Andrew S. Chilton On Writing The Ending First

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 Andrew S. Chilton. Andrew is a member of The Class of 2k16, and his MG fantasy novel, The Goblin's Puzzle: Being the Adventures of a Boy With No Name and Two Girls Called Alice was released on Jan 19th by Knopf.

Are you a Planner or Pantser?

I'm definitely a pantser, though I usually have a rough idea of what the story is in my head. Some pantsers will tell you that when they start, they have absolutely no idea what is going to happen. I'm not that extreme. I think it's important to have a general idea how the story ends. In fact, I usually write the ending first.

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

It depends. I can do a first draft in thirty days, but that means setting aside thirty days to do no other kind of work. Getting that much uninterrupted time is a challenge, and if I have to stop and start up again, that adds a lot of time. And even if I get my thirty days, what I have is a very rough first draft. I'd say it takes a minimum of six drafts to get something into any kind of decent shape. Allowing for cooling off time between drafts and beta reading, I'd say that 18 months is the minimum for going from writing “Once upon a time” to hitting send on the email to my editor.

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

I do better work if I stick to one project at a time, so that's what I try to do. My brain, however, feels differently about this. (“Ooo, look! Shiny!”)

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

Like a lot of writers, I have this part of my brain that's constantly telling me, “This is dumb. You can't write. You're an idiot. And not a funny one, either.” But that doesn't feel like fear to me. It's just negative self-talk, the kind of stuff you have to learn to ignore if you're going to do anything at all. But fear? No, I didn't really feel afraid. What is there to fear? Failing? Making an ass of yourself in public? I've done both of those enough times to have learned that they're no big deal (not fun, but not that bad.) There are things worth fearing in this life, but none of them will happen to you because you wrote a book.

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

The Goblin's Puzzle was the first book I ever finished, but if we include projects that I worked on but did not finish, the answer is several dozen. I just peeked in my writing folder. There's about twenty abandoned titles in there, and I only keep the ones I think there's some kind of chance I might go back to.

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

Yes, but it was never a conscious decision. They all just slowly dribbled away.

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

My agent is Pam Howell with D4EO. Basically, I just sent her a query, but there's a little more to the story than that. A friend of mine is a middle grade author with a couple of books published. He'd read The Goblin's Puzzle and really liked it. (Well, he really liked it after I redid the opening scene—twice.) Anyway, he was kind enough to pass it on to his agent (who ultimately passed on it). While looking for other possible agents, I ran across Pam's book review blog. On it, she said that my author friend's latest book was her favorite middle grade of the year. So, with his permission, I included his endorsement in my query to her. 

How long did you query before landing your agent?  How many queries did you send?  

I kept pretty good records. Pam was the forty-first agent that I formally queried. I sent my first query on September 26, 2011. Pam called me to offer representation on July 8, 2013. So it took just over twenty-one months to land an agent. (Answering this question is the first time I ever actually worked out how long it took. It was a surprise how much shorter it was than I remember. At the time, it seemed like it took forever.)

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

Try not to think of it as Hell. It's hard because our books are so much a part of who we are that having them rejected—especially having them rejected for no obvious reason—can be painful. It's best to try to get over that as fast as possible. Sure, some people land an agent the first time out. Or the second. But most don't. I know one author who queried 140 agents before finding representation for a book that went on to be a New York Times bestseller. Every individual query is a longshot. Think of it as rolling a pair of dice looking for double sixes. What happens if you don't? You pick the dice up and throw them again.

Of course, it's all going to be a lot easier if your book is good enough...

How much input do you have on cover art?

More than I knew what to do with. I don't have a very visual imagination. When Katherine Harrison (my wonderful, wonderful editor) asked me for ideas about the cover, I think I said something like, “Uh, maybe we should have the main characters on it?” She went out and found the amazingly talented Jensine Eckwall to do the cover and interior illustrations, which are beautiful. Hire her if you get the chance.

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

You hear a lot about how publishing isn't like it used to be and no one really edits anymore and so on. This was not my experience at all. We went through several rounds of editing, and Katherine worked very closely with me on the book.

