The holidays are almost here. Hooray! I can finally take a nap! :]
Are you a plan-ahead gift shopper or a last-minute gift shopper?
Plan ahead. I have so many people to buy for that it doesn’t make sense, sanity-wise and budget-wise, to wait. I had about 90% of my shopping done last week.
Ok, ask away!
Let’s get right to it, shall we?
How much does an author’s platform matter?
It matters very little to me initially. As long as the author is willing to work on things like creating a website, Facebook, etc, leading up to pub, then I really don’t care if you have it when I contract your manuscript. I only look at websites or Google you once I’ve already fallen in love with the manuscript, to make sure you don’t seem totally wacko (I have yet to see something that made me not buy the manuscript). If I don’t find anything, that’s fine. Better than finding lots of negative things.
Bottom line: I’ve bought lots of awesome manuscripts where the author’s platform is nonexistent. I’ve NEVER bought a mediocre manuscript because the author’s platform is great. It’s all about the manuscript.
What would you like to know? :]
So I think I’ve finally recovered from RWA. A great time, but exhausting. On Saturday I woke up feeling like I’d been hit by a truck. Luckily, I had gotten some new books to help me relax!
It’s no secret that you are a hardcore Harry Potter fan. What are you doing for the final movie?
My best friend is coming into town and we are going to make it a Harry Potter weekend. We’re going to go to the exhibit here in NYC, then have a movie marathon, then head out to the theater. I don’t know if we’ll have time to watch all the movies before Part 2, but we are going to try!
It’s funny that I love these so much now, because I was initially very resistant to reading them. I was adamant that I didn’t want to read “some fad book.” (To be fair, many of the “fad books” before Harry Potter were either self-help or Oprah-type fiction, so I had never really read with the crowd, so to speak.) Then a friend in college dared me to read the first book and then stop. I ended up reading the first four books in two weeks. (I have a very vivid memory of reading Chamber of Secrets over a long weekend when the dorm was mostly empty. I was up until 3 in the morning finishing it and was scared to look down sinks for several weeks.) I was at midnight parties for 5, 6, and 7.
I’ve read them more times that I can remember, and these will be the first books that I plan to buy in ebook and print. I can’t wait until I have the whole series at my fingertips! Because they are too heavy to be constantly lugging around :]
So what questions do you have for me on this summer Friday?
So apparently I’ve gotten a reputation as someone who constantly recommends books. I heard this from a colleague in the industry, no less. And it’s completely true. I love to get other people reading books I couldn’t put down. Lest you think I’m a commercial, never fear; I recommend lots of stuff from other publishers that I’ve read in my spare time. That leads to today’s question:
What’s in your TBR pile?
My TBR pile is massive. I was contemplating how long I could survive on a desert island with needing new reading material; figuring I could read 3 books a day (which is conservative), I could go more than a month. And since I’m not stranded in the middle of nowhere, I’m constantly adding to the pile! Here are some highlights, in no particular order:
galley of Abandon by Meg Cabot
Tangled by Mary Balogh
Entwined by Elisabeth Naughton
Deadly Lies by Cynthia Eden (I am honestly TERRIFIED to read this. I know it’s going to scare me to death, so I’m waiting until summer, when there are fewer hours of darkness.)
A photography how-to book for beginners (I am determined to learn how to actually use all the nice features on my camera.)
Wild Card by Lora Leigh
Hunger Untamed by Pamela Palmer
Duke of Shadows by Meredith Duran
The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa
Lover Unleashed by JR Ward
Vampire Mine by Kerrelyn Sparks
Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs
Evermore by Alyson Noel
Here are some books that were recently upgraded from the TBR pile to Keeper shelf:
When Beauty Tamed the Beast by Eloisa James
Unveiled by Courtney Milan
The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
And of course, all the manuscripts I have from my authors and all the Kensington books I get at the office. I never thought it was possible, but sometimes I actually get sick of reading now! I come home and think, “Can’t I just veg out in front of the TV?”
But enough about me. What questions do you have today?
Is it spring yet? I’m ready for sunshine and warm weather! You’d think I’d get more reading done in the winter, having to stay inside all the time…not so much.
Which conventions/conferences are you planning on attending in 2011? What are some good conference etiquette tips?
Currently, I’m scheduled to attend RT, RWA, and NECRWA in Salem, MA. I try to limit my conferences to one a month, no more than 4 a year, because 1) they’re very draining for me, and 2) I do have a husband and dog at home, both of whom would be very sad if I worked every weekend.
Tips! I did a whole post about pitching you can read here. Here are some Dos and Don’ts for conferences:
DON’T attempt to pitch your book to an agent/editor in the bathroom, elevator, or while walking furiously down the halls (they probably have someplace to be!). DO ask for a card, so you can send us a query/partial.
