Writers in the Storm

…and why they are important to writers

James Preston

You’re book people. Don’t try to deny it—I know you are.

And you like libraries. 

Not me. I love libraries. Big ones, little ones, mobile ones, they’re all wonderful, as far as I’m concerned. If I could get that “book smell” bottled, I’d wear it as an aftershave. (Right now my friends reading this are sending up prayers of thanks.)

Today I want to talk about your chances of getting your novel into libraries.

And you’ve all heard the stories. “Print is dead.” Oh, yeah? (That’s from Elon Spengler in Ghostbusters, a guy who collects mold, spores and fungus. I rest my case.)

It ain’t so. I’m here to dispel some myths about libraries and to talk about why they’re important to writers of all levels.

Why should you listen to me? Three reasons. First, I’m the writer of a series of thrillers called the Surf City Mysteries. Second, my books are in some libraries, not all, but some. Third, my background is on the other side of the fence too. I have a Masters in Library and Information Science from USC, and I’ve worked in the CSULB University Library.

And did I mention that I love libraries?

When I was in grade school in Fullerton, CA, our neighborhood was visited by a bookmobile. And it was great, a highlight of this kid’s life, truly, not only because there were books, lots of books, but also because there were reading challenges.

Well, that’s all gone now; you just tap a button on your smartphone and Bam! There’s the new Jayne Ann Krentz or Violet Winspear.

No! Don’t you believe it! Nossir, that bookmobile and many of its incarnations (more on that later) are alive and well and so are libraries.

Myth Number 1: Libraries are dying, because you have the sum total of human knowledge at your fingertips via your iPhone.

Nope. Why not? Why, because you have the sum total of our knowledge at your fingertips and it’s too much.

When I worked at the Cal State Long Beach Library, I ran the Reserve Book Room and Current Periodicals and filled in on the Information Desk as needed. A typical Information Desk question went like this: “Uh, hi. I want to do a term paper on the Civil War. Do you have any books?”

Tap that into your phone and see what you get! The problem is not finding information, it’s asking the right questions and finding useful information that answers those questions. If that kid ventures into the stacks, she’s going to find rows and rows and rows of books, literally countless articles, and that, friends and neighbors, is not counting the ever-popular web pages.

That’s one reason libraries are so important. Behind the desk there’s an expert who can gently ask questions to help the student narrow the topic and then suggest appropriate sources. The trick isn’t finding information, it’s finding the information you want.

That applies to fiction as well. If the question is, “What’s a good novel?” The expert behind the desk will ask questions that narrow the choices and point the user in the right direction.

Between 2015 and 2018, foot traffic in U.S. libraries has gone up almost 20%. Full disclosure: physical circulation for books and media is down, not by a huge amount, and those numbers are a bit more confusing, but the trend is clear. 

So what kind of books are circulating? 

Mystery and suspense	Adult print: 97%	ebook: 85%
General fiction	Adult print: 73%	ebook: 80%
Romance	Adult print: 73%	ebook: 49%

There are more categories, but these are the ones we are most concerned with. Note that these numbers are survey-based, and respondents can check more than one category, which accounts for the total being more than 100%. What matters, the takeaway from these numbers, is how well Romance and Mystery do. They’re the top of the list.

That means if you approach a library with a new romance novel, you stand a better chance than with other categories.

Myth Number 2: Novels by self-published authors or from micro presses can’t ever get into a library.

Okay, libraries are doing all right—the numbers support that. So you’re self-published or published by a small indie press. You have no chance, right? Wrong! (You probably guessed that; why would Writers in the Storm publish and essay that said, “You’re doomed. Give up now”?)

Let’s talk about how to make that approach, what has worked for me, and then briefly about a means of checking which libraries are stocking your pride and joy. I won’t kid you: The New York Public Library System is going to be a hard sell. But your local branch is another story.

A friend of mine I worked with at IBM is a techie and a marketing guru. One thing he says is, “Remember what you’re asking when you ask someone to buy one of your books.” It’s not the money, in most cases, it’s the time. You’re asking the buyer to spend six or more hours with your book. Remember what you’re asking a library too. Not time to read the novel, but time to catalog it, label it, and put it in the shelf. The only reason they will do that is if the book will attract readers, and of course, if you’re unknown how will they know that? Hmm. Can you spell “Catch-22"?

Your job is to convince the library that, as a local author, you have something to offer that other writers do not. In my case, it’s track record plus a unique bonus. Track record: I can tell you how many people came to each of my signings and where those signings were. You are keeping track of those numbers, right? (If the answer is “Uh, no, not really,” stop reading this essay, pull out that appointment book, and make some estimates. Okay there were four rows of chairs, ten chairs in each, and they were all mostly full, so call it forty people. Then come back to this essay.

