Writers in the Storm

Susan Spann

The year is drawing to a close, but our series on anthology contracts is going strong. Today, it’s time to say “show me the money” - and look at some of the different royalty structures in the anthology world.

Some anthologies pay the contributors royalties, while others offer a flat fee, and still others pay contributors nothing. Some give profits to charities, or non-profit organizations; other anthologies are organized for private profit. Only you, the contributing author, can decide which structure(s) work for you—and often, the acceptable royalty structure will vary with the work and the anthology in question. The keys are:

1. When it comes to royalties, anthologies vary
2. Know, and evaluate, the royalty terms before you commit.

Always ask--and get a clear answer--about the royalty structure before you contribute your work to an anthology. Make sure you have a written anthology contract, and that it states, with clarity, how the publisher will handle the sales proceeds and who will receive them.

Even if the anthology doesn't pay royalties to contributing authors, the contract should state who receives the money earned on anthology sales.

What Does it Mean if the Contract Says Authors Receive "Consideration"?

"Consideration" is the legal term for value a person receives in return for entering into a contract. By law, every contract must have consideration, but it doesn’t have to be money. Consideration can take the form of money, rights, an exchange of promises, or a unicorn—it’s any (legally permitted) thing of value (physical or non-physical) that the person signing the contract agrees to accept. One court famously stated that "even a peppercorn will do" if that's what the signatories agree on.

In many publishing contracts, the "consideration" is money. In anthology contracts, consideration can be money, or it can be the fact that the story appears in the anthology (with or without some free author copies too).

What should an anthology consideration or royalty paragraph look like?

If the author does not receive payments or royalties on sales of the work, the anthology contract language will probably look a lot like this:

CONSIDERATION. Consideration of the Author’s Work for possible publication in the Anthology and, if appropriate, inclusion of the Work in the Anthology constitutes the full and complete compensation due to Author by [Publisher], under this Agreement or otherwise. No additional compensation is due Author whether or not [Publisher] ever Publishes, distributes, markets, or sells any copies of the Anthology. If the Author’s Work appears in the Anthology, [Publisher] will also provide Author with [some real number of] complimentary copies of the first edition of the Anthology, in printed format, after publication. Author acknowledges that no royalties are due, payable, or owed to Author on sales of the Anthology, regardless of the number of copies of the Anthology produced, printed, and/or sold. All receipts from Anthology sales will be received by Publisher, and all profits will be donated to Charity X.

Note that the language includes the important elements relating to royalties:

1. It explains what the author receives: "inclusion in the Anthology (if appropriate)” and “author copies." This is the author's consideration.
2. It states whether or not the author will receive royalty payments: "no royalties are due, payable or owed to Author..." So, in this case, the author gets no royalties.
3. It states who gets the money earned on sales of the anthology: "All receipts from Anthology sales will be received by Publisher, and all profits will be donated to Charity X."

If the author does receive payments or royalties, that language must appear in the contract. Often, with paying anthologies, the paragraph is titled “Royalties” or “Author Payments” instead of “Consideration.”

The contract may also allow the author to purchase copies of the anthology at a reduced price, and may specify whether or not the author can re-sell those copies at a profit.

Whether or Not to Participate in Non-Royalty-Bearing Anthologies is a Business Decision for the Author Alone.

Ask three different people whether or not you should publish your work in non-royalty bearing anthologies, and you'll get at least three answers (more, if you ask a lawyer).

Sometimes, it makes business sense to participate in a non-royalty-bearing anthology.

People do die of "exposure," but for authors seeking to increase their publishing credits, anthologies often offer a chance for good exposure—the kind that generates revenue by introducing other authors’ readers to your work.

Non-royalty-bearing anthologies may also provide financial benefits to nonprofit organizations and charities, allowing contributing authors to "give back" to groups that benefit a larger community, without directly costing the author money.

Finally, non-royalty-bearing anthologies may offer a chance to participate in a project that was never designed to generate a profit. Some anthologies sell at cost, or get distributed free of charge, as a service to certain communities or to readers. Here, the author knows from the start that the anthology is not intended to generate profits. (Note: even here, the contract should state what happens to profits or proceeds the anthology does generate.)

