Agency Lessons: nailing the first line

Agency Lessons is a weekly post that gives authors and readers an inside look into the mind of a literary agent and a peek behind the curtain of how books are made.

Nothing seems to send authors into a tail spin more than the first line of their novel. There are too many horror stories out there of agents who will stop reading after the first sentence if I doesn't scream brilliance.

So let me start by saying that those are rare agents (though they do exist). Most of us will at least read the first several paragraphs before we give up on something. However, that first line is still a big one. It has to encompass the tone you've already set with the blurb and cover, and prepare the reader for the story you're about to tell. It's all too easy for a bad first sentence to derail everything and have readers quickly reaching for a different book.

The talented folks at Adventures in YA Publishing are running a first line contest right now and asked me to be one of their judges. Even though I see first lines on a daily basis, there was something about reading 100 of them in a row that made patterns easier to see. So I figured I'd let you guys know the good, bad and ugly of first lines.

1. No semi-colons
So this isn't a hard and fast rule, but in general, when a first sentence has a semi-colon it is way too long. If I have to stop and think about how the sentence started by the time I get to the end, I'm a lot less likely to keep reading. You don't want to make your reader work too hard to get started.

2. Stop waking up
Okay, this one has been a cliche for forever and you can point to plenty of books that start this way (hello, Hunger Games), but at this point I'm completely over it and I know I'm not alone. Even waking up lines that include other engaging aspects are turn-offs now. You can do better.

3. Be profound
I found myself drawn to the opening lines that had something important to say...so long as the author kept their insight clear and concise. This is where it is important to know what you want to say and figure out how to say it in as few words as possible. The authors that try to do this and fall in love with their own words lose their readers.

4. Avoid jargon
An opening sentence introduces your reader to the world of your novel. But you'll lose your reader if that introduction is convoluted with new phrases that don't hold any meaning yet. You don't have to wait until chapter two to world-build, but I think you should avoid unknown words or phrases in the first sentence.

5. Be unexpected
Creating a juxtaposition in your opening sentence is a fast way to get me engaged. When so many novels start out with 'the usual', I love when the start makes me do a double-take. Keep in mind this is different than a shock effect and should only be used if it matches the tone and content of your story. But when done well, this can be an amazing opening line.

6. Ah, the cliches
Traveling in a car, discussing the weather, arriving at a new location, and the list goes on. Guys, just don't. I can't imagine a scenario in which the only way to open your novel is with one of these cliches. Everyone assumes they are the exception to the rule, and yet the opposite is almost always true. As an agent and a reader, I'm looking for something more.

7. Say something
Maybe this is a simplistic way to think about it, but for me, your opening line should say something. This is the first thing your reader will see, and that automatically makes it important. So make it important. If your opening line describes your character's outfit, then that outfit had better be important. Don't waste your opening line to tell us that your 17-yr-old main character is wearing jeans and a t-shirt to school. That doesn't say anything. 98% of high schoolers are wearing jeans and a t-shirt (I made that stat up, but you get the idea). Your opening sentence should be on purpose and not just because you had to start somewhere.

Regardless of who your audience is, the goal of your first sentence should be to convince the reader to read the second sentence. So on and so forth. It doesn't have to be literary gold, but it should make your book shine.

Agency Lessons: Be nice to the janitor

Agency Lessons is a weekly post that gives authors and readers an inside look into the mind of a literary agent and a peek behind the curtain of how books are made.

My parents imparted a lot of life lessons to me over the years. They got down the basics like work hard, get an education, share your toys. But there is one lesson my mother told me that has been the most helpful.

As I was leaving for college, my mom handed me some advice. "Be nice to the janitor."

Of course, my parents taught me that I should always be nice, so this one puzzled me until she explained.

You see, in life, there are going to be people who are obviously at the top of the ladder. They are the bosses, the professors, the ones in charge. And, in general, they will see a lot of brown-nosing and butt-kissing in their time.

And then there are people who almost everyone overlooks. The ones in the background who quietly do their jobs with little or no appreciation, and usually about the same amount of respect. People like the kitchen staff and janitors.

The thing is, my mom explained, everyone thinks it's only the people at the top who are worth their time and kindness. They wrongly believe that those are the only people who can give them a hand up in life. But they are missing out on meeting some of life's most interesting people. And forgetting that you don't have to be the boss to have power.

Because when you spill an entire cup of coffee on your term paper at 2am and the computer lab is closed, it's the janitor who will be there to let you get in early the next morning so you aren't late turning it in at your 8am class. But not if you're the kid who regularly kicks his mop bucket. And it's the secretary who makes a comment to your professor after you leave a meeting asking for a favor to say what a polite person you are. But not if you walked in, rudely demanding to see that professor.

You see, people are people. And all people like to be treated with dignity and respect. That goes from the executive editor and senior agent down to the mail room guy and the intern. I'm not saying you have to suck up to everyone you meet. But I am saying you should give everyone the courtesy they deserve as a fellow human being.

If someone can help you, make sure you say thank you. And if someone can't help you, don't harass them until they have to block you. Just saying.

Besides, you never know where that mail room guy and intern are going. You might have just met your future agent and didn't even know it.

Agency Lessons: Safely navigating social media

Agency Lessons is a weekly post that gives authors and readers an inside look into the mind of a literary agent and a peek behind the curtain of how books are made.

If you pay attention to the social media surrounding YA books, you've probably heard the hub-bub lately about adult YA authors (John Green and Chuck Wendig among them) getting called out for silencing teen voices. I am not linking to any of the articles or blog posts, but a simple Google search will point you in the right direction if you have no idea what I'm talking about.

Pair this up with the recent EL James flame-fest that resulted from her live twitter chat and we have a social media landscape that is absolutely loaded with bombs and trip wires, ready to hit unsuspecting authors. Obviously, this makes some authors nervous. Just yesterday I read a blog post by an author who has decided that she is leaving the YA community for fear of one day becoming a target.

I think this is both misguided and reactionary, but every author has to make their own decisions based on what is best for them and their own personal situation. But what should the average author do?

