How Proust can change you into a best-selling author

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Marketing, Proust, Social Media, Writing Magazine

It seems that self-promotion is now part and parcel of being a writer, whether self or traditionally published. But where should the line be drawn?

Discovering that Marcel Proust, the creator of the iconic In Search of Lost Time, cunningly wrote a critic’s review citing the first volume Swann’s Way as a ‘little masterpiece … almost too luminous for the eye’ will hardly shock anyone in the business today. Proust was just ahead of his time.

Authors are bombarded with advice on how to promote their books, especially on social media. While it isn’t ever suggested that posting fake reviews of their own work is a good idea, the advice to authors is relentless, even ruthless, enough. There is no room for shrinking violets in this game.

Readers certainly like to be informed about a new book by an author but they may well begin to feel annoyed and manipulated if the chasing is too hard-boiled. Like ‘an insane cuckoo clock’ was the expression describing it that caught my eye when researching the subject on the internet. Is this what marketing on social media can turn into? The last thing many writers feel like being part of.

But I can feel Proust egging me on. Maybe not to write a lyrical review about a ‘little masterpiece’ of my own, but to point to a couple of prize-winning short stories in ninevoices’ writings. Maggie Davies’ Till Death Do Us Part won a Henshaw Press competition and Tanya van Hasselt’s Marshmallow Truth won the subscribers ‘Changes’ competition in Writing Magazine. Whilst the writing style in the latter story is nothing like that of my two self-published novels, it was both fun and fulfilling to try something new. Thank you Writing Magazine for this encouragement. 

To Pay or Not to Pay (or How Much to Pay)

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Cornerstones, Curtis Brown, Daniel Goldsmith, feedback, Fish Publishing, Hilary Johnson, Manuscript submissions, mentoring, Novel, The CWA, The Literary Consultancy, The Romantic Novelists Association, Writers & Artists

I recently had this somewhat disconcerting exchange with a writer I met in a chat room:

Me: Do you belong to a writing group of any kind?

She: I am a published writer.

The writer in question then inundated me with copies of her (self-) published poems and stories. I didn’t have to read very far to conclude that, while I admired her self-confidence, she would have greatly benefited from feedback of some kind.

But this raises a question: How far should we go in seeking feedback and assessment before pursuing publication?  Agents and publishers are inundated with submissions and can rarely take the time to provide individualized comments along with their rejections. Writing groups such as our own ninevoices provide a wonderful forum for reaction, constructive criticism, advice and, at times, brainstorming. But after twelve years together we know each other well and have become as familiar with and protective of one another’s work as we are of our own. This is when we consider using paid manuscript assessment services for an ‘objective’ outside view.

There is a wide array of such services available. You can pay as little  as £100 for a detailed critique of your first 3000 words and a 1000 word synopsis to as much as £2,650 for twelve months/60,000 words mentoring with extra fees for each additional 1000 words. The critics/mentors are generally published authors or industry professionals and most of these claim working connections with agents and publishers.  In other words, pick the right assessment service and you could have a one-stop shop for unbiased, professional advice and, if your work is good enough, a foot in the oh-so-heavy-door to publication.

The problem, of course, is finding the right service for you. Will the person reading your manuscript understand what you’re trying to achieve? Will they appreciate your quirky style? Are they experienced in your genre? Members of ninevoices have had mixed experiences. Two found the assessments of their work truly constructive and professional. A third felt the reader had completely missed the point and, in the event, reclaimed some of what she had paid. And, of course, while ostensibly objective, some of these businesses can play on our eagerness for publication by soft-peddling criticism and encouraging us to use more of their services to whip our manuscripts into shape. I’ve yet to hear of any manuscript assessment service advising an aspiring writer to take up watercolours.

There are other (not always cheaper) ways of obtaining feedback outside the group setting: many competitions will provide a brief critique should you make the shortlist, or, for a small additional fee, for any entrant. Genre-specific associations such as the Crime Writer’s Association and the Romantic Novelists Association also offer services for aspirants.

And then, of course, there is the growing number of courses linked to literary agents or publishing houses. Curtis-Brown Creative, for example, offer a range of courses led by published authors both online and in their offices. According to their website 27 of their students have achieved major publishing deals. At £2990 for a six-month novel writing course, the cost is not dissimilar to a University course with the added benefit of exposure to agents.

