LDSPMA

So You’ve Written a Book. What Now?: 3 Steps from Lisa Mangum

July 17, 2019 By LDSPMA 1 Comment

By Lisa Mangum, Managing Editor at Shadow Mountain

So you’ve written a book. Now what? Well, after revising it and polishing it and reading it through one more time, you’re probably ready to send your book to a publisher. Here are three things to get you started on that journey.

1. Do your research. Not every publisher publishes everything, so make sure the publishing house you’re submitting to is actually looking for the type of thing that you write. A house that doesn’t publish children’s picture books will not publish your children’s picture book, no matter how well written it is. You’ll need to research publishers online, look at their backlist titles, and perhaps even follow them or their editors on social media.

Another way to narrow down your list of publishers is to look at other books in your genre. In addition to looking at who the publishers are, check the acknowledgments page, since authors often thank their agents and editors by name.

2. Follow the guidelines. In your research, you’ll likely have found submission guidelines posted somewhere on each publisher’s site. The best thing to do once you’ve read through the guidelines is to follow them exactly. If the guidelines specify to submit 10 pages, do that. If they say to send the pages in the body of an email (as opposed to an attachment), do that. If they say you must have an agent in order to submit, get an agent.

As a general rule, agents, editors, and publishers like to see manuscripts formatted with the following specs: double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, and one-inch margins.

3. Write a query letter. Writing a query letter is one of the hardest steps in the process, but the document is required by agents and editors alike. There are a lot of resources online that can help you learn how to write a query letter (a great place to start is AgentQuery.com), but here’s a simple overview of how to structure your first draft:

A basic query letter has three paragraphs. The first is the “hook”—the premise of your story summarized in just one or two sentences. The second paragraph is where you can elaborate on the storyline, introducing secondary characters, plot points, and themes. The final paragraph is a short bio of who you are and why you wrote the book you’re pitching. Somewhere in the letter, you also need to mention the book’s title, genre, and approximate word count.

It can be hard to distill the entire plot of your book in one paragraph, so I recommend focusing on the four Cs: character, conflict, choice, and consequence. Introduce me to your main character. Explain the conflict he or she is facing—the goal that needs to be accomplished and some of the obstacles that are standing in the way. Focus on the choice your main character has to make at the end of the story. Make it clear what is at stake for the main character by presenting the consequences of that choice.

Finding a publisher for your book can feel like a marathon at times, so don’t panic if the path feels long and a bit unpredictable. Just keep moving forward and working on your craft, and you’ll find the path that is right for you.

Novellas: Why You Should Be Writing Them

June 17, 2019 By LDSPMA Leave a Comment

By Heather B. Moore

The Basics

What is a novella? According to Jack Smith in the Writer magazine, a novella “combines the compression of the short story with the sprawl of the short novel, and many writers as well as readers find this attractive.”

How long is a novella? Novellas range from 20,000 to 40,000 words. Anything above 50,000 words is considered a short novel. Anything under 20,000 words is considered a novelette. Under 7,000 words is a short story.

Why novellas? Before the advent of digital publishing, novellas were a hard sell because print runs would be very small and profit returns would be slim. In fact, Chuck Sambuchino recommended in a Writer’s Digest article that if you’d written a novella, you should expand it to a novel before pitching to an agent or publisher. And to those who weren’t published yet, Sambuchino said, “My best candid advice is to finish this novella and stick it in a drawer.”

Times have changed. Oh, yes. Now, novellas can be published as e-books and achieve success.

The Benefits

The fact that esteemed publisher Covenant Communication is holding the Story Catcher novella contest is a good indicator that traditional publishers have now included novellas in their publishing lineups.

If you’re unpublished, writing a novella is a great way to learn the craft of fiction with a shorter body of work.

If you’re published, adding novellas to your lineup is a great way to give your readers a shorter work to read and enjoy (and purchase, of course) in between your novel releases.

A novella can be a story about one of your secondary characters—a character who maybe doesn’t need a full novel, yet your readers are asking for more information about that character. Writing a novella is also a great way to test out a new genre. Perhaps you write historical fiction and want to try writing a mystery or contemporary romance. Start with a novella to see how things go.