Afterall, we are encouraged to interact with our readers and become a part of the community, yet there are times when we are obviously not a welcome part of the conversation. How do we be transparent and sincere while still holding back a private part of ourselves that was never meant for public consumption?

I don't have all the answers, but I do have three suggestions that I live by. I'm certainly not anywhere even close to the popularity of Green and James, but this strategy has served me well.

1. Understand that you can't control the conversations that happen around/about you
If you write controversial books, don't be surprised when there are heated conversations and strong emotions surrounding any discussion of your book. If you write for teens with impassioned, yet sometimes illogical emotional responses to situations and encourage them to make their voices heard, don't be shocked when they do exactly that.

We all wish that discussions on the internet always stayed civil, logical and on topic, but you might as well wish that celery tasted like chocolate. It's just not gonna happen. I hate that some individuals seem to think that it's okay to personally attack public figures. It sucks and isn't right. But I can't change it and any attempt to control it is an act of futility.

There is no internet police and for the most part, that's a good thing. But it means with the freedom to express ourselves online comes the freedom for others to do the same, regardless of our opinion on that expression.

2. Decide what you are willing to share with the world and draw a line
You are the owner of your personal story and you control how much of that story is shared with the world. Often times, those who are most open are the ones most vulnerable to attack. In other words, those who choose to share the most of themselves with others in an attempt to connect with their tribe are most at risk of being attacked by that tribe, especially if something they share doesn't sit well with a portion (even a small portion) of their tribe.

That's why there are certain topics I don't discuss online. I don't do politics. For one, my political opinions are irrelevant to my works as an author or as an agent. Second, regardless of my opinion, I am 100% guaranteed that anything I post of a political nature will alienate at least a portion of my followers. Because no one has a group of followers that all share the exact same political opinions. Lord, we can't even all agree on who should be cast in movies. I doubt we can all agree on who should be the next president.

I also limit how much I share about my family. I have a family. I have children. They are amazing and being a mom is a big part of who I am. But they are not part of my platform. They are not a part of the public discussion of me. This is why I never accept friend requests on Facebook from readers or people I haven't personally met. Because that is the space I use for sharing pictures of my kids with family and that's my line.

I'm not saying that you have to create a separate online identity that is a shadow of who you are in real life. By all means, talk about what you're writing and reading. Discuss what you're passionate about. Share your thoughts and feelings. But before you go too far, decide how much of your personal life is okay to be public and what needs to stay private.

3. Realize that words have power, regardless of your own personal power
If this controversy has shown me anything, it's that you don't have to be a major player in the social media scene for your words to have a huge, lasting impact. The internet has connected the world in ways we could never have imagined, even ten years ago. This can be wonderful, but it also means that our words go so much further than they ever have. If I put something on this blog, I can't assume it will only be consumed by my followers. I have to understand that those readers might share it with their own network, and then others might share it as well, until the audience is eons outside of my own circle.

Once you put your words online, in any context, be it a blog, twitter, chat board, etc., those words can be shared, screen shot, copied and pasted anywhere. This means taking care with our words. I don't really do controversy here on my blog, because that's not part of my platform. But I do think carefully about the subjects I tackle. I read over my words to make sure my intention is clear.  I remove thoughts that might be taken the wrong way or come across negatively if seen out of context.

Even though my reach is small compared to the grandness of the internet connected world, I understand that even my softly spoken words can have power.

It would be all too easy to see the nastiness that crops up online and decide to skip it all. For some authors, being a part of the online conversation isn't worth the potential baggage. But the internet isn't going anywhere. I imagine it will continue to evolve and grow so that a decade from now we barely recognize the internet of today. As an author and agent, I understand that being a part of the constantly changing social landscape is a crucial part of success. Like any part of your professional course, you will be best served by understanding exactly what you are a part of and understanding your own personal limits.

Thanks to the internet, the world is at our fingertips. Now go out there and enjoy it responsibly.

Agency Lessons: foreign rights agents

Agency Lessons is a weekly post that gives authors and readers an inside look into the mind of a literary agent and a peek behind the curtain of how books are made.

I was recently asked some questions about foreign rights agents and realized this is probably a question a lot of writers might have. This is a really basic primer, so like anything else in the publishing industry, make sure to do your research, ask trusted friends and do your due diligence before signing any contracts.

Now, let's talk foreign rights.

Just like there are different types of publishers, there are different types of agents. 

I work at a small boutique agency. Each agent in our office handles their own clients, and that includes foreign rights. Of course, we pull our resources, share information, provide introductions and the such to help each other in the process. That's the beauty of having co-agents. But at the end of the day, we each handle the rights for our clients.

Some agencies are a little bigger and have agents on staff that handle foreign rights. Some of these agents also take on their own clients and some of them strictly deal with the foreign rights. The advantage here is having an agent who can dedicate more of their time to keeping up with foreign editors.

Other agencies don't have the resources or desire to have an in-house specialist and decide to outsource this. They work with independent agents who specialize in foreign rights. These agents work with agencies to represent all or part of their list of authors. Some of them also take on individual authors who only need an agent for foreign rights, such as indie authors.

Then you can add publishing scouts to the mix. These are individuals who work directly with various foreign publishers and scout out potential projects for them. At Corvisiero we have relationships with some of these scouts to help place our client's work.

If you are a traditional author, you'll want to ask your agent before signing with them to see how they handle foreign rights in their office.

If you are a self-published or indie author, you have a couple of options. You can try to sell these rights on your own, though this can be a time consuming process and you'll be on your own when it comes to contract negotiation. You can reach out to a foreign rights agent. This is a great option, but be advised that you'll need to be able to show significant sales numbers. You can also contact a regular agent to see if they would handle these rights. Again, you'll need to show significant sales.

When it comes to your foreign rights, the important part is knowing what your rights are, understanding what you have and don't have and knowing upfront what your agent can help you with. Don't be afraid to ask questions. This is your career, so take charge of it. 

Foreign rights, the agents who handle them and the publishers who buy them is a complicated behemoth that can't be handled in a single blog post. If you have more specific questions about this topic, feel free to leave them in the comments and I can include them in another blog post.

