Effective comps in your query

There are some basic things to know about comps:

1. They must be newer books. That means pubbed in 2017 or later.

2. They need to be by authors for whom the book was a debut or Book #2.

Comparing yourself as a debut to #17 in a series isn't effective.

Here are several other tips:

1. It's ok to compare your book to one on the agent's list. This can lead to some pretty hilarious problems if you haven't read the books.  The only person who knows my list better than I do are the writers of the books themselves. I'll know if you fuck up.

2. You don't need an exact match for time period.  Yes you can compare your historical fantasy set in the Ottoman Empire to historical fantasy set in the British Raj.

3. You need to stay in your own lane. Don't comp your middle grade novel to anything adult.

Don't comp your narrative to a graphic novel.

The purpose of comps is to give us an idea of where the book goes on the shelf and what to expect. If your comp does that, it's effective.

Question:

A great comp title for my current WIP, in a world with no need for #OwnVoices, would be When Dimple Met Rishi (with magic). That world doesn't exist, and I'm not Indian (and my WIP doesn't have any main character from India).

Would it be inappropriate to use that title?

I'm surprised at the things people take offense to.

And right now it's a particular minefield.

 

Agents vary in their level of outrage just like people do.

The YA category is more sensitive to perceived slights than other categories, but everyone in publishing is aware of the problem these days.

 

If you use this comp you'll always wonder if it was the comp that led to the pass.

Thus, choose something else.

Not because it's inappropriate but for your own peace of mind.

Here, hold my beer

Just when I thought, ok, this is the absolute lowest it can go, 2020 cannot deal out any more jokers....this week arrived.

Yegods and little fishes.
I'm doomscrolling till the wee hours of the morning, and trying to remember how to make coffee in the morning.

One thing I've found that helps me get through the day is sending money to good causes.


My favorite of course is Melanie Sue Bowles' Proud Spirit Horse Sanctuary.
I love the idea that horses have a safe place to do horse stuff.
Of course, someone has to foot the hay bill, and I'm glad to help.

8 people at Blackstone Publishing lost their homes in the Oregon Wildfires.
I'm very glad to throw in with that fund raising effort.

And my newest one?
Wild Bird Fund
It helps the wild birds of NYC when they are sick or injured.
Here's one story.

Now, I'm not lying on the sidewalk bleeding but if someone wants to come over and hand feed me some sushi, I'm not going to bar the door!

How are all y'all holding up this week?
Any particular tips for not going insane?

Effective Personalization

A lot of agents ask that you personalize your query.

(My thoughts on personalization are here)

Beyond Dear Snookums (ie using their name) what makes for effective personalization?


First: Actual personal connection is great

Example: We met at Bouchercon when we were both blown away by Dana Haynes presentation on effective plotting.

Example: We met at CrimeBake and your advice on redrafting my query was very useful.

Example: I read your blog, and while you're not as funny as you think you are, it's been useful to meet the blog readers there.

(Ok, not that middle part)



Second: Research on how your book fits the agent's list

Example: I write fast paced thrillers and would love to be on the same shelf as Patrick Lee.

Example: I write first person traditionals with a twist like Terry Shames.

Example: I write fun cozy mysteries with off-beat characters who will charm their way in to your hearts like Loretta Sue Ross

Example: I write books like Jeff Somers. Which is to say with cats draped across me like a pashmina.



Third: Responding to a specific request for a kind of book

Example: I saw your #MSWL includes dino porn. Tales from the Swamp is dino porn

Example: I saw you tweet that you are "dying for good Icelandic noir" which is what Title is.


Least effective: your website says you're looking for high octane thrillers.

Least effective with a bullet: your website says you're looking for well-written books.


Now to the good stuff: what questions do you have?

Flash fiction contest results

Your contest entries were a welcome relief from the doomscrolling this weekend.
Thank you all for taking the time to write and post entries.
Here are the ones that caught my eye, or puzzled me.

Quite a few of you are engaged in fisticuffs with your novels it seems! 

 

 

bhirschscribbles

    The ol' dog rows. 'Is 'ands clasp raw lesions against them ores.

    'E wants water, not the brine 'round now. Just a cup. Lot of good 'is rationing did.

    'E sees nor 'ears nothin'. 'Ead lolls, 'is last dream is water, just a cup.

Very deft use of prompt words!

Steve Forti  

    “There’s no reason to serve plain hamburgers. Use exotic meats – giraffe, beefalo, llama, whatever. Be sure to cook ‘em low and slow, not just burn the outside. Don’t need people getting sick on crisp, raw llama steaks.”

    “Vlad, it’s a kid’s 5th birthday party, not a state dinner. Burgers and dogs will be fine.”

    “You don’t get it. You gotta put thought into what you feed them or everyone will leave unhappy.” 

    “Fine, I’ll go make some finger sandwiches.”

    “Wonderful. Put them next to the virgin blood punch. Oh, and your fangs are splotchy. Go brush before the guests arrive.”

Wouldn't you like to know what Mr. Forti's house looks like at Halloween?

Brigid

    "Fire."

     "Firemen."

"Pestilence."

    "Doctors."

    "Famine."

    "Our stores."

    "He might fall."

    "I'll catch him." 

    The newborn snored, sprawled contentedly beside his mother.

    "Any more?"

    She sighed. "Endless. Rabid dogs, political plots, children teasing. I can't sleep unless I feel him breathing."

    "You worry too much. You should be lolling about, rhapsodizing about his eyebrows."

    "The midwife says it's normal to feel this way."

    He stroked her hair.

    "Darling. Astyanax will be fine."

ohh!

So very very subtle.