Novellas are also an excellent way to experiment with writing in a different point of view. For example, maybe all of your works are third-person narrative, and you want to try writing in first person. Or perhaps you’ve written a romance novel in the heroine’s point of view; as a bonus, you could write the same story in novella form from the hero’s point of view.

Your publisher might invite you to contribute to an anthology in order to cross-promote your work with other writers in your genre. You will be given a general theme to write to and will be asked to adhere to a word-count limit. In this way, writing a novella becomes a marketing tool to gain new readers, as well as a way to keep your publishing career relevant with more frequent releases.

How to Write a Novella

How to write a novella? Many novelists struggle with writing a shorter version of their full-length novel. In that same vein, writing a 20,000 word novella compared to a 40,000 word novella requires a different strategy.

Below, I’ve included tips on crafting your novella in a way that will satisfy the reader and help you stick to an appropriate word count. Keep in mind that if your readers are used to full-length books from you, you’ll need to be doubly sure they will be happy with your shorter works as well. You don’t want them throwing your book, or their e-reader, across the room in frustration. Yes, they can pine a little and wish the book was longer because your characters and storytelling are wonderful, but you want the reader to feel a sense of completion and satisfaction at the end of the story.

Your main characters should already know each other. You’ll catch the reader up on their established relationship, but it will save you word count if you’re not starting a relationship from scratch.
You need fewer influential characters—both primary and secondary. You might include the main character’s father or sister, but you won’t have scenes involving all six siblings, two aunts, and a grandmother. Or your detective might interact mostly with his partner, not with the entire police force.
In full-length novels, it’s important to avoid info dumps at all costs and to develop scenes fully. In novellas, you’ll need small info dumps strategically placed so that the story can move forward at a faster pace.
Your story timeline needs to be shorter. Instead of covering months or perhaps a year or more, as you would in your full-length novel, you’ll cover a few weeks in your novella.
Your plot should be simpler than in a novel. This doesn’t mean your story should be one-dimensional. In a mystery, perhaps only the final couple clues need to be found. In a romance, the heroine is at the point in her life that she’s ready to settle down but has to overcome one complication, not five or six. In a fantasy, you’ll create a world that is relatively easy to set up and is streamlined.
Your novella should have only one—or maybe two—viewpoints.
Novellas should have shorter chapters. Crafting 5- to 6-page chapters will move the pacing along much faster than 10- to 12-page chapters will.
You should scale down the conflicts so they can be solved by the main character or through a single circumstance.
You should craft smaller-scale events. In a mystery novella, the murder event should include one person and one incident, instead of a series of murders. In a historical romance, the romance should quickly fit into the plot arc; the hero shouldn’t need to first run off to war for two years. A fantasy should stick to a specific location and shorter timeframe rather than include epic battles or characters going on a year-long quest.
Your novella’s solution needs to be satisfactory. For example, in a historical romance novel, a typical arc might involve the relationship between the hero and heroine developing into confessed love and a possible marriage proposal. In a novella, the relationship might reach its pinnacle at the first kiss, with a promise of more.

Best of luck with your future novellas:

Check out some of Heather B. Moore’s novellas and novels:

Her next book is Deborah: Prophetess of God, coming in September 2019.

Works Cited

Chuck Sambuchino, “How Long Is a Novella? And How Do You Query Agents for Them?,” Writer’s Digest, November 18, 2008, https://www.writersdigest.com/publishing-insights/how-long-is-a-novella-and-how-do-you-query-agents-for-them.

Jack Smith, “The Novella: Stepping Stone to Success or Waste of Time?,” The Writer, October 4, 2017, https://www.writermag.com/improve-your-writing/fiction/novella/.

Advice from the Experts: Ann Acton (Author, Day Care Owner, Wife, Mother)

June 17, 2019 By LDSPMA Leave a Comment

By Lessa Harding

If you run a Google search on “how to be a good or successful writer,” you get suggestions like “read,” “write every day,” and “write what you know.” A search for the “characteristics and strengths every writer needs” provides a list of traits that include discipline, imagination, a good grasp of grammar, and a love of words. I recently met a writer who embodies these characteristics. It’s Ann Acton, author of The Miracle Maker and The Vanishing (the latter is set for release this September).