The importance of book launches in the digital age

Authors, editors and other book-minded people talk a lot about the importance of book launches. There is a lot of pressure on authors to launch your book strong right out of the gate with lots of coverage, favorable reviews and word-of-mouth momentum.

But we don't really talk about why book launches are important. And the truth is, they aren't as important as they once were. Before eBooks came on the scene, books were sold almost exclusively on the shelves of book stores. And there are way more books than shelf space. So if you wanted your book to claim space for longer than a few years, you needed a strong launch to keep sales coming in and your book face out on the shelf.

Today eBooks make up a large part of the market and that share grows daily. So it would be easy to assume that launches aren't important. Afterall, virtual bookshelf space is unlimited. Your novel will never get pulled because the newest batch of releases are about to hit. With eBooks, some of the pressure of the big launch has been lifted.

Some, not all.

Because book launches are still hugely important and here's why:

Algorithms rule the world
Regardless of your opinion of Amazon, they are the biggest mover of books in the US. They have a recommendation system that hasn't been duplicated and can't pick out the next best seller like a blood hound on the the trail. And that means your Amazon rank matters. A book with lots of reviews right away does better in the ranking. A book with sustained sales that build over time is going to fair better than one that spikes suddenly and then falls off just as sharply.

While no one completely understands the algorithms (because Amazon doesn't share them), we have deduced a few things. We know that it takes fewer books sales to maintain a rank than it does to gain a rank. This means that even though my sales may dip down on occasion, it takes several days of reduced sales to show up in my rankings. This is because I was able to build up my sales and then keep them steady for the most part. Amazon rewards my sales stability with a stable ranking and that makes it easier for them to include me in their recommendation engine.

Everyone's a braggart on launch day
There is a limit to how much you can talk about your own book on social media. Except the week of your launch. Everyone is pretty much given a pass to be borderline obnoxious in talking about their book in the week it comes out.

But that's it. You've got one week to squawk all you want before people start tuning you out, or worse, un-following you. While your marketing plan is going to last much longer than a week, those first seven days will be your best opportunity to share your work with the most people. There is no redo on that one. If you don't use it appropriately, you don't get a redo after a few months. So don't waste those precious release week passes.

Hard core marketing isn't sustainable
I love marketing. It gets my heart pumping and my creative juices flowing. But even I get burn-out. Launching a book is exhausting. There are so many moving pieces of getting a book out on the market and then you add marketing on top of that. It's a lot of work, and not something you can keep doing forever. Eventually you have to level out, get back to writing and get ready to launch the next book. Ideally, we'll all have long happy careers with lots of books out there for people to read. But that means more books to market and more readers to find and interact with. We can't keep marketing the same books over and over.

You can always run promotions, create ads or other marketing strategies, but time won't allow you to market all your books all the time. You'll need a strong launch to build momentum that will carry your novel through times when it isn't getting much of your marketing attention.

A huge launch doesn't guarantee your book's success and you aren't doomed if your launch was less than thrilling (more on this later). But a successful launch has rewards that still make it worth your time and effort.

Should you go exclusive with your retailer?

I asked what you guys wanted to know about and you answered. Thank you for all your questions. I'm working up posts for all of them now, but it's not too late. If you have a question, feel free to email me or leave it in the comments.

One of you wanted to know my thoughts on going exclusive with services such as Amazon KDP select. If you are unfamiliar with this program, the author grants Amazon exclusive rights to sell the eBook version of their book for a period of 90 days. The advantage to this is that Amazon allows you to participate in borrows and makes your book part of the Kindle Unlimited program and gives you 5 days to list your book for free. The disadvantage is that your book is only available on Amazon to Kindle users.

Should you put all your eggs in one basket?

Here's the deal. We can talk all day about the pros and cons of these services. And I could never answer the question of which option is best. Every book is different and so everyone is going to have a different option.

But I do want to talk about short term versus long term gain.

I chose not to use Select for Rite of Rejection. I used an eBook distributor so my novel is available on a ton of retailer sites. In the interest of full disclosure, I have not sold very many eBooks outside of Amazon. I've received one quarterly payment from those sales so far and the amount was so small I haven't bothered to transfer it out of my PayPal account yet.

And yet, I'm not really tempted to switch to Select.

Because I'm concentrating on the long game.

You see, while I only have one book on the market so far (yes, I know, I'm working as fast as I can on the sequel), Rite of Rejection is only the first of what I hope to be many novels by yours truly to hit the market in the next few years. And yes, I'm pleased with my success so far, but I certainly have my sights set on bigger and better.

I could probably make more money right now if I were in Select. I'm guessing I would recoup at least the $10/month I'm making elsewhere through random borrows. But right now, my goal is not to make as much money as possible. As a new author, I'm just trying to get out there to as many readers as I can. The more people who hear about this book, the more people who will already be familiar with me when the next book comes out.

For me, right now, it just doesn't make sense.

But that doesn't mean it's a bad program. If you have a large back list of  books, I think it would be smart to occasionally cycle one of them through the program. See which of your books tends to get borrows. Find out if you can make free days sell your books on other platforms. Experiment and figure out what works for you. This might also work for you if you have a book written for a small niche genre or one that is time sensitive, because no one generates reader recommendations quite like Amazon and they do a decent job of promoting the books that are a part of the Select program.

Is an exclusive deal right for you? I can't say. But before you decide, figure out what your goals are and then put your book in the best possible position to help you reach those goals.

Agency Lessons: 5 tips for talking to agents

Agency Lessons is a weekly post that gives authors and readers an inside look into the mind of a literary agent and a peek behind the curtain of how books are made. 

In just over a week I'll be making my way to UtopYAcon for several days of non-stop literary fun. As am extreme extrovert and industry insider, conferences are the ultimate charging station for my brain. But I get that's not the case for everyone. For example, the introverted writer still in the query stage. For you, I imagine conferences to be this big ball of black hole possibilities. It could be amazing, but you're going to have to talk to so many people, including DUM DUM DAAAAAHHHH, agents. Because, I've been told, we are ferocious, manuscript destroying, dream eating beasts.