You’re back? Good!

Next you need to get acquainted with the library staff. Attend book signings, greet staff members. Keep your eyes peeled for a Local Authors Day. You may have to pitch yourself for the upcoming year, but that’s all right. You’re playing a long game here. And do keep it non-threatening! I can’t emphasize that enough. Avoid introducing yourself with, “Hi, I’m here to sell you my novel. I’ll take a check.” Once the staff is comfortable talking to you and you with them, then mention your new book.

This sounds like a lot of work. Is it worth it? What’s the payoff?

If you’re in this game only to get rich, well, it may not be the best use of your time. But if, like me, you write to attract readers, it is most definitely worth it, perhaps not in terms of direct sales, but in terms of goodwill, the feeling that your work is worthwhile and that you are making a contribution to the ongoing story of our culture. 

One of the best moments of my writing career was when the Fullerton Public Library invited me to be part of their Local Authors Day. As I sat and signed books, I thought about that Bookmobile and I could feel the ongoing process, time and space flowing around me.

You can, with some luck and perserverance, do something like that, and, trust me, the feeling you get at that moment will sustain you through many nights where you wake up thinking, “I can never finish this story.”

Yes, libraries and bookmobiles are still going strong, delivering stories to those who might not have access otherwise. And it’s not always a bus or motor home. In South America there’s a gentleman who takes books to remote villages on his donkey. The Biblioburro is alive and well, plodding along remote pathways, carrying stories. Maybe someday he’ll carry one of mine, or yours.

Libraries are literally the repositories of our culture, keepers of the flame.

Did you grow up hanging around a library? Did you sign up for the Summer Reading Program? Did that program have challenges like, “Read a blue book,” or “Read a book about the state where one of your parents were born”? Have you successfully approached a local library to stock your books? Let’s hear about it!

References: See the web page data for 2019 (opens in a new tab)">Newshelvesbooks>data for 2019 for the full analysis of library usage. To see which libraries are stocking your books, try Worldcat.org>Search> your name or title.

About James

James Preston writes the multiple-award-winning Surf City Mysteries. His most recent work, however, is not part of that series. It’s a novella called Buzzkill, a historical thriller that Kirkus Reviews said is “enriched by characters who sparkle and refuse to be forgotten.” His work is collected by the UC Berkeley University library as part of their special collection, “California Detective Fiction.” For more about the stories, check out his web page, www.jamesrpreston.com. He can be reached at james@jamesrpreston.com. 

by Tasha Seegmiller

I’m in A LOT of Facebook writing groups. I suspect I’m not alone in this. It’s actually one of my favorite things about social media. 

One of the perks of being in so many groups is I get to see what people are wondering about. And the thing that has been showing up the most, lately, are questions like: 

• If I’m writing YA, should it be in past or present tense? 
• Do agents like first or third person more? 
• Will editors like my book if I switch POVs every chapter? 
• How many words are in a chapter? 

I get it. And I’m guessing if you are reading this, you have wondered or asked the same things before as well. You might be wondering now.

And in the kindest way possible, I want to say to each of you (yes, this includes me), these things don’t matter.

Really. 

Yes, there are suggested word lengths for certain kinds of books. And in the same breath that someone shares what they are, you will hear of an example of a wildly successful book that broke that guideline (even besides Harry Potter). 

But chances are something is going on in your story that you can’t quite figure out, something about character development or plot or pacing or setting or any number of other things that are missing their mark, and so, in order to find something resembling direction, we start asking quantitative questions. 

Friend? The answers to those questions aren’t going to fix the heart of the problem. 

Feel free to play around with past and present. Write a scene in first and then in third. Maybe it will unlock something. 

But, more likely, you will need to answer these questions: 

Who is your Character? 

Not what is their name or favorite color. I mean, when was the last time your character learned something new? Who does your character have to care for and who cares for your character? Do they know what love is? Have they experienced sorrow? Are they the kind of person always looking for a new adventure or does hanging out at home with tea and a book sound luxurious? There are all kinds of charts and forms and questionnaires to help people develop a character, and they likely help a lot of people. Use them, don’t use them. But please make sure you are leaning into the elements of character that elevate them from a stick figure to a person.

What does your Character Want? 

Sure, it’s fun for a character to have a favorite drink. They might have an imaginary friend no one accepts as real. Maybe they are a grown-up adult with kids and jobs and significant others and they want a nap. But remember, the thing that they want isn’t actually the thing they want. The person who wants the drink might want to sit back, let go, enjoy themselves for a minute (and really, that could go for everything from coffee to water to scotch). Is the kid with the imaginary friend creative or lonely? And how about that nap? 

