Prologues, Back-Story, Exposition & other things I don’t want to see…

Firstly, sorry for the lack of updates. September /October have been (and always are in Melbourne) crazy times. There was the AFL grand final, the NFL Grand Final, School Holiday’s, The Royal Melbourne Show (side note when the heck did this become so expensive I swear I’ll be paying off the c/card bill until next year!), a sick dog, a kid’s birthday party, a broken arm (& I thought I’d be the parent WITHOUT the broken arm child) & a short trip to Eden, and to my non-Aussie readers, ther is a place on the NSW coast called EDEN, (mummy & daddy time)

Phew! OK, now back to the topic at hand.

As I have mentioned previously, I offer editing services as well as running this blog and every so often I see a “trend” come through. Sometimes it’s a good trend, as is the case with mixed genre/themes and loads of great (and well written/thought out) diversity. Other times its not to great.

Today I want to start with the NOT SO GREAT.

Prologues

OK, I’ve been open about my dislike of prologues and not everyone agrees with me. Even so, I happily admit that some stories and some genres do benefit from a short prologue. The ACTIVE word here is SHORT. If your prologue is longer than five hundred words then it’s any of the below:

(i)                           It’s actually Chapter one.

(ii)                        It’s an excuse to info-dump your entire back-story

(iii)                      It’s a lady-writers way of “getting on with it” and no one is fooled.

(iv)                      Your manuscript is not ready and needs more editing/BETA reading and reviewing

(v)                         It’s many or all of the above

Back Story in Chapter one (& two)

Let’s make a few things clear, no one, let me repeat this NO ONE expects to know all your characters the instant they start reading. Starting a new novel is like a starting a new relationship or friendship. When you first meet someone you neither want their entire life story nor do you want to be dragging information out of them. If you are forced into either extreme, it is very likely you will not want to engage with this person and likely hope to never see/speak to them again. Long-winded people, dull people, utterly self-absorbed people interest no one but themselves. This is the ideal analogy for a novel. If you’re writing your novel just for yourself, go ahead, indulge as much as you like. However if your intent is to engage other readers (beyond your immediate circle) then remember too much is as bad as too little.

The reader doesn’t want to be swamped with information over load but neither do they want to be scratching their heads wonder, “Hang on, who is that guy again?”

If you want to find that happy place look first to your favourite authors and re-read their first five chapters. Look also to NOT writing a war & peace epic of a chapter one. There’s a good reason for this. LET THE READER CATCH UP. Giving the reader a chance to take in your first chapter and the characters within is a winning formula and while there are exceptions to this, on the whole, short, sharp equals engaging.

Chapter one is not the place to dump everything into the readers lap. It’s a place to set the theme, the scene, the tempo, the language, the main character, the location, a secondary character and that’s MORE THAN ENOUGH.

Again, of course there are exceptions, and the truly skilled/talented can get away with almost anything but for most of us, we need to work within parameters. Look at it this way, if chapter one goes on and on and on and your reader ONLY has time to read chapter one because it is so long (during a lunch break for example), by the time they return to the novel, they may well have forgotten a lot of the information you invested within it. Now the reader has a choice to make.

(i)                           Re-read Chapter one and waste another lunch break covering what you already read

(ii)                        Keep going with Chapter two & hope you can work out what you missed as you move along

(iii)                      Just give up

Which one seems most likely? Yep, that’s what I thought also.

Exposition

Let me say from the get-go I don’t mind a bit of exposition, but then again I also like literary fiction; and not all readers do. Some agents and publishers as well as readers literally roll their eyes at paragraph after paragraph of exposition.

So what is EXPOSITION? It is a kind of info dump but it’s not limited to back story or world building , basically it’s everything

Exposition is a bit of all of the below:

·        Back Story Info Dump

·        World Building Info Dump

·        Setting Info Dump

·        Descriptive Info Dump

·        Etc.

Let me state ALL of the above, back story, world building, setting, description (etc.) are VITAL and various genre’s allow for differing levels of exposition. However, there is such a thing as TOO MUCH. Let’s put it this way. Say you like your coffee with two sugars. Now, it you’re given a coffee with one sugar or three sugars, it might be a little bitter or a little too sweet, but remains palatable. However, if you are served a coffee with NO sugar or FOUR sugars you’ll struggle to drink it. Hell you’ll ask for another, your money back, or smile politely but not drink the coffee. That’s exposition for you. Too little and you don’t really know “Who’s on first” too much and you find yourself smiling politely, closing the book (or kindle) and not going back for more.

Too much Exposition kills drama.

Too much back story kills the story’s movement.

Too long a prologue kills interest to even begin.

So where to go from here?

Yes I make my living from offering editing services but editors, even the best editor in the world cannot fix everything. Before you hire an editor, get yourself a TEAM of CP partners & BETA readers, but they need to be honest.

Then accept that they MIGHT have a point. You don’t have to agree but you have to acknowledge that they have taken the time to make comments and give feedback. They have read your manuscript and offered honest critique. Acknowledge it for the gift it is.

Then be brave enough to slash pages and kill darlings.

Then do it all over again.

Then get yourself someone like me, after several BETA readers and re-writes, not before. Aside from having a product I’m keen to read because I’m not faced with page after page of the author droning on about nonsensical overindulgence, you’ll also save money – Hell! You may not even need me if you get yourself a crack Team of BETAS!

I don’t like ending on any form of negative. I don’t like writing a negatively swayed blog post. Therefore I’ll finish with this. You have taken the time, invested your soul, a little of your heart, fallen in lust and/or love with your characters. The cost has been time spent with family, friends and restless nights trying to figure out exactly how to best describe and present your characters. You’ve DONE the HARD WORK, now let the BETAS do there bit and indulge in a little self-gratification for having achieved so much already. Red-Pen Markings on your loving & loved up manuscript are not fun, but trust me, the pain is lessened when you don’t also have to invest buckets of cash as well — or worse when an editor says “This is not ready for the final edit stage” & be honest; you kind of knew that already; you were just having a day-dream-moment, and that’s OK too, but don’t forget to wake up 🙂 

Genres Defined

After not following submission guidelines, one of the most frustrating things agents and publishing editor’s alike see is a lack of understanding of categories and genres. I’m going to be blunt, if you do not know the difference in categories and you do not understand what genre your manuscript fits, it seriously dilutes our trust in your manuscript and your understanding or the industry.

Firstly, let’s talk CATEGORIES.

Simply put, the category is the age or reader bracket. In other words ROMANCE is not a category, YOUNG ADULT is. For the purpose of this post, I am talking about manuscript length novels and not short stories, poetry, sonnets etc.

The categories for fiction are:

Picture Book (PB)

Middle Grade (MG)

Young Adult (YA)

New Adult (NA)

Adult 

I’ll do a follow up blog post on categories, the age-group, and word-count (etc.) for each and also talk about voice, today I want to concentrate on genre definitions. This is an extensive list, however, there are many  cross-over genres, for example Adventure-Romance (etc.) The list is NOT intended to be the “final word” on all genres and sub-genres but rather a helpful guide to assist you in ‘labelling’ your manuscript correctly.

Also, please DO NOT write something like this: My (TITLE OF MS) is a Young Adult/New Adult historical-fantasy rom-com thriller. For a start what the heck is that anyway? And secondly, even if I could work that out I would be thinking:

a) this author has no confidence in their work and is scatter-gunning the category and genre; 

b) this author has done no research into either my tastes or industry standards; 

c) this author has no direction and therefore I expect the MS to be as confusing & mixed up;  or 

d) ALL OF THE ABOVE

Trust me when I say you do not want any of those thoughts to enter an agents or editors head before they have read a word of your manuscript because once the idea is there, imprinted, its so damned hard to remove.

Defining Genres & Sub Genres:

Most writers are familiar with the main genres, such as romance or mystery, and readers are most familiar with them but the lines of genre are blurry, and new subcategories are evolving all the time. The following are some of the best-known categories and their sub-genres, and it is by no means a comprehensive list.

ROMANCE GENRE: A romance is a love story in which the central focus is on the development of the love relationship between the lead character and a love interest.. The romance itself is the key element, as is the emotional engagement of the reader. The book should have a happy or satisfying ending.

Sub-genres include:

Chick-Lit: often humorous romantic adventures geared toward single working women in their twenties and thirties.

Christian: romances in which both hero and heroine are devout Christians, typically focused on a chaste courtship, and mentioning sex only after marriage..

Contemporary: a romance using modern characters and true-to-life settings.

Erotica: also called “romantica,” a romance in which the bedroom doors have been flung open and sexual scenes are described in candid language.

Glitz/Glamour: focused on the jet-set elite and celebrity-like characters.

Historical: a romance taking place in a recognizable historical period.

Diversity/Multicultural: a romance centred beyond Anglo-white middle-class characters.

LGBT: a romance centred on gay, lesbian, bisexual and/or transsexual characters.

Paranormal: involving some sort of supernatural element, ranging widely to include science fiction/fantasy aspects such as time travel, monsters, or psychic abilities..

Romantic Comedy: a romance focused on humour, ranging from screwball antics to witty interplay.

Romantic Suspense and/or Mystery: a novel in which an admirable heroine is pitted against some evil force (but in which the romantic aspect still maintains priority). 

FANTASY & SCI-FI GENRE: 

Fantasy: Often grouped together with science fiction, fantasy tales are based on heroes, myths, folklore, fairy tales, and magic. The Lord of the Rings is a good example of fantasy fiction.

SciFi: Science is the star of this show. Science fiction often takes place in the future and is based on technological advances, both real and imagined, and how they influence the characters and their world.

Common misunderstandings of various *PUNK* genres:-

* PUNK GENRES EXPLAINED:

• Atomicpunk: Optimistic retro SciFi based on Space Age. Think The Jetsons.
• Biopunk: All about altering genetics and DNA. These stories often take place in the near-future in which humans have been altered or in which human experimentation is common.
• Clockpunk: This genre follows the aesthetics and technology of Western civilization during the mid to late middle ages, though sometimes it’s set in the Victorian era.
• Candlepunk: Similar to clockpunk, but darker and with less technology.
• Cyberpunk: Has advanced technology and often focuses on artificial intelligence and the cyber world.
• Dieselpunk: Based on aesthetics and technology between World War I and World War II, sometimes up until the Cold War.
• Decopunk: Ranges from the aesthetics of the 1920’s to the 1950’s. Decopunk aesthetic is heavily based on modernism. Less gritty than dieselpunk.
• Elfpunk: Think Urban Fantasy but with epic fantasy creatures, (beyond vampires & werewolves) in an urban setting.
• Nanopunk: Similar to biopunk, but biotechnology is less available and nanotechnology is common.
• Sandalpunk: Set in ancient worlds, but with advanced technology.
• Splatterpunk: Extremely graphic and contains a lot of gore.
• Steampunk: This genre gets its name from the heavy steam-powered technology involved & is based in the Victorian & industrial eras of the Western world, though other cultural elements may be used.
• Western Steampunk: Similar to steampunk, but with Western (as in Wild West) aesthetics and settings.