Obviously, I see things a bit differently. So I'd like to offer my advice on how to talk to agents at your next conference.

1. We are real people
I get that it can feel like we are some kind of mythical force with magic swirling at our fingertips. But we aren't. We are real people who do normal real people things just like you. Yes, my role in the literary world is different than yours, but it's certainly no more important. Remembering that we are not any different than you can help ease those nerves a bit.

2. We like things
Expanding on that whole real people concept, just like you, we have varied interests. So feel to strike up a conversation about my Dr. Who themed nails or Vote for Pedro t-shirt. I will happily ask you who your favorite companion is and how you feel about the newest doctor. I am also interested in your conversation about the 20 degree temperature difference in the main ballroom and what's on the menu for lunch. Because I like things, and I eat, and am concerned about your lack of jacket. It's fine (and welcomed) to talk to us about non-book stuff.

3. We came here for you
I go to conference for lots of reasons. To learn about new trends, meet and rub elbows with editors and spend a few days kid free. But my main reason for attending conferences is you, the author. I come to meet you, to learn about what you like and what you're working on and what you're hearing from readers and so much more. I come to be around authors because you are cool people.

4. We are pitch magnets
It always seems to happen that at least one or two authors don't get the memo that they shouldn't pitch every agent they happen to breathe the same air as. This is always awkward, for both of us. So please don't introduce yourself and launch into your pitch. Just don't. However, if I ask you what you're working on, please tell me. And if there is an agent there that you are just dying to pitch and you can't get them aside for a formal pitch session, may I recommend this polite option. After saying hello (like normal people) it is perfectly okay to ask if I am currently open to queries or actively looking for new clients. This is a great chance to dig in deeper into what I'm looking for and if the conversation is going well, I might ask what you're working on.

5. We love books
If all else fails and you find yourself completely tongue tied and ready to bail, remember that we share a mutual love for books. Ask what I'm reading or if I have anything I've loved recently. I could talk about books until I'm blue in the face and I bet that you feel the same way.

We aren't so different, you and me. At the end of the day we both want the same thing. More amazing books that keep us up at night and make us see the world a little clearer.

So if you see me at a conference, come on over and say hello. I'll be the perfectly normal person waiting to have a great conversation with you.

Agency Lessons: turn-key ready manuscript

Agency Lessons is a weekly post that gives authors and readers an inside look into the mind of a literary agent and a peek behind the curtain of how books are made. 

I was talking to an editor last week and something he said really stuck with me.

"Editors aren't looking for a fixer-upper."

Of course, I knew this already. But the imagery of a fixer-upper really got inside my head. If you've ever been house hunting then you know exactly what to expect when a listing says "needs a little TLC". It means you should plan to dedicate all your weekends for the next year to stripping old wall paper, fixing loose wiring and hanging gutters. It means that the house could be great, but right now, it's not. It's a fixer-upper.

Unfortunately, I hear too many authors say "With the right editor I know this book could be amazing." They are hoping to find an editor who can take their so-so manuscript and magic wand that baby until it shines like a new pair of glass slippers. But that's not how this works.

Because editors have lots of projects going all at once in various stages. They are coordinating with cover designers on this manuscript and hashing out the layout on the next. They may be working on first round edits with one project at the same time they are holding a debut author's hand at their launch. 

Editors have a lot of roles. And it's true that they play a big role in making sure a book is just right. But they start with books that are amazing and then make them a-MAZE-ing. 

So what can you do to make sure your book isn't listed as needing TLC? 

Everyone has their own process, so I thought I'd share mine so you can see what I do BEFORE my book goes to my editor.

1. Write a craptastic first draft

2. Let it sit so you can forget what you wrote and separate yourself from it

3. Read the first draft, cringe, and make notes of big picture areas that need work

4. Flesh out any issues that impact the whole manuscript such as time lines, disappearing characters, etc.

5. Make edits based on first notes and the big impact issues

6. Work through The Breakout Novel workbook*

*This book is genius and I love it, but it might not be your style. This step is basically forcing you to think about all the nuances of your story. Do you have a full character arc for everyone? Does every character have a unique voice? Are all your characters/scenes crucial? How is the pacing? Is your climax deserved? 

7. Another round of edits to fix all the issues discovered in step 6.

8. Read through again, this time looking at the smaller issues such unclear sentences, overstuffed paragraphs, bad writing in general

9. Fix everything found in step 8

10. First round of Beta readers (I like to start with other authors for my Betas)

11. Fix issues found by first round Beta readers

12. Second round Beta readers (I like to use readers for this round)

13. Fix issues found by second round Beta readers

14. Final read through to look for anything else that might have been missed.

Then, and only then, do I send my work to my editors. If it looks like a lot of work, it's because it is. Your book should be the absolute best your are possibly capable of before an editor ever sees it. And this is true regardless of if you are going the traditional route or going indie. 

An editor is there to spit-polish and shine your manuscript, not resole it. 

By all means, set your eyes on the editor who you think would be the best match for your manuscript, but know that you should never send them anything but your very best.

What other tips do you have for getting a manuscript ready for editing? Any favorite books that help you see your book in a new light? Let's help each other write amazing books.

How to be the perfect author

As an author, regardless of how you are published, there is a driving fear of failure that pushes us to be the absolute best we can be. But what does that look like? What do we need to do to be the best? To be perfect? I've given this a lot of thought, and decided to make a list (in no particular order) of the 25 ways to be a perfect author.

