Interview with Bethany Crandell

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 Bethany Crandell, author of SUMMER ON
THE SHORT BUS. Bethany wishes she had some mysterious secret to reveal about herself in hopes that you'd find her interesting...but she doesn't. When it comes to Bethany, what you see is what you get. And what you get is an irreverent, sarcastic and emotional girl who writes stories about characters with these same traits.

Are you a Planner or Pantster?

I tell people I’m a Panster because it sounds cool, but the truth is I get very frustrated when I don’t have a least a rough idea where the story is going. Hello, I’m Bethany and I’m a Planner.

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

Every book is different based on my life circumstances at the time. SUMMER ON THE SHORT BUS took about six months, the two novels I wrote after that about nine months.  I’ve been chugging away on my current WIP for almost a year and I just hit the ½ way point. *scowls* Can we please talk about something else now? I’m suddenly feeling very unproductive. 

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

There’s way too much blonde at work here to do more than one project at a time.

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

I didn’t then, but I do now. 

When I first started writing, I wasn’t writing for anyone other than myself. It was just balls-to-the-walls, straight-up what I wanted to say without regard for how it would be received. Your perspective can change though, once you know your agent and editor will be reading it. Then you start to second-guess yourself and that’s when you can get scared. I have to squash that fear on a daily basis. 

How many trunked books did you have before you were agented?

One, which I am currently reworking. 

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

Yep. I have two, half-written manuscripts buried somewhere in the depths of my Dropbox folder. I knew it was time to step away when they frustrated me more than inspired me. 

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

My road to representation was pretty textbook: Query to slush pile. Slush pile to first ten pages. First ten pages to threatening emails. I’m represented by Rachael Dugas of Talcott Notch Literary Agency.

How many queries did you send? 

The exact numbers are fuzzy, but I sent out over 90 query letters, (And probably had about that many revisions to the query itself), and it took roughly eight months.

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

Get advice from people who have already been there. I know it’s terrifying to let someone critique your work, but your query is like opening the front door for your prom date. You want to make the best first impression possible. Take your time, revise, get critiques, revise, get more critiques, revise, revise some more, and then go for it.

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

Like someone was playing an April Fools’ joke on me. 
Which, sadly, makes sense given my April 1 release date.

How much input do you have on cover art?

A lot! My publisher was very generous when it came to giving me a voice on the cover. 

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

How non-glamorous it would be. Don’t get me wrong, it’s beyond exciting, but it’s sort of like when you first learn you’re pregnant. You’re all moony eyed about this baby coming into your world, but soon the reality hits and you realize you have nine, long months of stretch marks, nausea, and swollen boobs ahead of you before you get to hold that little critter.  It was really easy to fast forward from the “We sold the book!” moment to the, “Look! There’s my book on the Barnes & Noble shelf!” moment, but the truth is it took hours and hours of work to get to that point. And while you do feel a teeny bit important, successful, glamorous, , more than anything you’re just freaking tired and want to take a nap. Nothing glamorous about that.

How much of your own marketing do you?  

Just like every author I know, I do a lot of my own marketing. (Though it NEVER feels like enough) I do have a blog on my website, and also hang out on Twitter and Facebook. Tumblr is where the cool kids go. Sadly, I’m not one of them yet.

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

I don’t think there’s a hard and fast rule on this. I think you need to focus on whatever is inspiring you at that time. If the marketing bug is biting you before you have an agent—go for it. As writers, every creative thing we do benefits our work so don’t subscribe to the notion that there’s a certain formula you have to follow to be successful.

Do you think social media helps build your readership?

Definitely. Social media allows you to interact with people you wouldn’t otherwise have an opportunity to know. Even if I wasn’t trying to build my readership I’d be out there getting to know people—it’s fun!

Interview with Kate Jarvik Birch

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 Kate Jarvik Birch, author of DELIVER ME, available April 15th from Bloomsbury Spark.

Are you a Planner or Pantster?

Very much a planner! In fact, one of my favorite parts of writing a novel is the initial plotting stage. Maaybe it’s because I’m still totally smitten with my idea (SNIS: shiny new idea syndrome) and everything is chock-full of possibility! At this stage the idea is still perfect. Of course, once I start writing it’s exciting to see the story morph and change into something alive, but it never stays exactly the same as that initial seed of an idea.

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

It varies, but I’m usually pretty speedy with the first draft. It can take anywhere from a month and a half to three months. It’s the subsequent drafts that end up taking MUCH longer.

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

I’m not the greatest multi tasker because I tend to get pretty obsessed with whatever idea I’m currently working on. Maybe it’s because for the book to really come alive it has to percolate inside my head 24/7. Who knows when a great idea is going to hit. It usually seems to happen in the shower or while I’m driving. But if the story hasn’t been given room to just sit quietly inside my skull, those epiphanies don’t tend to happen. I’ve had to learn how to divide my energies while working on revisions with editors, but it’s still difficult for me.

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

Always! Every time! What if the words don’t come? What if I can’t make this scene work? What if I don’t have any original thoughts? Those first few minutes sitting down to write are always difficult, but I’ve noticed that it’s like warming up a muscle and after a few minutes those cold, hard feelings soften and melt away and the real writing can begin.

How many trunked books did you have before you were agented?

Completed novels… 2. But there were many, many attempts before that. Let’s just say it took about 16 years of real writing to get there.

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

I’m not sure I’ve ever REALLY quit on one. I’ve put them aside, but always with the promise that I’ll come back and try again some time.

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

My super-agent is Kerry Sparks from Levine Greenberg. I’ll forever be grateful that she picked my query out of the slush and saw some promise in me.