Other SUB-GENRES:

Alternate/Speculative History: speculative fiction that changes the accepted account of actual historical events, often featuring a profound “what if?” premise.

Arthurian Fantasy: re-workings of the legend of King Arthur

Biopunk: refer to PUNK LIST

Comic: fantasy or science fiction that spoofs the conventions of the genre, or the conventions of society.

Cyberpunk: refer to PUNK LIST

Dark Fantasy: tales that focus on the nightmarish underbelly of magic, venturing into the violence of horror novels.

Dystopian: stories that portray a bleak future world.

Erotic: SF or fantasy tales that focus on sexuality.

Game-Related Fantasy: tales with plots & characters similar to high fantasy, but based on a specific role-playing game like Dungeons and Dragons.

Hard Science Fiction: tales in which real present-day science is logically extrapolated to the future.

Heroic Fantasy: stories of war and its heroes, the fantasy equivalent of military science fiction.

High/Epic Fantasy: tales with an emphasis on the fate of an entire race or nation, often featuring a young “nobody” hero battling an ultimate evil.

Military SF: war stories that extrapolate existing military technology and tactics into the future.

Mystery SF: a cross-genre blend that can be either an SF tale with a central mystery or a classic whodunit with SF elements.

Mythic Fiction: stories inspired or modelled on, classic myths, legends & fairy tales.

Post-Apocalyptic: stories of life on Earth after an apocalypse, focusing on survival.

Religious: theological ideas & heroes who are ruled by their religious beliefs.

Science Fantasy: a blend in which fantasy is supported by scientific or pseudo-scientific explanations.

Social SF: how characters react to their environments, including social satire.

Space Opera: a traditional good guys/bad guys face-off with lots of action and larger-than-life characters.

Spy-Fi: tales of espionage with SF elements, especially the use of high-tech gadgetry.

Steampunk: refer to PUNK LIST.

Superheroes: stories featuring characters endowed with superhuman strengths or abilities.

Sword and Sorcery: a classic genre often set in the medieval period, sometimes mixed with Time-Travel and.or Romance.

Thriller SF: an SF story that takes on the classic world-at-risk, cliff-hanger elements of a thriller.

Time-Travel: stories based on the concept of moving forward or backward in time, often delving into the existence of parallel worlds.

Urban Fantasy: a fantasy tale in which magical powers and characters appear in an otherwise normal modern context, similar to Latin American magical realism.

Vampire: variations on the classic vampire legend, recently taking on many sexual and romantic variations.

Wuxia: fantasy tales set within the martial arts traditions and philosophies of China. 

WOMEN’S FICTION GENRE: 

Stories focused on ‘women’s issues and relationships’ – By relationships we are talking ACTUAL relationships between at least two women, and often more. While there can be romantic elements, the focus is not necessarily on one partner, or even on the romance, but rather the journey and the endings are more realistic than the happily ever-after endings. Stories and/or endings following the formula of the likes of Bridget Jones’s Diary, are more accurately called “Chick Lit” or “Chic Lit,” women’s fiction tends to be more of a personal growth/journey rather than a happily-ever-after destiny. Also, often WF leans toward larger blocks of exposition and what some call “purple” writing. It is VERY important to vet your agents & editors as not all are looking for the same thing in WF. Often a big clue will be if they state a preference for Literary or Commercial WF.

Sub-genres include:

Admission; Literary & Commercial fiction is not only specifically related to Women’s Fiction however, I am sure many of you have read on wish-lists and agent profiles lines similar to:

“Looking for commercial women’s fiction” or “Would love to see some literary fiction, especially a high concept literary women’s fiction.” The below description can be matched to all genre’s as a way to identify if your work is more commercial or more literary.

Comment: COMMERCIAL DOES NOT EQUAL TRASHY – OK, so is that clear? It does tend to mean it’s more accessible but trashy DOES NOT equal commercial no more than LITERARY equates to ‘high brow’ or more cerebral writing. That said, there is a clear line between the two.

Literary: Usually work that offers commentary on larger social issues, political issues, or focuses on the individual to explore some part of the human condition. Literary fiction is deliberately written in dialogue with existing works created with the above aims in mind. Literary fiction is focused more on themes than on plot and for this reason is often found in certain styles of women’s fiction writing.

Commercial: Often called ‘mainstream,’ commercial fiction tends to be faster paced, and, unlike literary fiction, focus is on plot with higher stakes, more activity/events and often more danger. Unlike literary, the theme is clear and the language is not complex. Commercial Women’s Fiction is sometimes also called ‘Book-Club’ women’s fiction because it is more plot driven and therefore often more enjoyed by groups than its literary cousin.

HISTORICAL FICTION GENRE: This type of fiction is set against historical backdrops, where the setting is as important as the plot. While considerable research goes into these books, historical accuracy is not the immediate goal; however, having said that, historical accuracy is a factor. For example, if your story is set in 1880s London, the language and mannerisms of the characters must be true, even if the location/setting/town/village is imagined. Historical is rarely HISTORICAL ONLY, by that I mean, Historical-Romance, Historical-Mystery, Historical-Thriller, Historical-Adventure (and so on).

HORROR GENRE: This genre involves the supernatural, the monsters in the closet, and the fear of the unknown. The goal is to scare or unsettle the reader, and Stephen King has a corner on this market.

Sub-genres include:

Comic Horror: horror stories that either spoof horror conventions or mix gore with dark humour.

Creepy Kids: horror tale in which children are often under the influence of dark forces.

Dark Fantasy (also falls under FANTASY): a horror story with supernatural and fantasy elements.

Dark Mystery/Noir: inspired by hardboiled detective tales, set in an urban underworld of crime and moral ambiguity.

Erotic Vampire: Newly trendy link between sexuality and vampires, often with more emphasis on graphic sex & violence.

Fabulist: from “fable,” an ancient tradition where anthropomorphising objects, animals etc. is used to deliver a message or lesson.

Gothic: think  Gothic era & architecture, filled with images of decay and ruin, imprisonment and persecution.

Demonic Possession/Haunting:  Possession by ghosts, demons or poltergeists.

Historical: horror tales set in a specific and recognisable period of history.

Magical Realism: Where extraordinary forces or creatures pop into otherwise real-life settings.

Psychological: a story based on the disturbed human psyche, often exploring insane, altered realities and featuring a human monster with horrific, but not supernatural, aspects.

Religious: horror that makes use of religious icons and mythology, especially the angels and demons derived from Dante’s Inferno and Milton’s Paradise Lost.

Science-Fiction Horror: SF with a darker, more violent twist, often revolving around alien invasions, mad scientists, or experiments gone wrong.

Splatter: refer to PUNK LIST

Supernatural Menace: a horror tale in which the rules of normal existence don’t apply, often featuring ghosts, demons, vampires and werewolves.

Zombie: tales featuring dead people who return to commit mayhem on the living. 

MYSTERY/CRIME GENRE: A mystery usually involves a crime (most often murder), the investigative process, and the resolution of the crime. The main character is often a police officer or a detective, and the reader is given clues, both real and false, to help solve the mystery.

Sub-genres include:

Amateur Detective: a mystery solved by an amateur, who generally has some profession or affiliation with crime or solving the crime.

Child in Peril: a mystery involving the abduction or persecution of a child.

Whodunit: a crime that is solved by a detective, from the detective’s point of view, with all clues available to the reader.

Comic (Bumbling Detective): a mystery played for laughs, often featuring a detective who is grossly unskilled (but often solves the crime anyway, owing to tremendous good luck).

Cosy: a mystery that takes place in a small town—sometimes in a single home—where all the suspects are present and familiar with one another, except the detective, who is usually an eccentric outsider.

Courtroom Drama: a mystery that takes place through the justice system—often the efforts of a defence attorney to prove the innocence of his client by finding the real culprit.

Dark Thriller: a mystery that ventures into the fear factor and graphic violence of the horror genre.

Espionage: the international spy novel—here based less on action than on solving the “puzzle”—is today less focused on the traditional enemy spies than on terrorists.

Forensic: Featuring detail and scientific procedure.

Historical: a mystery that takes place in a specific, recognizable period of history, focused on setting & era.

Medical: generally involving a medical threat (e.g., a viral epidemic), or the illegitimate use of medical technology.

Romantic: a mystery in which the crime-solvers fall in love.

THRILLER/SUSPENSE: Also called “thrillers,” this category often combines elements from other genres. Readers of this genre can expect action, and lots of it. The main character will have to face a villain of some sort, and obstacle after obstacle will be thrown our protagonist’s way.

Sub-genres include:

Action: a story that often features a race against the clock, lots of violence, and an obvious antagonist.

Comic: a thriller played for laughs, whether through a spoof of the genre or wisecracking interplay between the protagonists.

Conspiracy: a thriller in which the hero battles a large, powerful group whose true extent only he recognizes.

Disaster: a story in which Mother Nature herself is the antagonist, in the form of a hurricane, earthquake or some other natural menace.

Eco-Thriller: a story in which the hero battles some ecological calamity

Erotic: a thriller in which sex plays a major role.

Espionage: the classic international spy novel, which is enjoying a resurgence with one important change: where spies used to battle enemy spies, they now battle terrorists.

Forensic: a thriller featuring the work of forensic experts, whose involvement often puts their own lives at risk.

Historical: a thriller taking place in a specific and recognizable historic period.

Legal: a thriller in which a lawyer confronts enemies outside as well as inside the courtroom, generally putting his own life at risk – also can fall under CRIME.

Medical: a thriller featuring medical personnel, whether battling a legitimate medical threat such as a world-wide virus, or the illegal or immoral use of medical technology.

Military: a thriller featuring a military protagonist, often working behind enemy lines

Political Intrigue: a thriller in which the hero must ensure the stability of the government, often one that employs him/her.