For many of us, creative writing courses are where we began our writing journey.  But we continue to find genre-specific workshops, retreats and even longer courses useful. And we can return to our writing groups energized and inspired from having garnered a different perspective.

However we get it, most of us, including published writers, need and benefit from feedback. We’d love to hear how our readers go about getting it and whether they’ve found paid-for services useful and value for money

Some of the services researched (this list is not comprehensive and readers are encouraged to check carefully the details of each company’s services as they vary widely):

http://cornerstones.co.uk/uk/

http://www.curtisbrowncreative.co.uk.

http://www.thecwa.co.uk/debuts/manuscript-service/

http://www.danielgoldsmith.co.uk/

http://www.fishpublishing.com/editorial-services/critique-service/

http://www.hilaryjohnson.com/

https://literaryconsultancy.co.uk/

http://www.romanticnovelistsassociation.org/join/new_writers_scheme

https://www.writersandartists.co.uk/writers/services/bespoke-mentoring

 

Self-publishing: mixed emotions

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Mary Stewart, self-publishing

 

Holding your published novel in your hands for the very first time is supposed to be a thrilling moment for an author. But the thrill is shot through with a brimming dose of alarm.

Some authors may be immune from the quaking fear that their book is, after all, a muddled affair, full of mistakes and should never have got itself printed. Learning that Mary Stewart, that brilliant writer of romantic thrillers, burst into tears when her first novel was published (see September’s post ‘Her publishers refused to pulp it’) is a great comfort. She can’t have worried about mistakes or the quality of her writing – her novels were published by Hodder & Stoughton – but even the validation of a traditional publisher wasn’t enough to overcome her dread of being exposed.

With self-publishing, the unnerving sensation of ‘putting oneself out there’ is inevitably more intense. However much valuable feedback is offered by a helpful and talented writing group, this is not the same as the confidence-giving validation of an agent and traditional publishing house. Thoughts that belong to two o’clock in the morning creep into the mind: might sympathetic, friendly groups become deluded, thinking members’ work is better than it is?

But I am still glad I have taken the plunge to self-publish my second novel Of Human Telling. I hope that it is at least good in parts, like the curate’s egg, and brings pleasure to its readers. It certainly looks and feels as nice as All Desires Known. People might even like to buy it for the cover alone, with its beautiful painting by London artist Anne-Marie Butlin.

Her publishers refused to pulp it

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heroes, heroines, Hodder & Stoughton, Madam Will You Talk, Mary Stewart, Nine Coaches Waiting, publicity, Rachel Hore

Mary Stewart, that wonderful author of romantic suspense novels with exotic settings and a literary flavour,  would have been a hundred years old on 17th September.

Media coverage when she died on 9th May 2014, aged 97, offered a fascinating picture of a woman whose chart-topping novels gave us a new kind of heroine: a so-called ordinary girl suddenly thrown into a dangerous situation and who finds the courage and intelligence to deal with it. As Rachel Hore wrote in The Guardian, ‘Stewart’s stories were narrated by poised, smart, highly-educated young women who drove fast cars and knew how to fight their corner …. tender-hearted and with a strong moral sense.’

But at a time when authors apparently have to be super-confident and go about endlessly promoting their work, it’s especially endearing to read that when she saw her first novel Madam, Will You Talk? in proof form in 1954 she asked her publishers not to go ahead. ‘It felt like walking naked down the street,’ she said. Thankfully her publishers refused to pulp it. She never had an agent – her first novel was a direct submission – and she stayed with Hodder & Stoughton all her life.

It’s more than 40 years since Nine Coaches Waiting, the story of a girl hired to be governess to a small boy heir to a chateau in France for sinister reasons,  was read aloud to me at boarding school. It might have been chosen because of the educational value of the quotes from poets and playwrights adorning the start of each chapter, but we were all enthralled by the enigmatic hero Raoul. For Mary Stewart didn’t just give us heroines we long to be like; she gave us heroes with whom we will always remain in love.