 

25 Steps to Being the Perfect Author

1. Spend time on social media making connections and promoting your books
2. Get off of social media and spend your time reading widely in your genre of focus
3. Stop reading and wishing it was you and start writing
4. Tell everyone you know about your book and ask them to help you spread the word
5. Don't badger friends and family about your book. They'll buy it if they want it
6. Send press releases to any publication who might be interested in your work
7. Don't waste your time trying to get major press coverage
8. Watch what other authors do and try to emulate their success
9. Forget about trying to duplicate someone else's path, you have to do your own thing
10. Blog tours are the best way to reach new readers and create excitement for your book
11. Blog tours are dead
12. Experiment with new marketing opportunities like book trailers
13. Focus on what works on ignore unproven efforts like book trailers
14. Give plenty of free content away to keep readers coming to you
15. Your work has value and you need to price it for what it's worth
16. Get out there by attending conferences and going to workshops
17. The more time you spend out, the less time your writing. Skip the conferences
18. SWAG, SWAG and more SWAG
19. Don't waste your money on another glossy bookmark that will end up in the trash
20. Keep an active blog to give readers a place to find you
21. No one reads blogs anymore so don't waste your time
22. Write what you want to read
23. Write what readers are asking for
24. Listen to the experts
25. Chart your own path

Okay, so maybe this list is the opposite of helpful. Maybe that's the point. Because everyone is looking for this magic button. Authors constantly ask, what do I need to do in order to be successful. I've even had people ask me for my secret as if I'm some sort of phenom.

I solemnly swear that if I had the secret sauce to being a bestseller, I would tell you. I would write the most epic of blog posts and send it to my newsletter folks and shout it from the rooftops. I don't have it. No one does. Anyone telling you they have the formula for success is trying to sell you something.

Sure, I can give tips and hints. I can tell you what I do and tip my hat to the success of other authors. But those are just ideas. Some of them will work for you. Some of them won't. Something may work today and fail tomorrow. There are just too many variables.

So don't worry about being the perfect author and making all the right decisions. Don't spend your time comparing your success to others. Instead, focus on how you can be the best author that you can be. Figure out how to be the perfect you and I promise that will be good enough.

Agency Lessons: the unforgivable curse

Agency Lessons is a weekly post that gives authors and readers an inside look into the mind of a literary agent and a peek behind the curtain of how books are made. 

Warning: Today's agency lessons post is Harry Potter themed for no particular reason whatsoever. You're welcome.

Agents, in general, are a pretty understanding bunch. We get that writing a novel is a massive undertaking and querying is equivalent to a first date with Lord Voldemort. We get it. Which is why, for the most part, we obliviate charm the flub ups and re-dos and 'my bad' situations that tend to pop up.

However, in my book, there is one offense that is a deal breaker. Once you commit it, no matter how great your manuscript is, I cannot work with you. It is the unforgivable curse of writers.

What is it?

Refusing to be a professional.

That's it so please put the red pen down and stop tearing up your query. It has nothing to do with dangling modifiers or calling me sir, or misspelling my ridiculously difficult last name. Those will cost you house cup points, but won't kill you. You just need to be professional.

What does that mean?

It means treating publishing like any other business. It means taking the time to learn about the industry you want to be a part of. It means digging in like Rita Skeeter investigating a new rumor.

It means not sending this this Facebook message to our agency:
"I have a book I would like published. Who I talk to about that?"

Grammar issues aside, are you kidding me? This would be the equivalent of me walking into the Ministry of Magic and telling the receptionist. "Yeah, I'm lookin' to be an Auror. You got a form or something?"

Now, you may be thinking, geez, Sarah, harsh. The guy was just asking a question.

But it's not just a question. This was not, should I list my book info in the query first or just launch into the pitch. This was essentially a question letting me know the author has zero willingness to put in effort to find an answer. I ran a google search to find the answer to this person's query. This is what I found:

Millions of posts that are exact answers to this question. These are just the first ones that popped up on the first page. I can't imagine it gets easier than that. Arthur Weasley could figure that one out.

Which is why the question we received makes my furious. I have to assume since they know how to use Facebook, they are a fellow muggle  and are also familiar with Google. So the only conclusion I can draw is that they are too lazy to do their own research.

Look, publishing a book is a long hard road. And I get that it is also very confusing. If you ask my clients, hopefully they will tell you that I am more than willing to answer the questions that will inevitably pop up during the journey. But I can't, and won't, help someone who refuses to help themselve.

There is nothing wrong with having questions and you should definitely go out and find your answers, like Harry finding a horcrux. Just understand that publishing is a business and you need to treat it professionally if you want to avoid getting hit with an Avada Kedavra before you even get started.

What to leave out of your author bio

Change of plans. Sickness abounds in west central Texas so my headshots are rescheduled for next week. So, I thought this would be a good time to talk about another aspect of your author platform. The author bio. You know, that paragraph all about you that makes you break out in a cold sweat and sends you into a tailspin.

It's not that writing a bio is hard. It's writing one that captures who you are when most of the time you feel like your most interesting feature is your batman sweatpants...that you've worn for the past three days.

If you're batman, you should put that in your bio!

I read a lot of author bios and the result is that I tend to see the same bits of info pumped out over and over again. The problem with most of these bios is that they sound just like everyone else's. The end result is that I don't really know anything about the author and can't distinguish them from others.

So here are a few topics I see over and over again that you should consider leaving out of your bio.

1. Early reader/writer
I wish a had a dollar for every bio I've read that starts off with the author writing or reading at a young age. I'd have a large stack of dollar bills. Here's the deal, most of us in this business were early readers/writers. It's been a lifelong passion for most of us. So this tidbit doesn't make you stand out. Instead, it sounds like a not so humble brag and throws you in a bag with everyone else. A more interesting bio line would be that you struggled and didn't start reading until you were ten. Why? Because it's different and speaks to the author's perserverance.

2. Where you were born/raised
This isn't a deal breaker, but is often irrelevant. Author X grew up in random city, random state. And I've already forgotten this and moved on. Where you grew up should only be included if you a) grew up somewhere exotic that makes you stand out or b) gives you insider info relevant to your books. So for example, if you grew up on a tiny island off the coast of Bali, that's interesting and will likely stick in a reader's head. Or, if you grew up in a hotel and your books show the behind the scenes of the hospitality industry. Remember that the info in your bio should be relevant to you and your books.

3. Where you went to school/Your major
This is similar to the early reader issue. You'll find that most authors majored in English. Wow, a shocker, I know. So adding that into your bio is like saying "I have a name and breathe oxygen." This is a space filler. Now, let's say you majored in meteorology. You traded studying clouds for, keeping your head in them. A detail like this would instantly set your bio apart.