Psychological: a suspenseful thriller in which the conflict between the characters is mental and emotional rather than physical—until an often violent resolution.

Romantic: a thriller in which the protagonists are romantically involved.

Supernatural: a thriller in which the hero, the antagonist, or both have supernatural powers.

Technological: a thriller in which technology is central to the plot.

CHRISTIAN FICTION: This is fiction that reflects Christian views and focuses on the relationship between the main character and God. Christian can include any of the major genres, such as romance or science fiction. 

TEEN FICTION: Teen fiction encompasses all genres but focuses on characters near a teenager’s own age who deal with issues that are important to their age group, like relationships, teachers, and decisions about their futures.

So there you have it. NOT the “BIBLE” of genres but a pretty extensive list that should help you better understand when an agent or editor asks for STEAMPUNK and should also assist you in classifying your manuscript. I will follow up with a (shorter) post on categories in a few days.

 

The “Beauty & the Beast” of creating Great Art

When I was a child, I spent a lot of my super-hot summer days reading { being from Australia, it’s often 40-45+ Deg C (105-115+ F) for several days in a row}. I would read a novel and then I’d rush off to the library and borrow a book on the author or the setting. For instance, if I was reading an Agatha Christie novel, I’d go to the library a few days later and borrow a book on Agatha Christie. This was equally true for other art genre’s most specifically visual art, artists. Painters & Sculptors throughout the ages kept me fascinated, entertained and had me wishing to one day live in Paris, Province, Tuscany, New York or The Cotswolds or Kent in the UK.

Except there was a lot more to being an artist than sipping a coffee by the Seine, or sleepy, dreaming views of rolling hills and cute red and blue sail boats. For a start it was hard work and more often than not, unfulfilled aspirations led to a kind of manic for many artists. Still, I chose not to think on the loneliness of Van Gogh, the drunkenness of Hemingway or the financial ruin of Twain. I chose to think of the romance, the beauty, the meetings with other artists, the talks on politics and philosophy; and then I grew up.

The Pursuit of Happiness through the Creation of Art is a very difficult path. Today I’m going to specifically talk about writing/authors but the below could be just as easily replaced on other fields.

Writing Isn’t Always a Ball of Fun

Yes, it starts off fun, like a new relationship, you love your characters and are excited to see where the setting takes you and are even surprised at what develops. You tell your friends about Such-and-Such and can’t wait until you are back at that keyboard. But then, as in every relationship, things stall, conversation becomes strained or unnatural and you roll your eyes where once you battered your lashes and you sometimes even curse your character, the very same one you loved just hours ago.

I know you all know this but, I don’t think some of you get just how NOT FUN it really can be. I recently got an MS to edit. As is my policy, I read the first 5-pages and, although I saw several grammar repeat errors, I decided to ask for the first 20-pages and ballpark the cost for the entire manuscript.

I read those additional 15 pages and sent the lot back, with some notes, and no fee. Why? This author had promise (hence why I asked for more pages) but they had spent all their EDIT TIME on the first 5-6 pages. How did I know this? Pages 10-20 were like they had been written by someone else. I think their idea was that I (the reader) would fall in love with the first chapter and be unconcerned about issues, big gapping hole issues, further on. Clue – NEVER HAPPENS!

Writing IS NOT a ball of fun. WRITING does not stop with the first edit, or even the 10^th edit, or the first 25 pages – it’s hard and its time consuming and its frustrating – If you want this to be your future, accept Writing Is Not a Ball of Fun. Still dreaming of your days being filled with magical words & perfectly formed sentences floating into your head and then onto your page… read on.

Don’t Give Up Your Day Job.

Now, I say this in the nicest possible way. I know you want to give it up and honestly, if you can afford to, sure, go for it. But if you are on a single income and there’s no family trust fund to fall back on, as much as it would be great to devote all your precious time to your craft, don’t give up your day job.

Reality check. Most authors don’t sell their first novel, some don’t sell the second or even fifth novel, and even when they do, so very, very, few get any real money form it. Yes you CAN make a living from writing, I PROMISE! But you need to maybe have 3,4,5… novels out there before those royalty cheques pay anything more than a one-off cheap meal.

Don’t believe me? Let’s assume you are one of the lucky/talented ones and your first novel sells. Let’s even assume that, unlike the rest of us that need 12-24 months to write, edit, polish our work, you can do it in 6 months. In other words, this is the best, best, best case scenario. So, six months in, you’ve got a publishing deal. Then the work starts. Edits, re-writes, discussions with your publishers. Let’s even say your MS was so perfectly shiny that six months later it’s publisher-standard ready. Hell, we’ll even give you a decent advance of $10,000 (which really is super rare too). Now, the book has a lead-time of, you know what, we are already in fairyland, let’s go all the way and say it’s only 12 months!

So, 24-months from when you began your first MS, your novel is hitting the market. Hippie! Yes hippie indeed, but wait, remember that advance of 10K? Yep, that one, you need to sell enough to cover that first before you see a royalty cheque. Even if we say you average $2 to the author per book (averaging out e-book and paperback and then being super generous again), that’s 5,000 copies that need to sell before you see another red-cent.

Sure, you’re writing your next novel or two… but there is no guarantee the publisher will take your next work, especially if you don’t cover your advance (which is why big advances are not always a big advantage – but that’s a topic for another day).

So your best case scenario is, after working 35 hours every week, for say 45  weeks of the year, for two years, (or over 3,000 hours), you have $10,000 in the bank, or just over $3/hour – return for novel one. It’s actually not all that bad for your first novel, but its not enough to live off, even eating only 2-minute-noodles, and you’ll need some sort of prop-up income.

Get Used to being Pigeon-Holed

If you write romance, people, even your biggest supporters, will make jokes at your expense. “But I don’t write Romance” I hear so many of your thinking. It’s the same for all writers. You’re a PB or MG writer; people will joke about how immature you are. YA? Never really left college. NA? What the hell is NA anyway… and are you just being a pretentious git? Adult Literary fiction, refer to *pretentious git* – same goes for writers of poetry. Short story writer, Can’t you make a story stretch to something beyond 5K? Self Published; couldn’t cut it in the “real” world… the list goes on and on and on. Some of it is intended to be light humour, much of it is simply not thinking, and occasionally it comes from envy; that you have the courage to put yourself and your work out there when the *wankers* who make stupid comments rather than create something worthy, don’t have your courage.

Shaking your head at me are you? NEVER has this happened to you? Awesome, seriously. But let me ask you, have any of your non author/artist friends ever commented on how *easy* your day is or asked what you do all day? Have you ever been half tempted to smack them on the back of the head? Of course you cannot AND WILL NOT do that, but hey, get your character to do it in your book, you’ll be surprised how cathartic it can be!

Don’t be discouraged. Go back to point (i) – Writing is not easy and sometimes the hardest part is the perception of the community and/or the stigma attached to your writing category, genre or style.

It DOES Get Easier

No, not the work part, not even the labelling part, but your focus, your skill-set, your interaction with the rest of the writing community, it gets easier with time.  As you grow and develop as a writer, and as you become part of a community, whether In-Real-Life or via social-media, the feeling of loneliness, isolation and frustration is shared and that’s what makes it easier. The more friends that you gain who share your struggles and understanding, the more likely you are to improve exponentially. Yes, choose your friends wisely, but choose them none-the-less. Each one of them will help you to make it to the next day and the next page and the next edit… and the next manuscript.

As your network grows, so do your personal resources and so does the likelihood of novel 2,3,4… being completed and published. And that’s when it also get financially easier too – Again I PROMISE!

& the Point is?

The point is, very few things in life fall to us from the skies. Sometimes they do, rare as it is, sometimes people will the lottery and sometimes first manuscripts become best sellers and movies, but the truth is, for the most part, the pursuit of happiness through art is rarely easy. The question should not be when will I make it and how? but, who am I doing it for any why? If it’s for you and its because you simply MUST, then being difficult, although frustrating and often heartbreaking, is not going to stop you. If this is you, don’t let anxiety beat hard work, don’t send work that is not edited or complete — don’t make it harder on yourself than it needs to be.

So who or what is the BEAUTY & who or what is the BEAST of great art? It’s the one and the same – its work. Sorry to make it so simple. Hard work is like a yolk, weighing down our dreams and desires and yet, it’s that hard work that’ll make those dreams and desires become real. What’s more, they will be all the better for you’ll have *war wounds* to share with others- after all being the new generation Gertrude Stein or Ernest Hemingway cannot come with some pain 😉

As for timelines, most people sell their first novel (to a traditional publisher) somewhere between 5-10 years from when they took their writing seriously. In other words, Don’t Give Up Your Day Job (just yet)

Let’s talk Book Covers – what makes a great Book Cover?

Hi again.

Confession; I RARELY find a book cover I am so enamoured with that it sways me to buy a book without reading the first page or two, or at the very least, 2-3 reviews (hence why reviews are so important). Having said that, it would be a lie to say book covers do not sway the buyer, me included.

Sadly, they often sway me the WRONG way. Here are a few things that make me roll my eyes or simply skip completely.

• I can’t read the title – Now I’m not talking about the small print on Amazon, I’m talking about when I open the damn thing on my Kindle and someone has convinced the Author to go with some crazy font that
  1. Either my Kindle can’t read
  2. My eyes can’t take
  3. both
• Overly busy covers – Again, there is a time, place, genre, for busy, but honestly if I’m doing a book cover version of ‘Where’s Wally’ then I’m unlikely to want to read the book because
  1. I’m already over the cover
  2. Subliminally I am already thinking the novel will reflect the cover and I’ll be pulled in 100 directions looking for the point.
• Too bold and bright – Again, there is nothing wrong with bold and bright, but it must be done with some reference to the novel inside and the cover needs to allow my eyes to ‘rest’ a little too. Personally (and this is entirely personal) I am not fond of covers with too much orange or sunbeam yellow, I find those colours, when they dominate, to make me feel hot and sticky. Again personal preference, other people will love this but
  1. If your novel is not set in a hot & sticky setting, Summer time island setting, India during the monsoon period, as examples, that’s the impression it gives, even if people don’t know it
  2. And/or if your theme is not hot and sticky, think steamy erotic scenes, then the cover will not match either
  3. If you are going for a complete contrast to the theme and setting with your cover, more power to you, but you need to keep in mind that some people (like me) will skim right past this cover (unless it has been recommended)
• Really stupid marketing ploys – Sometimes a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, especially if you have assess to some illustration software and a desire to show ‘how creative’ you are. Not that long ago I read about a novel that had come out. I’d love to give you the title but, in the wisdom of the author and their publisher or agent or some intern in the marketing department, the novel HAS NO WRITTEN TITLE! I kid you not. Instead, there is an image of a group of people, their backs turned away, in a field in the evening looking at the stars. I think one is pointing but I could be making that bit up. The idea is that the ‘picture tells the story’ as in it’s called “Look Up” or something like that. Yes, it was a clever idea while on the promo cycle – I will grant you that, but what then? Someone is surfing the pages of Amazon or Smashwords (or wherever it is found – I have never checked) and there’s no title – Silly much? I can’t recall if the Author’s name is on the cover either.

