Interview with Elisa Nader

I'm lucky (or cunning) enough to have lured yet another successful writer over to my blog for an SAT - Successful Author Talk. SAT authors have conquered the query, slain the synopsis and attained the pinnacle of published. How'd they do it? Let's ask 'em!

Today's guest for the SAT (Successful Author Talk) is Elisa Nader, author of ESCAPE FROM EDEN, published by Merit Press on August 18th, 2013.

Are you a Planner or Pantster?

Total Pantster. I do know the beginning and the end (mostly) and I sometimes outline a scene before I write it, but I like to see where the writing takes the story. I’ve tried outlining before, and find that the writing is less fun for me, and I worry I may have lost a discovery I would have made if I wasn’t following the outline. 

How long does it typically take you to write a novel, start to finish?

My first novel took ten years. Yep. Ten. The second took three, and the third, the one that actually got published, took a year. I hope the pattern of it taking less and less time continues.  

Do you work on one project at a time, or are you a multi tasker?

My puny brain can only work on one writing project at a time. 

Did you have to overcome any fears that first time you sat down to write?

Not at first, no. Mainly because I was so naive about writing. I just sat down and wrote not knowing anything about craft or plotting, or anything at all really. Once I started learning those things by reading books on writing, then the fear came. All I could think was “I’m doing this wrong!” Well, I had to stop that crazy train before it left the station because I would have never gotten anything written if I thought I had to follow rules to write. 

How many trunked books (if any) did you have before you were agented?

One. I snagged my agent with my second manuscript, and we sold my third manuscript. 

Have you ever quit on an ms, and how did you know it was time?

Oh, girl. I have thrown out so much work! It’s depressing and horrible and evil but it has to be done. There were times where the story wasn’t working, or I found myself not excited about writing it — a sure sign no one is going to be excited about reading it . I just trashed a project a couple of months ago because my agent and I weren’t feeling it. It didn’t have that spark. They say kill your darlings but sometimes you have to murder them in the bloodiest way possible. 

Who is your agent and how did you get that "Yes!" out of them? 

I took a class on writing through Mediabistro. The instructor was an editor at Harper Collins and really liked my manuscript. Her friend was an agent and she told him about my ms. That agent ended up being Michael Stearns. He happened to be at SCBWI NYC conference the year I was attending so I introduced myself and he told me to send it to him. Michael liked the manuscript, but was too busy to take on new clients (he’d just started Upstart Crow Literary right around that time). So he passed it on to his partner at Upstart Crow, Danielle Chiotti and she loved it. 

How long did you query before landing your agent? 

I actually did query while I was waiting for Danielle to decide if she wanted to rep me. I queried a lot. And I got a lot of interest, but once they read the manuscript, they eventually said no. It sucked because I was sure if they said no, Danielle would, too. 

I didn’t figure out why I kept getting rejections until I had my first talk with Danielle. The manuscript wasn’t ready! It was big and bloated and over-written. But Danielle was an editor before she became an agent and she saw its potential. She worked with me to really get it into shape before submission. 

Any advice to aspiring writers out there on conquering query hell?

Make sure your manuscript is ready. Like, really make sure. Have people read it, give feedback - workshop it if you can! 

And once you send it out to agents, do what I did. Drink. 

It’s hell. And it’s hell again once you have an agent and submit to editors. But we all get through it, and you can, too. You are not alone! 

How did it feel the first time you saw your book for sale?

My first book just went on sale and it was weird and exciting and scary.

What's something you learned from the process that surprised you?

That they expect you to write another book! I mean, come on! 

Seriously, though, the hardest part for me has been my expectations vs reality. I thought my release day would come and it would be this huge, exciting thing. But it was just another day, probably because my book was released early by the publisher for whatever reason. 

How much of your own marketing do you?  

I’ve been using Twitter and Facebook since 2006, and Tumblr I think right after it launched. I work in the internet industry, and at that time specifically social media so I had to use those social networks for my job! 

My website is essentially my Tumblr. And I’m on Goodreads because how can you not be? Goodreads is a great place for readers (although kinda scary for authors when a not-so-great review is posted).  

