The dynamics of being a writer have changed for me over the years.
When I first began many years ago, my first three Avalon books were written on a little blue portable typewriter. Carbon paper was messily plopped between two pieces of paper like bologna between slices of bread. The smell of white out was in the air. It took forever to pound out those pages. And even longer to do it again for the final, perfect draft. It was a thrill to hold those books in my hand. My heroines were nurses or governesses, as practically all romance heroines were in the day.
I didn’t personally know one single person who was a writer. This was the purest form of “writing in a bubble” for me. It was “me, myself and I”, and my story.
But times change. After reading a magazine for writers, I saw an ad for a writing conference. I went. There I met about 400 writers in all genres. I thought my head was going to explode with excitement. I learned about many ongoing writing groups, and made some deep friendships that I still have today. I still wrote “in the bubble”, but would emerge every few weeks to attend a writer’s group, or go to a conference, to reconnect, learn, and get inspired.
The computer, and word processing, was the next step. The act of writing, of putting words to page, became amazingly easier. I could delete, insert, copy and paste. And get rid of the carbon paper. Seeing those first white pages hum out of the printer was like magic.
This was followed by the word “email.” Right behind that came the word “loop”. Next has come Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, blogging. Communication is global. This is the good news and the bad news.
The good news is that I could keep in contact with my writing community daily (Hourly? Momentarily?). I can keep up with market news, research, critiquing, and the latest recipe for pumpkin soup.
The bad news is that I can keep in contact with my writing community daily (Hourly? Momentarily?). You get the idea. Technology has changed a lot of things, but not the number of hours in the day. My writing bubble has gotten a bit smaller. Keeping those pages mounting takes a lot more discipline.
Many of my books have been published in beautiful hardcover. Another will come out soon in paperback, several digital formats, and possibly audio. It’s an amazing, growing and changing industry. There is so much to learn, and to implement. Personally, though there are some moments when all the changes are scary, I think that this is an exciting time to be a writer.
The challenge for me is to embrace the changes, widen my horizons, and STILL find the time and inspiration to be “in the bubble”, writing the best story I can. How about you? How do you do this?
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Friday, December 4, 2009
Nikolaus
I decided to blog today because I wanted to tell you about the German "Nikolaus". It's a catholic tradition that has deep roots in many parts of Europe. In Germany, everybody celebrates it, no matter their denomination - at least everybody who has a kid, but many couples do so too (why give up the nice traditions when you grow up?). On the evening of December 5th, you take out your boots and clean them as best as you can. Then place them in front of your door and go to sleep. In the night, Santa Claus will come! Just in case you wonder: he looks very much like Father Christmas, though sometimes, you see him all dressed in white like a bishop with that funny bishop cap and a golden cross on it.
The next morning, when you wake up, your boots will be filled with marzipan, a chocolate Santa Claus, nuts, mandarins, maybe a book or a CD (try to take the biggest boots you have, so even an Avalon Hardcover will fit!) and many other nice things - if you were a good kid, that is. If you were bad throughout the year, Santa Claus, or rather his nasty friend Knecht Rupprecht, who is dressed in black, will bring you a sort of stick with branches that your parents can use to educate you better. I remember my mother (sorry, I meant to say Knecht Rupprecht of course) once gave one to me and my sister. It seems we had been impossible that year (I have no recollection of that). To soften the blow, she decorated the stick with sweets. My sister and I were devastated and my mother never, ever dared to give us that stick again.
So clean up your boots tomorrow and place them in front of your door - but just to be on the safe side, tell the others in your house that you plan to adopt the German traditions, to make sure that Nikolaus comes to you too!
The next morning, when you wake up, your boots will be filled with marzipan, a chocolate Santa Claus, nuts, mandarins, maybe a book or a CD (try to take the biggest boots you have, so even an Avalon Hardcover will fit!) and many other nice things - if you were a good kid, that is. If you were bad throughout the year, Santa Claus, or rather his nasty friend Knecht Rupprecht, who is dressed in black, will bring you a sort of stick with branches that your parents can use to educate you better. I remember my mother (sorry, I meant to say Knecht Rupprecht of course) once gave one to me and my sister. It seems we had been impossible that year (I have no recollection of that). To soften the blow, she decorated the stick with sweets. My sister and I were devastated and my mother never, ever dared to give us that stick again.
