Authors Helping Authors

Whether here or on the podcast, I’m sure you’re constantly heard one word in relation to publishing: networking.

And networking, much like marketing, is something that can make a lot of authors shiver. It sounds schmoozy. It sounds showy. It sounds… social. It can be all those things, but it’s in the way you approach it, and how you choose to do it.

Honestly, the better way of putting it is just making connections. And if we’re going to be even more hand-holdy about it, it’s called making friends. I know, that’s totally scary, too.

This past week is a great example of how networking has helped my career, and shaped me into the person - and writer - that I am today.

Let’s start with Kate Karyus Quinn and Demitria Lunetta. These are two authors I met through the Class of 2k13 - a group of children’s authors who debuted in 2013, and banded together for support. Kate and Demitria and I have gone on to work on multiple projects together - including the anthology Among the Shadows, and the upcoming Betty Bites Back: Stories to Scare the Patriarchy.

With Betty Bites Back nearing publication, we’ve been in contact every day, 24/7 - and I do mean that. Whether it’s Slack, emails, or text, there is a constant line of communication open between the three of us. Without the connections - networking - I made by joining the Classof2k13, these two anthologies wouldn’t exist. And neither would quite a few road trips, panels, workshops sessions, and some stories about Mindy when she’s had too much to drink.

What else? I’ve got an on-going text conversation with my friend and fellow Ohio author Kurt Dinan. We text, and often call each other to air ideas, try out a new plot, or just honestly, bitch a lot.

The same is true of Kamerhe Lane, who has a short in Betty Bites Back. She is my PitchWars mentee and we share an agent. Just last week she ran two pitches past me, and can I just say - she is one hell of a talented author.

Just scrolling through my texts I see a conversation I had with David Arnold, who reached out to ask me about some specifics of bodily harm for his newest novel. I get those questions a lot. Sometimes I know the answer, and sometimes I don’t. When the latter happens, I rely (heavily) on Lydia Kang - a practicing doctor and novelist who I also met through Class of 2k13.

Madeleine Roux was in my neck of the woods recently and we took advantage of a long ride to the airport (okay, okay so I got turned around while we talking, alright?) to talk about publishing - and how to survive it. Writers need these conversations to keep ourselves sane.

I see texts in my recent conversations from Brittany Cavallaro and Kendare Blake - we’re all going to be at the same event coming up (soon-ish) and I reached out to see if we can not-so-accidentally cross paths there. I’ve toured with both of them, and I know good people when I meet them!

There’s Natalie D. Richards in my emails - another Ohio author. We’re trying to put together an event soon, since we don’t get to see each other enough.

I’ve got a note here to myself to text Jeff Zentner and SL Duncan about some questions I have about the manuscript I’m working on. They’re both lawyers, and I need their lawyer brains.

That’s just this past week. That’s how much I rely on other authors, and how much I’m relied upon. When we talk about a writing community, this is what we mean. We’re supportive, helpful, and kind. If only the same were true of all workplaces!

Liz Coley On Some Hard Truths About Publishing

It’s time for a new interview series… like NOW. No really, it’s actually called NOW (Newly Omniscient Authors). This blog has been publishing since 2011, and some of the earlier posts feel… dated. To honor the relaunch of the site, I thought I’d invite some of my past guests to read and ruminate on their answers to questions from oh-so-long-ago to see what’s changed between then and now.

Today’s guest is Liz Coley, fellow Ohioan who has been writing long and short fiction for teens and adults for more than ten years. Her short fiction has appeared in Cosmos Magazine and several speculative fiction anthologies: The Last Man, More Scary Kisses, Strange Worlds, Flights of Fiction, Winter's Regret, and You Are Not Alone.

In 2013, psychological thriller Pretty Girl-13 was released by HarperCollins and HarperCollins UK in print, eBook, and audiobook editions. Foreign translations have been published in French, Spanish, German, Portuguese, Swedish, Norwegian, Russian, Czech, Slovakian, Traditional and Simplified Chinese.

