How to Submit and Make a Good Impression Series Part 1 – Query Letters by Denice Whitmore

What makes a good query letter? I’ve heard this question time and time again from aspiring authors longing for the rare privilege of publication. Let me share some tips I have picked up over the years as well as things that stand out to me from query letters received by our company with submissions.

A business letter format should be used when creating the query. Address the editor you are pitching to by name. This shows that you took the time to find out a bit about them and are not just sending out a generic form letter. This small detail could set you apart from the slush pile. Make sure to include your contact information, not just your email address but also your physical address and telephone number. This is always a good idea even when submitting electronically. If you are submitting a hard copy, be sure to include a self-addressed stamped envelope. This small courtesy doesn’t go unnoticed. It shows that you care about their time and resources. Most important, keep your letter to one page. This is not a synopsis of your book and a biography of your life. Keep it concise and to the point.

First and foremost, your query letter should tell about your book. What’s the title of your book? What’s your book about? What genre does your book fit into? Who is the main character? What is the main plot? What sets your book apart from others? This is not a place for a one-page synopsis (that should be attached separately), but is the perfect place to polish your 30 second elevator speech. Be sure that you are submitting to a publisher or editor who accepts your genre. Editors do not have time to waste. Taking the time to do a little research about who your submitting to and what genres they like to work with is appreciated by editors and publishers. It shows initiative.

I know this seems backwards, but introduce yourself after you have summarized the details of your book. Make sure to mention if you have met the editor at a conference or seminar and if they requested a sample of your work. Keep your background pertinent to writing. Don’t tell the editor about your children or pets. Instead, give them your background in writing. Are you a member of local writers’ group? Do you have any other published works? Do you have a degree in Fine Arts? What qualifications do you have to write about your non-fiction topic? Have you been published in anthologies or magazines? What kind of following do you have in place? What kind of author’s platform have you built for yourself? It’s very helpful if the editor can google you and see an online presence with a following. You don’t have to include all of these, just the things that pertain to you and show your expertise.

The most important thing to do before you submit a query is to PROOFREAD, PROOFREAD, PROOFREAD. A query is the first impression you give to an editor. If you submit a letter full of typos and grammar errors, it can be a good indicator of how much editing your manuscript will require. A poorly crafted query could land your masterpiece in the slush pile before it’s even looked at. A query letter is the first taste of your writing. It’s how you present yourself and can leave a lasting impression for good or bad. I hope these tips will help make it a good one.

Look for Part 2 – The Four Types of Synopsis and When to Use Them, next month. And…

Keep writing!

Setting up Your Novel by Jo Wilkins

Every author has an idea swirling in their head that they think about non-stop. It consumes their every thought. They talk about the storyline to everyone who will listen, and they think it will make a killer book and eventually a blockbuster movie. So, where do you start? How do you go from concept to a salable product?

In the construction of any idea, there are things an author must consider. To sell a product to a publisher, consider a few techniques that help the reader understand the work.

Keep your writing within certain parameters. The American audience wants a story that moves swiftly and brings them into the plight of the main character as soon as possible. It should make the reader care about the character’s plight and root for that character’s success overcoming the obstacles set before him in the plot. The reader must also see the story from the eyes of only one character at a time. Make the characters interesting and each one needs a real purpose within the plot.

So, the first thing to do is to organize the material floating around your brain. There are several methods to organizing a story. One is to use a process taught in most college English and logic classes. This process is taught under more than one descriptive name: Clustering, Mind Mapping, and the Bubble method. This way of fleshing out a concept into specifics is used by millions. Creative writing teachers teach them in many forms, but any way you use this technique, it will help bring your ideas into a cohesive order and allow you to put together a workable outline for your story.  

To do this, you should start with a large sheet of paper, the bigger the better (I use a sheet 24" by 30" for my students to doodle on in class). Place a small circle in the middle of the sheet, make it just big enough to hold your working title or the theme of the story. This allows you to expand on the thoughts you have treasured for so long. You can now build on those ideas fleshing them into a complete story your reader will enjoy sharing with the characters you develop.

Developing the plot in this way allows you to free-write your way from ideas to concept. I have included sample diagrams at the end of the piece that will show the concept of bubbling. The examples show how to use the method with storyline, setting, and/or a character analysis.