Some authors don’t contribute to projects unless the anthology offers royalties. Others elect to publish in non-royalty bearing projects aligned with their personal goals. As long as you know up front what kind of situation you're entering into, the choice is yours--and yours alone--and you should treat it as a business decision, taking all of the relevant facts and circumstances into account.

Ultimately, the choice to participate is less important than making sure, if you do participate, that you have a proper contract and that the publisher is direct and up-front about where the money is going.

How do you feel about royalty payments for anthologies?
Susan Spann writes the Shinobi Mysteries, featuring ninja detective Hiro Hattori and his Portuguese Jesuit sidekick, Father Mateo. Her debut novel, CLAWS OF THE CAT (Minotaur Books, 2013), was a Library Journal Mystery Debut of the Month and a finalist for the Silver Falchion Award for Best First Novel. The fourth Shinobi Mystery will release from Seventh Street Books in August 2016. Susan is the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers’ 2015 Writer of the Year, and also a transactional attorney whose practice focuses on publishing law and business. When not writing or practicing law, she raises seahorses and rare corals in her marine aquarium. Find her online at http://www.SusanSpann.com, on Twitter (@SusanSpann), and on Facebook (SusanSpannAuthor).

 

Writers are all about the process. Whether you’re a pantser or a plotter; if you write early in the morning or whenever and wherever you can; to music or in silence; with your favorite duck PJs on inside out and the must-have mug of coffee, we all have our quirks. And we swear by those quirks. After all, if the quirks come together and result in a completed manuscript (triple bonus points for manuscripts that sell), they’re worth gold, or your first born, or both.

So yeah, I’ve been kinda smug with my process. I “meet” my characters in fits and spurts then let them loose to run the asylum until the story is done in a messy, chaotic first draft. Then I start organizing and plotting, complete with color coded index cards taped on the wall and color pens marking up the hard copy. I call it the pantser with suspenders approach. I pants the first draft but I’m a methodical plotter after that.

Imagine my dismay when I started on the new project and the process. Did. Not. Work. Instead of twirling around and sharing their stories, the characters sat quietly in their chairs waiting for me to tell them who to dance with. So I turned up the music and waited. And still they sat.

My process was broken. Not even my Minion duct tape could fix this. Oy!

Now what? I tried outlining once and became so completely word-constipated that I swore I’d never do it again. But desperate times and such … nope, that didn’t work. I sat and stared at the stinking blinking cursor for two full days. Then tapped a pen to notepad for another two days.

I did what any card-carrying, neurotic writer would do at this point—consult every author I know for tips on their process and practically spit-shined my toilets and kitchen.

Step one was to figure out why this manuscript wasn’t flowing the way the others had. Somewhere between evicting dust bunnies and wrestling the vacuum cleaner, it came to me.

For starters, this one has a historical element that requires research. While other stories may have had flashbacks to days of old, they were fleeting and easy to pull out of my imagination. This story requires me to go to a time and place I’m not familiar with. Not to mention a time and place that’s highly emotional.

Then there’s the structure of the story. The manuscript that just sold has chapters that jump back to the main character’s childhood. But it was still her POV. This one jumps back two generations. In the previous book, I added the flashback chapters in the second draft. It was easy to see where I needed them to help move the story forward. But in order to write this book, I need those chapters NOW.

The solution—at least for now—seems to be index cards. And duct tape keeping those cards in order on my office door. I brainstormed each chapter on a card and moved them around until the flow felt right. The cards don’t feel as permanent as an outline (it’s all in my head, I know that, but it’s a happy place for now so give me that small win) and by keeping the notes focused on specific elements rather than spelling out everything in that chapter, I don’t feel like they encroach on the freedom of the story to unfold.

My broken process has been successfully patched together. Slap on the smug mug again.