4. Listing your kids/pets
I'm as proud of my kids as the next gal, but does anyone really care that I have two of the world's most adorable little girls? Probably not. Again, this is an issue of the information not setting you apart. Lots of people have kids. Lots of people have pets. Now, do you have 8 kids? Bless you, that's a lot. And it's interesting. Is your pet a potbellied pig named Lucy? Tell me all about it.

5. Old accomplishments
Oh, you won an essay contest in 7th grade? Your mom must be so proud. Or she was, back when you were in 7th grade. She probably expects that you've moved on from that momentous accomplishment back when you were 13. The exception here is major awards. If you won a biggie, there is no expiration date. Feel free to include your status as a Newberry medal winner until the end of time.

If there was a central theme to what to leave out of your bio, it would be leave out the boring parts. Your bio should be a reflection of your personality and give readers a bit more insight into who you are as a person. To be effective a good bio should be interesting and memorable.

Agency Lessons: How much is too much to post online

If you follow me on FB, you'll know that I posted a sneak peek of a new story I'm working on while I let my draft for Rite of Revelation sit. It's one that I've wanted to write for a while, but couldn't squeeze it in so I'm pretty pumped.

Pumped, get it, pumped. I'm a dork.

It was a bit different for me because usually no one, NO ONE, reads the first draft. They are all kinds of craptastic. But I'm just so pumped for this story, I figured it wouldn't kill me to post a little bit. And it was little, around 300 words.

I've been asked before about writers posting snippets of their unpublished works online and if that's okay or not. So this seems like a good time to broach the subject.

What is considered published?
If you put your book up on Amazon, even if it was just to share with a few friends, you are published. Is that going to mean the death of your book? Not necessarily, but it's also not great. It just depends on a lot of different factors. If you are planning to seek traditional publication for a project, I would advise to not put it up for sale anywhere.

What about social publishing?
Now we have test sites like Wattpad, where writers can post anything from fan fiction to whole novels. So can you post your work there? Again, if it's a novel you plan to seek publication for, I would say no. Now, there are stories out there of someone posting their novel and getting so many reads that a publisher swooped in to hand them a big fat deal. First off, there are only a handful of those so they are hardly the norm, and I expect we will see fewer and fewer of these. Why? Because getting people to read your book for free does not always equal sales. We all know there are books we get on Kindle because they are free that we wouldn't be willing to shell out money on.

But going even further than that, do you really want the world reading something that hasn't been through a really thorough and professional edit? I know that sounds horrifying to me. I would hate for readers to judge my ability as a writer based on something that only went through spell check.

Can I post on my blog?
Yes, I think you can. But, you know, in moderation. I would say no to posting a whole novel. I would even say no to posting the whole first chapter. To be clear. That is not considered published. But, you are creating potential issues that don't need to be created. For example, sometimes for a big release, publishers can sell first rights that give a publication, such as a magazine for your target readers, the right to publish your first chapter before anyone else. And even if they can't, those parts can be used in marketing the lead up to your release.

However, I don't see any issue with posting a short (less than 500 word) snippet of your book on your website or social media page. I can see where this could be especially useful for an author working on a series. Posting little snippets can keep your readers engaged during the wait between books. So long as you don't post any spoilers.

The main thing to keep in mind when posting your unpublished material online is, what are you trying to accomplish. Are you looking for a new reader base? Trying to energize an existing base? Gauging interest in a potential project? Know why you are posting it, and that should help you determine if you should, and how much.

Those questions are much more important than, will posting this hurt my chances of getting an agent. You should be asking, will posting this help me get closer to my goals.

Marketing with passion

A quick heads up before we jump into the post. I did an interview withe Eve over at Functioning Insanity this week and she asked some killer questions. If you want to find out how I'd fare against the Machine and enter to win a signed paperback, you should stop by.

So...on Wednesday I talked about marketing your book, even when you don't feel like. Especially when you don't feel like it. And I know what you're saying. Sure, Sarah, easy for you to say. You're the one weirdo author out there who actually likes marketing.

And that's true, both that I enjoy marketing and that I'm a weirdo. But even if you don't go gaga fro spreadsheets like I do, you don't have to despise marketing your book. The trick is in finding your passion and and creating a marketing mash-up. Because marketing your book is easier when you don't want to scoop your eyeballs out with a dull spoon.

The first step is identifying your passions outside of writing. Of course, writing is number one. But I'm jumping out on a limb here and guessing you enjoy other activities as well. So make a list. Really, do it right now. It should only take a minute. Jot down all the activities, organizations and what not that you enjoy when you aren't slinging words like a rock star.

Got it? Great. Now you need to find ways that you can incorporate those passions into marketing opportunities for your work. Let's grab a few examples.

Tweet This

Do you love teaching? Perfect. Propose a course about your genre to a national organization. Write a teacher's guide for your book. Offer to lead a workshop at your local library. Create a course on Udemy. So many options for teaching and each of them creates built in exposure for you and your book.

Are you a workout junkie? Use your audio book to create chapter distance challenges to encourage runners to listen to your book as they run. Create individualized workout plans based on your characters' personality types. Submit an article on ways that authors can stay fit while spending so much time behind a desk.

These are just two examples, but I hope it helps you to get an idea of what I'm talking about here. There is no one right way to market your book. So why not do it in the way that feels the most fun to you. Not only will marketing this way feel like less of a chore, you'll also see better results since readers will be able to tell you aren't just phoning it in.

What are your passions? What makes you tick. Share your crossover marketing ideas in the comments. If you aren't sure how to apply your passion to your marketing, comment with your areas of interest and we can all brainstorm to help you generate some ideas. Because 100 minds is usually better than one.

Agency Lessons: Querying a series

Agency Lessons is a weekly post that gives authors and readers an inside look into the mind of a literary agent and a peek behind the curtain of how books are made. 

