Oprah with a British Twang

I ran across an article in the Sunday Telegraph out of England that I thought was interesting.

There’s probably someone on this side of the pond who hasn’t heard of Oprah, but I can’t think of who that person would be or where they’re hiding. In the US she can make a book and an author. With just a word (“bookclub”) she can make an unknown author famous and well-off. She can take an established author’s 973-page tome (that only the most voracious readers would buy) a must-read and best-seller. (I bought Ken Follett’s said book as a present for my husband based on her recommendation.) She can make nonfiction sound enthralling. She makes “literary” exciting. No one has the kind of influence over books like Oprah.

Well, no one except Oprah has that level of influence here in the US.

Apparently, Britain has their own version of Oprah in the form of Richard and Judy’s Book Club, although it really isn’t Richard or Judy who holds the power. It’s Amanda Ross. She picks the books that the television show makes hits. And, unlike Oprah, she’s not known for choosing huge, challenging, tear jerking, literary books by seasoned authors.
Ms. Ross said:

"My choices are largely instinctive. They come from having produced entertainment shows for years, and knowing that a good story is a good story, no matter if it's fiction or nonfiction, or even what style it's told in."

And, unlike Oprah, sometimes she doesn’t even read the entire book before choosing it.

Working with a team of three assistants, she reads - or at least samples - the hundreds of books that are submitted each year.

According to the Telegraph article:

Her tastes rest solidly and reassuringly in the mainstream of intelligent, modern, popular fiction; and it is hard to argue, on the basis of her latest list, that she's got it wrong.

The article also said that Ross “happily admits” that “she musters very little in the way of literary sophistication.”

To tell you the truth, I’d like, once in a while, for Oprah to rally the millions that read her bookclub choices around a regular book, one that the average person would buy, finish, and love. A mystery, a romance, a fantasy, a cozy. One that doesn’t necessarily take us into the depths of depravity or the suicidal mind of a drug addict or the epic history of England. One that won’t turn our minds into a million little pieces of shredded nerve endings.

Instead of having hidden meanings or social impact or needing a wheelbarrow to be carted around, it’s just a really good read. One that keeps you guessing. One that makes you stay up half the night to finish. One that makes you miss your stop on the subway because you’re so lost in the plot.

One that you would be happy you read even if it was your hairdresser who recommended it, not Oprah. But, of course, I’d want Oprah to recommend it so that author could become a national best-seller. Or, if not Oprah, then Amanda Ross via the Richard and Judy’s Book Club.

Making Writing Resolutions

Are you making any New Year’s Resolutions? Do any of them pertain to writing? If so, they’re probably something like “write more” or “write for an hour every day” or “finish the book I’ve been working on for three years.” As writers, we all tend to make these kinds of resolutions or promises to ourselves.

This year, I’m trying something a bit different. There are plenty of resolutions I could make – and a lot of them I’ve made before. But in 2008 I’m going to try to become … and here I’m not quite sure of the word to use … more organized or less haphazard or more efficient or more structured.

I seem to be the kind of person who works best with structure and a check list. I’ve managed to put out a weekly newsletter for eight years partly because it always comes out on the same day each week. By the time Thursday rolls around, I’d dang well better have that newsletter ready to go. So I do. We don’t have overdue bills because I pay the bills on the same day every week. Each day I make a list of things I have to get done, then mark them off as I complete them. I actually think about efficiency. Instead of doing one thing, can I combine multiple tasks, thus being more efficient?

Man, I sound rigid.

But despite all that, I still spend way too many days doing other things and not doing any creative writing, other than the newsletter or the blog. There’s housework, editing work, websites to maintain, the dog, a husband who thinks he should eat everyday and so on and so on. So this coming year, I’ve decided I’ll resolve to become … drum roll please … more structured.

Not just in my writing, but in everything. So I’m working on a list, not of resolutions, but a way to organize myself. Just as I pay the bills every Tuesday, I’m setting up a task for each day that should be completed. I’m also listing things to do every day of the week, like write for an hour, exercise for thirty minutes, etc.