And then there are all the truly jaw-droopingly obvious bits of advice I have read for improving/picking your cover-design. Comments like:

• Obtain Good Images (no! REALLY? Who knew?)
• Consider your format
• Use your imagination 

I could go on but honestly, why do people bother spending time writing this stuff, obtain good images… good grief! As far as images are concerned, yes OBVIOUSLY obtain good images, but more importantly, obtain images you are legally entitled to use. FYI, just because it’s on the net does not mean it’s free to use.

So, you may have noticed I’m a little bit ‘NARKY’ on this topic and that’s because everyone’s an expert. Truth is, it’s YOUR book, if you are with an agent or publisher, or if you’re doing this on your own, if you REALLY dislike your cover, stand up and say so. This is your career and this novel is a representation of you.

Here are my tips

1. Take your Writers Cap off and put your Readers Cap on. Look at the piles of novels you have around the house and those on your Kindle, and divide them by which covers most drew you in. Don’t think about age category or genre, think only COVER DESIGN. The reason for this is whatever you are drawn to is also a reflection of who you are and will likely help you discover how you want your cover represented. What you want is colour, imagery, design rather than girl-kissing-boy-love-story. Do you like the colours muted or bold and bright? Do you prefer the image to exactly reflect your novel or be a little mysterious – that sort of thing.
2. Now make a list of your favourite book covers and
   1. Either find out who the illustrator/artist is or
   2. Give it to potential illustrators/your agent/your publisher as a guide of what you like.
3. Write ½ a dozen 6-12 word pitches (that’s it no more) for your novel. This will help you clarify what your message/theme is as well as your audience. It’s a lot easier to create a cover when you know the theme in a few words and the audience it’s aimed at.
4. Avoid the obvious – in other words, picture clichés. There is nothing wrong with turning a cliché on its head, that’s called clever marketing, but if it isn’t done well, the cover becomes a dud.
5. Avoid too many images. Again, this is not a set-in-stone rule, in fact none of these are, it’s art and can be whatever you want it to be, but, busy images can confuse the potential reader.
6. Look into colours & mood – seriously. This is not some ‘new-age’ mumbo jumbo, there are scientific studies to show that specific colours and tones within that colour palate, evoke different feelings and emotions.
7. Go to a book store, the library, Amazon, Smashwords, Goodreads and do a search on your category and genre and see what covers are out there, and see which ones do it for you – add them to your list.
8. If on doubt, throw it out. This is the hardest one. You may have an artist friend doing you a favour, perhaps for free or next to nothing, but you really don’t like the cover. It’s not going to be easy to say it’s not working for you but it’ll be a lot easier to do before the thing gets printed and you hate it and resent your friend a little too. Or you may have an agent, or publisher, or both, who have got their team of artists and illustrators… and they DO KNOW what they are doing. You should listen. You should try to learn. You should be prepared to compromise, however if you feel so strongly about the cover that is bothers you a day or two later, speak up before any more time or money is spent. Once it’s out, fixing the cover is not so simple.
9. Don’t skimp on design. Yes it’s not cheap, especially if you are going the SP route, but, just as a good editor and proof reader is vital to your novel inside, a good, professional cover is to the front. It doesn’t have to have an image of the cosmos that was taken on a space-station, but it does have to have a clear image with decent pixels that conforms to industry standards.

Lastly, I’ll refer you to Writer Digest (which for those of you who follow me know I think are a very useful author resource):

http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/there-are-no-rules/general/10-tips-for-effective-book-covers

They have 10-tips.

Many of them are the same as mine. I in fact read theirs after I had read mine and it’s interesting that we cover pretty much the same points. If you don’t believe me, believe them 🙂

Future Submissions – Short Story Anthology unlike ones you’ve seen before!

Today I wanted to talk about something super-exciting; seriously, I’m like one of those Disney Characters with wonderful news just bursting to share! As you all know, we will be officially opening our SUBMISSION doors in 2015, however, (good grief I just squealed), I’ve been given the OK to let you in on one of Lost Lynx “pet” projects for 2015/2016 – and it’s going to be wonderful.

NOW CAUTION

–        PLEASE DO NOT SEND ANYTHING UNTIL SUBMISSIONS OPEN –

OK? Got that? Clear? – Great!

So, in 2015 we will be asking for submissions for a short story anthology, but not just any short story anthology! No no! This one has the theme Mother to Daughter. What’s Mother to Daughter? You know when you were a kid or a teenager and your mum or your gran would share stories with you?

Sometimes they’d read from a book but other times it’d be all in their head. And sometimes it was magical and mystical and other times it was a story about a brave, or funny, or cheeky, or naughty relative? That’s what we’re talking about here!

But wait there’s more – what we want is IMMIGRANT MOTHER TO DAUGHTER stories. So if your mum or your gran or your nanna is from non-Anglo heritage, we want to read your story and we want to share it with the world. Now, just to make it clear, we have nothing against Anglo-history, some of us are borderline Anglophiles!  The thing is, Lost Lynx wants to give a voice to the marginalised and to extract for everyone’s pleasure from the diversity that is cultural Australia, and in particular cultural Victoria.

Below are the rules & guidelines – any questions please feel free to ask. NOTE I have taken out the email address as it’s not open YET, this is for all you guys to prepare. This Christmas or Hanukkah, or Day of Ashura, or any special family, religious, cultural day in your heritage, when you and your family get together, ask Mum or Grandma to tell you again some of the wild and wonderful tales she shared when you were children… & then come share them with the world!

Some HOUSEKEEPING before you read below

Please do not send anything before the submission window opens (THIS IS VITAL), as it will not be considered. We want to give everyone as much time as possible to prepare their very best short stories.

–        There is NO FEE to send your submission

–        There is NO READING FEE to assess you submission

–        You can send up to 2 short stories

–        Once submissions open you’ll see the Twitter hashtags #M2D and/or #motherTOdaughter. By searching these on Twitter you’ll be able to keep up with any important tweets.

–        Because we accept that in some cases the author(s) of this anthology may struggles with English, we are making allowances for this and will endeavour to assist those with wonderful tales that need more grammar/syntax nurturing, than would normally be offered.

–        Sorry; Aussies only!

–        Unsure of exact date submissions will open but it will be in the very early part of 2015. It might be a good idea to follow us on Twitter and the blog for updates.

OK now, below is a pre-written post update that’ll go on the Lost Lynx website once the submissions are open. It has everything you need to know, however, if in doubt, send through a comment or question here or send one via the CONTACTS on the Lost Lynx website: http://www.lostlynxpublishing.com/

  Time to do your bit. Spread the word. Tell your friends, your neighbours.

Your work colleague is from Switzerland and always has amazing stories to tell at Christmas time? Share this anthology with his sister, is female cousin, his mother. Your girlfriend is from Fiji – wonderful! Can’t wait to read about some fantastical tale of island magic or mystery!

Below is a direct copy (without the How To Submit – that’ll be added once we are open for submissions), as it will appear on the  Lost Lynx webpage: http://www.lostlynxpublishing.com/. I’ll also be posting another blog update once we are open. But for now, read through the criteria and please feel free to pass on, to re-blog and to ask as many questions as you like!

Casting a wide Net to find Authors

Short Story Anthology (fiction) – MOTHER TO DAUGHTER

Searching for female authors from diverse cultures, religions, traditions,

– come share your customs, your history & your stories.

From fairy-tales rarely heard to family legends that have been passed down, we want to cast the net as broadly as possible. We don’t want to miss out on a wonderful GEM.

Through story-telling we develop understanding and friendship. Story telling & story sharing demonstrates our differences but more importantly, we learn just how similar we really are.

Celebrate your cultural diversity through the shared tradition of mother-to-daughter story-telling.

Sometimes it’s the small things, the small fights and the even smaller triumphs, which have an ongoing effect and make a difference.

The practice of sharing tales, fables, even family legends and secrets has been true for as long as humans have existed. But for the most part, father-son relationships were the focus, whether that be through verbal story-telling, through song, dance or wall/cave painting and yet, it is the women in our history that teach the next generation, and the one after that, our customs, our religious beliefs, our facts and our fantasies… And these are the treasures we are hoping to uncover, stories and tales passed down from one generation to the next.

But not just any generation to generation, what we want is to delve into how our immigrant parents or grand parents shared their past with their Australian born children and grand children.

Everyone knows *Disney-style fables and tales, we want to discover unknown Norse Gods, and stories of Desert Princesses once shared by women in travelling caravans. We want to uncover wild and woolly tales of malevolent wizards, ferocious dragons and nasty witches in Slavic folklore & exotically named and wondrous deities from Asia.

We’re also looking family legends, tales and fables or stories about magic beings and wild forests with supernatural creatures and/or family legends; tales of travel, tragedy, of make-believe and making quits… show us what you’ve got, we’re very excited to see what we can get. And don’t restrict yourself by religion either. We want Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, any and all religions.

We want hybrid tales where pagan practises and traditions mix with traditional religious beliefs.

Please ensure you follow the guidelines.

Guidelines – Please adhere to the guidelines, I cannot repeat this strongly enough, adhere to the submission guidelines; failure to do so may result in your submission being rejected.

(i)                 Entry is Free – there is no charge to enter your short story

(ii)               Short stories to be between 1,000 – 5,000 words

(iii)             The final number will depend on the length of the stories chosen to make up the anthology. It is anticipated the final number of author’s will be between 12-24

(iv)             Lost Lynx will take full responsibility for publication (e-book and possible paperback)

(v)               Authors selected to participate will be required to sign an agreement giving Lost Lynx exclusive right to publish the story. (the story remains the property of the author)

(vi)             Authors selected to participate in the anthology will be paid a small advance. The figure will depend on the final number of works accepted, the more author’s the less per author.