When adding information on each of these bubble sheets free your mind and add everything you can think of to define the object of the diagram. Put down everything that will define the concept you are expanding on. You may not use everything you put down, but you don't want to lose an idea until you have the story defined.

Why are even small ideas significant? After a second look, what looks insignificant may turn out key to plot movement. The more you, the author, know about the plot, the character, or the scene you are constructing, the better picture you can paint for the reader. And, remember, it is the responsibility of the author to use your pen as a paint brush to paint a picture so vivid the reader sees the same image the author has in his mind. If the author blocks the reader from what’s in his mind by writing in vague passive voice, the reader will fill in the gaps. They will relate the plot events to their own world, making the reader the director of the author's story.

Second, consider choosing whose point of view (P.O.V.) will tell the story. Choosing the wrong P.O.V. (or choosing too many) can make or break a story. You, as the author, are the only one who can make this decision. Will you tell the story in first person, from the mind of your main character? Look at how Susanne Collins put her readers into Katniss' head to live the Hunger Games with the character. Or, maybe you could have your readers live the duality in Stephanie Myer's character, Melanie/Wanderer, portrayed in The Host.

You could also choose to write your story in third person (the he said ─ she said experience) as in the Nikki Heat series. Third person stories not only tell the story in abstract, but they show it from the character's P.O.V.

A lot of authors don't understand P.O.V. in its purest form. But to bring it down to basics, choose one character (the P.O.V. character) for an entire story or just one scene. The reader should experience the inner feelings of this character only. The main character can see indecision, fear, or happiness in the other characters, but the other characters can express their feelings only through dialogue.

There are types of P.O.V, to consider other than first or third person. Second person is where the author talks directly to the reader as I am in this piece. Omniscient (The least salable P.O.V. you can write in) is where someone outside of the story is telling the reader what they need to know about the character's or the plot. This only works if you establish the storyteller as a character, the narrator.

Of all of these P.O.V's, agent's and publishers consider the third person the most saleable, although, lately, the first-person novel has made a comeback. Whatever P.O.V. you select, if you write from your heart and construct an intriguing, intricate plot, you can make it something that will catch an agent's or publisher's attention.

More Than Just a Villain by Janelle Evans

All books need an antagonist or villain—they add tension and often are the cause of motivation to our protagonist. But often writers forget to give them as much depth as their protagonist. A villain who is bad just because he wants to be bad is a very boring bad guy. Think in terms of real life when considering antagonist. It’s all about perception, and you see it everywhere.

You might be liked by one person and hated by another. Maybe that person who hates you is justified in how they feel, but the wrong you did to them was out of a great need you can’t express at this time. You could feel torn about what you’ve done, but the secret of why this must be kept isn’t yours to share.

This is just one example, and I’m not saying every antagonist should be a misunderstood good guy either. Let’s face it—being cruel is a human condition. But even the meanest people have their reasons. As a writer you need to have those reasons fleshed out. Even if you never share them with your readers, it will help give authenticity and consistency to your antagonist as you write. Remember the best protagonist have a strong antagonist to face. Take the time to make that antagonist unforgettable.

Platforms, What They Are and Why You Need One By Denice Whitmore

New authors often hear that they need a platform in order to sell their book. This is often a new concept. What is a platform? Your platform is how you present your expertise on the topic you write about. Say you write a book on budgeting. Do you have a degree in finance? Are you sharing how you overcame your budgeting mishaps and now live a debt free, frugal life? What in your experience makes you qualified to give advice on this topic?

A platform is not just your experience in a field; it’s how you present your expertise to the public. Do you have a website with thousands of followers? Do you write a weekly blog? Do you have a YouTube channel with videos? How much social media do you do in relation to your chosen topic? All these things get your name out there and lend to your experience. They give people a reason to listen to your advice. When you have established your online presence as an expert in your field, you have built a readymade audience for the book you want to write. If people already follow your blog, follow your tweets, join your Facebook group, they will be excited to buy your book.

This works for fiction as well as non-fiction. On July 15, 2018 NewLink Publishing released Ghost of a Chance: a SEEK Team Investigation, By Sharon Day. This book is about a team of ghost hunters led by a psychic. Sharon has a website dedicated to ghost hunting, Bigfoot searches, and all things paranormal. She writes a blog, has self-published books in the past, and we are excited to release her first traditionally published book. She has built a ready-made audience for her new book release. She has put a lot of time and effort into building her platform and it is paying off. Check out her website at www.ghosthuntingtheories.com.