DON’T approach an ed/agent in line for coffee in the morning. We have not been properly caffeinated yet. We will try to respond nicely and coherently because it’s the professional thing to do, but we will not entirely succeed. You have been warned. DO talk to us in any other line. Waiting goes by much faster if you are having a good conversation.
DON’T make us feel like we have a target on our backs. Being pitched to at every turn can make us feel as if we are victims in some horrible telemarketing seige. DO ask us what we are reading, talk about which author you are excited to see, or engage in basically any conversation topic that is not pitching and/or leading questions (e.g. “So, are you currently looking for paranormal romances?” We aren’t fooled. We know this is just a prelude to a pitch.). We will be grateful for the respite.
DON’T be so intent on getting a request from us that you don’t listen to what we are saying. We can spot this type a mile away. The conversations go something like this:
Author: “I have a time-travel women’s fiction that is 60,000 words.”
Agent/Ed: “Oh, time travel really isn’t my thing.”
Author: “Oh, it’s not time travel so much as fantasy.”
Agent/Ed: “Well, this isn’t really the type of women’s fiction that I’m interested in.”
Author: “It’s really more romance than women’s fiction. I know you do a lot of romance.”
Agent/Ed: “60,000 words is too short. I’m targeting 80,000-100,000 words.”
Author: “Oh, I can easily expand it to that length if you like it.”
Are you annoyed yet? Because the Agent/Ed definitely is. We’ll request it because we can see the author isn’t going to take “no” for an answer, and by this point we just want to be rid of you. And then we will send you a rejection. DON’T be this person! (I meet at least one every conference.) DO be confident, not pushy, and if we say the project isn’t right for us, accept it.
DON’T be too shy or too afraid to come up to us. Believe it or not, a lot of us are also introverts (we got in the business because we love to read, not because we love people.). We are more terrified of you than you are of us. Don’t believe me? See all these DON’Ts? They have all happened to us or someone we know. DO remember that we are people, too! And as we are at the same convention as you, the likelihood of us having something in common is HIGH.
DON’T spend every single moment trying to further your career. It’s tiring and stressful, and no one wants to be around someone who’s constantly trying to “make the most” of the conference. DO have some fun! Go to a workshop or party just because you want to, not because you’ve got an angle (“Oh, I can meet this agent here and this author here…” etc). You are in a place with free chocolate and free books. It’s not supposed to be all business all the time. (Though I do caution against going hog wild. Getting fractured and throwing up on an agent, for example, is probably not the best way to say, “Please take me on as a client. I am a professional.”)
DON’T jam-pack your schedule so full that by the end of Day 1 you are too tired for Day 2, Day 3, etc. DO accept that you can’t do everything. If you can, find a note-taking buddy with similar interests and split up workshops with her. You go to one, she goes to another, and you share notes. (This strategy is mainly for bigger conferences where there are multiple workshops in each time slot. ) And DO take some quiet time every day. I go to my room every afternoon for an hour or so and take a nap, or just lie down with my eyes closed and rest.
Now, what questions do you have?
I cannot think of a clever way to start this post today, so let’s just get right to it:
Do you have your own e-reader? Do you prefer print books or e-books?
Yes, I have a Kindle, provided by Kensington. I think it’s a great tool for reading submissions and my own authors’ manuscripts, and I do download a lot of free books (usually ones that are free for a few days as a promotional tool, not just public-domain titles). But in the year that I’ve owned it, I have yet to actually purchase a book to read on it. Now, before you go thinking that I am a “print book snob,” as I like to call it, understand that I buy very few books to begin with. In an average year, I probably buy 8 books.
Why? One, I get a lot of free copies from conferences and around the office. Two, I am a regular at my local library. Between the two, I have more reading material that I need, so it’s not essential that I buy a book in order to read it.
The books that I do buy are usually a continuation of series I already own in print. Confession: I am a bit OCD. If I own part of the series in print, I can’t buy the rest in e-format. It doesn’t match! And although I love my e-reader, I am paranoid about technology changing (or breaking) and me losing any books that I purchase on it.
As far as preferred reading experience, I find that for the way I read, the two are pretty much the same. Though print books do have that nice book smell that the Kindle is lacking :]
So for now, I have a foot in both worlds, so to speak. I’ll happily use the reader for work or if someone sends me a book for free, but I buy print books for my keeper shelf.
Now it’s your turn! Ask me something.
2011 is here! Though because we schedule more than a year ahead, I feel like it’s been here for a while now. I actually accidentally wrote the date as 2012 the other day. Not my best day, mentally speaking. Anywho, the starter question today is:
Do spelling and grammar really matter? Can’t we just take care of that in copyedits?