So clean up your boots tomorrow and place them in front of your door - but just to be on the safe side, tell the others in your house that you plan to adopt the German traditions, to make sure that Nikolaus comes to you too!
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
The Importance of Being Your Own Publicist
by Sandie Bricker
I was an entertainment publicist for more than a decade when I lived in Los Angeles. I represented actors in the soaps (General Hospital, Days of Our Lives, etc.), and I couldn’t put a value on the information I collected during those years in reference to my next career as a writer.
Case in point: I recently teamed up with three other authors to compile a Christian devotional for Summerside Press called Be Still … and Let Your Nail Polish Dry. The four of us have varying levels of success as writers, all four of us hoping of course to help our books find their way into more and more people’s hands.
When we were brainstorming about marketing Be Still, we decided on two specific things that, in retrospect, were standout ideas.
1. We chose to benefit a charity with a portion of the proceeds. Several of them were discussed, but we landed on the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. I am a survivor, and I can hardly tell you how touched I was that my fellow authors wanted to rally around me with support in this way.
2. I decided to take on the primary role of publicizing the book in the media, making use of the skills I’d learned in my years doing that for others. I crafted press releases that targeted specific publications, telling about our OCRF connection and about the book and its authors; I teamed up with Jon Lovitz when he opened his comedy club in Los Angeles and was donating a portion of HIS proceeds to OCRF as well; and I rallied some heavy hitters like Robin Lee Hatcher and Candace Cameron-Bure for endorsements of the devotional that (thank the Lord!) were really stellar.
I mention these two segments of a much larger marketing plan because it turns out that they worked together to make something phenomenal happen.
One of the press releases went to the local newspaper … and they did an article … that was published on Saturday morning, the very day that we were having a book launch party hosted by a local Barnes & Noble for the two of us that are here in Florida (myself and Debby Mayne, ALSO an Avalon author!).
You probably see where I’m going with this.
So many people responded to the article that every B&N within a 50-mile radius sold out of our book before noon, including the TWO CASES on hand at the store where we were due to sign that afternoon. Even after we brought in our own author copies to supplement, customers were ordering copies at the customer service desk, and we signed bookplates for them to put into the books when they arrive next week.
A lot of cancer survivors showed up to tell their stories; others thought it would make a great Christmas gift for someone they knew who either had triumphed over the disease or were fighting it currently. I was invited to come and meet with a local support group for ovarian cancer survivors. I remember thinking as I sat there signing books that I wish I'd worked harder early on to market my Avalon books and get thw word out there about them.
Certainly, I AM NOT telling you to hitch your book to a bigger star for the purposes of selling more copies! What I am saying is to use that imagination that came up with the intricacies in your book to think about the kind of people who might enjoy learning about it, and go find them in an interesting way.
I don’t know about you, but marketing wasn’t something I really thought about when I imagined being a published author. What I’ve learned along the way, however, is that it’s as much a part of putting out our books as writing them. Hoping for a good review, asking your friends to tell their friends about your book, donating a free copy to your local library; these are all marketing tools of sorts. But I’m finding that, if you think on a larger scale and become your own publicist, more people will buy and talk about your book. And that means more copies circulating out there in the world! As writers, that's what we hope for, right?
I was an entertainment publicist for more than a decade when I lived in Los Angeles. I represented actors in the soaps (General Hospital, Days of Our Lives, etc.), and I couldn’t put a value on the information I collected during those years in reference to my next career as a writer.
Case in point: I recently teamed up with three other authors to compile a Christian devotional for Summerside Press called Be Still … and Let Your Nail Polish Dry. The four of us have varying levels of success as writers, all four of us hoping of course to help our books find their way into more and more people’s hands.When we were brainstorming about marketing Be Still, we decided on two specific things that, in retrospect, were standout ideas.
1. We chose to benefit a charity with a portion of the proceeds. Several of them were discussed, but we landed on the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. I am a survivor, and I can hardly tell you how touched I was that my fellow authors wanted to rally around me with support in this way.