Where would your Character Like to Be? 

Employed? Retired? At school? At home? In Italy? Remember, where can be both a physical place anda state of being. Maybe your character would like to be in a place where they are no longer triggered. Maybe they’d like to be on the most popular list. But of course, we know that where a character wants to be isn’t necessarily where they really want to be. Dive deep. Explore that. 

Once you have some answers for those questions, answer these: 

• Who do people think your character is? 
• What is preventing your character from getting what they want? 
• Why can’t your character be where they’d like to be? 

Got some side characters? Take some time to figure out their stories. An antagonist or two? Same thing (remember, often an antagonist is a protagonist to someone…). 

Then create your outline or get writing. Let the characters tell their stories. Get that all out in the world. And then, when you really know what is going on in your story, explore what format might work best for you, for them, for the story. And if it doesn’t work? Try something else. You aren’t etching these lines on stone, and no one needs to know how long it took you to get to where the story is working. And they don’t need to know how many times it took you to get it right. o

Do you have any other questions you ask yourself when you are stuck on a story? 

Tasha Seegmiller believes in the magic of love and hope, which she weaves into every story she creates. She is the president of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association and studying in the MFA in Writing Program at Pacific University, and teaches composition courses at Southern Utah University. Tasha married a guy she’s known since she was seven, is the mom of three teens, and co-owner of a cotton candy company. She is represented by Annelise Robey of Jane Rotrosen Agency.

by Tiffany Yates Martin

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about mental states—especially for writers. 

I don’t just mean in the current divisive, angry atmosphere that seems to have taken over so much of our world events, politics, even snarky neighbor exchanges on NextDoor—although that’s certainly corrosive and omnipresent enough. But life often offers a stream of traumas great and small that threaten to derail our creative impulses—family concerns, money worries, health matters, crises of confidence. The result, often, is that creative work suffers: we get writer’s block, or succumb to crippling self-criticism and doubt, or backburner our work-in-progress as a luxury there’s no time for.

Writers, I think, are more than usually sensitive to such things—do a search on existential depression (as I in fact recently did) and what repeatedly pops up near the top of the results are articles that link it to those who are “deep thinkers” or highly sensitive—two common traits of writers and other creatives.

So what do you do with all that angst that you, as a creative, as an extra-sensitive, deep-thinking, hyperaware artist, may be roiling with at various times of your life?

You use it.

Believe it or not, these powerful, uncomfortable emotions can make your writing even more impactful. As an editor, I’ve noticed a slew of art coming out recently that “leans in” to this unrest many of us may be feeling in the current environment, from books like Amulya Malladi’s roar against sexism

Many of us are wrestling with how to cope in the world—whether that’s a result of our current increasingly poisonous sociopolitical, ecological, and too often deeply personal environment, or life’s everyday speed bumps—financial, health, personal struggles that can derail even our strongest creative desires. 

The power in letting these struggles inform your work is that they are universal. Whether or not all your readers may be feeling all the same things now, chances are good they have wrestled with similar demons in the past: rage, betrayal, loss, regret...and forgiveness, acceptance, love…peace.

Bestselling author Allison Winn Scotch recently wrote a post for Writer Unboxed about how the current state of the world was affecting her as a writer—essentially shutting down her creative font for two years, until she looked straight into the face of the monsters tormenting her and channeled all that into her work, finding a new inspiration from that very unrest. She wrote her novel—which will be released next year—in six weeks.

The marvelous thing about spinning struggle into art is that, counterintuitively, it can make your struggles a bit easier. Letting your characters wrangle with a problem you’re wrangling with not only lets you channel all those difficult emotions into your work, thus infusing it with intimate, visceral feeling and passion; frequently it helps you work through it yourself at the “safe” remove of helping/watching your protagonists do the same. Their battle will help you understand and work through yours—and, in a truly beautiful perfect circle, they often will also help readers recognize and transform their own challenges.

How do you deal with life’s challenges, setbacks, and sorrows relative to your writing? I’d love to hear your tips—and let me know if I can share them (with or without attribution—let me know) to offer some practical strategies for authors. 

In more than 25 years as an editor, with major publishing houses as well as through her own FoxPrint Editorial, Tiffany Yates Martin has been privileged to help authors, from bestsellers to beginners, tell their stories as effectively, compellingly, and truthfully as possible. She presents editing and writing workshops for writers’ groups, organizations, and conferences and writes for numerous writers’ sites and publications. Get her free 13-page guide on how to find, vet, and hire a reputable professional editor here.