BUT, his dad didn't call him that name, no? (ok, I looked that up in the Encyclopedia, I didn't know it off the top of my head)

Beth Carpenter

    “Medical history.”

    Rawlins scrawls his name. “You hear ‘bout that fellow what rented a radioactive house? Ten mil. Better’en most top lottery winners.” His hobby: concocting money-making schemes that entail neither investments nor efforts. 

    I refuse to be drawn. “Privacy statement.”

    Another signature. “Bucket of uranium ore, spread it in my basement—easy money.” He grins, imaginary millions already in his grasp.

    “Rawlins, it’s your house.” I gather the papers. “Who you gonna sue?”

    He glares like I snatched his lollipop. 

    I fan through the stack. All signed, including the transfer deed I slipped in. Easy money.

    No uranium required.

This is good, but I don't quite get it.

 

Michael Seese

    Nervous hands fumbling with the microphone, I thanked grace that owing to the venue, they couldn't see the fear sprawled across my face.

    I cleared my throat.

    "Good evening, folks. So... anyone here from out of town?"

    Silence.

    Apparently, irony doesn't translate well.

    "I feel good. I've spent weeks training for this," I said, flexing my thumbs.

    More silence, the wickedest of marplots.

    Then the heckling started.

    "Could this be more boring?"

    "I wish you could hear me snore."

    "LOL! LOSER!"

    I hastily switched off the phone, thus ending my first—and last—foray into the world of SMS stand-up.

I had to look up marplot.

I thought SMS  meant S&M but it stands for short message service.

So, I don't quite get this.

I have a feeling it's just me.

 

Timothy Lowe

    In the darkened gallery, heads lolled. Angelic forms sprawled, wings akimbo. Feathers drifted like confetti.

    “More plot!” shouted a voice from the back.

    “Snoresville!” shouted another voice.

    At the podium, a demon chuckled. Pointed at the other demon. Mugged at the bored crowd.

    “You losers!” shouted the first voice.

    “Fascists!” shouted the second.

    Spurred to action by the voices, the demons engaged in a baffling squabble. One talked over the other, who wasn’t saying anything anyway. 

    “Do something!” shouted a third voice. “Jesus!”

    The moderator shook his heavenly locks and did nothing.

this isn't quite a story, but it's damn funny.

 

Craig F 

    He bought him a suit, cut off his hair, and went off to work in tall buildings.

    But the virus arrived and they sent him home, where loblolly pines once swayed.

    There were no trees left to hang a hammock in and snore, sprawl covered all of his home plot. 

    The clouds were no longer cotton candy in the sky, the farms now grew servers and more.

    Worst of all was that he hadn’t been there to say goodbye.

ohhh, this is very evocative.

Not quite a story but nice work.

 

Jennifer Rand

    Coffee in hand and hopes high, I sprawl on my snot green couch to read a submission. Halfway through the query, I'm drowning in character soup with no plot. No stakes on the page. I plod on until my head grows heavy and lolls back. I snap forward and refocus with a sense of responsibility toward the author's hopes and dreams. But what's on the page goes nowhere, and my mind follows. More than an hour passes before I wake to the sound of my own snores.

    At my desk I choose the appropriate form letter:

    ...No, thank you...

 

I'm checking my apartment for video cameras.

 

Luralee

    Phone rings

    I select smileface.

    “How are you celebrating?” Her grinface asks.

    I hitch up smileface. “Watching my screen, same as everyone.”

    “Not Moreen, she’s going in person!”

    I attempt jealousface. “Lucky! She could get on TV!”

    Dog, oblivious, sprawls and snores. I nudge him awake—jealousface finally achieved.

    “Nana’s Making popcorn,” says yumface. 

    My stomach plots dissent.

    Onscreen, music begins. I paste on solemnface and scan the slavering crowd.

    Voiceover condemns the accused.

    Trapdoor drops.

    I LOL like everyone and rush to like, but cryface gives me away.

 

oh my god.

This is brilliant.

 

C. Dan Castro

    "Nice prop. Lot's beautiful. Let's experience the veranda." The realtor saunters out.

    HE'S NO REALTOR, I text. Difficult with a bubbleheaded socialite's perfect nails.

    MO REALTOR? I'm about to get killed, and my partner notes typos.

    HE'S THE MURDERER!

    NURDERER? LOL. LOOK, YOU'RE DOOMED.

    What?

    On the veranda, something pops. Like a buckle.

    SWARM. My final text?

    I charge. If the "realtor" is changing into his Gimp Killer outfit—he kills women, not gimps—then—

    SWARN?

    Sprawled on a settee, the realtor holds...a champagne bottle?

    “The seller accepted your offer!”

    WE PICKED UP THE NURDERER YESTERDAY. DIDN'T I NENTION THAT?"

This is a great example of a story.

HIlarious!

Just Jan

    It was a dismal day to work through plot holes, and the more Carrie struggled, the more muddled she became. Lollipop wrappers littered her desk, but the book remained a snore, a sprawling tome of frippery.

    Until the knock, followed by a voice that Carrie heard often in her head. “Dearest love, open the door!”

    The nerve! Not only had he been unfaithful to her protagonist, he also gave disastrous advice. “You’re everything that’s wrong with my story,” she declared.

    The solution crystallized. Carrie retrieved her pistol, flung open the door, and fired.

    “There,” she said, “I’ve killed my darling.”

Another great story example.

Also hilarious!

 

Colin Smith 

    I’ll never forget how she was sprawled over the chair. Head cocked to one side. Drool down her cheek. A vapid smile on her dry lips.

    Benson examined while I watched.