Has how you think (and talk) about writing and publishing changed, further into your career? 

Last time around this blog, oh back in 2012 or so, I wrote, “Relax and trust the people who’ve done this hundreds of times.” I don’t feel that way anymore. There’s a saying in author circles, that if you stick around long enough, eventually anything that can happen will happen to you or someone you know. Publishers have folded, contracts have been cancelled, the ever-revolving door of junior editors has broken up author-editor teams, and agents have betrayed their clients. I’ve kind of lost faith that anyone can predict anything in this crazy biz. And yet they keep trying.

Let’s talk about the balance between the creative versus the business side of the industry. Do you think of yourself as an artiste or are you analyzing every aspect of your story for marketability? Has that changed from your early perspective?

I had a revelation about my brand: apparently, I write library books. Books that are empathetic and well-written, about interesting issues and interesting humans. They are readable and the kind of book a teacher or librarian or mom would want to hand to the kid in need. I also know this isn’t what the publishers are looking for. Not high concept or sensational. Not a multibook YA fantasy romance. I’ve seen my rejection feedback; the editors may praise the writing, but say, sorry this isn’t a breakout story for the market today. Yeah. Duh. I knew that.

I’m fortunate in that I don’t have to earn a cent. In fact, I pledged away all my first-sale income to a worthy cause. So I write stories I think are important, and that’s why it breaks my heart a little that no one wants to publish them. There are gatekeepers, and I don’t consciously write to please them, to my detriment, I guess.

The bloom is off the rose… what’s faded for you, this far out from debut?

The year I sold Pretty Girl-13, a lot of things changed. I believed that my ten years of writing and attending workshops and reading books on craft and submitting short stories were finally paying off. This was the cusp. The threshold from Liz’s life part I to Liz’s life part 2. I was also on the cusp of a significant round number birthday. I said to my husband, “I’m really excited for this next decade.” I made a lot of valued writing friends, I spoke to marvelous kids at a few schools and a lot of festivals, I won a few awards, and I received letters from people who said my book had changed their path in life.

The energy of that launch period carried me through the unforeseen disappointments—my editor rejected two manuscripts for my option and released me; although I wrote three additional manuscripts after those, my agent failed to sell anything; there were betrayals of trust and financial shenanigans. And now, it wasn’t . . .

You know what this reminds me of? It reminds me of a huge windstorm in Columbus that brought down a maple tree in our yard. My oldest son, about twelve at the time, very excitedly asked if he would be allowed to use an ax to cut up the tree. About ten minutes later, he came into the house and reported sadly, “That wasn’t as fun as I thought it would be.”

So, yeah. Publication was awesome. But the writing life? I’ve been hacking at that tree for almost twenty years. It wasn’t as fun as I thought it would be.

Likewise, is there anything you’ve grown to love (or at least accept) that you never thought you would?

In my dark night of the soul, with twelve and two half manuscripts under my belt, one sale, and five self-pubs that net me about $25 a year, I decided to try something different to fight the despair. I enrolled in a week-long immersive playwriting masterclass at the university. Changed my life.

Playwriting plays to my strengths—brevity, dialogue, character. The ten-minute plays that rolled off my laptop that week were deep, playful, engaging, and most of all, appreciated by the actors who voiced them, the instructors, and my first audiences. The immediate gratification of this art was an overwhelming experience, and I began developing another whole network of supportive friends in theatre. After three years of masterclasses, I became a TA, I’ve accumulated a small inventory of works to submit and/or self-produce, I founded Next Stage Cincinnati Playwrights, and my work has been performed in San Diego and Cincinnati.

And lastly, what did getting published mean for you and how has it changed (or not changed!) your life?