2. I decided to take on the primary role of publicizing the book in the media, making use of the skills I’d learned in my years doing that for others. I crafted press releases that targeted specific publications, telling about our OCRF connection and about the book and its authors; I teamed up with Jon Lovitz when he opened his comedy club in Los Angeles and was donating a portion of HIS proceeds to OCRF as well; and I rallied some heavy hitters like Robin Lee Hatcher and Candace Cameron-Bure for endorsements of the devotional that (thank the Lord!) were really stellar.
I mention these two segments of a much larger marketing plan because it turns out that they worked together to make something phenomenal happen.
One of the press releases went to the local newspaper … and they did an article … that was published on Saturday morning, the very day that we were having a book launch party hosted by a local Barnes & Noble for the two of us that are here in Florida (myself and Debby Mayne, ALSO an Avalon author!).
You probably see where I’m going with this.
So many people responded to the article that every B&N within a 50-mile radius sold out of our book before noon, including the TWO CASES on hand at the store where we were due to sign that afternoon. Even after we brought in our own author copies to supplement, customers were ordering copies at the customer service desk, and we signed bookplates for them to put into the books when they arrive next week.
A lot of cancer survivors showed up to tell their stories; others thought it would make a great Christmas gift for someone they knew who either had triumphed over the disease or were fighting it currently. I was invited to come and meet with a local support group for ovarian cancer survivors. I remember thinking as I sat there signing books that I wish I'd worked harder early on to market my Avalon books and get thw word out there about them.
Certainly, I AM NOT telling you to hitch your book to a bigger star for the purposes of selling more copies! What I am saying is to use that imagination that came up with the intricacies in your book to think about the kind of people who might enjoy learning about it, and go find them in an interesting way.
I don’t know about you, but marketing wasn’t something I really thought about when I imagined being a published author. What I’ve learned along the way, however, is that it’s as much a part of putting out our books as writing them. Hoping for a good review, asking your friends to tell their friends about your book, donating a free copy to your local library; these are all marketing tools of sorts. But I’m finding that, if you think on a larger scale and become your own publicist, more people will buy and talk about your book. And that means more copies circulating out there in the world! As writers, that's what we hope for, right?
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Julia Weis, an Interview with Avalon's Assistant Editor
Q: 1: You’re new to Avalon. Tell us a bit about what brought you here; i.e., what is your background in publishing?
A: Well, I always knew that I wanted to do something with writing. I studied English literature and creative writing in college and soon after graduation, I acquired a job as a Proofreader at a local newspaper and quickly worked my way up to Features Reporter. I then took a position as an Associate Editor at a b2b travel publication, which gave me the opportunity to explore feature writing for a trade magazine while taking part in one of my favorite pastimes – travel. When an opening eventually presented itself at Avalon – I jumped for the chance to work with such a hard-working and talented group of people, knowing that professionally I really wanted to dabble in all aspects of publishing: newspaper, magazine and book.
Q: What got you interested in books; e.g., childhood influences.
A: I can’t remember a time where I was ever not interested in books! I was the kid who always got in trouble for reading a book under her desk in class while the teacher was trying to give a lesson. (Sorry Mom!)
Q: What book or books have made the most impact on your life, or at least reading life?
A: The first book that ever really spoke to me was Lois Lowry’s The Giver. I read it when I was about nine years old, and I remember being completely shaken up by it, re-reading it over and over, feeling like a veil had been lifted from over my eyes. The Phantom Tollbooth was also a childhood favorite. Since then, many other books have been influential: Joan Didion’s Slouching Towards Bethlehem, Denis Johnson’s Jesus’ Son, Lorrie Moore’s Anagrams, and Michel Houellebecq’s The Elementary Particles.
Q: As an editor, what type of books do you seek? What elements of character and setting, background and conflicts, etc.?
A: As per Avalon’s guidelines, I’m first and foremost seeking wholesome stories. After that, it’s really important to me that the characters in a story are engaging, realistic and well-rounded. There’s nothing I hate more than a flat protagonist chasing who-knows-what that I couldn’t care less about. I want to feel invested in the story I’m reading. I want to root for the characters – make me care! I’d also like to see writers expand their horizons a bit and culturally diversify the background of their characters, the settings that the stories take place in, etc.
Q: What do you like to do when you’re not working?