    “Wounds?” I said after a few minutes.

    “Eyes bloodshot. Nothing more. Neither cuts nor exit wounds.”

    “Then how did this happen? Her brain just plotzed?”

    “Perhaps…”

    Benson reached beside the seat cushion and pulled out a phone. He turned it on.

    “Text messages,” he said. “Last thing she wrote was ‘lol lol lo’”

    “What was she…?”

    But it was too late. Benson had scrolled up. He was grinning. Chuckling…

I don't quite get this.

I have a feeling it's a cultural reference I missed??

 

Fearless Reider

    “Doomscrolling again?”

    His screen dimmed. “Didn’t mean to wake you.”

    “Wasn’t the light,” she yawned and sprawled, “but the absence of snores. What’s up?”

    “Killjoys at the CDC. No trick-or-treating now.”

    “What MORE can they take?” she sighed. So much surrendered already. No wee wizards or fairies afoot, no sweet Elsas trawling the streets for lollies and treats? A plot to sow misery. “Who’ll break it to the little monsters?”

    “I’ll think of something.”

    “You always do,” she purred.

    Harvest moon rose dark and brooding.

    “Something new, my darlings.” He clasped greedy paws. “We're going door to door this year.”

 

I'm feeliing like my brain is behind the times here.

I don't get this one either.

 

 

Tadizi 

    The beast lollopped toward them, gaining speed, but her two quick shots left it sprawled on the floor.

    “Sure there aren’t more?” he asked, gasping to refill his lungs with shallow breath.

    “Last one,” she confirmed. “We’re the only two people still alive. We need to leave before the infection spreads to us.”

    Their last argument seemed so silly now. She longed for her worst problem to be his snores waking her up.

    He kissed her cheek and turned to lead them away. It was then she noticed three splotches on the back of his neck and raised her gun.

 

I love the word lollopped!

RosannaM

 

    Big Dipper plum rested upon the chuck wagon as if to ladle out chili. I breathed in the endless sky, driving the filth of the city outta my pores. Phillip sprawled half out of his sleeping bag, snores rumbling like a Harley, spewing distillery smells my way.

    Dude ranch vacations tuckered a fellow out. I lifted his lolling head and toasted to the night. He swallowed, more or less.

    He was biding time till Jackson where the posh people were.

    I abhorred posh. I had a plot of land picked out to buy with the insurance money.

    Swallow, Phillip, swallow.

 

that first sentence is beautiful.

I had to look up Jackson, cause I thought the name of the town is Jackson Hole.

It isn't. (glad to be wrong!)

 

John Davis Frain

    “Things are in order,” Edward said. “I’m ready.”

    Visitor pointed at the pages. "This?"

    His life’s work, that. “My manuscript.”

    Visitor nodded. “And you would submit next? I mean, if I weren’t here?”

    “Umm, no. One more step. Still have to write a synopsis.”

    “So by taking you now, you’d never write the synopsis?”

    “I’m finally ready, and now you’re lollygagging. There’s some irony.”

    The figure sprawled on the sofa. Steady breathing. A soft snore.

    “No! Take me!” Edward grabbed its lapels. “Your quota!”

    “Plot twist, Edward. We’re way ahead of schedule this year. Start with the narrative arc…”

    “Nooooooooo!”

 

I think this may be non-fiction.

 

Marie McKay

    She was a witch. (She was a mother, a daughter and a midwife.)

    Three babies born dead just this year. Unnatural. (And three more made grieving mothers as children.)

    Hiding her craft, all the time plotting. (She had raised the issue of child marriage to The Committee.)

    Lollar Berns insisted he'd resisted her spells of seduction. (She knew Lollar Berns snored. She'd had to brew the lech a medicinal tea. He sprawled on the floor while his wife bore their fourth child.)

    The Committee gathered for the burning. (They couldn't know it would be their own.)

 

Gorgeous innovative form here.

I have come to expect brilliance from Marie McKay.

I was not disappointed.

 

NLiu

You think of it as urban sprawl. You snore past it on the train, heading for somewhere more important. Your lollygagging thoughts plod along their routines, sidle past the extraordinary without a backward glance. You aren't looking. So you don't see. Splotches of graffiti mean nothing to you. You don't notice the paint is all the same colour. You don't notice it's spreading. You didn't notice us arrive either. But, the thing is this. We noticed you. Are you looking now?

holy moly.

 

 *****

There are three outstanding entries here that just knocked my sox clean off.

Finalists: NLiu, Marie McKay and Luralee.

This week's winner is Luralee.

Luralee, if you'll send me your mailing address, and some ideas about what you like to read, I'll get your prize in the mail. 

 

 You won!

 

 

 

 

 

Flash Fiction contest!

I am so so ready for the end of this week.

I'm not sure why that is, it's not as though anything really changes on Saturday or Sunday. But somehow, the weekend still brings a sense of respite.

So, while you're lounging about, and I'm lollygagging about, let's have a writing contest!

The usual rules apply:

1. Write a story using 100 words or fewer.

2. Use these words in the story:

loll
sprawl
snore
more
plot

(NO Steve Forti extra prompt word this week.)

3. You must use the whole word, but that whole word can be part of a larger word. The letters for the prompt must appear in consecutive order. They cannot be backwards.

4. Post the entry in the comment column of THIS blog post.

5. One entry per person. If you need a mulligan (a do-over) erase your entry and post again. It helps to work out your entry first, then post.

6. International entries are allowed, but prizes may vary for international addresses.

7. Titles count as part of the word count (you don't need a title)

8. Under no circumstances should you tweet anything about your particular entry to me. Example: "Hope you like my entry about Felix Buttonweezer!" This is grounds for disqualification.