Except it didn’t last long. Because in addition to the WF manuscript, I also just started a middle grade book. And the process that seems to now be working for the WF is causing major word-hiccups with the MG book. And pantsing that one has turned up negative words (it’s possible, trust me). Looks like I’m a MG plotter. Go figure.

What I learned—in addition to stellar toilet cleaning techniques—is that it’s okay for my process to morph. And that if my usual method isn’t working, there’s a reason for it. Analyzing what about the story is stumping forward progress is critical to figuring out how to patch a new process together.

What about you—didn’t your process fail you on a given project? Has it changed over the years or been consistent? If you write in multiple genres, does one approach work?

About Orly

After years of pushing the creativity boundary in corporate communications, Orly decided it was time for a new challenge. Three women’s fiction manuscripts later (plus a handful of picture books), it’s safe to say she’s found her creative outlet. When she’s not talking to her imaginary friends, she’s reading or at least trying to ignore everyone around her long enough to finish “just one more paragraph.” Orly is the founding president of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association. She is rep’d by Marlene Stringer, Stringer Literary Agency LLC.

Orly’s debut novel, The Memory of Hoofbeats, will be released by Forge in 2017.

You can find her on Twitter at @OrlyKonigLopez or on her website, www.orlykoniglopez.com.

Margie Lawson

Surprise! Today’s blog is on wrangling time, not words. But don’t stop reading!

I added examples from an ARC of THE DIRT ON NINTH GRAVE, by NYT Bestseller, and Immersion-Grad, Darynda Jones.

I bet you’ll agree, the examples are super-stellar!

I promise to keep the wrangling time part of the blog short. You’ll get to the fun examples soon!

Power Punch Your 15 Minutes!

Think writing-related.

What could you do in 15 minutes? Here’s a starter list of easy power-punch items:

1. List all character names and nicknames. Check for similarities.  If you read The Lovely Bones, did you notice similarities in three character’s names?  Lindsay Salmon. Grandma Lynn. Len Fenerman.
2. Brainstorm titles.
3. Write one setting.
4. Write one character description.
5. Circle power words in one chapter. Words that carry psychological power.
6. Check for backloaded sentences in one chapter. When possible end sentences with a power word.
7. Check for no-power words, words like it, this, and that. When possible nix, and add specificity.

Want to dig deeper?

8. Do a find on overused facial expressions (i.e., smiles, frowns, smirks, grimaces) and make notes to write them fresh.
9. Find dialogue cues, categorize them (Tone, Inflection, Pitch, Quality, Volume, Rate). Learn your top two dialogue cue categories. Make notes to rewrite any dialogue cues that are clichéd or predictable.
10. Read several pages out loud and take deep edit notes on cadence, echo words, throw away words, dialogue that needs to be differentiated, too much backstory, pacing…
11. Label your rhetorical devices. Check for your go-to RDs, and missed opportunities.

12. Track where you’ve threaded emotion and built up to visceral responses.
13. Put NYT by any phrases, sentences, or paragraphs that are so awesome they’ll boost your toward a contract, bigger sales, or a bestseller list!

Writers who’ve taken my Defeat Self-Defeating Behaviors class posted 30 to 40 writing-related things they could do in 15 minutes. Add to your list.

How to Power Punch Your 15 Minutes!

1. Attitude: Think positively. You can make 15 minutes count. It’s doable.
2. Anticipate: Take a couple of minutes each morning to sharpen your saw for the day.

Where do you have to go?

When will you have 15+ minutes of downtime?

3. Prepare: Print your current scene or chapter, or a previous one, or both. Put them in a folder in your Writer-to-Go Bag.

If you have feedback from critique that you haven’t had a chance to review – put it in your folder too.

           Grab your laptop or iPad.

Where you can Power Punch Your 15 Minutes!

-- In Waiting Areas – doctor, dentist, hair stylist, the tire place, motor vehicle registration. You could write half a book there!

-- In Restaurants – waiting for friends

-- While Running Errands – Give yourself bonus productive time. Sit in your car or a coffee shop.

