Writers in the Storm welcomes Susan Spann, contributing guest for Part 5 of her Publishing Decisions series. If you missed Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, or Part 4 and would like to read that blog, just click on the one you missed.
by Susan Spann
Welcome back to our ongoing discussion of publishing options and how to choose between them!
Today we dive into the thorny thickets and plumb the pitfalls that sometimes distract an author from the proper path.
The good news is, you can avoid them if you know what you’re looking for!
As we’ve discussed in previous weeks, smart authors make choices by understanding their personal goals, preparing business plans, and engaging in realistic evaluation of the various publishing options.
By treating publishing as a business, every author can decide which options best meet the needs of the writer and his or her work.
Unfortunately, authors sometimes make decisions for other, less helpful reasons. Even experienced authors fall into these traps from time to time – and it’s important to keep the pitfalls on your radar to ensure you avoid them on your publishing road.
Let’s take a look at three common decision-making traps:
1. The lure of “big money.” Some authors make a living by writing, but the vast majority don’t generate sufficient income from publication to support themselves and their families.
Let’s repeat that for emphasis: most authors don’t get rich by writing. This is true of both traditionally published and independent (aka self-published or “indie”) authors, so money alone is not a good reason to choose a publishing path.
Yes, there are breakout successes in both indie and traditional publishing. Authors in both areas do get wildly wealthy from sales of their work. But smart authors know that you can’t – and shouldn’t - plan to be the exception.
2. Impatience, Frustration and Prejudice. Publishing is often a frustrating process, no matter which publishing option you choose. The key is not letting impatience – or prejudice – lead you to an inappropriate choice.
Some authors grow impatient with the difficult, drawn-out nature of traditional publishing. Others mistakenly view indie and self-publishing options as inferior or unprofessional.
Don’t make these mistakes!
Many polished, professional authors enjoy successful indie careers.
And sometimes traditional publishing seems difficult because the author’s work isn’t ready for publication. A work that’s not ready probably won’t succeed in any field.
Choosing a publishing path is a business decision. Aspects of the various paths may appeal to you – or not – for various reasons, but successful authors decide on the basis of facts and concrete goals, not impatience or prejudice.
3. Peer pressure. Blogs, websites, and traditional media outlets increasingly debate the merits of traditional vs. independent publishing. Everyone has an opinion, and some of those opinions are voiced with a vehemence that discourages contradiction. It can be easy for an author to feel pressured to “choose a side” or pick a path on the basis of other people’s experiences or arguments.
Don’t fall into that trap!
Traditional publishing is the right path for some writers. Indie publishing fits many authors’ goals and needs. No path or choice is one-size-fits-all. Every author must make an independent decision on the basis of his or her individual needs and talents. The minute you let someone else’s opinion control your decisions, you’ve lost control of your publishing career.
That doesn’t mean “ignore everything you hear.” Smart authors listen, evaluate arguments on their merits (meaning factual content, not emotional impact), and determine whether and how each opinion fits with the author’s own experience, goals, and business plan.
All of these traps have a couple of things in common:
- The traps cut for and against both traditional and independent publishing, depending on the way you spin the issue.
This means a writer can fall for these traps regardless of the publishing path (s)he chooses.
- Each trap is based on emotion or “feelings” rather than logic and business sense.
This doesn’t mean “discard emotion altogether.” Wishes and dreams have a place in the planning process. The danger lies in allowing emotion to overwhelm common sense to the point where the author replaces reality with emotion or proceeds on the basis of feelings alone.
Writers are emotional people – we have to be, to convey realistic emotion on the page. Dreams are important. Without them no author would succeed. The key is learning to hold your dream close without letting it interfere with your business judgment, because (like it or not) publishing is a business too.
By focusing on the proper factors: fact-based goals, a business plan, and honest evaluation of personal skills, resources and the needs of the works themselves, everyone can avoid these pitfalls and choose the proper publishing path.
Do you have questions for Susan about your decision-making path? Or comments on what you've heard or had to decide for yourself?
Susan Spann is a publishing attorney and author who practices in Sacramento, California. CLAWS OF THE CAT, the debut novel in her SHINOBI mystery series featuring ninja detective Hiro Hattori, will be published by Thomas Dunne Books in Spring 2013. Susan blogs about writing, publishing law and seahorses at http://www.SusanSpann.com
Join us on Friday for the fifth in the Plot Fixer series by Kara Lennox. And next Monday Shannon Donnelly gives us a lesson in subtext.