So, before you think about writing a book, think about getting your name out there. This pre-marketing strategy could even help your book get picked up by a reputable publisher. Give it some thought. Build your platform and get your name out there. It will pay off in the long run.

Keep writing!

Three Ways to Raise Your Novels Ability to Entertain by Janelle Evans

Writing a book is hard. Writing a book someone else would actually enjoy reading is even harder. Trust me, my love of reading has led me to many a stinker. Some of those were supposed to be New York Best-Selling, so not even well-known authors are immune to bad story telling. In hopes to improve writers everywhere, here are three things that keep a reader captive.

1.      Don’t start your story with giving the readers a ton of backstory. It’s a mistake that will have readers closing a book faster than anything else. Yes, all characters have a backstory, but SO WHAT! People in real life have backstories, too. People don’t generally go around wanting to here another person’s history without spending some time with them first. So, give your reader a character in an opening scenario that grabs their interest.

2.      Keep your sentences tight. This goes way beyond the passive verbs “was” or “to be.” Crazy long sentences with flowery descriptions or lists drags the pace of any story. Stick to the point, and as I’ve said a thousand times, build the world around your character as you go. Not every inch of a place has to be described, only the parts pertinent to the story.

3.      Don’t make your reader wonder who is speaking. Snappy dialogue can go a long way in keeping a reader interested. But if they have to reread sections twice just to figure out who’s speaking, you will lose them.

Remember, your goal is to achieve a seamless effect, where your story is so easy to read and understand, it’s as if the words on the page disappear. Great writers aren’t searching for praise on their word choices and sentence structures. An author’s ability to write is self-evident by the enjoyment others get by reading their work. 

Promotional Memes by Janelle Evans

My latest novel, Stuffed Souls, released a month ago. While this is my fourth published novel, the anticipation for it to launch was just as nerve-racking as the first three. Every author wants their work to be well-received. A cover that strikes a desire in the hearts of millions to buy your book immediately wouldn’t be too bad either. But a successful promotion doesn’t end with the book release—nor is it really the beginning.

I spent hours preparing promotional memes before the release date. Now those memes have to be trickled into the many forms of Social Medias and other ad campaigns to get the word out there. Remember, there is a sea of new books being launched every day. As authors we need to do all we can to get ours noticed. You worked too hard to just let it sink to the bottom. The more you prepare and research your advertising options ahead of a launch can greatly affect how well your book will sale. So remember…

The Importance of Understanding Your Audience by Janelle Evans

As an author, understanding your audience is paramount, at least, if you want to sell books. That may seem callused and calculating to what really is a creative process, but you’re not spending all these hours clicking away on a computer for mere self-fulfillment. It’s for others to read and enjoy. So today I will be talking about three audience factors I always consider while writing novels.

First: the age group of my target audience. I write for young adults so I don’t fill my novels with uncommon word choices. Let me write that statement using different words to illustrate. I compose for young adults so I don’t dominate my narratives with infrequently used terms. The sentence means the same thing as the first statement but let’s face it, it’s harder to read, especially for my target age group of 12-18. If you write for an older audience go ahead and elevate the vernacular, but I like to caution all writers of fiction. If your audience has to keep pulling out a dictionary to understand you, they will stop reading. Your goal when writing fiction isn’t to show your audience how smart you are. Entertain them and I promise they will come back for more.

Second: the age of the protagonist in the story. It is best if the main hero/heroine of you story is close in age to your target audience. Other sub-characters can be older or younger as needed, but if the character is going to be a love interest, they should also be close in age. Yes, in society we see age gaps between couples, but it is not as common as it used to be. For example the Victorian age of Jane Austen’s novel Emma. In the story, Emma is sixteen and her eventual love interest is thirty-two-year-old Mr. Knightly. Yeah…that’s probably not going to work in today’s society. You don’t want an ew factor to happen with your audience and your character’s budding relationship.

Third: the all-important ending. Since I write for young adults my goal is to give them satisfying happy endings. It’s what this age group expects and likes the most. Now if you’re a writer that despises happy endings, young adult fiction probably isn’t for you, but again I would caution you in whatever you write. All endings should satisfy your audience. That doesn’t mean it has to end happy, but there should be clear resolve to the conflicts in the story. If it is a series, not all conflicts have to be resolved, but give your reader something uplifting to cling to before you make them wait for that next novel to be released.