How long did you query before landing your agent?  

I actually queried a middle grade novel that I ended up shelving before I wrote the book that landed me my agent. But once I had the right book, it only took a couple of months.

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

If this project doesn’t find you an agent, don’t give up. It isn’t the end of the world. The most important thing is to keep writing. Keep growing. Keep putting in the hours. You’ll get there.

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

It isn’t necessarily a surprise, but I’m still so grateful for the amount of work that goes into making a book. It doesn’t really seem fair that only one name makes it onto the cover. 

How much of your own marketing do you?  

I’m lucky to have marketing teams with both of my publishers that have great outreach, but I’m still involved with marketing. I’ve got a website and a blog and spend WAY too much time on Twitter and Facebook. Just recently I started a street team and I’m excited to see it grow. 

Do you think social media helps build your readership?

I’d have to say a resounding YES!!! There’s a wide array of authors that I’ve only discovered through social networks whose work I wouldn’t have found on my own. I can only hope that the same thing will happen once my own books are out in the world.

Genre Jumping with Lisa Ann Scott

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 Lisa Scott, debut author of SCHOOL OF CHARM, available now from Katherine Tegen Books.

Are you a Planner or Pantster?

I was a pantser for my first few books (with a vague idea in my head where things were going.) Since then, I create outlines and find it much easier to work things out ahead of time (although surprises still pop up when I’m writing the first full draft.) I usually need to walk around with an idea in my head for a while before I start outlining—like literally going for long walks. My best ideas come to me that way.

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

It really depends on the story, the amount of research needed, if any. School of Charm took six months on my lunch breaks at work (and weekends,) but I’m writing faster these days, especially since I work from home now, splitting my time as a voice actor and writer. 

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

I’ve found that I’ve got a creative daily limit for each project, around 1500-2000 words. Recently, I’ve tried working on different projects at once. I’ll work on one novel in the morning, another in the evening. So far, so good. (I also write romance as Lisa Scott, so there are always lots of projects brewing.) 

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

I definitely had to put aside any worries about what other people would think. I also had to fight the nagging voice that would whisper, “You’re not good enough.” Stupid voice.

How many trunked books did you have before you were agented?  

Two. One can’t be saved, the other needs some work and I may revisit it when I get time. (Ha!)

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

I’ve started and stopped at least half a dozen novels. Looking back on those abandoned projects, I can see that I had a premise without knowing the arc of the story and the character’s inner journey. (Another good reason to outline—you can find out if your story has legs.)

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

My agent is Jennifer Unter of The Unter Agency. I queried her the traditional way. She requested a full ms. a month after I queried her. It took another month to hear back. She’d sent me an email, and I remember my shoulders slumping before I opened it thinking she’d passed, because when you get an agent, you get the call, right? But no! She loved it and said she wanted to represent it. I love her. She has an editorial background and a legal background, and she’s very supportive and responsive.

How long did you query before landing your agent?  

Oh, it was a long, not fun process with lots of starts and stops. Short answer: 4 years. 
Here’s the long answer if you’re interested. I wrote a women’s fiction novel in 2007 and got 7 or 8 partial requests but no full requests. So, I did the logical thing and picked an entirely different genre—middle grade.  I finished the novel, and only queried a few agents, got no requests and decided something was off with the novel, but I didn’t know how to fix it. 

So I moved on to a new project! In early 2008, I wrote School of Charm and started querying that summer. I got a few partial and full requests. Then I lost my job in late 2008. I was a mess. Shortly after, I got a full request from an agent I was crazy about and I thought, “Look! It’s the new door opening for me.” And she rejected it. 

The job loss on top of the ms. rejection made me quit writing for a while. But I needed money and started writing romantic short stories for a magazine, then wrote my first romance novel and was submitting that to publishers. I was self-publishing some romantic shorts in early 2011 and thought about self-publishing School of Charm. A writer friend who’d read a bit of the book begged me to query again, so I sent out one more query. (I remembered how much I hated the process, and only sent out the one.) But that query got me my agent in mid-2011. 

So, no real easy way to answer that question! And honestly, I have no idea how many queries total I sent out. Dozens and dozens. (BTW, that romance novel got picked up by Bell Bridge Books.)

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

You’ve heard it before, but you only need that one person to love your book. I got lots of publisher rejections when we went out on submission. And the reasons they gave for passing on it ended up being the revisions my editor requested. But there was something about it she loved that she was willing to take it on despite the changes needed.

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

I’ve only seen it online. I’m certain I will freak out and cry and pose for pictures when I see it in a bookstore.

How much input do you have on cover art?

They incorporated a few touches I wanted, including the dandelion puff, so I was happy with that.

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

Just how nerve wrecking it can be even after the sale. The editor who bought my book left the publisher in the middle of the editorial process. That was really scary.  But the new editor assigned to me was great to work with, too. It seems like there’s always something new to worry about—journal reviews, customer reviews, sub-rights etc.

How much of your own marketing do you?  

I do all my own marketing. I wish I were better at it. (Or that I didn’t have to do it at all!  It’s definitely a different skill set from writing fiction.) One of the best things I did was join a debut authors group. I’m a member of The Class of 2k14: Fiction Addiction. It’s so great to share the debut process with other people going through the same thing. And it’s a strong marketing opportunity, too.

I also have a site and am on Twitter and Facebook. 

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

Oh, before for sure. I wish I’d been more on top of that. Start making friends and chatting with people in your genre’s community even before you query.

Do you think social media helps build your readership?

I think it can, but I do believe most books that break through, take off from organic word of mouth.