally have written only a couple of words at a time since hitting my 50,000. My autumn of writing madness has burned me out, as it usually does.

But to all of you that have finished NaNo already- Congratulations! You did it! You wrote a whole novel in a month. That is a crazy accomplishment and you should be proud. Even if you don't like a single word you wrote. That's what editing is for after all. But for now, take a break.

I mean it. Lock up your manuscripts in a vault, or at the very least a folder on your computer that says DO NOT TOUCH. Go for a walk. Read a book. Reclaim your social life. Take a moment to breathe. You've done quite a bit of writing and you deserve to relax. I personally recommend setting your MS aside for at least a month before you look at it again. For one thing, it gives you your time and for another, it distances you from the manuscript.

And even if you didn't reach your word goal, that's okay. There's always next year. And every word counts. Fast drafting is a skill and its not required to be a successful writer. No matter what you wrote, be proud of it.

And now, if you'll excuse me, I have my own writing coma to fall into. That and final exams. *Shudders*

Happy NaNoWriMo!

NaNoWriMo Tips- Fresh Eyes

A little while ago, I talked about fast drafting and ways to power through a draft without second guessing yourself. One of my tips was turn your inner editor off.

Well, as I've discovered this NaNoWriMo, that advice is much better applied to completely new projects. When a project is fresh, its a lot easier to go crazy without checking back to make sure you're pacing it right or that your characters are likable. Though I always say outlining helps a lot with NaNoWriMo, no matter how much you outline, the story is still a surprise. You have nothing to compare it to yet. The editor in you won't really make an appearance until a few months later.

Not so with rewriting. This month, I decided to finally rewrite, from scratch, my first ever novel. This is my baby. The thing that, in effect, has been in progress since seventh grade. Yeah. That long. Seven years I guess. I didn't actually finish the first novel until I was fifteen, and ever since then I've been editing and rewriting and trying new things with it.

Well, this month I said, enough. I decided I would look on the story with fresh eyes and write it completely from scratch. But its hard to do that when the story is so close to your heart. You already know your characters and story so well, you judge every single word you write. Several times over this month, I've wanted to change things because I didn't feel like my characters were coming across in the right way. Four days into NaNoWriMo, I completely started over to change the point of view. Usually, starting over is a big no, no. And while I like the changes I'm making, writing them can be like wading through mud some days.

Long story short, I won't be using NaNoWriMo for a big redraft like this again. While I have powered through and I expect to hit 50,000 words today (thanks in part to a few 10,000 word sprints that have left me in a writing coma), its been a lot more of a struggle than usual. Next NaNoWriMo, I'm definitely going to start with a fresh concept.

So what is easiest for you to fast draft? Do certain genres work better for you when you speed write? And how is NaNo going for you so far?

Soldier on writers! You can hit that 50,000 words! And if you don't, that's okay too. At least you wrote something, and that is always a thing to be proud of.

The Key to Speed Drafting

Taking a break from my usual Reasons for Requesting or Rejecting, let's talk about speed drafting. We are, as we all know, only a couple weeks out from the start of National Novel Writing Month. The month of November in which every writer loses their social life. Everywhere, aspiring and established authors sit down in coffee shops or libraries or the isolation of their own bedrooms and try to crank out 1,667 words a day. Its a pretty daunting task, especially if you're not used to speed drafting.

But for me, speed drafting is the only way to write a book. Its just how my mind works. I tend to be very ADD and a book that sparks my fancy one month might lose my interest in the next. As such, I need to set goals for myself or I'd never finish writing a book. For every MS I've written, I have always written the majority of the first drafts in one month.

In fact, for the third year now, I am doing Octowrimo in addition to Nanowrimo. Its become an odd tradition now for me to have a 'Two book Autumn'. The first year, I started writing a novel in October and ended up finishing it because I wanted to start fresh on something for November. The second year I just got so excited about one new idea that I wrote it before September was out. I did Octowrimo after that and ended up getting too burned out to do Nanowrimo that year. And this year its Octowrimo again. I've done a lot of speed drafting so let's look at a few tips for how to crank out words fast.

1) Know Everything
Yep. Just know everything ever. Just kidding. But you do have to know everything about your world in characters. Establish everything in your head and get a good feel for the story you want to right. The better you understand your characters, the better they'll speak to you when you have to write about them. Your character might surprise you in the midst of the writing process. That's just what characters do. But you can at least TRY to know everything about them. Knowing your characters will especially help the dialogue flow. And knowing your world will make descriptions go a lot faster.

2) Outline
Seriously. I know that there are probably a lot of pantsers out there and if you absolutely, one hundred percent, can't outline, then don't. HOWEVER knowing the basic trajectory of your story can be very useful. For one thing, it influences how you write your beginnings, but more importantly, it gives you the ability to skip around.

For example, say you're having a lot of trouble writing this one scene. Its just not flowing at all. You're not in the mood. But there's this scene later in the book that you REALLY want to write at the moment. If you've outlined and you know where this scene fits in the story you can jump ahead and write that one. You can go back and fill in the blanks later. As long as the draft gets done, who cares what order you write it in. You're going to end up editing the crap out of it later anyway. And speaking of which...

3) Turn off that Inner Editor
Your speed drafts will be crap. This is a fact of life. The MS I'm writing right now? Hate it. Its awful. The dialogue prattles on for too long and there isn't nearly enough description. I use 'was' maybe ten times a page. I haven't even bothered to check on my punctuation.

But does that matter? Nope. Because the first draft isn't about making it perfect. Its about getting the thing down on paper. Your inner editor will be tempted to fix things. 'PLEASE let me go back and rewrite this chapter,' it will say. But you have to squash that voice down. Accept that your first draft will be crap, and you can let yourself go.

4) Find your Writing Time
In the end, none of this matters if you can't carve out a decent writing time. Find the place and time of day when you are most productive and lock yourself in. Inform your friends and family that you love them dearly but that you have to write. If they know you, they'll probably understand. And hey, if you write fast enough, you'll have time to spend with them later. But be intentional about when you are going to write. Don't dawdle and drift to youtube to watch cat videos. Sit down and get yourself typing. Because at 1,667 words a day, you'll have a novel by the end of the month. And that's pretty cool.

So are you prepping for Nanowrimo? If not, you really should try it out. Speed drafting might not be for you but at least you can say you tried it. And most people can't even say that. Happy typing!

You Can't Live a Dream

Being a writer has always been my dream. Guess what? I am a writer. I write nonfiction for my day job, and I write middle-grade fiction as a passion. I've even been published.

So why doesn't it feel like a dream come true?

Because you can't live a dream. You can only live real life.

There are dream-like moments -- getting an offer from an agent, a contract, an award, a bestseller (some of those remains dreams) -- but reality is much more mundane. Big contracts come with pressure and deadlines. So do small ones. So does self-publishing, only the people cracking the whip are readers who demand more.

Agents and editors and readers often don't have the same ideas as you do. They don't always like your latest work. There are reviews, returns, and unearned royalties along the way. There are disappointing sales and dropped contracts. There are empty book signings, readings that fall flat, endless blog posts, and internet controversies. Hopefully there is plenty of writing and more books along the way too.

Writing can be a good job or bad one. Well paid, poorly paid, or unpaid. It can be a very good life, and I'm grateful for the one I have. But it's always work.

So what about the other part of my dream -- a pot of dark-brewed coffee and a thousand words, a long walk on a crisp sunny fall day, another thousand words?

That's not real life. That's a writer's retreat.