When it comes to writing a series, it seems like the extra questions that pop up seem to multiply with each book you add. Do you write the whole series and then query? Write the first book and then query with a full series synopsis? Write the first book and nothing else so you can walk away if it doesn't sell?

So many questions. And conflicting advice everywhere. So let's add a few more opinions into the mix, shall we.

I love a good series. There is something really gratifying about coming back to the same characters and following them as they grow. As an author, I appreciate just how hard that can be.

Let's start with when to write what. Some will say that you should only write the first book and that way you haven't wasted time writing a second book if the first doesn't sell. Others suggest you should write the whole enchilada before you sell so you have all the kinks worked out. Here's what I think.

Write what makes you happy. I wrote a manuscript and expected it to be the first in a trilogy. While I was mistakenly querying that plot-less wonder, I wrote the second book. I'm fairly certain neither one of them will ever see the light of day. But I'm not sorry I spent the time writing the second one.

For starters, I was so in love with the story that I knocked out the first draft in 10 days. Also, I know it helped me grow in my craft because practice is what makes me a better writer. And that was the story in my head right then. If I had tried to ignore it, I would have fumbled through writing something else until I came back to it. That's how my brain works. Maybe your brain works differently. The point is whether you write the series or just one book is up to you. Write what makes you happy.

Now when it comes to querying, I have a less touchy-feely answer. Do not query an entire series. I get queries all the time that try to explain an entire trilogy in a single query. As you can imagine, this is a disaster. Don't do this. Start with book one. Craft your query as if this book stood all on it's own. Then tell me that it's part of a series, completed or planned.

Also, let me know if your book can stand on it's own. If you are a debut author I cannot recommend strongly enough that the first book in your series should be able to stand on its own two feet. If it can't, don't tell me it can. I will know that it can't when I read your synopsis and then I will be in a bad mood because you lied. Don't lie. If your book needs the others in the series to tell a full story, tell me.

There is no wrong or right way to write a series. But no matter how you write it only the first book belongs in your query and synopsis.

Anyone want to share your best tips for writing a series? 

The definitive guide* on paying for reviews

On Wednesday I shared my tips for finding book reviewers. For most of you, I'm hoping that information was helpful. For some of you, it was overwhelming.

Maybe you're just barely eeking out an hour a day to write and the idea of spending all that time finding, researching and contacting reviewers makes you want to cry onto your blank pages. I don't personally relate since I'm one of those weird people that finds marketing fun. But I can understand.

If that all feels like too much, it's okay. You can hire a reputable and respectable blog tour company to organize your tour for you. Be aware that you will probably end up with fewer reviewers or pay heavily for them. I'm personally not a fan of this route, but it is absolutely an option and one that I support if this is what you need.

But I want to be clear that there is a big difference between paying someone to organize your blog tour and buying reviews. One of these is perfectly acceptable and above the bar and the other is a quick way to become a schwarmy author.

Buying reviews is, in my book, a seriously bad decision. It goes against everything I love about being an author and a reader. It taints the process of finding new books and makes the author look like a huckster instead of an artist.

Just in case there is any confusion when it comes to what exactly is a paid review. I've made this definitive guide* to steer you on the path of the straight and narrow.

*Or maybe not so much definitive as just the list of things I could think of. So...yeah.

DO give your book to reviewers in exchange for an honest review.
Some might feel that this is paying for a review. Trust me when I say that if reviewers were going to get paid, their time would be worth way more than the cost of my $2.99 eBook. Giving your book to someone who wants to review it is not paying them. On the reverse, I've seen folks ask for reviews and then provide a purchase link.This is not asking for reviews. This is begging for people to buy your book. Reviewers dedicate many (MANY) hours to reviewing books simply because they love them and want to share their passion with others. Understand that asking them to pay for your book is going to net you zero reviews.

DO NOT give someone the money to buy your book so their review shows up as a "verified purchase".
I've seen this listed as a viable method on various group sites and handed out as advice from people who brand themselves as book marketing professionals. Here's why this is a no-no. First, it is intentionally deceitful. The verified purchase identifier on Amazon is there so that a review is given more credence, since theoretically, the reviewer bought the book in question on their own and chose to review it. By giving someone the money so they get the verified purchase identifier, you are gaming the system. Bad. Also, I cannot recall a single time when I bothered to see if a review was from a verified purchase. I don't care and I'm guessing the average reader doesn't either. So your deception is pretty pointless.

DO understand that not everyone will finish/review your book.
Even when you've given your book to a reviewer for free, they may not finish it. And if they do, they might not review it. Understand that sometimes a reviewer chooses not to leave a review. Maybe because they honestly didn't like your book and don't want to give you a one star. So no review is actually a good thing. Regardless of the reason, a reviewer doesn't owe you anything. Remember when I said they are worth more than $2.99. That book was not a payment for service. It was a gift in the hopes of a review.

DO NOT pay someone in exchange for a review.
This is pretty clear cut, but you should never, ever give someone money as payment for their review. First, this goes against the terms of service for Amazon and is grounds for getting you and your books kicked off the website. Second, it is just so dirty. Seriously, it's wrong and gives me the heebie jeebies. Third, the people who write reviews for a living punch those things out by the dozen. They probably didn't read your book and you'll end up with a generic review that will most likely be worthless. Just saying.


DO expect that you will get negative reviews.
When someone agrees to read and review your book, they are not making a promise that they will like your book and give it a good review. Reviews are so powerful because readers put faith in their honestly. There will be people who don't like your book (shocker, I know) and they will leave negative reviews. The good news here is that you actually want a few of these on your book page. All 5-star reviews for a book makes them look fake or as if all your reviews came from your relatives. A few negative reviews gives more credit to the positive ones.

DO NOT pay a service to find reviewers for you
This one sounds tricky, but it's not. This is different than a service organizing your blog tour. A tour coordinator is in constant communication with you and the bloggers to ensure everyone has the information they need, your tour dates are covered and the tour is promoted. It's a lot of work and should be a paid gig. A service that is simply finding reviews for you is not doing any of that. They are hiring people who will give your book a glowing review for a fiver. There are probably a few sites out there that are simply coordinating reviewers with authors and keeps it all on the up and up. But for everyone company that is staying true to the nature of reviews, there are dozens who are churning reviews out like a puppy farm. I realize it's tempting, but just don't.