I don’t know whether this will work, but, for me, it sounds like it might. It’s not a vague decision to finish a rewrite of a book or to join a critique group, but a plan to get more writing done. If I knew how to take the list and make it the wallpaper on my laptop, I would. Since I don’t, I’ll print it out and put it within sight of the computer. I need to see it every day.

I don’t know whether this would be called a Resolution. I’m thinking of it more as a Plan for 2008. If I stop following the Plan, then I’ll have to review the list and get back on the Plan. Maybe I need rewards for following the Plan each week. Hmm … an extra hour of reading?

Before I start considering weekly rewards, I guess I’d better see if I can even stick to the Plan for a week. I’ll let ya know how it goes.

Goodbye to 2007

You may be wondering why I would be doing a Goodbye to 2007 on December 27th instead of the 31st. It’s because today I sent out the last of this year’s issues of my newsletter, Doing It Write. I said goodbye in the newsletter and thought I’d do the same here. The goodbye’s not permanent, though. It’s really an adios to Year Number 8 for Doing It Write. Hard to believe I’ve been writing and publishing the newsletter for 8 years. I bet those subscribers who’ve been with me since the beginning are as astounded as I am.

But today was the last issue for Year 8. The next time subscribers hear from me, we'll be starting Year 9.

Eight years of 52 issues each. A contest every week; a conference, workshop or event every week. Articles, websites, and columns. Guest columnists and contributors. And, oh, the wonderful emails I've gotten. And the people I've met; the friendships formed.

When I first started Doing It Write, I wrote long columns. Then a true friend wrote and told me to cut back, the articles were too long. So I did.

I used to house the archives for Doing It Write on my website until they began to number into the hundreds and it was becoming unwieldy to maintain all those pages of articles. I also used to keep links to all the websites I'd found on my website, but those too began to be too many (you can do the math – eight years of 52 newsletters with two websites per issue) and it was impossible to keep up with broken links or websites that disappeared. So I had to take those down, but I still keep the contests and events online.

And I still love hearing from readers and welcome guest columnists.

I've learned a lot over the last 8 years.

I hope my readers have, too.

Reality Butts into the Holidays

With New Year’s only a few days away, we’re still in the midst of the holiday season, even though some of you may have returned to work today. Even if you’re still on vacation, you, along with just about everyone, are beginning to think about the last of the holiday cards that will trickle into your mailbox, only to be quickly replaced by the bills.

By the time the ham and turkey buzz has worn off, the reality hits you smack in the face with a happy new year in your mailbox. So, as you’re opening your bills and reminding yourself to stick to your budget next year, I thought I’d remind you of your fellow writers still on strike.

Yep, we haven’t talked much about it and there hasn’t been much in the news, but the strike goes on. You probably are reminded of it when you watch all the reruns on TV. And you may be wondering when new shows will start and hoping there will be something besides reality and game shows on in the Spring.

Even though the news media isn’t mentioning the strike anymore, you can still keep up on the progress by reading the blogs or checking sites, like WGA Supporters, Writers Guild of America West, Writers Guild of America East, and United Hollywood.

So, as you’re watching the bills come in and feeling your paycheck get doled out to credit cards, remember the striking writers who haven’t been able to work during the strike. You may not write for Hollywood, but all writers have commonalities, including credit card bills.

Writers Define Themselves

Last Friday I wrote a post called “What Defines a Writer.” A comment by Terry Heath caused me to think a little more on that subject and to come to a clearer conclusion on what truly defines a writer.

The whole subject came up because I, and probably you as well, am often asked what I do. For me, there are multiple answers. I’m a mother, a homemaker, a freelance editor, a book consultant, Partner and Marketing Director for Legends In Our Own Minds®, blogger, volunteer and, of course, a writer. The first seven replies don’t elicit much of a response or even interest. But if I say “writer” then the other person perks up. They invariably ask a follow-up question like, “Really? What do you write? Would I have read your books?”