Getting published means that one of my tales swims in the eternal sea of story-telling, like an imperishable plastic straw among the millions. Even though to date, I haven’t replicated that success, I remind myself to be content with what I have achieved: the ongoing reviews from people who stayed up all night reading; the letters I continue to receive from people with Dissociative Identity Disorder in their own lives or those of someone close to them; the recognition of librarians and teenagers who call it a favorite book; and the simple fact that my kids have a copy of their mom’s book on their own bookshelves. The fans have been the greatest gift, and on top of that, there’s a beer waiting for me in Prague as thanks for mailing an autographed Czech edition to a man to give his girlfriend. 

In terms of changing my life, because I haven’t gotten back on the all-absorbing post-release merry-go-round, I have had the time to sing at church, watch Netflix while I exercise, write plays, volunteer in literacy, captain a tennis team, and work on political campaigns. I suppose, in that sense, it is better that my publishing experience didn’t end up consuming all of me.

Your Book As A Business: Brandy Woods Snow

Welcome to the SNOB - Second Novel Ominipresent Blues. Whether you’re under contract or trying to snag another deal, you’re a professional now, with the pressures of a published novelist compounded with the still-present nagging self-doubt of the noobie. How to deal?

Today’s guest is Brandy Woods Snow, a writer and journalist living in beautiful Upstate, South Carolina. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in English with a minor in Writing from Clemson University. Her first novel, Meant To be Broken, a Southern YA contemporary romance, was released from Filles Vertes Publishing on July 2, 2018

Is it hard to leave behind the first novel and focus on the second?

I honestly thought it would be. I liken it to the same feeling I had before going to the hospital to have my second child, when I was hit with a sudden panic. “How will I ever love another child as much as I love my first? It’s not possible.” But as I would find out in that hospital bed, holding my newborn, it’s absolutely possible. Your heart just sort of expands and the love multiplies and you end up enamored all over again. It’s the same with books. 

At what point do you start diverting your energies from promoting your debut and writing / polishing / editing your second?

Do you ever really quit promoting your debut? LOL! I wish I had this insanely positive and wonderful answer for this, but the truth is, you just sort of squish it all in. I’m learning to become more of a scheduler and a planner, setting specific times to focus on drafting, editing, marketing, and all the other facets that come along with creating and selling books. It’s definitely challenging, but I can say holding yourself to a schedule gives your work more purpose and direction, so, in the end, your efforts are more efficient and fruitful all around.

Your first book landed an agent and an editor, and hopefully some fans. Who are you writing the second one for? Them, or yourself?

I always write for myself. I’ve never been a “chase the trend” sort of person and don’t intend to start now. I write from my experiences, my emotions, my thoughts, and I try to flesh everything out in a way that feels universal to all my readers. I want them to read my debut, my sophomore novel, and any others to come and think, “Man, she really made me feel that.” I think if you’re authentic to yourself, your readers will feel that connection to you and your work, and isn’t that really what it’s all about?

Is there a new balance of time management to address once you’re a professional author?

Yes! (See Question 2) My motto (new-aged a bit since I write YA) is treat your book like your bae, not your side piece. Pretty much, that means your book is your business, not some fly-by-night hobby. Give it the time and attention it deserves if you want to be successful. Schedules are a good way to ensure you’re putting your efforts where they’re most needed. I live by mine now, especially when balancing writing/editing/promotions with family life.

What did you do differently the second time around, with the perspective of a published author?

There’s definitely been more foresight this go-round, for sure! Writing my debut now seems like a stroll down the “ignorance is bliss” highway. LOL Writing my second was different from the get-go. I plotted instead of pantsed. I had a more extensive network of critique partners and betas on deck. I’m working on promotions 9 months in advance instead of hanging around with that doe-eyed gaze. Now that I’ve seen the sheer amount of work it takes, I’m preparing myself for the long road ahead. But I’ll also tell you, that this time, I have wonderful, beautiful, loving readers who are genuinely excited to see the next book come out, and that in itself is such a humbling experience and a complete treasure. When readers go out of their way to champion you, it means so very much, and the encouragement drives me to ensure I’m giving them the best story possible.