9. There are no circumstances in which it is ok to ask for feedback from ME on your contest entry. NONE.


10. It's ok to tweet about the contest generally.

Example: "I just entered the flash fiction contest on Janet's blog and I didn't even get a lousy t-shirt"

11. Please do not post anything but contest entries. (Not for example "I love Felix Buttonweezer's entry!"). Save that for the contest results post.

12. You agree that your contest entry can remain posted on the blog for the life of the blog. In other words, you can't later ask me to delete the entry and any comments about the entry at a later date.

13. The stories must be self-contained. That is: do not include links or footnotes to explain any part of the story. Those extras will not be considered part of the story.


Contest opens: Saturday, 10/3/20, 9am
Contest closes: Sunday, 10/4/20, 9am

If you're wondering how what time it is in NYC right now, here's the clock

If you'd like to see the entries that have won previous contests, there's an .xls spread sheet here http://www.colindsmith.com/TreasureChest/

(Thanks to Colin Smith for organizing and maintaining this!)

Questions? Tweet to me @Janet_Reid

Ready? SET?
Not yet! 

Enter!

Self-censoring?

Ryan Field commented on my post about cleaning up your social media before querying.

So you're telling people to self-censor. I see your point, given the JK Rowling debacle with regard to her transphobia, and the vituperative Don Winslow Tweets, but there has to be a civil, happy medium somewhere. You can't just never take a stand on anything. And I do self-censor all the time. But I'm not always ifs and buts and candy and nuts at Christmastime.

which prompted me to reflect further (I love the comments that make me think things over again, in case you're wondering.)

JK Rowling brought a lot of this down on her own head; she seemed clueless about how social media works these days. Then after the trip to the woodshed, she doubled down.

Her situation is not what I was talking about. Those tweets of hers are current.

Don Winslow's tweets seem increasingly mean spirited and I'm sorry to see that. But they are also current.

What I'm cautioning y'all about are the tweets that are from years ago. That you haven't looked at since Jesus played on the Nazareth T-ball team.

And I strongly suggest there's a difference between taking a stand on something and behaving like a boor.

I'm sure you know the difference or you wouldn't have survived here.
Putting Black Lives Matter into your Twitter profile is NOT behaving like a boor.
Attacking someone's minor child no matter how reprehensible the parent, that's being a boor.

Racist, sexist, demeaning and diminishing  comments are not taking a stand; they're boorish.

In a nutshell: take a stand but don't be an ass-hat.

You're right that we self-censor every day.

Who among us did not keep our mouth shut when a patron of the NY Metropolitan Opera turned up for Die Walkure  in a fetching Viking helmet..with lights, and a T-shirt emblazoned with "Lick Bush, Beat Dick"**

 

Perhaps we kept silent because we were struck dumb?

No matter.

We self-censor all the time. It's called being civilized.

BUT, there's a brand new sport of deep diving into your past that makes the Red Scare of the 50's look like a walk in the park. People ARE losing their jobs; people ARE being publicly vilified.

You need to be aware of this.

What you do about it is your choice.

 

 

**(I am NOT kidding--this was the 2004 election)

More on requesting synopses

I'm working on the submission guidelines for the optional synopsis:

Here's what I've got so far (and it's an early draft!!)

Send a 3-5 page synopsis (750-1250 words)
Word count is a guideline. If you have 700, it's ok. If you have 1300 it's ok.
600 probably isn't enough; 1500 is probably too many.


Here's what to remember: I don't check the word count first. I read the synopsis. If it doesn't tell me enough, you have too few words. If it's stuffed with events  and then and then and then, you probably have too many.


What I'm looking for:

Who are the main characters and what choices they face.
What are the stakes for those choices.
(That's mostly what the query is about too)

As the synopsis develops so should the tension.
I want to actively wonder what happens next.

And what I really want to see are the twists.
I REALLY want your plot to surprise me, hopefully more than once.

I like words that signal a twist:

But then,
Except that
Unexpectedly

I like them a lot.

 

For a book that turns the plot upside down more than once:

Sunburn by Laura Lippman; 

Sacred by Dennis Lehane;  

Deep Sky by Patrick Lee (a book so immersive, the plot twist still gets me!)

What am I missing?
What's not clear?

What's outright wrong?

Torment me with your revision suggestions! 

we don't pussyfoot around on royalty statements!

 

You know this isn't my office cause there are no maps on the wall, no coffee cups at the ready, and there's a frisky feline in the picture!

Isn't he just a cutie pie?

He's got more energy than I did yesterday.

I was felled by a migraine brought on by the erratic barometric pressure, and tried to tough it out.

BIG mistake. By the time I took my meds, I could only lie down for the next 24 hours and pray the building didn't catch on fire.

Have you postponed doing something you came to regret?

Fans want to buy my Instagram stories. Should I sell them?

I've started writing flash fiction regularly and posting them on Instagram. I'm really enjoying it and it's great practice for editing/tightening up my writing because of the caption limit. Also the stories are drawing interest from potential readers of my first book I'd like to query/publish when it's ready. Several of them have been asking me to let them pay for more short stories, or for expanded versions of the stories I've already posted. I'd like to earn some income from it, but my following is still small.

Here's my question:

(1) If I collect these 400-word stories as an anthology in a PDF to sell on my website, does that shoot me in the foot like self-publishing a book on Amazon with lackluster sales would?

(2) Would it hurt my chances of being a debut with my novel in the future and make me less appealing to agents and publishers?

(3) Does it count as a book if it doesn't have an ISBN?