First, I have to shout CONGRATULATIONS, TESSA DARE, ON YOUR RITA! Tessa won the RITA for Best Regency Historical with A Night to Surrender.
Double excitement for her, because it happened on her home turf and all the Orange County Chapter members screamed and shouted. To say nothing of how beautiful Tessa looked. Hollywood movie star beautiful. We're proud of you, Tessa (and love your writing!)
And OCC got to stand up and cheer for Diane Pershing who won the RWA Service Award.
Okay, back to right time, right place--for me, anyway.
First, the venue. I don't ever remember any hotel staff in my travels being so accessible and cheerfully helpful. The food was good and served quickly and efficiently. Special requests were handled with a smile. Major kudos to the Marriott Anaheim.
The conference workshops were fantastic. How can you go wrong with the likes of Kristen Lamb (social networking,) Margie Lawson (deep editing,) Alexis Sokolov (plotting,) and Michael Hauge (conflict?) The speakers were well prepared. Many had PowerPoint presentations, some had handouts--though most referred to handouts posted on the RWA site that I hadn't known to print out ahead of time. (I'd pre-printed out the handouts when Writers in the Storm trekked to Washington D.C. three years ago.)
I came home with enough free books to start my own book store. Well, almost.
Laura Drake threatened me with a stick if I didn't network, so I did. And it worked.
Laura at conference
I had three appointments to pitch. Combined with my leaning-against-a-wall conversations with people that I didn't know were agents, I came home with seven requests for partials, including one for my newest book that isn't even finished. I was very clear that I hadn't finished it, but the agent wanted to see what I'd done so far. Wow!
Instead of sitting like a wallflower at the edge of the action, I met some wonderful people.
It seemed that the universe filled in my dance card and I just had to show up. I'm so glad I did.
The Board, in closed session, voted to make some surprising changes over the next few years, but you can read the RWA Board Notes on your own if you're a member.
Yes, I'm still floating, even though I have a boatload of work to do this week.
On my way home I was definitely in the wrong place, wrong time. I dropped off my godson at an event and was sitting in my parked car to be sure he was squared away for his week-long stay when a car pulled in next to me and scraped my car. The driver denied it, until I showed him my paint on his bumper. He suggested I just, "rub it out." It took a while to get his info and I just didn't feel right, so while the couple went in to their meeting, I called the police. Turns out I was given bogus info. Good thing I've got a report.
I'm glad I spent the last few days in the right place. Only the future will tell how right that time was.
Have you had any right time-right place experiences? Or wrong place-wrong time ones? Any conference experiences you want to share?
As soon as we go through the over one hundred pictures Sharla took at the conference, we're going to have a couple of photo blogs. Check for those pictures starting next Wednesday.
And this Wednesday, we're welcoming Susan Spann back for Part 5, Raise the Stakes, in her continuing series.
This will be the only post here at Writers in the Storm until next Monday. We're leaving for the RWA 2012 Conference in Anaheim tomorrow.
BUT we'll be tweeting and Facebooking during the conference so those of you who aren't able to get to the Happiest Place on Earth will be able to experience some of the flavor and fun of the workshops, luncheons, mini conferences, and meet-and-greets.
Pre-conference activities:
Jenny Hansen, Fae Rowen, and Margie Lawson had dinner then worked together to construct a basket for the Kiss of Death Chapter's pre-conference meeting and dinner on Tuesday night.
Awesome goodies in the basket include three certificates from Margie - a lecture packet, one of Margie's online courses (valued at $40) and a 25 page triple-pass deep edit from Margie!
Here's a picture of Jenny and the basket.
Get thee to the Kiss of Death event! AND the Goodie Room...
Today, Laura Drake and Fae are taking Margie to Laguna Beach for sand, surf and the Sawdust Festival.
At Conference
Margie will be presenting Deep Editing Power at the Women's Fiction Mini Conference on Wednesday. On Friday at 4:30 p.m. her topic is In Media Res: A How-to Guide to Making Your Openings Pop.
We also begged asked Margie if she'd blog today so she could be with you guys ALL week while we go dark here at WITS.
If you've never read one of Margie's posts, you're in for a major treat. Whether you're a reader or a writer, you will love Margie Lawson. She has a way of breaking down a scene...we'll get out of the way so you can see her magic for yourself.
**********
A giant hug to Writers In The Storm
for inviting me to be their guest for Conference Week!
