Synopsis and blurb writing: is escape possible?

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blurbs, Marketing, self-publishing, synopsis

Writers struggling to write a synopsis for their novel are not short of advice. There is almost too much of it, and most of it repeats the same things. Yet we still turn to it, always hoping for that vital crutch which will somehow give us the magic touch and get the beastly time-consuming thing done.

Writing a synopsis is especially annoying because it’s not for the author – it’s for the agent, publisher or the competition judge. It’s all made worse by them each wanting something different: one page or five, single-spaced or double-spaced, the ending specified or not. And we are always going to feel that somehow our synopsis does not do justice to the novel we have written.

But the agony – if that is what it is – may have  its uses. Having to give a clear, short account of the premise, story and principal characters could help us spot weaknesses which we were previously blissfully unaware of – such as unnecessary characters, lack of tension, a flat ending. Uncomfortable moments for any author. Time for a bit of tweaking to the manuscript.

One of the joys of self-publishing is escaping the slog of writing a synopsis. But it’s only trading one thing for another. A traditional publishing firm will have experts in-house to write that vital marketing tool, the blurb. The self-published author is on her own.

There is only room for a few pungent sentences on the back of a novel. The blurb must give an instant and unequivocal explanation to the person who has picked up the book and turned it over. What kind of novel is this, what’s it about, and what’s in it for me?

This is when a blurb seems even more daunting to write than a synopsis. It’s the permanent, public face of the novel, not something that’ll happily disappear into a publishing firm’s recycling bin. Go into any bookshop and scan the blurbs of new novels, super-charged with superlatives and best-seller promise. They are sometimes rather alike but they do sound as though they have been written by an extremely talented marketing person. It’s very tempting to wish that person would do the job for us.

But perhaps the blurb we write for ourselves will be more true to our own novel, because it will convey the unique flavour of our voice, the individual way we use language. This may not dazzle the casual reader, and it may even repel some, but it will capture something that can be lost in professional blurb writing and marketing expertise, what can best be described as tone. Something that makes our book different from the rest.

 

 

 

 

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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.

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

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

Time was when Waterstones were 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/

Vanity publishing – no thank you

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self-publishing, traditional publishing, vanity publishing

‘Oh, so it’s vanity published,’ remarked an acquaintance recently, when asking about my novel All Desires Known, and I found myself wincing.

Why should the term ‘vanity publishing’ still have the power to hurt? Isn’t there a clear distinction between vanity publishing and all the modern variants of self-publishing?

Well, that depends who you are talking to. In essentials there isn’t that much difference. In all of them it’s the author who pays upfront; in traditional publishing costs are met by the firm who produces and then sells your book. It’s in the details of the self-publishing or vanity process that you can make distinctions, but you can go round in circles. In the end it might be better to develop a thicker skin.

But it’s still annoying – and is why many authors choose to describe themselves as ‘indie’. After all, investing in your writing and bypassing the gatekeepers of the book publishing industry doesn’t make you any more vain than someone who’s landed a traditional publishing contract. We are all vain to some extent – and all publishing is, in one sense, ‘vanity publishing’. A contract from a traditional publishing firm offers validation to the author; you might say it appeases our vanity.

It’s also a term which is unfairly limited to writers: someone who records and markets a CD of their own music or busks in the street is not called a vanity musician. An exhibition of paintings would not be described in the publicity as vanity art.

Some publishing firms are now setting up their own self-publishing operations – and naturally it’s not called vanity publishing there.

If authors self-publishing their work can match or exceed the professional standards offered by traditional publishing routes then it’s likely the old term vanity publishing with its pejorative overtones will become obsolete. The signs are that this is already happening across the board.

Self-published Author Sells a Million Copies

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David Higham Associates, self-publishing

When Sheila Rogers – using the pen name Rachel Abbott – wrote ONLY THE INNOCENT in 2011 she was repeatedly rejected by literary agents. However, as a former systems analyst who founded an interactive media company developing software and websites for the education market, she understood the power of the internet. She self-published. She also designed a website.

Her psychological crime thriller and two self-published sequels have now sold a million copies. All three have been No.1 bestsellers on Amazon’s Kindle store and are still in the top 100. She has also been taken on by Lizzy Kremer of David Higham Associates, who says: ‘She is probably the UK’s biggest-selling independently published author.’

Sheila Rogers is a writer, but tellingly she is also a saleswoman who has worked at promoting her product.

self-publishing – championing the ‘indie’ authors

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indie authors, Jane Davis, self-publishing

What kind of authors opt to self-publish and why? What are the pitfalls – is it a last resort or can it offer more to writers who want to keep their independence than the traditional route?

Jane Davis’s blog http:jane-davis.co.uk is a good place to go to shed some light on these questions. Jane has self-published several novels after winning the Daily Mail first novel award, and is generous about sharing her experience and knowledge with others. Her blog contains insightful interviews of indie authors and just recently an excellent article about what is happening in the self-publishing world. Altogether a five star read!