When I met with Ann, I asked her what she thinks her greatest strengths or talents are. I expected her to say something similar to what came up in the Google search results, and while Ann is indeed disciplined, imaginative, and a lover of words, she believes her greatest talent is that she was able to rewrite the poem ’Twas the Night before Christmas. I have to admit to laughing out loud at her answer. Her response was unexpected, but it really set the tone for the whole interview. In fact, rather than calling it an interview, I would prefer to call it a not-coffee date with a soon-to-be best friend.

Over the course of our not-coffee date, I began to see why Ann’s self-identified talent is truly her greatest strength. Ann is real, is down to earth, loves to laugh, and has learned the hard way how to deal with difficult situations. She rewrites her own story every day and makes it fit her world. When her children struggled with learning, she home-schooled them. And when her husband got sick, she turned to writing—even when it required waking up at 5:00 a.m. This difficult time in her life led to her writing The Miracle Maker, which was published by Covenant Communications.

Ann told me that she did not originally want to be a writer—it wasn’t in her story. She hadn’t even entertained the idea until she completed a spur-of-the-moment rendition of ’Twas the Night before Christmas and her husband said, “You know that not everyone can do that, right? I think you are a writer.” A little further down the road, her mentor, Liz Adair, gave her the final push. Ann said, “[Liz] told me I was a writer, and then I was one.” Sometimes it just takes a few gentle nudges for us to recognize our potential. And now for some advice from Ann:

“It has been the best thing for my writing—failing and then learning to not look at it as failing.”
“Sit down and write every day. Write consistently. It doesn’t have to be good, because that is what the delete key is for.”
“Writing is truly just therapy, so just pour it into your writing.”
“I think our strength [as women] comes from [our] softness.”
In speaking of the hard things we go through in life: “Someday, all these things will just be fodder for writing. I [didn’t think] anything good could come out of this part of my life, but now I can see it.”
“Because you are a writer, people will connect with you. People will come up to you and just start spilling their guts. These are dreams people have to be writers, and it is so cool to be a part of that.”
“The hardest part [about being a writer] is constantly failing. Writing is hard. It is subjective, [and] people are not all nice. A lot of writers say it is hard because of the solitude, but not for me. For me it is the constant reading something wonderful and going, ‘Will I ever be that good?’ Having to change that thinking process from ‘I am not good enough’ never goes away, . . . but I can get better. Whatever I put out today is not me. I can become better even if this [work] is a failure.”
“People are so afraid someone is going to tell them they are really not a writer. You don’t need permission. Be gentle with yourself. Enjoy the process, because it is going to be a process.”
“Comparing yourself only causes resentment. Someone else’s success has no effect on yours. Every writer struggles with something, and no journey is easy.”
“Support your friends because their success has no bearing on you.”
“Don’t let anyone have the power to take away your dreams. If there is something you want, why should you let anyone take that away from you?”
“There are times and seasons. You are never going to have extra time, [because] you are going to fill it with something. If you want to be a writer, you have to fill it with writing.”
“Just do something. Even reading a book is working on your writing.”

Ann also shared a tip from Liz:

“Every single writer is working on something. Grammar is the easiest thing to be working on because it can be taught.”

I hope some of this advice Ann shared will give you the gentle nudge you might need to take your own story in a new direction.

Three Marketing Strategies For Your Next Book Launch

March 4, 2019 By LDSPMA Leave a Comment

By Michelle McCullough

I launched my first self-published book in 2013. In 2017, it got picked up by a publisher and released in an expanded form. Both times, I treated the launch like I self-published since most publishers don’t do much by the way of marketing these days.

The first time I published a book I took the “If you write it, they will buy it” approach to marketing. I posted a few times on social media, did a couple of podcast interviews, and refreshed my sales page approximately 27 times a day. As you can imagine, it wasn’t a very effective marketing plan.

