The year is almost over! Did I get anything done in the last 12 months? I’m not entirely sure… Now for a thoroughly non-book question to start off:
What is your favorite thing about the holidays?
Easy. Christmas movies. Especially White Christmas and Holiday Inn. I watch those two all year round.
Your turn! Ask me something good :]
Good morning, Megan!What’s your take on Christmas books/anthologies? I seem to be writing something set in December right now (gee, I wonder why?)but I’m determined to get the characters into Spring if it kills me.
I like them, personally. But I do think that sometimes this time of year can get rather crowded with titles…plus I never seem to have time for a lot of leisurely reading during the holidays! Though I generally prefer it if they are stand-alone books; I don’t know why but I’ve never particularly liked when the middle of a series is a holiday title. Or the whole series has to be holiday-esque. It’s probably my Type A showing :]
Hi Megan! This is your last Brava post for 2010. Any goals or predictions for 2011?
Ack! You know I hate prediction questions! I have the same general goal every year: Don’t do anything really stupid. This year I would also like to acquire some more YA books.
Hi, Megan,
Happy Holidays to you and all the Brava authors!
My question is about contests. My critique partners tell me I should enter them because they can be a great way to get your work in front of an agent or editor, assuming you final. But I wonder if editors really take them seriously. What’s your take?
Thanks!
Jenna
Certain contest have more credibility than others, but in general, I don’t put much store in any of them except for 2 or 3. I know some authors just don’t have the time/money/inclination to enter contests. Plus, winning a contest does not have any effect on how much I like the book. Taking on a new author is very personal for me–I only take projects I love. No amount of accolades can make me like a manuscript more. Have you ever picked up a book that said “NYT bestselling author,” read it, and thought, “I guess it worked for some people…but I won’t be buying this author again.” Same thing.
There are two instances I think contests are helpful. One: if you are trying to reach an editor at a house that only accepts agented manuscripts, and you are unagented. If you see they are judging a contest, that can be a good way to get your work in front of them. But I accept unagented and unsolicited manuscripts, and almost all agents are the same.
Two: contests can give you a chance to get professional feedback for revision. However, I often see what I call “contest syndrome”: the first 3 chapters are great because the author has gotten a lot of feedback and done some good revising, but the rest of the manuscript hasn’t had that benefit and is a disaster. Be careful.
I’ve bought exactly one author from a contest. I judge about 5 a year, sometimes more. Assuming 3-5 entries per contest, that’s somewhere around 100 contest entries I’ve seen since I’ve been at Kensington. For perspective, I buy 4-5 authors every year out of roughly 300 regular submissions. By those odds, you have a much better chance with me by just submitting.
Hi Megan! *waving*
Christmas Vacation and A Christmas Story are favorites around my house, although Elf and Jingle All the Way are up there too… (Can you tell I have two teens and we like to laugh? LOL)
But my favorite part of the holidays is the music!!! I sing and I end up being crazy busy because my singing schedule goes crazy, but it’s worth every minute when you see the joy it brings to people’s faces. I really love when they sing along too…
I hope 2011 is a great year for you and yours! Thanks for all the great advice and information you offered up this year!
Lisa
Very interesting! Thanks for your stats on contests!
Do you think contest finals or wins on a query letter at least alert you that the writer is serious about her/his craft?
Thanks again for the info!
Lisa
Apparently I posted this in the wrong place! *BLUSH* Yeesh! LOL
This was in response to your comment about contests…
Lisa
I tried to post in the ‘right’ place and it still didn’t end up there!
Dale
Hi Dale! *waving*
Glad it wasn’t just me! LOL
Oh well, we tried , right?
Lisa
By all means, mention them in query letters. It shows me you are at least tapped in to the romance network and are probably thinking of this as a career and not a one-off. I’m just saying that it’s not going to sway me into liking the ms.
And I knew where you meant to post it. I’m quick like that :]
Okay I know I clicked in the right spot this time, we’ll see where my comment shows up! LOL
Good thing you’re quick like that Megan!
Silly blog comments… Yeesh!
Thanks for the info!
Lisa
Hi Megan,
I had no idea that you would accept unagented material! There’s such a misconception about agents/editors that so many writers think ‘this’ is the way things are done. Now I know different!
What kind of YA are you looking for? I’ve written five this last year and am just starting revising. My muse was very insistent throughout 2010.
Happy Holidays by the way!
Dale
All the editors at K do. I’ve picked up a fair amount of unagented authors, too.
My tastes in YA are pretty similar to my romance interests: I’m good with paranormal, historical, or contemporary, but no sci-fi. And not too “Oprah-esque”: I like authors like Meg Cabot, Libba Bray, Melissa Marr, Stephanie Perkins, but I’m not particularly interested in things like ROOM by Emma Donoghue.