How much of your own marketing do you?  

I do some of my own marketing but probably not as much as some other authors. I do have a Twitter account and an author page on Facebook, but I mostly use them to announce upcoming appearances.

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

I'm probably not the best person to ask this, but my inclination is to say that you shouldn't worry about this too much. If you enjoy having a blog, then you should have a blog. But if it you don't, I wouldn't bother. Every agent I've talked to will say that platform doesn't really matter to them. (At least not in fiction. Non-fiction, I understand, is another story entirely.) That said, every agent I know is a total social media monster. So, there's that.

Do you think social media helps build your readership?

I think it helps more with young adult than middle grade. Your middle grade readership isn't on social media (or isn't supposed to be, anyway), so you have to be indirect. It's about building relationships with people like librarians and booksellers, people who will put your books in kids hands.

Nicole Maggi On Plotting Vs. Pantsing

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 is Nicole Maggi, author of The Twin Willows Trilogy, available from Medallion Press, as well as the forthcoming THE FORGETTING available from Sourcebooks Fire.

Are you a Planner or Pantster?

I’m a Pantster by nature, but I’ve made myself become a Planner by practice because it’s way more efficient. Especially when you’re under a deadline. But I like to leave enough out of the planning so that I can still be surprised along the way.

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

Honestly, it’s been different for each book. My first novel (unpublished) took me 6 years to write, because I learned how to write a novel while writing it. My next book (WINTER FALLS, the first in the Twin Willows Trilogy, Medallion Press, 2014) took me 3 years to write, mainly because I Pantsed my way through it and had to do an enormous amount of work on the back-end to make it publishable. My third book, THE FORGETTING (Sourcebooks Fire, 2015), took a year from idea to sale. This was the first book that I fully plotted out before writing, and because of that I wrote the first draft in 4 months, did one edit, sold it, and did only one round of revisions with my editor. I learned that doing all that work up front really pays off in the end. IN THE MOUTH OF THE WOLF and THE BLUE WOODS, the second and third books in the Twin Willows Trilogy, each took about six months to write.

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

I’ve tried so hard to be a multi-tasker, and I’m just not. When I’m writing a novel, I need to give myself over to it. I need to live in that world, and it’s very difficult for me to hop between novel-worlds. That said, I am able to be writing something, and then switch over to doing copy or line edits on another project. That’s happened a lot over the last couple of years; I was editing THE FORGETTING while writing IN THE MOUTH OF THE WOLF, and editing IN THE MOUTH OF THE WOLF while I was writing THE BLUE WOODS. Copy and line edits are such a different mindset from free-writing, so I’m able to jump back and forth.

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

When I first started writing, I think I was pretty fearless, probably because I didn’t realize that I was writing a book, much less a book that I thought would be published (and that one wasn’t). I was pretty blissful, just me and the page. It’s amazing what we can do when no one else is watching. It’s now, when I know that I have an editor and agent and readers to please, that I freeze up. When I sit down knowing that someone else is going to see what I’m writing, I get scared. I just have to give myself a pep talk and tell myself that the only other option is to just not write, and not writing is scarier than writing, so I do it.

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

Well, my first novel got me my agent. It didn’t sell, but it’s still a success story because it landed me my dream agent who is still my agent ten years later. She and I still talk about that book sometimes; just the other day she said how much she’d love to see me go back to it. But it’s not the right time for that book at this particular junction in my career.

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

So, my second book is lying around, half-finished, in a drawer. Okay, it’s on a computer file, but it sounds so much more poetic to say it’s “in a drawer.” I abandoned it after my agent and I attended a conference and we pitched it to a bunch of editors who all said they couldn’t sell it. So my agent and I agreed to set it aside. I was sad to put it away. I loved the main character something fierce and wanted to tell her story. But there were also some other problems with the manuscript. One, I never had an ending for it (one of the side effects of being a Pantster). And two, it was historical fiction and the second half of the book took place at sea, and basically I needed to learn how to sail a 19th-century whaling ship in order to really do it justice. So until some publisher is going to pay for me to spend the summer at Mystic Seaport learning how to sail, it’s going to say in a drawer…er, computer file.