(vii)           Authors signed to participate in the anthology will need to make themselves available for promotions and marketing events, such as but not limited to, launch events.

(viii)         Authors will also be expected to direct third parties to events, points of sale etc. – in other words help promote the anthology.

(ix)             Short stories can be any of the following:

a.      A fable or legend unique to your culture or community

b.      A family tale / story unique to your family or your region

c.      A unknown fairytale or scary-story shared with small children at bedtime or on special occasions

d.      A fictional account of how something came to be – for example, are your relatives German and did they tell you the story of St. Nicholas?

e.      Other – tales, stories, legends; anything fictional & exceptional to your culture, heritage, or your family.

f.        Legend of a cultural hero / heroine.

g.      Other? Unsure? Shoot us a message via CONTACTS, leave a comment on our Blog and/or Tweet a question.

(x)               At least one grandparent of the AUTHOR must be from a non-Anglo Saxon background and within your submission detail you must describe the link.

(xi)             Author does not need to be an immigrant but immigrants more than welcome.

(xii)           The stories we are looking for are of non-Anglo Saxon heritage for example:

a.      Indian/Asian

b.      Slavic (think Polish, Russian, Croatian, Slovak etc.)

c.      Viking/Norse

d.      West African

e.      South African

f.        Arabic (all religions and sects)

g.      Western & Eastern European (mainland)

h.     Welsh/Irish/Scottish

i.        Central American

j.         Any other (non Anglo)

(xiii)         Author must be FEMALE

(xiv)         Author must be resident of Australia and preferably reside in Victoria.

(xv)           Author must be over eighteen years of age. No maximum age.

Because we understand in some cases English is not a first language, we will be much more forgiving with issues such as grammar, syntax, perfect dialogue, however, we strongly recommend all those submitting to ask a native English Speaking friends to read through their story.

For anyone for whom English is a second language and is struggling to obtain assistance in improving the written quality of their submission, please contact us via our “CONTACT US” option and advise your cultural heritage, place of birth, language spoken and current location. We will do our best to link you with some who can help prepare your final draft.

Please note

(i)                 we can make no promises and

(ii)               if you leave your submission until the last minute then we cannot help you as time becomes our enemy.

Time to prepare, time to write, time to revise and time to surprise us and the world!

When do I need an Editor – & what does an Editor do anyway?

Hi again,

Today I wanted to talk about editors. I’ve recently seen quite a bit of discussion on blogs and sites regarding editorial services, charges and options & frankly, if I wasn’t in the industry I’d be as confused as many author’s are.

So I decided to help set the records straight. Let’s start with the various types of editors.

	TITLE	Job Description
A	Editors-in-Chief	Working for Publishers/Magazines/Journals. Sometimes called “editors at large” – Often at the highest editorial level, they manage not only the look and tone of the final product (with other departments as necessary), but other editors, writers, freelance editors etc.
B	Acquisitions Editor	This title generally refers to Book Publishing Houses, but is also used by some newspapers and magazines. These editors search for new writers, stories, and/or manuscripts, and decide whether a submission is a yes or no.
C	Developmental Editor	Sometimes also called substantive editors. This title generally refers to Book Publishing Houses & Educational Publishers. Developmental Editors guide a writer from the inception of an idea to the finished Product. It’s the developmental editor’s job to look at the “big picture” of the work rather than the fine details. Issues in structure and consistency are addressed. If editing fiction, issues such as plot flow, themes, and character development are addressed. With non-fiction, its section flow, facts presented, and the strength of arguments.
D	Copy Editor	Copy editors are primarily concerned with the nuts and bolts of a piece: grammar, word choice, punctuation, and spelling. They also ensure that each piece adheres to the style guidelines set. It’s the copy editors job to ensure they meet the requirements of the Publisher/Client. Copy Editors can work FREELANCE or for a Publishing House, magazine etc. Depending on the size of an organisation, a copy-editor may also act as a proof-reader or may pass this on to an assistant.
E	Proof-Reader	Similar to a Copy Editor. Proof-readers can work for an organisation or freelance. Generally, proof-readers are copy-editors “in-the-making” often working with a copy editor or acquisition editor as their supervisor.
F	Line Editor	Again, can work alone or as part of a Team. Can be employed by a Publisher/Magazine (etc.) or work freelance. Line editors are looking for issues of grammar/syntax and sometimes fact/plot-holes (depending on their experience and your needs). Line editors can also be copy editors who want to deal with the “nuts & bolts” issue before moving on to the plot issues or they can work on instruction of a copy or developmental editor.

The question many people ask is: do I need an editor and how much will it cost? The short answer is YES you do need an editor and IT DEPENDS (we’ll come back to the second bit later)

But before you look to finding yourself an editor, there are a few things you should, no must do first. In order to not waste more money than needed, you should edit your work as best you can before an editor (or an agent) sees it. By doing this, you’ll not only improve your manuscript, you’ll look like a professional who is serious about their craft and the business of writing. To do that you should:

(i)                 Let your MS sit for at least a month, work on something new and then come back and re-read and revise. Repeat 2-3 times.

(ii)               Join a Writers Group or match up with a CP partner and swap manuscripts. By working on each others MS projects you are not only about to get valuable feedback, but you’ll also learn the skill of honest editing. Repeat at least 2 times (after revising of course)

(iii)             Get yourself a BETA* reader and either return the favour or, while your waiting, start a new project, CP for other people or BETA read for someone else. Again you are gaining experience, an additional opinion and valuable social brownie points that’ll help you when the times comes to call on REVIEWERS for your novel.

(iv)             Re-write after notes. Let it sit for a week or two, re-read & revise yet again.

*BETA readers are so called because BETA is the second letter of the Greek Alphabet. Alpha is the author/writer and Beta is the second person to read.

Now you are ready for your next phase. Depending on the path you want to take (Agent submissions, Publisher direct submissions or Self Publishing) will decide your next step. If Agent or Publisher, now is the time to sharpen your query letter/submission letter and if SP is your path, now is the time to start working on a cover design and interviewing editors.

You’ve decided your path and sorted out your introduction letter, re-read your MS one more time and send out your query, your submission or your first pages to editors for them to give you a ball-park estimate on their services.

But I hear someone saying, how much will an editor cost me?

If you are with an agent and/or a publisher, then nothing, it’s part of the process to publishing. If you are planning on SP, then it depends on what you want (referring above), the experience of the editor and the amount of work involved on your particular project.

What I will say is this:

(i)                 Be careful of people who quote on a PER WORD basis only. That is to say, someone who quotes say one cent per word, as there is variation in the work from job to job. There is nothing wrong with giving a ball-park (as I do) however, any editor worth their salt will want to read some of your material and confirm their rate. They will also add into the agreement that should the figure likely change they will inform you before continuing.

(ii)               Only consider editor’s who work in your field/genre/category. If someone advertises they accept all work (or practically all), this should signal further discussion. No one can specialise in all areas and all fields.

(iii)             Professional editors who do freelance work will always offer 5-odd pages free. The point of this is to assess the author’s skill-set as well as assessing if this project fits the editor’s area of interest and expertise. If an editor does not offer a “free” X-number of pages for assessment, they might not be the right match for you.

(iv)             Avoid at ALL COSTS open-ended agreements. Phrases/sentences to look for are:

a.       Let’s see how we go, I’ll get back to you.

b.      I never go over X/Y/Z hours.

(v)               Open ended reply dates. There should be a clear indication of turn around time. Yes, things change and delays happen, however, if you need your manuscript back in two weeks then this forms PART of the agreement and PUT IT IN WRITING.

(vi)             Full payment upfront. NEVER ever pay 100% upfront. It is not uncommon to pay 50% deposit, especially for larger jobs, but if an editor wants 100% payment upfront, then I would be running for the hills. At the same time, the editor wants to know you are good ‘for the money’ so to speak and by agreeing to pay a portion upfront (and paying it) the editor is more likely to be keen to begin work on your project. You are welcome to negotiate. For example, you could offer to pay 25% upfront and a further 25% a week or two later and the balance on completion. But less than 25% upfront payment would be unreasonable.

 So how much should you be paying? For a full and complete editorial service, assuming you have done your BETA and CP part already, it could cost anywhere between $2,000-5,000 – sometimes even more.

However, if you initially hire an editor to do proof or line editing, the cost should be in the $100’s and when the notes are returned, there are more often than not hints on other issues (plot holes, repetition of word usage, too many adverbs, too much exposition and so on). By working through the proof-read / line edit and by addressing those other issues, you will likely save yourself $1,000 or more in the long-run.

Now for the bad news. No one is perfect. Not even editors.

They (we) miss things. Sometimes its little things, and sometimes its bigger things. This does not mean you’ve had a poor or bad editor, it simply means you’ve had a human working with you.

After you have finished and your editor is finished I STRONGLY recommend having a new BETA reader or (if you are at the ARC’s stage) future REVIEWER’S read your ARC copy, so as to pick up anything everyone has missed.

The more set’s of eyes the better.

Don’t disparage your editor, whether you are with a publishing house or you are self publishing, because they missed a few things on a 100,000 word manuscript. But at the same time, don’t think they (we) are infallible.

That’s why ARC’s are sent out very, very, early. Not only for your reviewers to read and prepare for your launch but also so they can catch anything that has slipped through the editorial net.

Editors are VITAL. They are your additional skill-set and will help your work go from mundane to great but at the end of the day, it is your work and your responsibility to ensure you have the right editor for your project and to also ensure your project is as sharp as possible before opening it to the general public.

How to Get a Book Review – or the Art of Launching without becoming a Nuisance!

Reviews – Getting what you want!

I have a confession to make. I’m a bit of an internet snoop. I troll, stalk, errh check-out dozens of author blog sites, and when I say AUTHOR I mean that in every context, traditionally published fiction & non-fiction author’s, self-published, aspiring, New York Times and Major Prize Winning author’s and the little guys.. In other words, I’m interested in everyone from traditional to hybrid, to self-published to as-yet-unpublished.

All of these sub-groups of authors have numerous things in common, especially “getting-word-out” marketing needs. And lately I’ve been seeing a lot of“How do I get my book reviewed” tweets, questions on LinkedIn and on Blogs. And it’s a fair enough question. If you don’t have an agent, and/or a medium to larger publisher, you’ll need to do a lot of marketing yourself.

Let me repeat that. Even with a publisher behind you. Even with a decent sized publisher, you will have to do a lot of marketing yourself…

“OK” I hear you saying, “But how?”