The second time, I tried a few tricks I’d learned from friends and people smarter than I am. I watched and studied other book launches and dissected what worked. Then I figured out how I could put my own spin on the successful tactics. I could fill a new book with all the things I did, but today I’m going to share three of the most effective strategies with you.

First, I created a free call series the month leading up to the book launch. My web team designed a landing page so people could register for the series and I could collect email addresses. For four weeks, every Wednesday I offered a free one-hour group training call related to different sections of my book. I created a Facebook group so I could hold conversations with everyone between calls, and I offered giveaways for people who were willing to share the call series with their friends. I recorded the calls and made each recording available for seven days, to encourage people to listen close to the air date. Then, I offered all four of the recordings to folks who preordered the book at the end of the series (the recordings were part of a bigger bonus bundle, which I talk about below). Even better, I still have the emails and the Facebook group—two assets that outlasted my book launch.

Second, I reached out to friends and colleagues to contribute videos, audio, and ebooks that I could give away to people who preordered my book—I wanted to make sure online sales were incentivized and appreciated. In the end, I had over $800 in training materials that complimented my book and offered some promotion to the folks who donated. This bonus bundle also encouraged social sharing from friends and followers because it wasn’t just about “buying a book”; it was about getting a ton of value for a super low cost. My web team created a landing page where people entered their email address and receipt information, so once again I expanded my email list. Additionally, the bonus bundle helped me accomplish my main goal: climbing the bestseller charts on Amazon.

Third, and perhaps most important, I reached out to friends and family to be part of my book launch team. Many of them would have supported me anyway, but forming a team gave me a chance to remind people about key marketing launch dates, share artwork for the launch, and have fun with the people who supported me the most. I created a private Facebook group, added branded graphics (book excerpts and quotes, book reviews, etc.) that my team could use, and posted a schedule of key dates so that we could post in windows that capitalized on social media algorithms. I also held giveaways for my team. They received entries for sharing on social media channels, buying the book, and leaving a review. I had a lot of fun with my book launch team

These ideas are perfect for nonfiction book launches, and I’ve seen them used successfully for fiction books too. As you consider these options, ask yourself, “How could I make these work for me?”

Cheering you on during your next book launch!

Michelle McCullough, www.speakmichelle.com

Advice from the Experts: Terry Deighton (Author, Wife, Mother)

March 4, 2019 By LDSPMA Leave a Comment

By Lessa Harding

One thing few people know about me is that I have pointed ears. I remember coming home from school crying because the kids in my class teased me about my ears. When I started reading fantasy novels and role playing with my daddy as a teenager, I thought my pointed ears were cool. On occasion, I even used dark eyeshadow to accentuate the pointiness and I styled my hair to draw attention to my ears. Who am I kidding? I did that through my 20s.

I secretly loved my ears, even when I was teased about them as a kid. I was certain I was really an elf princess with auburn hair to match the color of the Redwoods and with green eyes to match the leaves. My ears made me the heroine in many an imaginative story. I was drawn back into this reverie about my ears as I got to know author Terry Deighton.

After speaking with Terry, I can’t help but wonder how many of us have envisioned ourselves as the courageous hero who saves the day and changes the world. The thing about a courageous hero, though, is you can’t be one unless there is conflict or fear that has to be overcome. WWI hero Eddie Rickenbacker said that “courage is doing what you’re afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you’re scared.”

Terry is a quiet hero who loves reading, crafting, watching television, and talking with her family. Her friend Ann Acton, author of The Miracle Maker, describes Terry as a “grammar goddess,” but Terry describes herself as an introvert who “always wanted to write books that would affect readers the way [she] has been affected by [her own] reading.” Terry also fully admits to having to work to develop the thick skin—and, I would add, the courage—required to send her work into the wide world of publishing. Terry told me that “the hardest thing I’ve had to learn is not to be hurt by criticism. It’s important to let it sit until it doesn’t hurt anymore and then look at it objectively and see how you can revise your writing to make it better.”