-- At home – Between household tasks. Before you make a phone call. Before you fix a meal. After you exercise.

The Trick to Power Punching Your 15 Minutes!

Focus. Focus. Focus.

What if you’re mega-stressed?

What if you’re over-whelmed and you absolutely cannot fathom focusing on anything writing-related?

Get your body moving. Stretch or exercise.

You’ll boost your mood and your creativity.

BTW, that last sentence used a rhetorical device called zeugma.

Here’s your reward for reading about wrangling time.

The Dirt on Ninth Grave, by NYT Bestseller, Darynda Jones!

1. I used all my energy to hold back the laughter threatening to burst from my chest like a baby alien, but inside I lay in a fetal position, teary and aching from the spasms racking my body.

---- Holding back laughter, amplified with a fun simile, and showing what’s not happening, amplified four times. Fresh writing. Compelling cadence.

2. She offered a smile made of steel wool.

---- Short and powerful and fresh! Metaphor. Compelling cadence.

3. My emotions did a one-eighty. My chest tightened. I fought the concern edging to the surface. Tamped it down. Ignored it the best that I could.

---- Visceral response, amplified. Power words. Short, punchy sentences. Fresh writing. Compelling cadence.

4. The spinning slowed, and my heart rate decelerated to a normal speed. A normal rhythm.

---- Visceral recovery, two hits. Second one amplified twice, last time with a frag. Compelling cadence.

5. Guilt ate through the lining of my stomach.

---- Short and powerful and fresh! Compelling cadence.

6. Awareness of him hummed through me, pulsed like a living thing, throbbed with a combination of fear and desire.

---- Four amplifications for awareness: hummed, pulsed, throbbed, fear, desire. All are power words. Backloaded. Fresh writing. Compelling cadence. Rhetorical Device: asyndeton.

7. And then he spoke the very first words he’d ever spoken to me. His deep, rich voice dissolved my bones. I almost responded with “Of course I’ll have sex with you before you sacrifice me to your gods.” Then I realized he’d asked me where the restroom was.

---- Used an amplified dialogue cue as a stimulus for a visceral response. Humor hits! Fresh writing. Compelling cadence.

8. His gaze swallowed me a moment longer, his expression almost unreadable if not for the faintest hint of sadness. Or perhaps . . . disappointment?

---- Flicker Face Emotion, amplified multiple times: almost unreadable, sadness, disappointment. Fresh writing. Compelling cadence.

     9.  His expression softened, and his dark gaze flitted over my face with such appreciation, such admiration, my heart ached for him. But there was also a wariness, and I realized he didn’t know what I was thinking. 

---- Expression, amplified twice, used as a stimulus for her reaction, followed by another amplification that carried news-of-a-difference, interpreted. Fresh writing. Compelling cadence.

10. Standing close to him was like standing next to a jaguar. Well, a jaguar made of fire. Every move he made was powerful. Exotic. Hypnotizing. Or I was ovulating. It was a toss-up.

---- Proxemics-based simile, amplified five times. Humor hit! Fresh writing. Compelling cadence.

Books by Darynda Jones always wow me! 

The Dirt on Ninth Grave will be released January 5th.

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Check out the courses offered by Lawson Writer's Academy in January:

1. Getting Serious About Writing a Series
2. Power Up Your Setting!
3. Empowering Characters’ Emotions
4. Madness to Method: Using Acting Techniques to Make Each Moment Oscar Worthy 

The drawings will be Tuesday, 9:00 p.m. Mountain Time.

Happy Holidays!

All smiles................Margie

Margie Lawson—editor, international presenter—teaches writers how to use her psychologically-based editing systems and deep editing techniques to create page turners. Margie has presented over ninety full day master classes for writers in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

To learn about Lawson Writer’s Academy, Margie’s 4-day Immersion Master Classes (in Denver, Washington, D.C., Phoenix, Canyon Lake, Dallas, San Jose, Melbourne, Australia, and more), her full day Master Class presentations, on-line courses, lecture packets, and newsletter, please visit www.MargieLawson.com.