I do a lot of my own marketing because I have to. I mean, you really can’t sit back and expect the publisher to do everything for you! 

When do you build your platform? After an agent? Or should you be working before?

I did build my network before I had an agent. I joined SCBWI, and took classes and made connections that way. Then started following other writers and authors on Twitter, retweeing their stuff, friending them on Facebook, etc. I did this a few years before having an agent.

Do you think social media helps build your readership?

Yes. Especially if you don’t have a big marketing and publicity team helping promote your book. 

Interview with Romily Bernard

I'm lucky (or cunning) enough to have lured yet another successful writer over to my blog for an SAT - Successful Author Talk. SAT authors have conquered the query, slain the synopsis and attained the pinnacle of published. How'd they do it? Let's ask 'em!

Today's guest for the SAT (Successful Author Talk) is Romily Bernard, debut author of FIND ME and fellow Harper sister. Romily graduated from Georgia State University with a literature degree. Since then, she's worked as a riding instructor, cell-phone salesperson, personal assistant, horse groomer and exercise rider, accounting assistant, and, during a very dark time, customer service representative. . . . She's also, of course, now a YA novelist.

So don't let anyone tell you a BA degree will keep you unemployed.

Are you a Planner or Pantster?

Ugh. A Pantster. I wish I weren’t. I have a lot of writer friends who talk about flow charts and outlining and character mapping and I…don’t do any of that. I wrote FIND ME, my YA thriller, with one question in my mind the whole way: “How can I ruin this?”
Oh, does Wick think she’s safe? How can I ruin it?
Oh, is the home life thing working out? How can I ruin that?
And then I would do it and we won’t reflect on what this says about me as a person.

How long does it typically take you to write a novel, start to finish?

I wrote FIND ME in about nine months then, after I was agented, we spent another four months re-writing it twice before Sarah pitched it at the Bologna Book Fair. I wish I had something witty to say about the process, but mine wasn’t exactly magical. It was work—a lot of nights, weekends, and staff meetings where I was supposed to be taking notes on new projects, but was actually coming up with places to hide bodies.

Do you work on one project at a time, or are you a multi tasker?

Multi-tasker…sort of. FIND ME’s sequel, REMEMBER ME, is with my editors right now so I’m working on a spin-off standalone. Once RM comes back, I’ll devote all my time to the rewrites, but having a project to work on during the downtime keeps me from pacing and petting the walls.

Did you have to overcome any fears that first time you sat down to write?

Not really. I wrote my first book when I was seven and had been messing around with writing ever since—now getting the guts to actually acknowledge I wanted writing to be my career…yeah, that took work.

How many trunked books (if any) did you have before you were agented?

I wrote four novels before signing with Sarah Davies at Greenhouse Literary. I couldn’t find where my writing voice fit until I tried my hand at YA and something just clicked. Suddenly, my heroines weren’t spiteful. They were spunky. And I knew I had finally found my people.

Have you ever quit on an ms, and how did you know it was time?

I’m too pigheaded to quit while writing something. I will finish a ms if it kills me and, often, it feels like it will. As far as quitting during querying, it’s usually somewhere around the 50-60 agent rejection mark. By that time, I generally had another project ready to go out so I would swap my queries around and start again.

Who is your agent and how did you get that "Yes!" out of them?  

Sarah Davies at Greenhouse Literary—also known in my Tweets as Wonder Agent. She found me in her slush pile! Ahem. I’m rather proud of that.

How long did you query before landing your agent? 

How about how many rejections I have? Because, honestly, I think I’m still waiting on responses for my women’s fiction. I wrote four novels before FIND ME and I scored 246 rejection letters from agents and editors. I could wallpaper my bathroom with them—probably yours too.

Any advice to aspiring writers out there on conquering query hell?

It’s a numbers game. I would blitz 10-20 agents at a time. If one rejection comes in, another query has to go out. Every time. No matter if you’re sobbing, shaking, or convinced you have lost your mind for wanting to do this. I kept track of mine with an Excel spreadsheet. It’s available for download on my website if anyone wants it.