(4) Or what if I send short stories through a subscription email list? Does that interfere with my chances of being traditionally published later?

(5) Or is all of this silliness and trying to reinvent the wheel, and I should stick to selling short stories to magazines instead? I've been reluctant because I write YA and teens are online. (I am aware that the stories I've posted on Instagram can't be sold as first rights.)

First, I like your idea of a question.
I counted five.

This reminded me of a scene from The West Wing when the NYT Science reporter is asking CJ Cregg about Life on Mars.

Katie: This is Ralph Gish, our Science Editor.
CJ: Hi. It's my pleasure. Why is Science coming to the White House?


Gish: Um, are you familiar with the Nasa Commission on space Science and Research?
CJ: Only to the extent that I'm aware that it exists. But I can take your question to the president's science adviser.

Gish: This is not a science question.

Gish: Is the White House concealing a report from the commission containing two different pieces of evidence of water molecules on Mars? Is there a report that's not being released? A report from the NASA commission on Space Science and Research saying fossilized water molecules were found on a meteorite-I won't tell you when this thing blew off of the surface of Mars--but that this report ...

Brief interlude while CJ yells at Katie in the hall sotto voce for bringing her a question of "Is there life on Mars"

Gish: Is there an existing report that says anything at all and if so, what, and will it be made public and if not, why, and if not, isn't that illegal?

Which I gotta say, is one helluva question!

But I digress. 

Here are the answers to your questionS:

(1) If I collect these 400-word stories as an anthology in a PDF to sell on my website, does that shoot me in the foot like self-publishing a book on Amazon with lackluster sales would?

No

(2) Would it hurt my chances of being a debut with my novel in the future and make me less appealing to agents and publishers?

No

(3) Does it count as a book if it doesn't have an ISBN?

No

(4) Or what if I send short stories through a subscription email list? Does that interfere with my chances of being traditionally published later?

No

(5) Or is all of this silliness and trying to reinvent the wheel, and I should stick to selling short stories to magazines instead? I've been reluctant because I write YA and teens are online. (I am aware that the stories I've posted on Instagram can't be sold as first rights.)

It's not silly to be careful.

Let's look at what you really want to know: are you going to mess anything up for future trade publishing by selling stories you've posted on Instagram?

Answer: No.

The question of whether you are a debut is one that can ONLY be answered by the folks who are setting the requirements of what a debut is. If it's a contest, their idea of a debut might be something far different than what the marketing department at GotBucks Publishing LLC wants to call a debut.

What these stories are very good for is building your fan base and your mailing list.

Don't worry too far down the road.

You're writing, and people want to read your stuff.

Maybe they'll be reading it on Mars one day!

Sunday

While we do have animals (three cats, two goats, two turkeys and down to around 23 chickens), they're not really pets, they're farm animals.

My garden is my 'pet'. Imagine my dismay when today (sept 2) I heard they are predicting an inch of snow next week. Not all my produce is ready to bring in. Not all of it can be protected from below freezing temps. Hopefully the predictions will change. I'm not ready to lose my garden. My poor baby watermelon will never have a chance to grow. 

 

 

 

I fully understand having a garden as a pet.

Miss Green et al don't talk much, but they do provide a very serene kind of companionship.

Miss ZZTop

The Herb Quints

Miss Green

How's your Sunday growing?

Remembering Paul Newman

I'm a devoted Paul Newman fan, as was my mum.

He left the world 12 years ago today.

Here's my very favorite article about Paul Newman, written by Steve Ulfelder.

When I’m telling racing stories at cocktail parties and people’s eyes glaze with boredom – this takes nearly 30 seconds – I know exactly what to say to regain my audience: “I’ve shared the track with Paul Newman.”

Works every time.

Note the careful phrasing: I imply, but do not actually say, that I’ve raced against Newman, who’s known as PLN around the track. I’ve never raced against him because our cars run in different classes. My class comprises Mazdas, Porsches, Acuras, and BMWs. It’s a reasonably fast group but it is nothing, repeat nothing, compared to Newman’s class: GT-1, made up of the fastest, lowest, widest, loudest, most brutish cars at the track.

Keep that in mind when you consider 83-year-old Paul Newman racing. He’s not chugging around the track in a jolly ’53 MG, silk scarf flying, eh wot? He’s strapping on a 700-horsepower weapon that scares the bejesus out of people when he merely starts the engine. (As Dave Barry would say, I am not making this up. Inevitably, a crowd of looky-loos gathers around poor PLN’s paddock when he races at Connecticut’s Lime Rock Park. You should see them jump when he fires up his Corvette.)
Last year I went to a test day at Lime Rock to tune my car for a big season-ending race. During these test days, cars from various classes run at the same time. This is perilous because some of the cars are much faster than others – drivers must keep an eye on their mirrors to avoid unpleasant surprises.
As it turned out, I was grouped with Newman, but didn’t realize it because we hit the track at different times.

So there I was, sailing along, cutting lap times I was pleased with. Each time I drove down Lime Rock’s long front straight I glanced in my mirrors, searching for faster cars. Nothing.
Without warning, in the middle of a turn leading onto a section called No Name Straight, I heard a furious blat. Half a second later, Paul Newman passed me on the outside and vanished. He was so fast that I’d never spotted him, so fast he could pass me whenever and wherever the hell he wanted.
He must have passed me 10 more times that day. Usually I saw him coming in my mirrors, but sometimes that angry blat was my first clue. He was that fast. (Insult to Injury Dept.: For some time now, Newman has used his age as his race car number. So each time he blew by me I got to stare at a big 83 on the back of his car, evidence I’d been passed by an old man.)