Don’t kid yourself. OF COURSE THEY MATTER. One, it shows knowledge of and respect for your craft. Two, excessively bad spelling and grammar are distracting, and can overpower the actual story.
I like to compare it to an job interview. If you show up with a scuffed shoe (i.e. a typo) or chipped nail polish (grammatical error) , it will probably be okay. It’s not going to take away from you or your skills (read: the plot). But if you show up in torn jeans and a t-shirt with massive sweat stains, plus you haven’t showered in 3 days, no one is going to take you seriously. In fact, they’d probably be running in the opposite direction.
So don’t make editors run away. Make a good faith effort to correct grammatical and typographical errors.
And now, your questions!
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 :]
Can you believe we are less than two weeks away from Thanksgiving? Craziness! Though I do like any excuse to eat pie….
With all the exposure authors now have on the Internet, what’s considered appropriate behavior? What’s a definite no-no?
This varies from house to house, but a general rule of thumb is to ask yourself, “If I worked in an office setting, would I say this to my co-workers and boss?” (Though, working in romance, I say things to my co-workers that I’m pretty sure would be considered inappropriate/harassment elsewhere.) What you need to remember is that being an author is a job. Sending in your manuscript is like sending your resume. If I love it, but then I Google you and find something that makes me think I really couldn’t work with you, I’ll pass.
Now, don’t panic. I expect you to have a personality. I would never say, “Oh, this person is a *insert team here* fan? No thank you!” But there are a few triggers that make me think twice:
Bashing your publishing house (especially if you are still under contract)
Ranting about agents or eds when you don’t seem to have a reasonable gripe
Saying things like, “I’m already late on my deadline, but I just can’t do it today. I’m going shopping!”
Things that indicate you are a diva/high maintenance author (“This ed took 24hrs to respond to my question! Why did it take so long”)
Things that indicate you have really inflated expectations (“I can’t wait until I’m on Oprah.”)
TMI (specifics of your sex life, bowel movements, etc).
From what I’ve seen, most authors are very good about their online personalities. Just remember that whatever you say will be there a long time…you don’t want to regret what you’ve said 10 years from now.
Okay, your turn! Ask away.
A note: I only answer questions for a few days after posting. It’s just too time-consuming to keep up throughout the month! I will check the comments through Tuesday, Nov 16th. If you’re reading this after that date and would like to ask a question, keep an eye out for my next blog. I’m here the second Friday of the every month.
Hello my lovelies! Can you believe it’s October already? I have a very schizophrenic wardrobe this time of year…sweaters one day, t-shirts the next. But let’s get to the questions!
What do you look for in a pitch?
Authors get very nervous about pitches–it’s not unusual to have a shaking person sitting in front of me. I don’t put much store in pitches. Your pitch tells me nothing about your writing style, so I almost always request to see some pages. The times that I don’t request, it’s because of an issue with the project itself…it’s NEVER because the person delivered their pitch poorly or wasn’t “interesting enough.”
Reasons I don’t request:
Manuscript is too short for our imprints
Manuscript is not a genre Kensington publishes
Manuscript is not my personal interest (in this case, I give an author the name of another editor at Kensington)
Plot sounds too much like another project I have under contract
That’s pretty much it. If you do your research, you’ll get a request from me. Occasionally, I request a project even if it falls into one of these categories. Why? Because as hard as it is for you to hear “no,” it’s even harder for us to say it to you in person. Authors sometimes forget that just because I’m rejecting your project, that doesn’t mean I’m rejecting you as a person. And just because it’s not right for me doesn’t mean it’s not right for another editor or house.
So what information do I really want in a pitch?
Word count. This is essential. Kensington doesn’t publish category length romance, so I’d prefer not to waste my time with a story that is simply too short. (and don’t say, “But it could be expanded.” If you think it should be longer, revise and then pitch it to me. If not, accept that the book is too short for K and research other houses.)
Targeted imprint. If you aren’t familiar with Kensington’s imprints, you shouldn’t be pitching to me. If you think your book is in that in-between place where it could go into two possible imprints, say that. But don’t look at me blankly when I ask you where this would fit on our list.
Genre. Where would this go in the bookstore? YA? Contemporary? Paranormal? Just tell me. Don’t make me infer from the rest of your pitch.
All of this info can be conveyed in one sentence at the beginning of your pitch, yet you’d be surprised how many authors skip right to their story. I need context.
Remember, in the pitch session, YOU are the expert. I know absolutely nothing about your book. If you mess up, I’ll never know! If pitching is just too nerve-wracking for you, send me an email query instead. Pitching doesn’t rank you higher in my book, so why not take the route you are more comfortable with?
And after that rather lengthy answer, it’s time for your questions! I am unfortunately out today without access to the Internet, but if you leave your questions here for me, I will answer them all on Monday.
