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 🙂

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!

 

Introducing Jen

Hello,

I’m Jen Munro and I’ll be regulating this portion of the blog.

A little about me:

My background is journalism.  After working as a freelance journalist, both here in Australia and overseas, I decided it was time to settle down so to speak.  Since returning to Melbourne I’ve mostly been working as a chief-cook-and-bottle-washer — with three kids under six, two dogs, one cat and a rabbit, not to mention a hungry giant of a husband, there’s just enough time to do this part-time.

Query Letters – Like most people I dislike writing them but, also like most people, I can see a good one from a bad one.  In my case, I can pick a bad query as long as it’s not mine! Yes I’ve written many of my own and read many, many more.

I’m currently completing a BA in Publishing, which is a fancy way of saying, I’m getting the ‘letters behind my name to ensure that I can validate my expertise’ – so, I’ll be working separately and together with Lost Lynx Publishing.

Together:

Lost Lynx is going to be open to submissions next year. We are in the process of working out our main focus, i.e. categories and genre’s we want to publish. My job will be to assist with ‘second reads’ of submissions. We will be hiring an intern next year to handle the submission pile. Their main job will be to ensure submissions meet our criteria and are written with correct grammar, spelling etc.

Submissions that meet the criteria will then be passed on to me to read. From there I’ll either reject or request more from the authors.

I am working freelance, in other words, I’ll be working for Lost Lynx but I’ll also be working for myself.

Separate:

I will be offering feedback & assistance with query letters, synopsis’ and first pages and will also offer an over-all edit to partial and full manuscripts. By over-all I mean I will not focus on grammar or spelling, I’ll be looking for flow, plot holes, too much exposition, telling instead of showing – those things that will put a editor or agent off instantly.

I will not be accepting every submission and those wanting partial or full manuscript edits will need to send me their first 5-pages from which I will assess if I want to take the project on. There is no charge for the first 5-pages, this is for my assessment only. If rejected, I will reply with why I’m rejecting. This could be as simple as “I don’t read Dinosaur Romance in Tudor times” or it could be more detailed, something like, “the concept is good but you have too much back story and your prologue is way too long; try and fix these issues and re-send if you like.”

Query letters and Synopsis.

I am not interested in and MG (sorry) but you need someone that loves the category to help you.

I also don’t do Horror (although if it’s a dark fantasy with some horror aspects that is fine) and I don’t want pure romance. (think adventure romance or mystery romance).

Also, I’m not interested in any high school or college “pretty lonely girl meets school jock and together they will find love and change the world” – again there are people for that, it’s just not me.

Fees (all prices are in AUD):

Query Letters (up to 500 words – please include a 1-paragraph bio)	$55
Synopsis (up to 1000 words)	$65
5-pages MS	No Charge
10-pages MS (up to 2500 words)	$75
50-pages MS (up to 12500 words)	$110
100-pages MS (up to 25o00 words)	$165
200-pages MS (up to 50000 words)	$250
Full MS (up to 70000 words)	$350
Full MS (70001 to 99999 words)	$450
Full MS (100000 to 120000 words)	$600
am also offering 35-word pitch + 250-words of your MS for	$45

If you’d like to know more send me an email to LostLynx@outlook.com and put in the subject line: Attention Jen – Edit Feed back 

For 35-word pitch + 250, query letters, synopsis’ and first five pages please paste into the body of the email. For large MS pages, please paste the first five pages into the body of the email and tell me which option you are interested in hiring me for. I will then read the first 5-pages and reply if I will accept the pages.

**Important – please indicate when you need this done by**

PAYMENT: Payment is in full and via Paypal

Please do not make any payment until you have heard from me. I will look over your pages and send you an email with the Paypal invoice and a completion date. (note: I may have to say no if you want the work back before I can complete it, on average it will take me anywhere from 1-6 weeks)

~ Also anything I feel might be of interest to Lost Lynx I will make a note and ask your permission to submit on your behalf ~ 

Well, that’s it for now.

Look forward to hearing from you.