Terry is the author of three Christmas novellas and a five-book middle-grade series called Tweaks. Her blog describes her series as having “a dash of science, a splash of humor, and a generous portion of character development.” Having read the books, I fully agree with that description and the 4-star and higher ratings her books have received on Goodreads. I’m pretty sure Terry is one of those amazing heroes who “is doing what [she] is afraid to do.” I hope her advice helps you find the courage you need to be a hero too:

“Try to get an agent, but if that doesn’t happen in a reasonable amount of time, give self-publishing a try. You don’t have to choose one or the other.”
You may wish you could just “write your books, publish them, and send them out on their own. Unfortunately, they just sit if you do that. . . . All authors have to do a lot of marketing, so understanding social media and setting up Amazon ads is important.”
“Write when and where inspiration strikes.”
In terms of balancing family and work, “you have to decide what is most important and organize your time according to those priorities. Give up what isn’t important so you have time for both family and writing.”
“Don’t set arbitrary deadlines for yourself, and don’t compare your output to anyone else’s.”
“Use rejection to fuel the desire to write better, to learn the craft, to find your niche.”
“Above all, don’t give up. [Giving up] won’t make you happy. If you are a writer, you have to write. Write for yourself, and publish when it seems right.”

Marketing: Reaching the Seventh (Book) Encounter

February 13, 2017 By LDSPMA Leave a Comment

By Laura Harris Hales

Book marketing guru Shari Stauch estimates that it takes consumers an average of seven encounters with a book before they will purchase it. My research shows that a slight tweak to that statement would make it more accurate. It is more likely the number of encounters with the author is what tips the scales when it comes to book purchases.

The sad truth is that if you’re not already a bestselling author, then book marketing will be more akin to a marathon than a sprint, and the dreaded “wall” hits you sooner than you would think.

It’s easy to be excited about marketing when one is the belle of the ball with book signings scheduled, book reviews published in popular online forums, a short stint on the Amazon bestseller list, podcast invitations, and a book trailer tabulating views on YouTube. But that time in the spotlight lasts shorter than most of us would like, and soon authors are brainstorming on how to get their books once again in front of the eyes of potential consumers.

Interestingly enough, one of the most effective selling techniques for new authors is to promote their writing generally rather than their book specifically. Regional newspapers and popular online websites are always looking for content. And if content is offered for free, it is more attractive to publishers. This is one marketing avenue that shouldn’t be ignored.

Recently first-time author Spencer W. McBride deftly used this technique. Spencer is the author of Pulpit and Nation: Clergymen and the Politics of Revolutionary America. On the day before the presidential inauguration, his editorial entitled “My view: Trump’s victory demonstrates an exploitation of Christian voters” was published in the Deseret News. Though never specifically referring to the contents of his book, he skillfully wove aspects of the current political climate into politics of the American past. In the process, he not only showcased his mastery of the subject matter but also its enduring relevance. The only hat tip to his book was in the bio: “Spencer W. McBride is the author of “Pulpit and Nation: Clergymen and the Politics of Revolutionary America.”

Spencer is an acquaintance. I knew about his book. I love history and books, but had yet to consider purchasing it because it seemed to be on a narrow topic with little practical application. After reading his editorial, I became intrigued. His insights were astute and his writing style interesting.

Did I buy the book? No, but I did check out the price on Amazon. Besides I am only at encounter five.

Become a Chapter Leader of LDSPMA

February 6, 2017 By LDSPMA Leave a Comment

By LDSPMA

Make Connections and Discuss Topics

I often relate to Steven Pinker’s description of an aspiring writer’s initial understanding of learning to write as “negotiating an obstacle course in boot camp, with a sergeant barking at you for every errant footfall.”[1] I have often felt that way, especially when I am alone in my office struggling to make a chapter work or I am opening a stake of rejection letters. Usually the sergeant barking at me is my own voice. It’s easy to begin to get discouraged in that kind of environment.

But, Pinker goes on to say, “Why not think of it instead as a form of pleasurable mastery, like cooking or photography?”[2] When I read those words, that was an “Aha!” moment for me. Usually when I embark on a hobby, I join a group of similar enthusiasts to generate ideas, to motivate me to greater heights, and to gain inspiration on how to do it better. The people who have been doing it successfully for a while give encouragement to those just starting out on their new adventure.