Poor journalist that I am, I’ve buried the lede and the point of this story. Yesterday, the powers that be graciously shut down Lime Rock for a few hours to let Paul Newman spin a few farewell laps in his GT-1 Corvette and say goodbye to his favorite race track. As most know by know, PLN has cancer, and I’m hearing he doesn’t have an awful lot of time left. He’s a helluva racer. Can act a little, too.

Sun!

 

That's Ernie in the foreground.
I look just like him today.
Well, not as furry, but another few weeks with no haircut and I'll be giving him a run for his money.

Ernie is the sweetest guy.
Coop is a little more discerning.

Coop isn't quite sure I meet his standards yet.
Ernie says as long as I pet him, I'm ok.

Don't hate me too much: I'm going to ask for synopses with queries

I know, I know, we all hate synopses.
More than a little. More than a lot.
Maybe even alot:

But I recently changed my opinion on the value of synopsis at the query stage.
Way too many people send query pages that start the story at the wrong spot.

I end up passing on things that might actually be a good fit for my list if I could see where the story really begins.

I know, I know.
Insert sounds of wailing, gnashing of teeth and rending of writerly garments (not pants of course)

BUT I'm going to make it an option I think, not a requirement.

So, let me know your thoughts on this.
Any ideas about length, specificity of directions will be much appreciated.

Getting Ready to Query? Clean up your social media.

Recent events have revealed that there are folks out there who will take a deep dive into everything you've ever posted online.

That's a problem if you've done anything crazy or stupid.
And it's a worse problem if you've forgotten about it.

Take the time NOW to look at everything you've posted on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.
Look at it with a cold, mean-spirited eye.
Use your delete key as needed.

I used to only look for people who had belligerent opinions about agents and publishing.
Now, I'm looking for stuff that will get you (and by association, me) into hot water.
Sharks do not like hot water.

 

Any questions?

The Eyes of NYC

I’m halfway through reading RECURSION by Blake Crouch. It’s described as a science fiction thriller, and is filled with technical jargon about past memories and present experiences and the mental bridge created between them. I’m enjoying it, though I have to admit I shed a tear when one of the MCs described her mother, who is suffering from dementia. It was an apt description, and a familiar one.

I visited NYC once, many years ago, with my ex-husband. We took Amtrak from Baltimore to New York, went to a cat show at Madison Square Garden, had lunch in Chinatown, and returned that same afternoon on the train. It was fun. Here’s the passage from the book I’m reading, that I wanted to share with you:

“It was a long walk here, and yes, for much of it he was crying. That’s one of the great thing about New York—no one cares about your emotional state as long as there’s no blood involved.”

No blood...and no small child.

Some years back I was transiting through the Herald Square subway station. It's a big station, directly under Macys at 33rd Street, and serves seven subway lines.

The turnstiles click non-stop.

As I approached the exit, I saw a small child, probably no more than three or four, who looked to be alone. I stopped cold.

Within about five seconds three other women also stopped.

We didn't say anything to the kid, or to each other.

Within about thirty seconds a dad on the other side of the turnstile, his attention on a child in stroller, turned back and called to the small child we were watching.

Small child scurried under the turnstile and the family proceeded on their way.

As did the rest of us, not a word spoken.

But that kid had eyes on him. We may not say much, we may not intervene, but we're watching!

Some recent eye-rollers

1. "My novel is well-written."

2. "I'm an amateur author"

3. A list of all the people who workshopped your novel

4. Querying in third-person

5. "I am looking for a brilliant literary agent"

6. "I am contacting you personally"

7. "Hi, my name is Felix Buttonweezer and I'm writing to query you."

None of these are deal breakers but you don't want to make a less-than-effective first impression. 

Any questions?

Five Books That Changed History

I've been watching seminars at OneDayU recently.

With the pandemic, I've missed going to library talks, museum lectures, and author events at bookstores.

 

The five books that Rutgers Professor Louis Masur selected were:

1. Common Sense by Tom Paine (1776)

 

 

2. Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beacher Stowe (1852)

 

3. How the Other Half Lives by Jacob Riis (1890)

 

 

4. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (1938)

 

 

Do you want to take a guess at the fifth one?

It was published in 1963.

 

5. Letter From a Birmingham Jail

 

I think The Feminine Mystique was unrightfully overlooked of course but a list is a personal thing.

 

Do I look more (or less!) enticing?

 I saw this #AskAgent question on Twitter recently. Since I don't answer questions on Twitter (no room for nuance and no way to filter out the frenzied), I'll post it here:

When querying, does it scare agents away if we mention we've worked with agents before? If we've had two agents abandon us mid-project (different projects) does that make us look more legitimate or suspicious? Asking for a friend.

The query you send me should be about the book you want me to take on.
And about you.

Your past (horrifying) experience with agents is best left till later. Much later.

The sad truth is, my first thought is: this writer is trouble.
If two agents ditched them abruptly, that's a red flag.

Don't fly your red flags if you can help it.
 

 

Put your best fin forward.

Why you have to write it before I can assess it

I'm hip deep in revisions with two of my clients.

Revising is agony, no two ways about it. And particular agony as we try to figure out what's going to work (or not!) in a chapter, and the whole book.

Frequently my author will say "how about I do this."
And sometimes I say "Hey I have this Great Idea, how about you do that."

And then we both laugh cause if there's one ironclad rule here it's this:
Assess what's on the page, not what's in your head.

I have had Great Ideas that turn out to be ... err ... not.
And no matter what we're thinking, it's what's on the page that will be in readers' hands.

Here's an illustration of Great Idea; Not So Good Execution: my new curtain ties.