But I can’t take anything from you until we know the result of the Brava contest!
That’s good to know – obviously I have to wait a bit then to send anything
but would you prefer the unagented submission to be by email or hard copy?
Dale
I like e-subs. Much easier for me to organize. But make sure you add my email to your contacts or check spam regularly (you should do this with everyone you submit to.) Otherwise you might miss a reply!
Megan, thank you so much for this information. I can’t tell you how much it means to me and all the other aspiring authors out there.
Jenna
Hi Megan–thanks for your post! I appreciate your thoughtful answers.
I’m leaping away from the publishing world for my question. There’s something I’ve been wondering about ever since I started re-listening to the Harry Potter audiobooks–and since I’ve seen on Twitter that you are moderately fond of HP
, I thought you might know.
At the end of the first book, Voldemort becomes smoke/spirit with Quirrel’s death. Yet at the beginning of the fourth book, he’s a gross little homunculus. How did he get that corporeal body?
Thanks! Next time I’ll have a publishing question, I swear. But this has been eating at me ever since I started Goblet a couple of weeks ago!
You don’t have to stick to publishing questions! That’s why it’s called “Ask Me Anything” :]
I always assumed it was some sort of magic he did with Wormtail’s help. He still had to do the spell with Harry to gain back his full body, but he could be at least corporeal with this and Nagini’s milk. I’m not sure she ever explains it completely.
Great, thanks! Good to know I didn’t miss anything major. I’m in awe of Rowling’s plotting; I think this is the only plot question I’ve ever thought of since she completed the series.
Now I can set my mind at ease and move on to the Triwizard Tournament. I wonder who could have put Harry’s name in the goblet?
Ooh! You’ll be surprised when you find out! Goblet of Fire was my fave!
I like it too, Brooklyn Ann! This is a reread (actually, a re-listen since I’ve got the audiobook this time). But just like you, the first time I read it, I was shocked. So tricky, J.K. Rowling!
Hi Megan,
What is your assessment of the demand among editors for Regency romances from new authors? Do editors generally like to have a certain number of authors writing each particular genre for them?
Oh, and my favorite thing about the holidays? The Christmas tree. I enjoy the overall beauty of a decorated tree as well as the meaning behind certain ornaments…whether the kids made them when they were younger or a close friend gifted them. Many of the ornaments have a story behind them and, in a way, the Christmas tree recalls a shared family history which makes it all the more meaningful.
Happy Holidays~
I assume we are talking Regency-era, not traditional Regencies (with no sex). I don’t think editors have an particular number we are trying to hit in each genre, but every project we take on has to be able to stand out from other ones already on our list. With historicals, I’m not particularly concerned about the era unless it’s medieval, because I don’t tend to separate out other eras when pitching to sales (knowing if it’s Edwardian or Georgian is not going to really help them). Instead, when I read a new story, I have to feel that the author’s voice is different from my other authors.
The same is true of other genres. For paranormal, I’m happy to look at shapeshifter stories, but you’ve got some tough competition already on our list, so making yourself stand out from the likes of Shelly Laurenston, Cynthia Eden, and Dani Harper is going to be a tall order. So a good way to put it is that while I’m not looking for a certain number of authors in each genre, at the same time, if you pick a sub-genre that we’ve got a lot of, I’m probably less likely to pick it up, simply because it will be too similar.
Hi, Megan,
Hmm. My favorite thing about the holidays is probably all the beautiful holiday decorations people put out, especially the ones with lights. I guess I’m still a kid at heart.
I also love how people, in general, are nicer to each other this time of year. 
Hope you have a joyous holiday season!
Faye
I noticed Kensington’s website says if you don’t get a response on your query then that’s a ‘no.’ I was wondering if you should assume the same thing if an editor requested a full manuscript and has not sent you a response in five months or responded to a follow up e-mail? I know you said that personally you always send a response to avoid all the follow up e-mails, but is it the same with the other editors at Kensington?
Thanks for taking more questions!
Jenny
If the editor requested the full, you should get a response. We say “no response is a no” about queries because it’s silly for some editors to waste time responding to things they have absolutely no interest in (I don’t get as many as some people, so I still respond). But asking for a full is showing interest. Depending on the editor, five months is about middle of the road for response times (at K, most eds are between 3-6 months). Be aware, we have a NOTORIOUSLY fickle spam filter, so there is no guarantee they got the follow up email, or the original submission, if you send it via email. As it’s mid-December and our office closes from Christmas to New Year’s, I would wait until the first week of January and call and ask to be connected to that editor’s assistant (tell them you are calling because you are afraid your emails are going to spam). They should be able to tell you if the submission was received and when you can expect a response.