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

My agent is Irene Goodman of the Irene Goodman Literary Agency. She’s been my agent/knight-in-shining-armor for ten years. I have kind of a funny story about how she signed me.

Please don’t hate me…but Irene was the only agent I ever queried. At the time I was writing historical fiction, and I had registered for the Historical Novel Society North American Conference. Irene was attending the conference and in the registration packet was a questionnaire you could fill out if you wanted to get a meeting with her. She was going to read the questionnaires (in which you pitched your book) and decide who she wanted to meet with based on those.

I filled out the questionnaire and sent it off, assuming I would find out if I’d landed a meeting when I got to the conference. This was about two months before the conference.

Now, at this time, I was writing my first book, an epic historical novel whose first draft was 750 pages long. I was in the process of editing it when I registered for the conference, assuming by the time it rolled around, I’d be done. I’d whittled down the draft to 500 pages. The first 250 were in good shape. The second 250 had huge swaths of crap with bracketed text like [SOPHIE DOES SOMETHING HERE].

A few weeks after I sent in my questionnaire, I get an email from Irene Goodman at the Irene Goodman Literary Agency, requesting a synopsis and first 3 chapters. “Well, that’s a good sign,” I thought and sent them off, still assuming I wouldn’t know about the meeting until the conference.

A week later I get another email, requesting the full manuscript.

Well, crap. I panic. My saving grace is that she also says in the email that she’s about to go on vacation for a week, and she won’t get back to me until she returns.

“Great!” I think. I can use the week to edit/rewrite the last 250 pages and send it in then. The week flies by. I put my nose to the grindstone…and I get about 25 pages done. But I figure, she’s an agent, she’s super busy, she’s not going to notice that some dumb writer hasn’t sent her a manuscript yet.

The day after she gets back from her vacation, I get an email saying, “I haven’t seen this manuscript yet. Where is it?”

“Oh my God,” I think. “I’ve pissed off my dream agent before she’s even met me!”

At that point, I emailed her back and copped to a version of the truth: I had 250 pages I could send her, and I was “tweaking” the rest of it. She said fine, send her the 250 pages.

Less than a week later, she called me and offered representation. This all happened before the conference, which is where we wound up meeting for the first time.

And I still have that entire email exchange to prove this story is true.

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

I really do believe that conferences are the best places to meet agents. By meeting them face-to-face, you get to bypass the slush pile. So get yourself out there and attend a conference. Look for a conference that specifically offers one-on-one pitch sessions with agents and editors. One of my favorites is the Surrey International Writers Conference, held every October in Surrey, BC.

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

It was an indescribable feeling. I’d worked so long and hard for that moment, and I’d been through some really rough stuff getting my book published. Seeing it on a bookshelf made that struggle worth it.

How much input do you have on cover art?

Not a lot. And honestly, that wasn’t an issue for me. I’m not a visual person; I think in words. So I wouldn’t know the first thing about designing a cover.

With THE FORGETTING, I was asked for colors, phrases, places, things, etc. that are important in the story. That was actually the first cover of mine that I ever saw. I got the email while I was writing in a coffee shop and started crying. They just nailed it, with that incredible anatomical heart graphic. What I love about that cover is that you can only see the lower half of the girl’s face in shadow, and so it could be either the main character, Georgie, or it could be her heart donor, Jane Doe. They are so entwined in the story, and I love that on the cover it could be either one.  

With WINTER FALLS, I got an email from my editor saying, “You’ll have a cover in a few weeks!” I was so nervous. I was actually having anxiety dreams about it. And then one morning I woke up and checked my email (I live on the West Coast so I often have East Coast emails in my inbox first thing in the morning) and there it was, that snowy falcon staring back at me. I was blown away by its beauty. I love what they did with my Twin Willows Trilogy covers. I love that they chose to focus on the animals. And I love that they look so different than any other cover I’ve ever seen. They really stand out on a bookshelf.