How much input do you have on cover art?

Absolutely none and I’m fine with that. I don’t have an artistic bone in my body, but my cover artist, Joel Tippie, is gifted beyond belief.

What's something you learned from the process that surprised you?

For an industry that trades in dreams, publishing is all about product. That sounds heartless, but it’s not. Sometimes, we have to make hard decisions about what’s right for the book, but also what’s right for the market. Scary? Yes. But you have to trust the people you surround yourself with. I researched publishers the same way I researched agents so, when I accepted Harper-Collins’ offer, I knew what caliber of professional I was getting. The trick? I have to get out of the way and let them do their job.

How much of your own marketing do you?  

I enjoy blogging and I love Twitter. Would really like to start vlogging too. Oh! I recently discovered Pinterest, which has been super fun for putting up character pics and random techie articles.

When do you build your platform? After an agent? Or should you be working before?

I didn’t start my online presence until after I sold. I had a website and blogged a bit, but nothing big. I concentrated almost entirely on my manuscripts. Not sure if this is the best way to do it, but it worked for me. Of course, I’m also one of the few authors who didn’t really consider people were going to read my work until after I sold. Yeah, I know. I missed the Clue Bus entirely. When readers tell me, “Oh, I read FIND ME!” I’m always like, “For reals?” And then I want to hug them because I am so flipping grateful.

Do you think social media helps build your readership?

It seems like it’s working for me. I interact with a number of book bloggers on Twitter and they’re an amazing bunch. They love to talk about books and I love to talk about books so we can natter on for hours about Rainbow Rowell, Jay Asher, John Green, Courtney Summers, Megan Shepherd…you get the point.

Interview with Geoffrey Girard

I'm lucky (or cunning) enough to have lured yet another successful writer over to my blog for an SAT - Successful Author Talk. SAT authors have conquered the query, slain the synopsis and attained the pinnacle of published. How'd they do it? Let's ask 'em!

Today's guest is Geoffrey Girard, fellow Class of 2k13 member, Ohioan, and author of the YA debut PROJECT CAIN. Geoff's debut is narrated by a young Jeffrey Dahmer cloned as part of a government experiment where serial killers were re-made in an attempt to make killing machines. Our narrator fights against his urges, hoping to help capture some of the other monsters who have escape their facility - people like The Son of Sam, The Boston Strangler and Ted Bundy. Interestingly, PROJECT CAIN is coming out alongside an adult thriller written from the perspective of an adult in the story. CAIN'S BLOOD releases alongside PROJECT CAIN today!

Are you a Planner or Pantster?

I’ve almost always got a formal or scribbled outline with the plot and most scenes worked out and go from that. As I go along, new scenes/events will come to mind and I’ll work those in. I still, I think, bully my characters too much and am working toward letting them do their own thing more. Writing in first person for Project Cain helped me further down that path. It was Jeff’s story to tell, not mine.  

How long does it typically take you to write a novel, start to finish?

It takes me a year to research and think about things, but I’m usually doing that while writing some other project. Once I’m ready to go, six months is the fairest answer. I’ve done three, I’ve also done a year. Ongoing, to sustain some kind of writing career, I’ll be holding myself to every six months.

Do you work on one project at a time, or are you a multi tasker?

As far as writing writing, one at a time. At Writers of the Future, ten years ago, the sci-fi writer Jay Lake (a fellow student at the time) gave me the advice that he was so prolific because he never started a new project until he’d finished the one he was working on. Too many writers (and I was one of them) start projects that never finish, because “I already know how it will end” or “I have another great idea” etc. And you can finish very little for years using those lines. You may NOT start a new project until you’ve finished the last. It’s good advice.

Did you have to overcome any fears that first time you sat down to write?

No fears. I love books so damn much, so it was a very natural “sit.” I do still self-edit too much, but that’s more from being an English major and writing under the false pretense that someone will be studying my craft a hundred years from now.

How many trunked books (if any) did you have before you were agented?