How to Write Historical Fiction and Get Published

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Antony Riches, Antony Topping, Bloomsbury Publishing, Heather Holden-Brown, Louisa Young, S D Sykes, Suzanne Dunn, Writers & Artists' Yearbook

A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit.  (Robert Bach)

We can all learn how to do what we do, better – writers included. I spent last Saturday at the Bloomsbury Publishing offices in London’s Bedford Square. Bloomsbury Publishing, in concert with the Writers & Artists’ Yearbook people, offer a range of helpful workshops – How to Write Historical Fiction and Get Published being one of them. Over fifty committed writers split into workshops covering ancient, medieval and modern periods, taken by published authors in each field: Louisa Young (My Dear I Wanted To Tell you), Antony Riches, who writes the Empire series, Wounds of Honour, set in ancient Rome, and S D Sykes (about whom more below).

In the afternoon, there was a keynote talk by Suzanne Dunn (The Sixth Wife and The Lady of Misrule) with a subsequent open discussion with her agent, Antony Topping. Last, but far from least, was a talk by Heather Holden-Brown of hbb Agency about what agents are looking for. She may live to regret her enthusiasm – she’s now top of my agent stalking list!

My own two workshops were led by S D Sykes, who has published Plague Land (a murder mystery set in 14th century plague-ravaged England) and The Butcher Bird, which continues the story of young Oswald, who finds himself plucked from a monastery to become lord of his family estate when the heir dies unexpectedly.

There was practical advice alongside hands-on exercises (ninevoices members know how I usually feel about those!). The speakers talked frankly of their personal experiences and journey to publication, but with special focus on the aspects essential to writing historical fiction – authenticity and research, finding the balance between fact and fiction, dialogue, setting, etc.

In no particular order, here are a very few of the things Sarah Sykes mentioned (I have pages of notes, but just how long have we got?):

• It’s vital to avoid a slow start – save the atmospheric description for later. (For a powerful start, wanting to dig up your recently buried wife’s coffin might work – but, damn, she’s already snaffled that idea…)
• You could, however, use a forceful prologue instead, to be re-visited later
• Villains must have some sympathetic characteristics
• Use progressive jeopardy. Big red line under that in my notebook.
• Ends must have meaning. Leave the coincidences to Shakespeare
• Beware tying chapters up too neatly – leave a question mark to encourage your reader to want to read on
• Make the book a journey rather than a series of episodes

Although my own period – the 17th century – wasn’t specifically covered, I considered the day excellent value for money. I met engaging and committed fellow writers (what a nice bunch of people we are!), listened to a number of authors who’ve succeeded, and to two agents who assured us that they really do welcome approaches from new authors. It was also fun – and the white wine wasn’t bad either. This won’t be my last trip to Bedford Square.

 

 

 

www.fantasticfiction.com

Over 50,000 authors and their books are listed on this site with their descriptions and cover pictures. It is a treasure trove for someone drafting a blurb or synopsis and needing inspiration. Or even looking for something to read …

Self-publishing versus traditional publishing: cross words

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indie authors, Jane Davis, Ros Barber, self-publishing, The Guardian

‘The chance of a self-published author getting their book reviewed in the mainstream press is the same as the chance of my dog not eating a sausage.’

So said Ros Barber in a piece explaining why she thinks ‘self-publishing is a terrible idea for serious novelists’ in The Guardian Monday 21 March, written in reply to the recommendations to abandon traditional publishing which followed her earlier article exposing the myth of the rich writer.

I enjoyed this remark; it made me laugh. I have a sausage-eating dog. But Ros Barber has certainly touched a nerve. I have just spent (wasted?) a couple of hours reading a stream of (mostly angry but also interesting, valid and instructive) comments on her piece.

Time better spent was reading Indie author Jane Davis’ explanation of why she’s cross with Ros. Jane argues the case cogently for self-publishing. No mention of sausages though.  http://jane-davis.co.uk

Discovery Day at Foyles

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Conville & Walsh, Curtis Brown, Discovery Day, Foyles

A free event for aspiring novelists offering an individual six-minute pitch with a literary agent from Curtis Brown or Conville & Walsh, followed by a question and answer session in a small group – this was something not to be missed.

On Saturday 27th February what looked like thousands of hopeful authors poured into Foyles in Charing Cross Road, London – including two members of ninevoices.