With the last book in the trilogy, we originally had two animals on the cover. I won’t say which two, because it spoils the end of the book. I politely asked if they could remove one of the animals so readers wouldn’t guess the ending, and they did. At that point, I felt comfortable enough to speak up. I’ve been very fortunate with my covers, because I felt that both my publishers totally nailed it. I think sometimes authors feel powerless to say anything, but I do think it’s important to speak up if you really feel your cover doesn’t represent the book inside.

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

Everything moves so s-l-o-w leading up to your debut, and then everything after that goes so fast. I’ve learned that it’s important to stop every once in a while and really breathe it in and enjoy the moment. I’m not good at doing that, but if you don’t, you miss the whole thing.

How much of your own marketing do you?

 I do Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, and I’m a member of the Class of 2k14, which group-marketed our 2014 debut books. I also do as many events as I can, because I actually really enjoy doing events. But beyond that I rely on my publishers. 

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

I don’t think it can hurt you to build a platform beforehand, unless you get caught behaving badly online. But I don’t think building a platform should ever take the place of actual writing. If you find you’re spending more time Tweeting than writing your novel, step back.

Do you think social media helps build your readership?

I think it can, but you have to be really hooked into what teens are currently doing online. I’m not that savvy. I was at a school visit recently and the kids were asking where they could find me online. “I’m on Twitter!” I said. They looked at me like I had two heads. Teens are not on Twitter anymore. Twitter is now really only for other authors. Teens are on Instagram. But a year from now they’ll be on something else.

That said, I do think it’s important to have an online presence in some capacity so that readers can contact you. There’s nothing so wonderful as getting an email from a reader who loved your book and just wants to tell you so.

Interview with Dana Elmendorf

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 Dana Elmendorf, debut author of SOUTH OF SUNSHINE, coming from Albert Whitman and Co., April 1, 2016. Born and raised in small town in Tennessee, Dana now lives in southern California with her husband, two boys and her tiny dog Sookie. When she isn’t exercising, she can be found geeking out with Mother Nature or scouring the internet for foreign indie bands.

Are you a Planner ora Pantser?

Pantser! Outlines stifle my creativity. But while pantsing, I write extensive notes then I usually end up organizing in an outline-ish form.

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

Oh man, that varies. South of Sunshine I wrote in 45 days, revised in a couple of months. But the next novel I’m working on, it took me like 90 days to write and about 8 months to revise (this book has been a beast to work with.) My family and their needs come first, so a lot of times my writing gets put on the backburner, especially during the summer.  

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

Kind of both. Once I’ve completed a novel I send it to critique partners. While that’s out I start another novel. By the time I get notes back from my CPs, I put the new novel on hold and revise the first one. So I’m never drafting two novels at the same time but I always have two novels in progress. Staggering the stages helps me rejuvenate my creativity and allows me a certain amount of distance between projects.

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

Oh Lord, yes. I’m not smart enough. I don’t have formal educaton/training so I’m not qualified. I didn’t know I wanted to be a writer until I was 36 so I’m not deserving. I have no idea what the heck I’m doing. Who’s ever going to read the crap I write? What if I write something and look like a total idiot? I’ve pretty much had every insecure fear you can think of and I just kept writing anyway. The only thing to quiet those fears is to constantly learn and grow your craft.

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

Four! I wrote four books that went from “this really sucks” to “this might not suck.” It was four years of writing and my fourth book that I discovered voice. Once I had the elusive voice, I started considering myself a writer. South of Sunshine was my fifth book that got me my agent. It wasn’t until after I wrote SOS that I started telling people I was a writer. I kept it a secret before then.

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

No, I’ve never quit on a manuscript BUT there were plenty of manuscripts I drafted but never revised. There’s no set rules that dictate how to know when to move on or when to stick it out. I think you have to evaluate how much passion you have for a story and what decision you make, either quitting or continuing a manuscript, will make you a better writer. Because ultimately, writers should always be working to honing their craft. For me, my drafts were so horrific, it would be impossible to revise, so I moved on. I took what I had learned from writing that novel and applied it to the next. That’s what made me a better writer.