Here’s the truth, ideally your marketing started LONG before you signed a publishing deal. Yes, it’s true you DO NOT need to have a public/social profile presence to become a NYT Best Seller. But here’s a reality check, not many authors will be NYT Best Sellers, at least not with your first novel. It DOES happen, but not often. So your job is not only to write a killer novel and drop-dead-gorgeous submission, you also have to be prepared for the day you’ll need reviewers.

Now, I’m going to assume that you’ve got a Twitter and/or Facebook, LinkedIn (etc.) profile and that you’ve been interacting with agents, editors, other authors, friends and the general public and have a ½ decent following and a few loyal friends that you’ll be able to call on first as BETA’S and then as Reviewers. (If you don’t … get on to it and if you’re really stuck, leave a message and if I get enough messages I’ll post a blog update on developing a platform and social profile at another time).

For the purposes of this blog, I’m going to assume you have signed with either a small-ish publisher or are self-publishing… and therefore will be expected to do a lot of marketing yourself. First thing to accept is: With few exceptions, major news publications do not review Self-Published books, even though 100s of 1000s of self-published titles have been published and some of them have become Best Sellers. Even so, the lack of coverage in traditional media outlets has not stopped SP authors from their rise.

According to the New York Times, “Self-published titles made up roughly one-quarter of the top-selling books on Amazon last year.”

And according to Digital book World in May 2013, at least ten self-published books were best sellers. Books like Rachel Van Dyken’s The Bet, Katy Evans’Wool Omnibus Edition and Abbi Glines’ Twisted Perfection.

Further down, I will add some KNOWN REVIEWERS but for now, let us assume you are one of those who may struggle to find accredited reviewers. So what do you do?

Let’s look at time-lines first. Most professional reviewers need to receive a copy of your novel AT LEAST 3 months before Launch-Date, therefore you should be contacting EVERYONE 5-6 months before hand.

Types of reviews: There are three basic review types for a book.

(i)                 Cover Reveal/Book Launch. This is the simplest and often is the most popular for other authors with blogs as you’ll provide a cover, a blurb, a brief bio, a list of links (with the link) where the books are available and often a discount voucher that people reading the review can use.

(ii)               Q&A & Cover Reveal. This is more detailed and usually involves reading some or ideally all of the novel, or knowing the blogger/reviewer  quite well, and they you, (hence all that work you’ve been doing on social media) where they’ll pose a list of questions about you, your writing process and your novel. It’s much more in-depth, time consuming for both parties and much more intimate for the reader of the review. You’ll still provide a cover, a blurb, a brief bio, a list of links (with the link) where the books are available and so on.

(iii)             Full review of the Novel. This can also mix *(ii) but is always completely honest. The reviewer will be given a copy of your novel to read and in return they will write an honest and frank REVIEW of the novel. You will also supply links & a jepg cover of your novel as well as a brief Bio and often a photo of yourself. The reviewer will decide what to write ,what to omit and have a free hand – and they will also post a review on (for example) Amazon, Goodreads, Smashwords, etc.

How to decide who to send what? That’s up to you, but remember this, the bigger the name/following of your reviewer, the more people will read the review… good or bad. I tend toward an initial email to all (non-professional) reviewers, that is to say, Twitter/Facebook/LinkedIn friends that feature books & authors on their blogs. The initial email should be something like:

Hi there,

As you know my novel (TITLE) is due to be launched mid November 2015 and I am looking for people who might be interested in (List all three options). If you’re interested in being part of the launch please reply email me.

If your launch date is November 2015, you should be sending your first email out in June 2015, with a follow-up at the end of July to those who have not replied. NOTE one follow-up is more than enough, don’t become annoying! For those that have replied they want to do *(ii) or *(iii) send them a copy of the blurb, cover and/or book, thank them for their time and ask them to let you know “If we missed something” – I’ll let you in on a secret, everyone misses something and 5-10 extra sets of eyes are awesome!

NUMBERS:

Ideally you should be looking for (min):

5-10 in the (i) section

10 in the (ii) section

And at least another 10 in the (iii) section

Though that’s not always possible, it should be your min. aim. You also want to stagger the Launch.

In August, after you’ve heard back from those people who’ve read the novel and fixed the last of those annoying little errors, you (or your publisher), will now be ready to confirm a launch time-table. And if you don’t think reviews work, read this:

One best selling book that was boosted by an online book review was Colleen Hoover’s Hopeless. Maryse Black, whose blog reviews mostly S/P chick lit and contemporary romance, was one of Hoover’s early fans. Hoover self-published her third book, Hopeless, in December 2012 and it became a New York Times best seller. Black wrote a rave review of Hopeless around the time it was released, and within a few hours over 20 people commented, many saying they had purchased the book and were excited to read it. 

For Self-Published, Hybrid and authors with Small Press, word-of-mouth marketing is key, that’s a big-deal. Having those early, positive reviews was the first step into making Hopeless successful as it helped direct readers to the book, who then bought copies, and in turn posted their own reviews, creating a snowball effect that advanced it best seller status. FYI, after self-publishing several books on her own, Colleen Hoover is now with a traditional publisher thank-you-very-much. Hoover has also sold the movie rights to some of her work. Johanna Castillo, VP and senior editor of Atria Press, first learned about Hoover from book blogs.

And that’s how momentum starts. Funnily enough IT IS and IS NOT about numbers. You only need ONE GREAT REVIEW that is read by many to start a momentum but you might need to have 50 people review your novel in order to get that one great review.

So, it’s the end of August, you have your super-dooper-polished book ready to go. You have your reviewers ready to rock & dates booked in. Some *(i) & (ii)* will happen in Late September through to book-launch date and *(iii)* will start in October with IDEALLY one reviewer per week, every week from Mid October through to mid December.

Now you are ready to approach PROFESSIONAL REVIEWERS.

First, there is nothing wrong with sending copies to the New York Times. Yes it’s unlikely they will review your book but what the hell right? And should you make it the NYT Best Seller list, it would be kind of cool to be able to give interviews where you say “Well NY Times didn’t want to review my book when it first came out, that goodness for…” (and name those that DID help!)

Other people worth approaching:

Firstly, you MUST approach these people in August or at the latest September if you want their review to coincide with your launch. No, that is not a RULE however; many reviewer’s like to be “the first” to have found the next big thing, rather than hashing over what others have said.

Second, approaching does not equal a YES answer. I have prepared a list of some of the best international ones that are happy to cater for self-published and/or small-press authors. As you can imagine, they are all getting 100’s if not 1000’s of requests. Still, it CANNOT hurt to send a quick email.

Maryse Black http://www.maryse.net/

Black said she posts on average three reviews each week and that about 80 percent of the books she reviews are Self-published/ Indie authors.

We Fancy Books http://wefancybooks.blogspot.com.au/

“We Fancy Books” has five reviewers and focuses on YA fiction, contemporary, sci-fi, and paranormal romance. Approximately 20 percent of the books reviewed on We Fancy Books are Self-published/ Indie authors.

Dear Author http://dearauthor.com/

Jane Litte, the founder of romance review blog “Dear Author”, said her site posts 12 books each week, two per weekday and two on the weekend. “Dear Author” has eight reviewers, over 170,000 visitors each month, and it receives around 300 review requests each month from authors and publishers.

Chick Lit Central http://www.chicklitcentral.com/

Melissa Amster from “Chick Lit Central” said the website usually reviews two to three books per week, and they have a balanced mix of traditionally and self-published books.

indieBRAG http://www.bragmedallion.com/

“IndieBRAG” has a program called B.R.A.G. Medallion that reviews all genres of self-published print and digital books. Readers tell “indieBRAG” their preferred genres and then choose from a short list of titles which books to review.

Building Relationships with Book Reviewers

Some book reviewers try to stay in touch with authors after reading their books. Though in a few cases this helps an author get reviews for subsequent books, most reviewers said they decide whether or not to read new books by previously reviewed authors based on the content and quality of the book, and not by their relationship with the author.

Online Book Review Sites

Here’s a couple of  additional sites worth considering:

–         Blog Nation, http://www.blognation.com/blogs/book-reviews

–         The Indie View, http://www.theindieview.com/indie-reviewers/

–         iDreamBooks, https://idreambooks.com/

And don’t forget to post something on sites like LinkedIn, on Facebook, on your Blog. Also join sites like Scribophile (http://www.scribophile.com/ ) where you can not only get feedback & honest critique on your WIP, Query Letters & Synopsis, but you can also let people know you need reviewers and announce a publication.

And because we are an Australian organisation, I could not have a post without at least a few links to Aussie reviewers/options!

 –         The Sydney Morning Herald http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/books

–         Australian Book Review https://www.australianbookreview.com.au/

–         Aussie Reviews http://aussiereviews.com/

–         Aussie Authors http://www.aussieauthors.com/reviewers.htm

–         Aussie Bookworm Express http://aussiebookworm.wordpress.com/

–         The Age Entertainment http://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/books/type/book-review

So there you have it. More work – Sorry!

Don’t forget to talk to all your author, musician, artist and entertainment friends as well as anyone who has worked with you on your novel, from BETA’S to editors to illustrators, to CP partners… ask how they did it/are doing it. Share information, and knowledge and contacts.

And IRL you work as an accountant when you’re not bashing the keyboard? GREAT! Ask your friends at work to review your novel and give it a rating on Amazon & Goodreads. You volunteer at the local primary school tuck-shop every other Friday AWESOME! While you’re cutting sandwiches let the other parents know you have a book coming out… and when. Your local community centre as a small hall that can be hired out for events? WONDERFUL – arrange a book signing and drinks/BBQ/Meet-and-greet afternoon. Free food and/or free drinks will bring many along!

You need to be as active and as creative in your marketing approach as you were in writing your novel, even if that means stepping out of your comfort-zone and asking for help. Also, if anyone has anything to add to any of the above, any hints or suggestions, things that worked or did not work, I’d love to hear from you, as I know many, many others would 🙂

 

*Lost Lynx* Wish-List & Submission Guidelines

Hello all, 

As promised, the Lost Lynx Publishing & Media website has now updated their wish-list and submission guidelines… both of which you’ll find under the website SUBMISSION button. There’s a fair bit of information, how-to’s and what Lost Lynx is most interested in… and so on. I’ll post updates here too, but for now, I’d suggest going to the website and taking a look.  http://www.lostlynxpublishing.com/

And you’d be wise to follow Lost Lynx on Twitter: https://twitter.com/LostLynxPub 

Where’s a little of what you’ll find on the two new pages:

Example of how your submission should look:

Attention Submissions Editor,

Please find my submission for (TITLE OF YOUR MANUSCRIPT), a (WORD COUNT) (CATEGORY & GENRE) which fits your current fiction wish-list.