What we learned from our six minute pitch would need another post, but here are some of the sometimes surprising replies from the agent leading one of the group sessions.

Q: What makes you as an agent take on an author?

A: An original idea, well delivered. I am looking for a great hook, a really strong hook, that as an agent I can use to promote a manuscript to an editor . 

Q: Does a story need to be ‘perfect’ before I submit it? 

A: No. There are some books that that I will work on for the best part of a year before it is ready to be sent to an editor.

Q: What should I write in my cover letter?

A: The first paragraph should be a short blurb, such as on the back of a book. It should include something intriguing. The second paragraph should describe the type of novel. You might include for example the sort of book it would sit next to in a book shop. In the third paragraph tell me why you have picked me to send it to! And then the last paragraph should tell me something about you.

Q: How long should my manuscript be?

A: 80,000 to 120,000 words.

Q: How long should my synopsis be?

A: Ideally, one page, though it could run to two pages.

Q: Should I tell you the ending  in the synopsis?

A: If you have got a really good ending, a really big twist, then no, I would rather be surprised like any reader.

Q: Should I use an editing school offering manuscript review before I submit it?

A: Only if you feel you’d like it copy edited before sending it, but it’s not necessary.

Q: Does my age matter – I am an older author?

A: No it doesn’t make any difference to my decision.

Q: Are you more interested in authors who use social media? What do you think about Twitter?

A: If the author already has a platform on the internet, then that’s useful, but it is not a deal breaker. If you don’t use social media, it doesn’t mean we won’t consider you. If you like it and it comes naturally to you, then Twitter – but it is difficult to know if using Twitter translates into sales. Traditional promotion remains important, e.g. promoting his/her book at book-related events, talks in local bookshops, etc, and hopefully getting into some of the big book festivals, though that is usually big name authors.

Q: What about the rights to the book? Can an author keep any back? 

A: No.The publisher won’t let you keep any rights.

Literary agents: don’t waste your time?

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Agents, self-publishing, Writing Magazine

You need to get a literary agent because publishers won’t look at unagented submissions. This is what you were always told. It didn’t occur to you that things could be any different.

So you embarked on a time-consuming process of researching those agents most likely to be interested in your novel and meticulously followed their instructions. This usually meant a covering letter, a synopsis (the agony of this will need a post of its own) and the first three chapters. Then you waited, biting your nails, for their response requesting the full manuscript…

Sometimes rejections came by return of post or same day email  (suspicion: had anyone read a word of your submission?!) sometimes several months later. Or never.

Given that some agents request no multiple submissions, in theory a new author might spend years working through a target list. A little dispiriting if you are in your prime…

Or even more frustratingly, an agent once landed can spend months failing to sell your book to a publisher.

A strong-minded piece in the November issue of the ever-helpful Writing Magazine comes as happy light to the weary. It overturns the old advice. In a Q & A section, it’s suggested that nowadays other routes to publication (CreateSpace, Smashwords etc) are as valid and may be more effective than the traditional one.  The rewards can be instant, in both financial and publicity terms. No agent fees, and commercial publishers might come knocking at the door. In short, searching for a literary agent can be a waste of time.

Get an agent and get published? Maybe not.

 

 

Waterstones comes up trumps

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self-publishing, Something in the Water, Tunbridge Wells Writers, Waterstones

Waterstones might once have been less than welcoming to self-published authors wanting to launch their books.

No sign of this at the Tunbridge Wells branch on Wednesday evening 9th September when a local writing group called Tunbridge Wells Writers launched a small book called Something in the Water Unreliable Biographies.

It’s a sparkling collection of fictional pieces about writers, following the lives and opinions of people as diverse as Jo Brand, Vita Sackville-West, Victoria Hislop, Arthur Conan Doyle and W.H. Davies.

Guests were treated to some amusing readings by the contributors and the amazing re-appearance of a Suffragette! Not surprisingly, the pile of copies on the counter being sold by friendly Waterstones staff had vanished by the end of the evening. With tickets to the event costing £3, another £2 seemed very reasonable; the book would make an ideal present for anyone with connections to Tunbridge Wells or with a quirky, literary turn of mind and a fondness for local history.

The group’s website is http://tunbridgewellswriters.org.uk/