A: When I’m not working, I like to travel, cook, try new restaurants, scour farmers’ markets, explore design/antique fairs, and yes – read.
Q: You now work in New York. Are you a native New Yorker, from nearby, or a transplant? Regardless of your background there, what do you like most about the city?
A: I was born in New York, but I actually grew up in Texas. I made my way back to the city for college, and liked it so much that I decided to stick around. The diversity and accessibility of NYC is what appeals to me most. I love that I never know what I’m going to see or what adventures I’m going to get into when I exit my apartment each morning. The city has a great energy and creative pulse that I’ve yet to see another city (domestic or international) replicate in quite the same way.
Q: We hear and read a great deal about publishing getting away from print books, away from traditional publishing, and so on. What, if any, changes do you seeing publishing in the next few years?
A: What you hear about publishing moving away from traditional print form is obviously true. If the rising popularity of e-book readers says anything, it’s that the digitization of books is here to stay. Nevertheless, Avalon isn’t making any drastic transformations to its publishing program. As with many readers and publishers, we still very much value hardcover, print books and look forward to continue being a part of their development.
Q: Anything Else you would like to add?
A: I look forward to working with you all!
A: Well, I always knew that I wanted to do something with writing. I studied English literature and creative writing in college and soon after graduation, I acquired a job as a Proofreader at a local newspaper and quickly worked my way up to Features Reporter. I then took a position as an Associate Editor at a b2b travel publication, which gave me the opportunity to explore feature writing for a trade magazine while taking part in one of my favorite pastimes – travel. When an opening eventually presented itself at Avalon – I jumped for the chance to work with such a hard-working and talented group of people, knowing that professionally I really wanted to dabble in all aspects of publishing: newspaper, magazine and book.
Q: What got you interested in books; e.g., childhood influences.
A: I can’t remember a time where I was ever not interested in books! I was the kid who always got in trouble for reading a book under her desk in class while the teacher was trying to give a lesson. (Sorry Mom!)
Q: What book or books have made the most impact on your life, or at least reading life?
A: The first book that ever really spoke to me was Lois Lowry’s The Giver. I read it when I was about nine years old, and I remember being completely shaken up by it, re-reading it over and over, feeling like a veil had been lifted from over my eyes. The Phantom Tollbooth was also a childhood favorite. Since then, many other books have been influential: Joan Didion’s Slouching Towards Bethlehem, Denis Johnson’s Jesus’ Son, Lorrie Moore’s Anagrams, and Michel Houellebecq’s The Elementary Particles.
Q: As an editor, what type of books do you seek? What elements of character and setting, background and conflicts, etc.?
A: As per Avalon’s guidelines, I’m first and foremost seeking wholesome stories. After that, it’s really important to me that the characters in a story are engaging, realistic and well-rounded. There’s nothing I hate more than a flat protagonist chasing who-knows-what that I couldn’t care less about. I want to feel invested in the story I’m reading. I want to root for the characters – make me care! I’d also like to see writers expand their horizons a bit and culturally diversify the background of their characters, the settings that the stories take place in, etc.
Q: What do you like to do when you’re not working?
A: When I’m not working, I like to travel, cook, try new restaurants, scour farmers’ markets, explore design/antique fairs, and yes – read.
Q: You now work in New York. Are you a native New Yorker, from nearby, or a transplant? Regardless of your background there, what do you like most about the city?
A: I was born in New York, but I actually grew up in Texas. I made my way back to the city for college, and liked it so much that I decided to stick around. The diversity and accessibility of NYC is what appeals to me most. I love that I never know what I’m going to see or what adventures I’m going to get into when I exit my apartment each morning. The city has a great energy and creative pulse that I’ve yet to see another city (domestic or international) replicate in quite the same way.
Q: We hear and read a great deal about publishing getting away from print books, away from traditional publishing, and so on. What, if any, changes do you seeing publishing in the next few years?
A: What you hear about publishing moving away from traditional print form is obviously true. If the rising popularity of e-book readers says anything, it’s that the digitization of books is here to stay. Nevertheless, Avalon isn’t making any drastic transformations to its publishing program. As with many readers and publishers, we still very much value hardcover, print books and look forward to continue being a part of their development.
Q: Anything Else you would like to add?
A: I look forward to working with you all!
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