I thought using three cable ties, two yellow, one red, would look really cute and innovative on my bathroom curtain. It now needs to be pulled aside because I have plants there that need the bright, indirect light.

First problem: the cable ties weren't long enough.

So, I made little loops of the red and yellow cable ties and tried that.
 

 

Now they look stupid not cute.
And NOTHING like what I'd envisioned in my mind when I thought of the idea.

But I didn't know that till I tried it.
This is why you need to have the words on the page to see if something works.

All my ideas are Great when I think of them.
I wish they all worked in real life.

Also, if you have any good ideas for clever curtain pull backs let me know.

Turns out doing fixie things around the house helps overcome cosmic anxiety. 

Funny how bad days just sneak up on you

I really thought I'd come through the Valley of Pandemic angst a while back.
I was working, reading, even getting out more.


And then it's back.

The overwhelming sense of loss.

Not being able to visit the Met.
Not being able to browse in bookstores.
Not being able to eat breakfast in diners after a nice morning walk.

I understand these are minor inconveniences not life challenges. I'm solvent, I have a job, I have a full pantry, I'm healthy! I should only be grateful.

But I'm back under the duvet this week, hiding out.

There's only one thing to do:
Robert Redford at The Actors's Studio.

Do you sink into the blues every now and then?
What do you do to comfort yourself?

 

Contests with publication as part of the prize

A call for submissions for an award arrived in my inbox. It’s a legitimate award (PEN/Bellwether) with a cash prize as well as a publishing contract. The publishing contract would include an advance, separate from the cash prize.

I do not qualify for this award, but it made me curious about the publishing end of it. I wonder about the advantages of winning an award but losing the option of shopping the work to multiple editors. Looking at the submittable form, there does not appear to be a place to acknowledge that by submitting the work, the author is entering into a contract with the publisher, should the author’s work be chosen.

(1)I doubt you can speak to the particular award, but, does entering a contest like this mean the author must agree to the publishing terms? 

 

(2) How can the author do that, if they aren’t presented? 

 

(3) If there is no acknowledgement that the author agrees to the publisher’s terms, can a writer enter the contest, and upon winning, refuse that publisher? 

 

(4) Can the writer refuse that publisher without ending up on the industry’s Do Not Ever Publish list? 

 

(5) At what point, if at all, can the writer bring in an agent to help negotiate publishing terms? 

 

(6) Do awards drive sales?

 

(7)  Although the MS cannot be under consideration by a publisher when it is entered into the contest, nothing says the writer can't be agented. Does the agent then help negotiate the publishing deal? 

 

(8) Does the agent get a percentage of the award prize? 

 

 

(9)Would you advise a client to enter an award like this? 

I think this wins the prize for most questions asked in one email.

Just as a general note: one email, one question.

Rather than answer each of these, here's an overview of contests that offer publication as a prize.

1. If the terms of publication aren't specified, don't enter. There's nothing worth risking losing the rights to your work.

2. If the contest entry rules don't tell you WHO will publish the work, don't enter. Being published badly is worse than not being published.

3. The contest entry rules should specify what happens if you want to decline the prize (publication.)

There are some very legitimate, well-respected contests that offer publication as the prize. Graywolf Press has three. The PEN/Bellwether, associated with Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, is another. 

But publication by GimmeYerRights LLC isn't the same thing at all.

As with all contests, read the fine print on the entry rules.

 

And always check Victoria Strauss' Writer Beware site. She collects info on less-than-desirable folks who prey on unwary woodland creatures, as well as well-intentioned but clueless folks who "just want to help writers."

character compulsion vs choice

I read a book recently with a character who had OCD** and was thus compelled to tidy up, and tidy up, and tidy up.

I live in Brooklyn, and my apartment is more than an adequate size for one;  given NYC real estate parameters, it's not that small.

For those of you not in NYC, it's smaller than your garage.
By a long shot.

Apartments this size require CONSTANT tidying up. One sock on the floor, three unwashed plates, and laundry stacking up for more than a week, and the place looks a right mess.

So I tidy.
And tidy.

I even bought a very small dish drainer that forces me to wash every dish after I use it.

not my sink or actual dishes-but that's the drainer

And I don't hesitate to tell you that tidying up this incessantly is a real struggle.

There are minutes and hours where I have to force myself to do one small thing.

Which makes me think of characters who have compulsions (like OCD) where they have no choice but to tidy, versus people like me who have to struggle to get stuff done (sometimes, not always).

And I think it's much more interesting if a character has to struggle to do something (tidy up) or NOT do something (not tidy up), than do something because of a compulsion.



A struggle implies a choice. The character chooses to be meticulous, because that kind of attention to detail can mean the difference between life and death in his/her perilous profession (reference librarian comes to mind, also bomb squad.)

 

Struggle is tension.
Tension drives plot.
Compulsion is just a characteristic.


 Your thoughts on this?

**(This is not Katja's book in case any of you are wondering;

 it's an advance copy and I don't want 

to spoil any of it for long time fans of the series)

On Writing Memoir

"I've had an interesting life"

I'm glad, very glad.
But mine is interesting, too. Utterly compelling if I'm being completely honest here.

Yea right SharkForBrains

And so have all of the members of my family; every reader of this blog; even the folks who query me from jail.

Interesting, interesting, interesting.

But will someone pay $25.00 to read all about it? 

Of course they will, you think, then are heartbroken when I don't agree.

 

Religion, like memoir, often involves a recitation of events.
Every Good Friday, we gather to recite the events of the Crucifixion.
But it is not just the words that matter here; it's what those words mean to those of us saying them.