If any of you have said you were a writer, you’ve probably gotten this question. It doesn’t matter whether you’re unpublished or published in magazines, anthologies, newspapers or online. If you say, “I write feature articles,” you’ll get a disappointed look. If you say, “I write technical articles,” their eyes glaze over. If you say, “I’m unpublished,” you’ll get a look of “What the hell? You’re not a writer.” First of all, they want to know that you’re a book writer. Second, they want to know they can go to their local Barnes & Noble or nearby store and find your book. Having your book available on your website and Amazon doesn’t cut it. Your book has to have an established bookstore’s seal of approval.

A lot of times, someone who’s asked that question won’t even answer with “I’m a writer.” They’ll give some other answer. Just to avoid that follow-up question. That look.

But what I’ve decided is that writers don’t need affirmation from others to call themselves writers. As Terry said, “A writer writes.” The title of “writer” isn’t something another person bestows on you. And it’s not something they can take away with a disapproving look. If you decide you’re a writer, then you give the title to yourself, whether you write books, screenplays, articles, essays, poetry, short stories, or greeting cards, published or not.

Good chance you’ll still have to endure the responses you get when others find out you’re not published in book form – or possibly worse, you are but your books are now out of print. But no matter what looks you get, those looks can’t take away what you are. Only you can decide you’re a writer. Only you can decide you’re not. It’s true that writers write. Writers also believe … in themselves.

What Defines a Writer?

At what point can you consider yourself a writer? Are you a writer when you’re twelve and make your first entry in a journal? Is it when you’re thirty-two and your first short story is published? When your first article appears in the local paper or in a national magazine? Is it when your first book launches? When an agent offers a contract for representation? Is it when your fourth book appears? When you self-publish or only when you’re published by a big house?

I bet you know people who’ve been asked what they do … and they answer that they’re a writer. Immediately the asker responds with, “Oh, have I read any of your books?” As if novelists or book authors are the only ones qualified to call themselves writers. What about reporters, short story writers, essayists, travel writers, newspaper food critics, humorists, technical writers, greeting card writers? What about someone who’s not published at all?

And if you are asked that question and you’re not yet published, how do you respond?

When it comes to books, are you a writer until you publish, then you become an author? Do authors not write? Aren’t writers authors of their own works?

I have a friend who’s published by a small press. She’s a writer. I have another friend who has sold thousands of books published by his own small press. He’s a writer. I have a friend who has been published by a large press many times. She’s a writer. I have a friend who says she’s not a writer, yet she writes beautiful, meaningful essays. She’s a writer.

At what point do you start calling yourself a writer? And if you don’t have “credentials” yet your write, how do you answer the questions about what you do and what are the titles of your books?

Successful Networking for Authors – Step Three

Before we get to the third step in Successful Networking for writers, let’s review steps one and two. The first step was to Listen. I was reminded of this yesterday while I doing some volunteer work. A writer came up, introduced himself and talked about his book. During the “conversation,” he mentioned what a great listener he was, then he proceeded to talk and talk over anyone who tried to get a word in edgewise.

By the time my shift was over and I gathered my stuff to leave, I knew quite a bit about him, his job over the last twenty years, etc. He knew nothing about me. He didn’t ask what I did. I doubt he even remembered my first name. He hadn’t “met” me. He’d failed in that second step of getting to know the other person.

If he’d “met” me and gotten to know me, he might have not only gained a reader, he might have learned something about me that he would need in the future. Maybe I’m knowledgeable in some area he’s researching for another book. Gaining a reader entails not just talking about yourself and your book, but getting to know that other person a little, whether you have two minutes with them or twenty.

But let’s say, you’re not like that guy I met. You listened, you connected. You enticed me to go look at your book. Maybe you even discovered something about me that you found interesting. This brings us to Step Three in Successful Networking:
Keep Track of Your Encounters

The guy in my example didn’t even bother to give me his card or ask for mine. When you’re networking, if possible, get the other person’s card. Make a note on the back of when and where you met and the things you want to remember about that person. If you can’t get a card, then note on a piece of paper or in a notebook his/her name and contact information along with what was said? Clearly, you won’t have time to do this for every person you meet or who stands in line to get your autograph, but you can do it for those you especially want to remember.