So there you have it. Reviews are super valuable to you and a major part of promoting your book. Getting them doesn't have to be torture. But if that sounds like less fun than having all your fingernails pulled off, don't turn to the easy answer of paying for reviews. It might help you in the short term, but eventually those fake reviews will come back to bite you and you'll wish you hadn't.

Finding book reviewers in 5 simple steps

I may have mentioned one or two thousand times here on the blog how important getting reviews are to a book's success. So it's not any wonder that I often get emails asking how I was able to find so many reviewers, especially from indie authors.

The good news is that there are thousands of book reviewers out there. The bad news is that you'll need to find a way to sort through thousands of book reviewers to find the ones that will be most interested in your work. To help with the process, here are five simple ways to find the right reviewers for your book.

1. Identify your comp book
You want to find one or two books that you believe would have a similar audience to your own book. Your comp book can focus on a similar topic, be in the same genre or have a similar writing style to your own. Your not looking for a replica of your work, just something that will appeal to the same readers. When deciding the type of book to use, you'll want to focus on books that have a high number of reviews. Even if a book is the perfect comp for yours, if they don't  have at least 50 reviews, it'll make the next steps harder to complete.

2. Stalk their tour
Most books have a blog tour these days and that is going to help us out a bunch. Check the author website for your comp book and search for a list of all the bloggers that participated in that book's tour. If you can't find it on their website, a quick Google search should bring up the info either on the host blogger's site or with the tour company. Add all the participating bloggers to your list.

3. Sources from the source
No matter how you feel about Amazon, they are the ultimate source when it comes to reviews. On the Amazon page for your comp book, you'll want to review all the 4 and 5 star reviews. Click on the name of the reviewer and check out their profile. Not everyone will list an email or website, but some will. For all of them that provide a contact method, add them to your blogger list.

4. Don't over think it
Pull up our friend Google and do the most basic search you can. Start with "Readers who loved COMP BOOK". I plugged Rite of Rejection into that scenario and came back with millions of search results. Obviously, not all of those are reviews, but the first several pages were filled with them. Another great Google search is to set your comp book aside and search for reviewers for your genre. For example: "YA dystopian reviewers". That particular search brought back 897K results. I'm thinking that should provide plenty of reviewers. Go through as many of those results as you can stomach and add the reviewers to your list.

5. Evaluation
If you've got a good comp book, you should have a significant list of potential reviewers for your book. Resist the urge to send a form request to all of them. This will almost certainly gain you next to no takers. Before contacting anyone, you'll need to go through your list and find out who is open to new reviews, taking your genre, still active, etc. This step will most likely significantly reduce the number of bloggers on your list. This is why you'll want to collect as many potential reviewers as you can.

My positive response rate to review requests was 35%, but that is pretty high. 25% is probably a realistic expectation. If you reach step five and don't have four times as many bloggers on your list as your target number of reviews, go back and repeat the process with another comp book.

Getting enough reviews for your book isn't an issue of not enough reviewers out there. The roadblock is in finding the ones who are most likely to enjoy your book. Using a targeted search can make the process easier on you and help you find your next biggest fans.

For more information on how to find and contact reviewers, be sure to sign up for my mailing list to get a free copy of my DIY Blog Tour eBook. 

Maximizing your Amazon Keywords

There are approximately 1.2 billion* blog posts available at this exact moment about how to use Amazon keywords. They are all full of helpful information that can be a great starting place for your keywords.

Unfortunately, I think they focus on the wrong area and don't serve authors as well as we hope.

The goal for most keyword selection is to get on the various best sellers list. Like these:

 

And these lists are great. They make us feel good as authors, give us goals to shoot for and make it feel like our books count. But when it comes to marketing, they don't count for much. I'll give you the fact that it looks impressive to a reader if you are checking out a book and see that it's hit lots of lists. It gives your book more social proof that it is worth reading. But that only helps once a reader has found your book. For discovery, these lists are not helping you.

Here's why. When was the last time you searched one of these lists when looking for a new book? And if you have searched these lists, how many pages are you scanning? I don't know any readers who are going searching on a very drilled down list and then flipping to page five to find their next book to read.

That doesn't mean keywords are useless. It just means we need to stop focusing on these lists. Instead, we need to use keywords the way readers use them. Amazon is a huge search engine that rivals Google. Readers type in what they are looking for in the search box and you want your book to be among the top results.

So instead of focusing on the words and phrases that will get you on a list, use the terms that readers are using to search for books. How do you know which phrases those are? Use the Amazon search bar.

I literally sat down one day and started typing in words. I started with YA and looked to see what other words are commonly searched for with YA. Same thing with Teen and Dystopian, since those are my big categories. After that, I simply matched up the phrases that were most searched for with the ones that best matched my book. It's really that easy.**

And it works. After making this simple change to my keywords, I watched my daily sales slowly double and then triple. Wow, that sounds like a late night infomercial, except this doesn't come with a bonus set of kitchen knives.

The best part of this technique is that it isn't about gaming the system or tricking readers into buying something they don't want. It's all about helping readers find the books they already know they want to read. And that's really the essence of marketing.


Keep in mind this isn't a magic wand for book sales. Before you implement these changes make sure your book looks great for when readers do find you. That means an eye-catching cover, a compelling description, meaningful editorial reviews and a professional bio. If you want readers to take your book seriously, you have to take it seriously as well.

So go ahead, experiment and see what happens. If it doesn't work for you, you can always change it back. But if it does work, you'll find yourself with a lot more happy readers.



*I absolutely made this number up, but you get the idea

**A note on traditionally published authors. You probably don't have access to your back end SEO, but that doesn't mean you can't put this in place. It never hurts to ask your publisher/editor what keywords they are using. They've probably already got the best phrases in place (they are professionals), but it doesn't hurt to check. You both have the same goal of getting your book in the hands of more readers so it's a win-win for everyone.