In any of the publishing careers, professional lives can be lonely. As publishing professionals (in all fields of publishing, whether it is writing, editing, blogging, or film production), we need other people to find connections and discuss topics of interest that will generate more ideas for better results.

LDSPMA is that kind of place. A fun place to meet with other people with like-minded careers, passions, and hobbies. As a chapter leader, you gather together all those in your geographic area who would like to learn about how to become better at their craft. You will find the opportunity to meet with others quarterly, gaining ideas and ways to move forward your career and the careers of others.

“Perfecting the craft is a lifelong calling…,”[3] so let’s perfect our craft together! Become a chapter leader of LDSPMA in your community and make connections with others while you discuss ways to perfect your craft.

If you are interested, please contact Marianna at [email protected]

[1] Pinker, Steven. The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person’s Guide to Writing in the 21^st Century. (New York: Viking, 2014) 12.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid.

The Three-Legged Stool of Excellent Writers

January 30, 2017 By LDSPMA Leave a Comment

By Janet T. Perry

A savvy business friend who interviews job candidates once told me he looks for three things in future employees: accuracy, timeliness, and added value. Like the legs of a three-legged stool, each of these “Big 3” qualities bears equal weight in excellent writing.

Why “The Big 3” Matter in a Writer’s World

Accuracy: For a writer, finding a typo published is like discovering your zipper is down. Avoid embarrassing yourself by carefully checking your writing before publishing. This includes paying attention to small punctuation errors, which can not only throw off a reader but can actually change the meaning of the text. Neglecting to use even a simple comma can spell disaster (e.g., “Let’s eat, Mom.” vs. “Let’s eat Mom.”). Perhaps even more essential is verifying content. Misrepresenting information or skewing data can be a turnoff to readers and can make it difficult for you to build credibility and trust.

Just 3 Ideas: Edit and re-edit your work. Ask a skilled and trusted colleague to review your work. Fact-check scrupulously.

Timeliness: Half of falling in love is finding the right person; the other half is finding that special someone at the right time. By the same token, who wants to read a fascinating movie review about last year’s blockbuster? And what good is a captivating company blog if it promotes a hot product released several months ago? When we read something is often as important as what we read.

Just 3 Ideas: Sync your writing calendar with important events, product releases, and upcoming services. Submit work slightly ahead of schedule. Use a friend, incentive, or device to help hold you accountable for meeting deadlines.

Added Value: When I was hunting online for a tried-and-true chili recipe, the photos and reviews all ended up looking and sounding very much the same. However, one recipe used cocoa as a secret ingredient. This tip had me hooked. Trust your own writing expertise to add a little “Wow!” whenever possible. Give readers inside information or ideas to save them time or money, and don’t be afraid to use visual or structural pizzazz to keep them engaged. Employers want to be heard, and they hired you to get their message out.

Just 3 Ideas: Make plain sense of confusing or boring material. Make material reader-friendly by changing the format or sentence structure. Delight your readers with unexpected humor, helpful tips, or interesting tidbits of information.

Putting “The Big 3” into Practice

I get a monthly email reminder about my book group, but instead of dishing up the same old who-what-where-when-why information, our group leader keeps us on our toes. Sometimes she draws us in with a creative subject line; other times she includes a question, riddle, or acrostic poem. Occasionally, she shares a little-known fact to pique our interest in the book (Added Value). We calendar a year in advance so we all know who is reviewing what book and where the meeting will be held (Accuracy), but charming missives like hers would be rendered useless if they arrived after the group had already met (Timeliness)— which they don’t.

No one is ever anxious to read a standard email, a predictable five-paragraph essay, or boring business report. Instead, excellent writers delight readers by giving them what they need when they need it, and they keep them reading by sharing a little extra.

LDSPMA

Make Connections and Discuss Topics

Why “The Big 3” Matter in a Writer’s World

Putting “The Big 3” into Practice

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