Networking is more than just meeting people and listening to them. It's keeping track of all those encounters. All right, I admit, it can be a pain and time-consuming, but it could also pay off big in the future. You meet not only experts, but authors who might provide cover blurbs, other writers looking for critique partners, business people who might give you personal attention when it comes to printing your business cards because they know you, people who can give you the inside scoop on upcoming workshops or up-and-coming agents, and more. All these people are out there. You just have to meet them.

And that's the basic three steps to Successful Networking – Listen, Meet, Keep a Database. In other words, get away from your desk and computer, meet people, listen to them, maintain contact, and keep up with your database list.

Now, get out there and Network. It’s actually fun.

Successful Networking for Authors – Step Two

Yesterday, I said the number one step in Successful Networking is to Listen. Networking isn't just trying to sell yourself or your book. A major part of networking is paying attention to others. But to pay attention to others, you have to meet them.

Step Two in Successful Networking:

Get up from your computer and put yourself out there. You have to meet and talk with other people.

In the case of book signings, sure, you want readers to buy your book. What you don't want them to do is take your book just to escape from you, then drop it on a table somewhere else in the store. You want them to feel like they have a rapport with you through this personal meeting. They not only buy this book, but look for future books.

When you go to conferences and workshops, you never know who you're going to meet. That nondescript woman sitting next to you at lunch could be the fabulous editor you've been searching for to go over your manuscript before you send it in to an agent. But you'll never know that if you spend the whole meal talking about yourself and don't even bother to exchange business cards or find out about her.

That guy you bump into in the hall at work or sit next to on the plane could be more than just clumsy. He might be an expert in forensics or quilting or beekeeping or that topic in your book that you really need expert advice on. How will you know that if you don’t take the initiative to meet and talk with him?

So, another big part of Successful Networking for the author is talking with other people. That’s different from talking to people. Meet them. Get to know something about them.

Three Steps to Successful Networking

Networking means getting out of your writer's box and meeting and learning about other people. While most of us might prefer to sit at our computers all day, limiting our public exposure to the clerk behind the post office counter, we need to allow time to network.

Why? Well, it can get lonely talking to yourself and your imaginary characters all day. Plus, every time you meet a new person or put yourself in a different situation, you learn something, about that person, about the world, about yourself. You can exchange both ideas and business cards. And probably most importantly, you meet people who might someday advance your career.

There are three steps or areas to Successful Networking for the writer. Today, we cover the first step.

Step One:

Don't just join organizations then read their newsletters in the safety of your home. Go to meetings, talk to people, find out about them, and -- this is important -- listen. Go to conventions and workshops, introduce yourself to fellow writers, as well as editors and agents, share ideas, and -- this is important -- listen. When you're at a book signing, don't just grab passersby and launch into the spiel about your book. Ask a question, put the book into their hands so they get the feel for it and can peruse it, and -- this is important -- listen.

Okay, this is a test ... what's the first and probably most important part of networking? I know you know the answer, because you were … listening.

Step One to Successful Networking -- Listen

Tomorrow, Step Two in Successful Networking.

Querying Foreign Agents

I was asked a question about querying agents. The writer was from out of country, India to be specific. He wanted to know if he could query American agents.

The answer is yes. You can live anywhere in the world and seek representation by an American agent. Just as anyone here can query an agent in England or Australia or even India, etc.

The question really shouldn’t be, can I query an agent in the States. It should be, should I query an agent in another country.

American agents don’t look at the postmark on a query to see where it came from. They look at the query and sample pages to see if they want to ask for more. And they consider whether they can sell it.

Lately, it seems like there’s been a slurry of books written by authors living in other countries that have become popular here in the US. But keep in mind that an agent in the US is going to be most familiar with publishers here in the US, just as a British agent is going to be most connected with publishers in that country, and so on and so on. So, if your book will most likely sell best in India, then go for an agent in that country. Your agent will have the strongest connections there.

This is not to say that an American agent couldn’t sell your book in whatever country you live in. American agents have some connections overseas and most agencies have an in-house foreign rights agent or they have an agreement with another agent who has those skills. But their focus is going to be on publishers here in the States.