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

My agent is Lauren MacLeod with The Strothman Agency. I got my agent through the traditional query process. How did I get a yes? I wrote the story she’d been looking for but of course I didn’t know that then. With my first round or two of queries, I sent it to all the heavy hitters in the business whom might like what I wrote. It wasn’t until my third round of queries that I decided to search for agents who were looking for or tended to like lighter, sweeter romance novels. That’s when I found Lauren. I emailed her my query on a Thursday. She requested a full on Friday. Called me on Monday to offer representation. I had fulls still out with other agents, but I knew I’d tell them no if they offered because Lauren had already proven to me how much she loved my story.  

How long did you query before landing your agent? 

I spent 13 months, 58 queries, 20 full/partials and 1 offer.  “Never give up.  Never surrender.” was my query motto. 

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

Personal connection. Personal connection. Personal connection. I believe making a personal connection got me more requests and it also got me more personalized rejections. Agents seemed more willing to explain why my book wasn’t a fit for them and I think it’s because my personal connection said something about me as a writer.

Also, don’t query a book that’s not ready. It seems like obvious advice but I’ve encountered SO many writers who sent premature books out for query to receive nothing but rejection. If you say, “I think my book is ready.” It’s not. If you’re not sure your book is ready, it’s not. If you haven’t sent your book to some hardcore tough critique partners and made some serious revisions, you book isn’t ready to query. How will you know when your story is ready? It’s kind of like how a good cop knows when to follow a hunch. You will know for an absolute certainty that your book is ready.  

How much input do you have on cover art?

In the initial consultation for my cover, I had a lot of input. Albert Whitman gave me a detailed form to fill out about what do my characters look like, do you have pictures of them, are there underlying themes in the story, are there scenes from the book that would make a great cover, what are your favorite covers etc. It was four pages by the time I was done. Since then it’s been in the hands of the design team. For me, and a lot of my author friends, as authors we don’t get to be involved with the process. Publishers know what sells; trust them to do their job. 

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

The overall process to be honest. From selling the book to final book on shelf, it’s a game of hurry up and wait. Each stage feels like a rush to complete but then there are these long periods of waiting until it’s time for the next stage. Then the rushing happens again. It’s exhausting and exhilarating all in the same. 

How much of your own marketing do you? 

Everything. From social media, to conferences, to panels, to getting my own book blurbs, to any other marketing aspect that goes along with selling your book. I gave my publisher a four-page prospectus of how I plan to market myself. There are quite a few things in my plan that I worked around my publisher so we could market as a team. My publisher is fully supportive and backs me up where our marketing opportunities overlap but I didn’t want to wait for them to market me. No author should. Put together a marketing plan for yourself, find out where your publisher can help you out and then put your plan into action. You are the best person to market you and your book, don’t wait on someone else to do it for you.

I'm Everywhere! Site, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest.

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

Before you get an agent, for sure. Understanding and navigating social media takes time. Try them all and find out which forms of social media you prefer. Though it is not necessary to have a platform to get an agent, it does look favorably on you if you do. If in your personal life you prefer FB over Instagram, go that route. If FB seems daunting and you want something simpler, use Instagram. If you don’t know how to create a platform, then find out what your favorite authors do and how they connect with their readers. For your platform to be successful, it has to come naturally. There’s nothing more off-putting than social media that seems forced or rote. Mix it up. Give it splashes of your personality as it applies to your book, writing, and you as a person.

Do you think social media helps build your readership?

Absolutely! As a YA writer my readership would be teens and adults (lots of adults read YA.) Teens are very social media savvy. The social media world is ever evolving too. If you’re on top of your social media you can reach a larger readership. Teens gravitate to Instagram and Snapchat. Adults are more comfortable with Facebook. Knowing where to address your audience and how can definitely grow your readership.