What illumination they bring.
What devotion they inspire.
What inspiration they provide.


A memoir is more than about what happened, a recitation of events.
A good memoir evokes feeling and provides illumination, and inspires us even if only in small ways.

And not just to people like you.
A good memoir does that for people who have nothing in common with you but their humanity.

So, yes, you've had an interesting life, but what does that mean for me?

 

What does that mean for those of you writing memoir?

Your query should focus less on the events of your life, and give more page time to how it will resonate with other people. You must answer the question "Why should anyone read this?" with something other than "It's interesting" or "because it's a great story."

Any questions? 

Sunday

 

I'm looking for a new couch.

The snot green couch has sprung one too many springs to be comfy any longer.

So, I'm looking at furniture store websites.

The fabric for couches is touted as good for "40,000 rubs" 

The question they DON'T answer is: what is a rub: one sit? What if I don't get up for like...100 hours?

Does that still count as just one?

Somehow, I've restrained myself from emailing or online chatting with customer service about this question.

Given I assume a polar bear pose on the couch most days...maybe I should just invest in the stone ledge.

How's your Sunday going?

You're looking quite chipper!

This is Number 1. She (or he?) is the eldest in their clutch, and just graduated yesterday from aviary to house, so I can hand-raise her before she goes to a forever home. When this occurs, she'll be replaced by Number 2, Number 3, and so on. We currently have 4 budgie hens raising chicks of between 3 and 5 babies - and another budgie hen who is sitting on 9 eggs at last count. And why yes, that is indeed a lot of chirping!

The dearth of names is intentional. My daughters, 13 and 15, who assist me (when they're not doing homework or on their phones) would love to name them  and keep them all... but they don't pay for birdseed!--K.Ridwyn

We Will Never Forget

 

more publishing terminology

Dearest QOTKU,

I've just received Kristin Nelson's August newsletter. She mentioned a couple of terms which confused me... and seeing as you're my enlightenment for all things publishing, I thought I might brave some teeth and ask...

1. On deal-making, "one of which was a pre-empt for a debut author." What's a pre-empt? 

A pre-empt is when you have multiple editors interested in making an offer, and one of them offers enough money to seal the deal.

And you take the money and run.

This is a big deal for a debut author because you're buying something without much real time knowledge of how it will do.

2. She wrote about 'mid-list authors'. I thought authors had back-lists (and possibly mid-lists too? I don't know) but this was the first time I'd heard of an author BEING mid-list, and I'm puzzled where I'm going wrong.

Backlist and midlist refer to very different "lists".

A backlist is the work you've previously published.

For example: When Patrick Lee's book Runner was pubbed, his backlist was the Travis Chase Breach series.

When he published The Breach, it was his first novel so he didn't have a backlist.

Midlist is a reference to the pubishing hierarchy.

Best Sellers are top of the list.

Everyone else comes after.

Midlist are the authors down the ladder from that. 

Fewer sales is generally the hallmark.

But make no mistake, midlist is the backbone of publishing. Books that do well year after year after year often fund the big splashy debuts that sink without a trace.

 

 

 

to tell or not to tell: major revisions

With my first novel, I queried only a few carefully-selected agents and I finally began getting some requests. I made it as far as a Revise and Resubmit that ended up being a rejection, but I received some very thoughtful feedback from that agent. Since then, I have carefully studied that feedback, feedback from the other agents, workshopped the story with a creative writing teacher/freelance critiquer, and made time to read similar titles in my genre. Collectively, I got it. It clicked and I understood all the feedback, realized I had queried too soon, and that a major edit was in the cards. I'm talking taking it down to the studs, recognizing that I was working off the wrong inciting incident and starting the story too soon, making my hook stand out, cutting out as much as 15k words to rejuvenate the pace, and switching to a stronger title, more reflective of the high speed/low drag version I am shooting for. In the end, none of these revisions may garner any more attention for the story but it's not a total loss because I have learned a lot from the process. When I am ready to query again, I would like to try again with some of the agents who had rejected my original version. Some have said they are open to requerying with major revisions and some haven't said, but like a great shark I know always says, the worst they can say is no (again).

Now, my question: In my new query, do I fess up that they have already seen a different version of the story but that it has been heavily revised based on agent feedback/professional editing or do I just treat it as a brand new query so as to not bias them?

I realize it's delusional to assume they'd remember me or my story anyway when they receive hundreds of queries a week, but I don't want to be flagged in Query Manager as submitting before and the agent say, "OMG this jerk is trying to slide in old garbage under a new title!" and it be an automatic rejection. What is the best way for me to proceed?

Let's remember my purpose in reading queries: to find good stuff that I can sell.

Clearly you had a good start on this, but didn't make it to the final round.
Do you know how many Miss Americas try more than once?
(me neither, but it's a lot)

So, yes, query, even the ones who passed.
Say what you said here (but more concisely).

Make SURE those first pages are razor sharp.
When someone requeries me for a novel I was interested in earlier, I always read those pages to see if they hook me.  A flat start (backstory, ruminations etc) gets a quick pass.

Get me with those first pages and I usually request the full.
I NEED TO SELL THINGS!

I can't just sit around saying "oh she queried before, pass!"

The whole thing about requerying is to do what you've done: take it down to the studs and start over.

The things that are more likely to get a quick pass:
requerying without enough time passing. Revision takes time. Not just to write, but to think.

Changing only surface things.
 "I fixed the places you pointed out" means you didn't fix the places I didn't. And no one gets a full edit on a requested full. No one.

The market or my interests have changed since you queried.
That's a hard one, I know.

Any questions?