I have a big fantasy novel laying around. It got some faint nibbles from publishers and I might be able to do something with it, but epic fantasy is not a strength. Other writers do those much much better than I ever would. I may rework into a more urban fantasy story someday.

Have you ever quit on an ms, and how did you know it was time?

I was 20k into a novel about several strangers who wake up in a booby-trapped house. Some unseen evil guy speaking through little speakers in the house is forcing them through this bloody maze as they atone for their various sins and make life decisions, etc. etc. This was about 2003/04. Yeah, so this movie called Saw comes out… and I knew it was time.

Who is your agent and how did you get that "Yes!" out of them?  

For Project Cain, it’s Stephen Barbara at Foundry Lit & Media in New York. It was as traditional a query as you get: I made a list of agents I wanted to work with, and Stephe was first choice. I sent in my proposal and sample chaps (as per Writers Guide). He said send the rest. I sent the rest. He said would you consider doing X and Y? I did X and Y. he said “welcome to Foundry.”

How long did you query before landing your agent?  

Kinda fast. Foundry/Stephen was excellent about getting back to me quickly. It was a couple weeks (max) between first contact and “Would you try rewriting this as an adult thriller” (which later became “would you try writing another as a YA first-person thriller”). I went away for a couple months to rewrite the book. After I sent that, they were back with a YES in a few weeks.

Any advice to aspiring writers out there on conquering query hell?

(A) I have a folder stuffed with rejection letters from the last decade. Hundreds. MOST publishers have told me, “This isn’t for me.” Yet, I’ve sold seven books and twenty-plus short stories over that same time. 200 people can say NO and you still just need a couple (or one!) to say YES. Collect all your NOs happily. You WILL find your publisher and audience eventually. It really is a numbers game.

(B) The agent helped. A lot. I probably waited too long to get one. I’ve sent manuscripts into publishers who STILL (years later) haven’t gotten back to me in any fashion. My agent made a short list of publishers to talk to, talked to them directly on my behalf, and put together two nice book deals in about a month.

How did that feel, the first time you saw your book for sale?

I’ll know Sept. 3. I’m kinda numb to the whole process right now, honestly. It’s a lot of work (work a solid year old now) to reach a point where you have almost 0.0 control over the book: distribution, sales, criticism, etc. The book belongs to others now, so I’ve spent the last couple months distancing myself some and working on my next projects.   

How much input do you have on cover art?

Very little. My agency asked for some simple font stuff to make Project Cain match Cain’s Blood a bit more. But I scored so big on Project Cain -- the cover is amazing -- so not really ever a concern. It was my job to write a book. Other people more qualified than I are in charge of promoting and packaging it. 

What's something you learned from the process that surprised you?

The amount of hats an editor wears is really quite staggering. I don’t know how people do that job. I figured an editor edits your book, the end. No. They shepherd the thing from beginning to end. From acquisition through legal and layout and marketing and printing and…etc. There were a dozen times my editor contacted me about something and I was: “YOU do that??!” 

How much of your own marketing do you? Do you have a blog / site / Twitter? 

I’ve got a website and Twitter. Just enough to have them, not much more. Blogging, I suck at. I take too long and usually end up saying something that bothers someone. Some authors are great at social networking; I will not be one of them. I’m a teacher and best delivered face-to-face.

When do you build your platform? After an agent? Or should you be working before?

I always assumed it was very important to have my website all up to date and this and that for my agents and potential publishers, etc. Psychotically checking my web logs to see if NY had been on recently, etc. None of them cared. At all. My agents took me on and Simon & Schuster bought two books. They didn’t even know what I looked like. Had never been to my site. So, I say: just write your book. You could have no website at all and look like Frankenstein’s monster. If they like your book, they’ll be in contact. As far as adding potential readers, it usually takes two-full years for a first book to come out after purchase. You’ll have time… 

Do you think social media helps build your readership?

Sure. Discovering a hundred (or even ten) new readers makes social media worth it. I’ll manage to lose some readers, also, through social media, but that’s part of “finding your audience.”  You’re never gonna win over everyone. No author has ever done that (Dr. Seuss maybe?) and social media is just another way to connect with those readers who might like your work.