Put Your Reader in Your POV Character's Skin By Margie Lawson
Readers read for emotional impact.
Readers want to immerse themselves in the story world. They want to feel emotion.
We’ve all read books that should have emotionally engaged us, but didn’t. Why not?
One answer is the strength of the writing. Strong writing carries psychological power that speaks to the reader’s subconscious.
Sheesh!
Did you catch my meaning? Here’s that sentence again:
Strong writing carries psychological power that speaks to the reader’s subconscious.
How do you add psychological power? How do you speak to the reader’s subconscious?
That’s what my writing craft courses cover. I teach writers how to add psychological power and speak to the reader’s subconscious on every page.
I’ll analyze some excerpts and share a few deep editing points here. Please keep in mind what I cover in this blog is the itty-bitty tippy point of my teaching iceberg. An iceberg that is three miles deep.
Here’s that sentence one more time. This time, I’ll continue.
Strong writing carries psychological power that speaks to the reader’s subconscious. Strong writing is smooth and empowered. Strong writing creates page turners.
Here is an example from historical author Elizabeth Essex, The Danger of Desire. Elizabeth is a multi-Margie Grad and Immersion Master Class Grad too.
The Danger of Desire is set in London, November, 1799. Here’s a three-paragraph excerpt from page 3.
Meggs flexed her hands on the handle of her basket and wiped her fingers dry on the inside of her apron, swallowing the jitters that crawled up her throat. It would work. It always worked. Drunks were easy. Easy as taking gin from a dead whore. She gauged the distance and picked up speed, keeping even pace with the rising hammer of her heart, aiming to reach them just as they left the watery circle of lamplight. She’d be in the dark, and they’d never see her until it was too late.
Three yards to go. Two. Eyes and ears stretched open, blind to everything but the waistcoat pocket and deaf from the roaring of her blood, she put her head down and plowed right into them.
And it was dead easy. A turn of her body, a firm shove with the prickly reed basket, and the culls were separated and falling. And there she was, patient as the saints, waiting for the precise moment when his purse eased into her waiting hand, like a ripe plum plucked from a tree.
Deep Editing Analysis:
1. Compelling Cadence: Every sentence propels the reader into the next sentence.
2. Rhetorical Devices:
Three similes:
Easy as taking gin from a dead whore
patient as the saints
like a ripe plum plucked from a tree.
Metaphor: rising hammer of her heart
Anadiplosis: Drunks were easy. Easy as taking gin from a dead whore.
Alliteration – Last sentence: patient, precise, purse, plum, picked
3. Five Visceral Responses:
sweaty fingers
jitters in throat
heart hammering
vision narrowed
hearing roaring of her blood
4. Braided Scene Components: action, internalizations, body language, setting, visceral responses . . .
5. Power Words: jitters, drunk, dead whore, hammer, dark, blind, deaf, roaring, dead, falling
6. Sentence Structure: Varied. And the last two sentences start with “And.” They draw the reader in deeper.
7. Conflict/Tension - Throughout
The second excerpt is from Darynda Jones,Third Grave Dead Ahead, released January 31, 2012. Darynda is a multi-Margie grad too.
Here’s an excerpt from page 32.
FYI: Charley is a private investigator, and the Grim Reaper. Charley’s dad says the first line.
“I want you to quit the investigations business.”
Though his statement was only slightly less welcome than chlamydia, I had to give him kudos for using the direct approach. For a former detective who’d retired with honors, he could be the most evasive man in my immediate gene pool, so this was a nice change.
But give up my business? The same business I’d built from the ground up with my own two hands and designer Louis Vuittons? The same business for which I’d sacrificed blood, sweat, and tears? Well, maybe not sweat and tears, but there was blood. Lots of blood.
Give it up? Not likely. Besides, what else would I do? I totally should’ve gone to Hogwarts when I had the chance.
I shifted in my chair as Dad waited for a response. He seemed determined, his resolve unwavering. This would take tact. Prudence. Possibly Milk Duds.
“Are you psychotic?” I asked, realizing my plan to charm and bribe him if need be flew out the window the minute I opened my mouth.
“Charley—”
“Dad, no. I can’t believe you’re even asking this of me.”
“I’m not asking.” His sharp tone brought me up short, and all the huffing and puffing that had built beneath the surface slammed into me, knocking my breath away. Was he serious?
Deep Editing Analysis:
How many Humor Hits did Darynda give the reader in that 233 word excerpt?