But if you know or feel your book would be a hit in China, but not in France, why go for an agent in the US or in France or in England? Especially if you live in China. On the other hand, if your best fit is with an American agent, even though you live elsewhere, then go for it.

If what’s stopping you is that you think it wouldn’t work since you live so far away you’d never meet your agent, then welcome to the world of a lot of writers. Living in the same country doesn’t mean you’ll become fast friends and coffee buds with your agent. Plenty of authors only know their agents via phone calls or emails.

So, when it comes to looking for an agent, consider where your book will sell and why you’re querying.

Revenge of the Christmas Tree

For the first time in umpteen years, we bought a real tree. It’s a noble fir, about 10 feet tall, twelve in its stand. It’s a grand tree. Usually, we put up our fourteen foot artificial tree. We’ve had it for years, and it too is a pretty tree.

This year we decided on a real tree since my daughter, who moved out of state this past summer, is coming home for the holidays. Of course, a real tree means you have to buy lights (my husband wired the lights onto our other tree so each year we just take it down from the attic, assemble it and voila, a lit tree). And you have to buy a stand. We did all that.

We brought the tree home, bungee corded to the top of my little Rav. Between the two of us, we got it into its stand and spent time adjusting and scooting and turning until it was perfectly straight from all angles. My husband is an early riser. He rarely sleeps past four. So, over the course of two or three days, he put on all the lights and strung the red beads.

That tree was staring to look pretty good!

Yesterday, he had to drive to New Braunfels for a lunch meeting, so I started decorating. Gone are the sturdy metal limbs of our old tree. The limbs of a noble fir are surprisingly wimpy. So top priority are ornaments the kids made when they were little, the official Texas ornaments, any that are reminders of travels (I like to pick up ornaments on our trips), and the lightest ornaments in our tubs. I should have counted, but I’m guessing about a hundred, less than half what we usually put on our tree.

I’m just about done without going to get a chair to stand on, when I go to put on one more ornament. As I do, the tree begins to lean toward me. Tilting, tilting. I try to stop it by bracing it with my left shoulder. Mistake I immediately realize since that’s my hurt shoulder. Too late. It’s now me against the tree. When I try to push it upright, the base scoots away from me. Water is now gushing out of the stand. The tree stops sliding when the base, now up on one end, hits the wall. Lights and strings of shiny beads are tumbling loose; ornaments are tinkling and bouncing as they hit the tile floor. And I’m leaning backwards, my head and shoulders lost in the tree, lips kissing tree trunk.

Down I go, ten foot tree with me. To my knees. To the floor. I lay it out, the base still in the stand, the top third of the tree across the ottoman. And I crawl out from underneath.

No way can I upright it by myself. I grab towels to try to soak up the water. I wait a few hours until I think my husband is through with his meeting and call to tell him I’ve finished decorating the tree.

After all the holiday movies where Christmas trees spontaneously catch fire or they fall over on grandpa or a raccoon leaps out and lands on Aunt Bee’s wig or Chevy Chase does something horrendous to the poor tree, I’ve decided my tree realized I was a writer and it decided to take revenge.

In case this is not an isolated incident, but rather a coordinated effort, be careful walking past your own tree. And for goodness sakes, don’t let it know you’re a writer.

Guest Author, Margaret Baacke

I’m excited to introduce Dr. Margaret Baacke as our visiting author today. Dr. Baacke’s debut book, a memoir, took her ten years to complete. Tainted Blood?: Memoirs of a Part-Jewish Girl in the Third Reich 1933-1945 tells not only her experiences, but brings to life a crucial time period in world history.

SFH: Dr. Baacke, Tell us about your book.

Baacke: My twin brother and I were born in Berlin at the height of the German inflation, l923. To have twins when the Reichsmark was devalued about every two hours was exceedingly difficult, but I think my father, a lawyer, had a client who could pay with some foreign currency which helped greatly.

In Tainted Blood? I briefly describe the inflation, our school years and our 2 years in the Hitler Youth which we entered in l936, unaware of the fact that we had a Jewish grandmother, which made us Mischlinge of the 2nd degree and led to our expulsion.