(BODY OF QUERY)

(BIO)

Per submission guidelines I have attached my first (3 chapters/ 5000 words), 1.5 spacing (And this is where you tell us if it’s all prologue), and included my 1.5 spaced synopsis below my signature.

Regards,

YOUR NAME
YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS
(& if you want) Links to TWITTER/FACEBOOK/BLOG

All of the above will total 500-words + synopsis below here:

Lost Lynx Publishing & Media is currently closed for submissions, however, with the end of August only days away, we thought it time to let everyone know what we want and what we are looking for in the new year. Additionally, the website has also had a complete face-lift. You’ll also find out why the Lost Lynx name & the new MOTTO in Latin:  “Bene est enim numerus magnitudine; quid est defectus” (& the translation) on the website. Let us know what you think 🙂

& as always, feel free to post a comment on here too 😉

The Art of Clever Writing & how to Finish what you Start

Carry a notebook/pad everywhere – the Art of Clever Writing

First off, writing is an art-form because it transports the reader to another place, another world. And new characters who, if done well, become as important to you as your real (or real virtual) friends. When done exceptionally, you, and others, will quote characters and dress as them at theme parties and create games and almost worship the characters. Such is the power of great books. It has always been this way and I think it will always be so, no matter the format or forum.

So that’s the finished product – the work of art. It’s not the work-part. Just as a dancer spends years in practise and months in painful rehearsal, so it is for a painter, or a sculptor, or a musician … and so it is for an author.

Lets get something clear. If you’ve always dreamed of buying yourself a little cabin in the woods or a cottage by the sea, where you’ll have a cute little loft office with a view of the valley, ocean and sky, and you’ll happily pound away at your keys with a sedated cat purring on a lumpy sofa, just close enough for the odd pat but not too close so as to disturb you, great! You’ve got a vivid imagination. You can probably smell the honeysuckle creeping up the cabin or the salty-tang of the sea. You can imagine chooks clucking in grassy green paddocks or seagulls squeaking. You can even smell the hot chocolate that’ll be there for you, when you sit back, pressed up against your chair, musing over your newest sage words and dreaming of book-launch-day. Are you there?

Now wake up and smell the coffee, no seriously, you forget about it, it’s the damn percolator that’s gargling not chooks and seagulls your hearing. Here’s the thing, the only real part of that *might be* that you can afford to buy a place in the country or by the sea. If you can, great, but honestly, most authors can’t afford to buy much more than two-minute-noodles for much of their writing careers.

Now, like I said, if you imagined all of the above (and more) then you are half-way to writing a scene everyone can imagine – and love. That’s the good news. The bad news is, being a good, or even a great writer isn’t enough.

So let’s talk about how to go from good, to great  to Oh-my-lordy-lordy-wow! 

Before anything else, your character, their actions, their mannerisms (etc.) must sound authentic. There are a lot of things to consider.

1. what age is your MC
2. what age does your MC act (this is important especially in MG)
3. what era is it set in
4. what language is it set in – now, now, none of that. Yes I’m talking English but which English? UK, Canadian, New Zealand, USA, Australian, Fiji English? And then within each of those, what’s the inner culture. Is it USA Southern or NYC Brooklyn? Is Melbourne Eastern Suburbs or is it Western? Is it city or rural? Is it French Canadian or English? Is it pigeon English? Are you seeing where I’m going here? A contemporary mystery set in Melbourne Australia will use not only a different version of English spelling, but also local terms, the meaning of certain words, accent, dialect etc, to one set in central London or Queens NYC.

Here are my tips on Writing Process 

Author’s Survival Fit 101

Whether it’s electronic or pen & paper, never be without a pad – EVER. Sometimes the silliest things pop into your head that could be that Eureka moment.

The little secret I’m about to share, I’ve done so before & most have loved it.  Why? Because you’ll never struggle to try and remember that line that popped into your head half-way home from work on a busy train. You know the one. The brilliant one that was your ideal hook. The one you lost because the train was too crowded and the girl sitting next to you was babbling on the phone – and by the time you got off the train you couldn’t quite remember the EXACT wording?

Yeah – that one! So here it is – In every jacket, in every purse, every trouser pocket, every wallet, put an A4 piece of paper folded up into eighths, but before you fold it up, take 2-3 pencils and have them cut into three. Sharpen all of them and put one small pencil in the first corner of your folded paper. The paper will protect the pencil and will still be small enough to stuff in most places. If the page is still too big, once at 1/8 of the size, roll it up, cigar-style, and stick it into your wallet/purse… everywhere. Now, no matter where you are, if an idea strikes, or if a conversation taking place inspires you, unfold, grab your pencil, and make notes. You have a lot of paper for notes, on both sides, and you have a pencil – this should be considered an Author’s Survival Fit 101.

Draw on real life.

If you write Picture books, Middle grade, or Young adult especially, but even for NA and adult, listen to the language of your main characters peers. Look for key words repeated. Look for interesting inflections in pitch and tone. Note mannerisms, they change just a little with each generation. Look at fashion-style, even hair styles.

No, you don’t want to info dump all that information in one big blob, but getting these things right will help the reader trust the author and will also help the story to progress naturally & organically.

Even if you write fantasy, or SciFi, or historical romance, draw on real life. Your world MUST make sense to us, the reader. No we don’t need to know why your planet has 7 moons or even the names of the moons, but if your planet DOES have 7 moons, do your research on how a planet with so many moons might differ from ours. Will there still be a tide? And if so, will it change 7 times a day? Or will other factors influence your world’s seas? Draw on real life to make your world actively real to us.

Keep a Diary/Calendar

Now this does not need to be a big deal. I recommend an electronic one, perhaps linked to your email account. Each day you write, note this in your calendar and/or diary. Note what you wrote, new pages, editing Ch 1-7, blog post, author novel review (etc.) and note how much time you spent on writing that day. Don’t get bogged down with “I wrote 3,000-words today” because, OK, I’m going to say it; the number of words you wrote is not the significant part – SERIOUSLY. Especially for first draft because much of what you wrote will be edited, cut, re-edited, added to, cut some more, manipulated and then edited again…

So writing 3,000 words on any given day, while awesome, is not a measure of how much work you did.

List what you did that day, and how much time you devoted to your writing, include research too, everything to do with writing. Some day’s you’ll spend all day on Twitter. That’s OK, Other days you’ll spend checking your facts on a 7-moon planet. That’s OK too. What you want to do is establish how much time you are devoting to:

• Writing
• Revision
• WIP Research
• Preparing and entering competitions
• CP/BETA reading other peoples work
• Reading for purpose (that is to say out of your preferred gene)
• Reading for pleasure (just as important to read, read, read)
• On Facebook/Twitter and other social media forums
• Agent research
• Preparing and sending our submissions.
• Blogging
• Observing – YES observing, taking time out to people/season watch
• Anything else you’d like to add.

The point of this is, if you are not doing all of the above, you are not working at your art-form. This is your preparation and your rehearsal and your show.

Writing about What you Know   

 – Do Your Research

OK, I’m going to caveat this one. As far as I’m aware, not too many of us have ridden a live dragon, or lived under the sea, or met an alien, or whatever, so this is one of those bits of advice that needs a caveat.

DON’T write about an Indigenous Australian living on a remote cattle-station in the Northern Territory if you’ve never been on a cattle station, or the Northern Territory, or ever met an Indigenous Australian.  If this is your Dragon ride out of your comfort zone – GREAT! all for diversity and spreading your author wings while also spreading the love – but do your research!

DO connect with people from the Northern Territory and Indigenous Australian’s

DO read fiction and non-fiction on Dreamtime Culture

DO have Indigenous Australian friends/authors/facebook mates read your pages to see if it rings true to them.

And I’m about to be very boring – READ, READ, READ. Everything and anything. reading about the migration of crane’s may give you ideas on how your dragon will fly over mountains. Or reading about someone discovering a new cure for some exotic disease could lead you who-knows-where. Read Fiction & Non Fiction. I highly recommend reading as much flash fiction and poetry as possible too. There is a special skill in telling an entire story in 100-200 words and there’s a magic in really great musical poetry. No not necessarily the rhyming stuff, but the rhythmic stuff – there is a difference 🙂

You don’t have to ride a dragon to be able to write about dragons, but in order to pull it off,

you need to understand the beast, physically and metaphorically. 

So what is it You Want To be?

Firstly another pet peeve, note I have a lot of them, get used to it. I know we all use ASPIRING WRITER. I hate this term. Let me repeat that HATE it. I hate it because I’m not 100% certain what the hell it means? Does it mean you want to learn to write, as in read and write? If so, then this page must look like a lot of small blobs of ink to you.

What you are is an AUTHOR

Now, you could be a PUBLISHED author, or a SELF-PUBLISHED author, or you could aspire to certain objectives, such as being traditionally published by a non-vanity-press publishing house and this is when you will feel you have gone from ASPIRING to just plain AUTHOR. For each artist the lines are a little different, and that’s OK too, but the one thing you are not is someone who aspired to write.

Aspire to write a NY Times best seller – YES

Aspire to make a ½ decent living from your writing – YES

Aspiring writer ? – like I said it doesn’t even make sense.

So, let’s look at this. What/Who is you really want to be?

• A published fiction author ? Great, what sort of published author. Self-published? Small Press? One of the big 4-5? A best seller?
• A non-fiction writer? What field? Do you have a platform or do you need to create a platform? Working together or alone?
• A freelance writer? Great! What sort? Travel. Fashion. Sport. Technology. Industry? Music? Arts?
• A Blogger/Reviewer? Awesome – Again blogging/reviewing what/who/where?

Now I know many of you are thinking, “Hang on, isn’t this blog-site all about fiction novel writers?” – Actually, well… no! It’s about the business of writing. And yes it’s linked to Lost Lynx Publishing & Media, but first and foremost it’s about working with what you have to develop what you could be and it’s about opportunity. Sometimes we start at one point and end up at an entirely different location. And occasionally when we accept where the road might be taking us, some of us, the lucky and hard-working few, will ACTUALLY get to the cabin in the country or that cottage by the sea.