* less welcome than Chlamydia
* the most evasive man in my immediate gene pool
* built from the ground up with my own two hands and designer Louis Vuittons?
* not sweat and tears, but there was blood. Lots of blood.
* I totally should’ve gone to Hogwarts
* This would take tact. Prudence. Possibly Milk Duds.
* my plan to charm and bribe him if need be flew out the window
Seven Humor Hits in one page.
2. We learned Dad’s back story in one sentence.
3. Every line in the excerpt is cadence-driven.
4. Visceral Response: slammed into me, knocking my breath away.
5. Varied sentence lengths, and sentence frags.
6. Conflict/Tension – Throughout
One more excerpt. This one is from a YA by Lara Chapman,Flawless. Lara Chapman is a multi-Margie Grad, and an Immersion Master Class grad too.
Chapter One
I love the first day of school. There’s nothing like a new start. New clothes, new classes, new goals. And maybe, just maybe, the possibility of meeting a new guy.
Especially when you’re a senior in high school.
With a last glance at the ensemble I’ve put together for my last first day of high school and a mental kiss to the hair gods for my stunning naturally blond wavy hair, I close my bedroom door then dance downstairs.
Where I slam headfirst into reality.
Next to my “You Are Special Today” plate, a tradition my mother started on my first day of kindergarten, polished silverware sits on top of a rhinoplasty brochure.
No napkin. Just the brochure.
I ignore my mother’s watchful eyes. “Real subtle, Mom.” I move the silverware, then flick the glossy trifold with the tip of my finger, scoring a beautiful two-pointer as it lands in the silver and black trash can.
I totally hate the word rhinoplasty. How can you not think of a disgusting two-ton mammal when you hear that word?
Just call it what it is – a nose job.
Spatula in one hand, she pops the other onto her hip. “Just a suggestion, Sarah.”
“Yet still offensive. Couldn’t you have waited until, like, the second day of school to start in on me?” I stab the tasteless egg white omelet on my plate, wishing there were some crispy strips of bacon sitting next to it. It’s hard to believe I was actually born to this health-conscious runway-worthy woman. Being a Burke can be a serious pain in the butt.
“I only want what’s best for you. Now that you’re a senior, you’re old enough to make those changes we’ve always talked about.”
I drop the fork to my plate. “Not we, Mom. You. I don’t recall asking for the privilege of having some whack chop away at the nose you gave me. Just because you changed yours when you were eighteen doesn’t mean I have to.”
The honest truth is that I never would have requested this particular nose, but I’ve spent seventeen years learning to accept it.
“Sarah…” Mom stares at me, the wheels of her brain churning at top speed while her own omelet sizzles in the abandoned skillet. She doesn’t have to say what I know she’s thinking. How in the world will Beth Burke’s daughter ever follow in her news broadcasting footsteps with a honker the size of a Buick?
BLOG GUESTS: Are you in Sarah’s skin? Do you feel what she feels?
It’s your turn. The excerpt above is for YOU to analyze.
You’ve read two deep editing analyses. They share points regarding what writers can do to add psychological power, to speak to the reader’s subconscious, and put the reader in the POV character’s skin.
If you have questions about my courses, or Immersion Master Class, please ask!
If you like, post a comment and share a deep editing point from the excerpt from Flawless, by Lara Chapman. Or – post a comment and say Hi!
I hope to see you at the RWA Conference.
Margie Lawson—psychotherapist, editor, and international presenter—developed innovative editing systems and deep editing techniques used by writers, from newbies to NYT Bestsellers. She teaches writers how to edit for psychological power, how to hook the reader viscerally, how to create a page-turner.
Thousands of writers have learned Margie’s psychologically-based deep editing material. In the last seven years, she presented over sixty full day Master Classes for writers in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
Upcoming classes at Lawson Writer's Academy include:
Writing Compelling Scenes taught by Shirley Jump
Fab 30 in 40 days:Advanced Deep Editing, a Master Class taught by Margie Lawson
Steampunk A-Z taught by Suzie Lazear
Panning for Gold: Self-Publishing for Do It Yourselfers taught by Lisa Norman
The EDITS System: Turning Troubled Scenes Into Winners taught by Margie Lawson
For more information on Lawson Writer’s Academy, lecture packets, full day master classes, and the 5-day Immersion Master Class sessions offered in her Colorado mountain-top home, visit: www.MargieLawson.com.