Don’t dismiss opportunity because of your steadfastness to one idea. That is why keeping a journal, or calendar or whatever you want to call it, is VITAL. After a very short space of time you’ll see where you are spending most of your time, and that will help you make those life decisions. I mean, if you are spending 100-hours per week on Facebook and Twitter and only 3 hours on everything else, surely that’ll tell you something. It may not be GIVE UP, it might be OH my farrky-lordy-lordy, no wonder I’m not getting anywhere with my manuscript, or my short stories, or my submissions.

But on the other hand, it might also be that you start to see you spend a lot of time chatting/tweeting to people who travel. Perhaps your writing career will be as a travel blogger, or reviewer. It doesn’t mean that you MUST stop writing your novel, but it might mean your sea view out the window will constantly change as you hop, skip and jump around the country and world – all the while collecting ideas and notes and journal entries and studying people – and writing and writing and writing.

FIGURE OUT WHO YOU ARE, WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPIEST TO WRITE ABOUT

AND HOW YOU CHEER YOURSELF UP – THIS IS YOUR PATH.

And this is how YOU write. Don’t diminish your path or your style or your commitment, this is you. Harper Lee only published one book (and if you don’t know who Harper Lee is, errh, run for cover, and google. And if you still don’t know, stop reading this and get the damned book and read it instead- no seriously –NOW) Anyway, where was I. Oh yes, Harper Lee.

One published novel folks but what a novel! Now I don’t know if there were other things completed and never offered to the public, but I do know that Harper Lee was an author who understood how they wrote.

Don’t be afraid.

Most of us are not Mozart or Harper Lee. Most of us will need to repeat and rinse many, many times before we get it right and even then, after we’ve finally “got it” we’ll stumble and regress and throw a little hissy-fit and question why the hell we are bothering.

Here’s the thing – you are now acting like a writer. It’s called insecurity and indecision and moments of weakness –and it’s beatable. How, actual writing — it doesn’t matter what, replying to blog posts, revising your synopsis, editing a friends manuscript – just do some actual writing, and all the while have your notebook or pad, or pen and paper or your handy little mini-pencil rolled up in your coat pocket – waiting for that moment when something tickles your writers fancy

OH & FINISH what you begin!

– Make it so!

 

1st Line; 1st Page; 1st Chapter – the dos & the don’ts

Morning everyone, 

Today I wanted to talk about first pages, first chapters and prologues.

As I’m sure all of you have heard time and again getting, first line, pages and chapters is vital, but having said that, based on a few first pages I’ve recently received, and follow-up emails, I don’t think people are getting exactly why.

So I’m going to break it down for you.

But before I do that, I wanted to go over some ‘rules’ – and when I say rules, I mean what is standard for most agents/editors. Please ALWAYS read submission guidelines and don’t drift from them. We are individuals and therefore we each do like things a little differently.

1. Unless otherwise stated, if you have a prologue, then THAT is your first chapter. Simply NOT calling it a chapter when it makes up your manuscript word-count and story-line does not negate the need to send this as a first chapter.

2. If your first chapter is all back-story, re-write it or filter the information through the novel. Don’t info-dump the reader with details that mean nothing to the reader.

3. If your BETA readers / CP partners /Agent / Editor writes back with notes like “Too much info-dump” “Too much exposition” “How is the first chapter relevant to the following chapters?” or similar, don’t write a massive email back explaining that as soon as the reader gets to chapters 3/4/5 it’ll all make sense. The reason? The reader is already deciding NOT to get to chapters 3/4/5.

4. Don’t argue with your reading partners. Yes ask questions if something isn’t clear, but asking questions does not include becoming defensive or rude/abusive.

5. If you don’t agree, that’s OK – it’s your baby and you need to be happy with the end product.

6. Remember to thank those assisting you, even if you’ve paid them for their time, be respectful.

Now on to the Big Three

Prologues:

OK, I’m going to admit it. On the whole, I’m not a fan of prologues. Having said that, there is a case to be made for a prologue, for example, if you are creating your own world, or doing a massive re-tell that needs some explaining, I’ll grant that a prologue could be handy. If that is the case, KEEP IT SHORT – seriously – more than 500 words and it’s too much.

I would also recommend two things:

• Rename it – perhaps call it Chapter #0 or get creative, something like a memoir, or diary entry. For example, if you’re writing a romance, or a thriller, or a mystery, or a fantasy, you could start off with lines like: –

“I’m writing this because I don’t know if I will ever have the opportunity to tell anyone my story, and my story must be told, for this world I have found myself in is…”

• Stick to the MAIN topic and character(s). Don’t info-dump. Remember the reader doesn’t know your world/characters and therefore is not invested in it.

• After you’ve finished, and edited, and re-read it, and had feedback from your BETA’s, see if indeed it is simply Chapter one an not a prologue.

First Pages:

The first line of the first paragraph of the first page of the first chapter should IDEALLY be a stopper. It isn’t always, and sometimes not matter how hard you try, that damned first line eludes you. It’s OK if it’s not but it would be great if it was. If your first line is really bothering you then it will likely do the same to another reader. I would recommend studying those who know how to do this. A great starting point is reading the first line(s) of your favourite authors. I would also recommend these two pages from Writers Digest:

http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/there-are-no-rules/famous-first-lines-learn-how-to-start-a-novel

http://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/7-ways-to-create-a-killer-opening-line-for-your-novel

First Paragraphs

While the first line is important, a lot can be forgiven if the first paragraph (or maybe two), actively catches the readers imagination. Contrary to popular belief, it does not have to have someone talking, though this works very well also. Nor does it have to have the name of the main character; though by the end of page-1 you need to have the main character’s name introduced.

Things to aim for in first paragraphs:

• Some description/detail without going overboard. Examples of this might be: – “Mother always told us to never go out on the moors after ten at night, because that’s when he hunted. Sadly, my brother Jim didn’t listen, and Mother was right” – or perhaps, “I always felt sick on the first day of school, but this year, it was a new school, in a new town, and I was about ready to throw up last nights pea-soup all over my new bottle-green school uniform.”
• Bring in your main character. Use their name and a personal character trait, a physical feature or quirkiness unique to the character. Something like: – “Mum and dad must have thought it clever to call me Ophelia. I hated the name. And I hated it even more when most of my school friends had read Macbeth. Last year, super-perfect-sun-bleached-blond Sally started calling me ‘crazy-fee,’ and it didn’t help that my twin brother’s name was Malcolm and our uncle Mike was the town drunk.”
• Give us a location, country, period to grasp on to. “This can be as simple as: – “Back in the 1980s when my parents were teenagers, they didn’t have mobile phones or google. I really don’t know how teenagers talked to each other back then. I mean, I’d die without my Facebook and Twitter friends, I mean, we live in the middle of frigging nowhere, what did people do thirty years ago anyway?” Note how I’ve used “I mean” twice? I’m not only setting the period and the age of my MC but also the way they talk.

Things to avoid in first paragraphs:

There are many things to avoid. But let’s deal with just two or three for now.

• Droning on and on. By this I mean, yes we want to know who the MC is and where they live and in which period/world they are but don’t give us 3-5 paragraphs of detail. Remember this is fiction and you must engage the reader.
• Forcing the main characters name. Yes we want to know who the MC is but it must be natural. I’ve seen/read pages with lines like:

“How’s the fishing Charlie?” asked Charlie’s best friend Pete. A best friend will rarely add a name in their comment/question to their mate. They will simply ask “How’s the fishing?” You can use their name in a different way, for example. Someone was shouting “Over here,” but the band was playing too loudly and I couldn’t make out where the voice was coming from. I looked around when I heard the second, “Hey, here, here,” and saw an arm waving above the bobbing heads. I stood on a chair looking for the voice, hoping it was my mate Pete when I heard him shout, “Charlie!” Pete was now waving with both hands. I smiled and waved back, jumped off the chair and made my way through the crowd.

• Creating disbelief. This one is harder to explain but think of it this way. You are creating a world for the reader to get lost in, what you don’t want is to have that world crumble before the reader is fully invested.  Examples of this would be inconsistency such as forgetting the spelling of a characters name, or their description varying. Other examples would be changing the characters ‘voice’ without a valid reason, not remaining in the setting (think period/historical) and jumping too fast from one character to another without enough time for the reader to fully immerse themselves in this new world.

There are of course many other issues. Things like poor spelling or using the wrong word, pour, poor; pore is a good example as is weather, whether and wether. Other issues include changing tense or really bad grammatical errors and something difficult to explain yet almost instantly recognisable, failing on the tone and rhythm of the pages.

First pages:

I am not going to list all the dos and don’ts of first pages as a lot has to do with the category and genre you are writing in. Having said that, the purpose of the first chapter, regardless of category and genre is to do the following:

1. introduce the main character
2. creating the world/setting
3. set the theme
4. show your voice as a writer and the MC’s voice
5. seduce and entice the reader to keep reading

What not to do.

1. waste precious page real estate on back story
2. introduce a shopping list of characters (*caveat, this can be done by the skilled, those who know that fine line between exposition, detail and introduction)
3. blabber on and on about nothing
4. start with your MC in the shower,
5. getting out of the shower,
6. looking at themselves in the mirror,
7. asleep,
8. waking up,
9. having a dream/nightmare,
10. watching/describing the weather,
11. starting with dialogue for the sake of not knowing where to start your story and thinking, “this’ll do as a starting point,”
12. talking to themselves or in third person (*caveat, unless its done really well and forms part of the MC character/story-line, personality)
13. expecting people have read your prologue (many will not, especially if its longer than one page) and assuming the reader knows your MC.

Again, there are a lot of other things to consider, and even within the “what not to do” list, I can think of several extraordinary novels that begin with one or more of the above. However, they are exceptions because they either break the rules (in a good way) or they play on an idea in a way that is unique and thrilling. For most of us mere morals, we have to work harder to find our originality.

And one other thing, which is why I decided to write this post, don’t say things like “WAIT FOR IT” when an editor or CP partner says “it took too long to get to the real story, the main character” (etc.), because frankly, we readers are fickle and impatient and we hate to even wait for a home delivery pizza… therefore we will not wait for the story to develop, or worse, start on page 50. If that’s where it starts, you need to pretty much cut 48-49 pages.

And because I happen to think Writers Digest has some exceptional advice for writers, I would recommend reading: http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/there-are-no-rules/write-fiction-that-grabs-readers-from-page-one