Hans was conscripted to the Wehrmacht, fought 3 years in Russia, was wounded twice and in January l945 was marched by the Russians from the Berlin hospital to a P.O.W. camp in Russia.

I left high school with an intermediary degree, took a one year course in a business school and then worked in a music publishing house in Berlin. When the work became too boring, I took courses at night school for the Abitur (high school graduation) amidst frequent air raids and air bombardments. Instead of pursuing my goal of becoming a student of psychology at Berlin university I was drafted into one year of mandatory Labor Service and War Auxiliary Service, followed by mandatory work in Berlin, first in the SS office where a few years earlier the Jewish Question, i.e. "The Final Solution" was debated and settled, and where I was unacceptable. Then I had to work as a street car conductor.

The doctor for whom I had taken tests with brain-injured patients in Berlin's War Auxiliary Service called me to East Prussia to continue this work in a Luftwaffe hospital. That was in July l945, half a year before we had to flee the approaching Red Army. It was the boat's last rescue trip before it was torpedoed by a Russian submarine. We, the patients and staff of the hospital, got safely to Wittingen, a small town near Hanover, where we experienced the peaceful take-over by the US Army on Friday, April l3, l945.

SFH: What made you decide to write about your life?

Baacke: While teaching German in several American Colleges and Universities, I often talked about life in Nazi Germany. A Sociology
colleague asked me for an oral history/biography, and after many sessions and many tapes I decided to write this memoir after my retirement.

SFH: What made you decide to go with AuthorHouse to publish Tainted Blood?

Baacke: After some research I was convinced that AuthorHouse in Bloomington, Indiana with thousands of published books, the promise of guiding the author in the publishing process, and offering a discount was the best choice.

Unfortunately, there were a lot of disappointments: I ended up doing my own book cover with the help of a graphic artist friend and there were long delays in correspondence, mistakes in publication materials and little substantial help in publicity.

The bright spot of my experience was my author representative, Vid Beldavs. He is a refugee from Lithuania who was on the same boat fleeing from the approaching Soviet Army. He was then a 1 year old boy who, with his mother and an older brother spent the 3-4 days on the open deck in the ice cold and stormy January weather.

SFH: What kind of research did you do?

Baacke: The research was connected to my work. I taught a course in German History and German Civilization and researched a fairly large number of books and the internet (then and later). But much of the memoir's content I got from my own life and my (and my family's) experiences in Germany.

SFH: Was the work daunting?

Baacke: Yes and no. Yes, because all my own materials were in German and because German is my first language. I don't have the same doubts in German that I sometimes have in English, about certain prepositions, idiomatic expressions etc. Writing this book in German would probably have taken half the time. Vocabulary questions were particularly troubling concerning typical Nazi expressions. I was very grateful for the English translation of the Encyclopedia of the Third Reich by Christian Zentner and Friedemann Bedürftig.

I also was plagued by doubts if I could write about Hitler Germany in a somewhat positive manner, the way I had experienced the Hitler Youth and some aspects of the war, all tainted by the love for my country. So many negative and deeply troubling true things are said about Germany that I sometimes doubted my own experiences which might look like whitewashing Germany's gilt. That's why I repeatedly inserted the comment that we were learning this and that later, so that people wouldn't think I'm still a Nazi (as some of the members of my writer's group assumed when I used the voice of my youth without inserting this comment).

On the other hand, working on Tainted Blood? was not daunting, because I loved to go over some of the materials: the letters (my own and those of my family), read up more about Germany's recent past and stay connected with some of the good times of my youth. Even the hard times have lost their sting now that they are passed. And writing in general was fun, I loved to pound away on the computer and see things taking shape that I was not sure I could express at all.

SFH: Did you work with an editor?

Baacke: My first editor was a good friend of mine who has become a writer herself now. She helped me greatly with style and composition, though she now doesn't consider herself perfect. When she had to have an operation, I asked another friend in my community who is highly intelligent and has done a lot of writing and editing herself to finish the job. The problem was that she and I got tired of it and wanted the book out of the way, so we got a bit careless and did not go over the ms. one last time after the corrections. I had to scrutinize 3 or 4 galleys with diminishing amounts of mistakes, but still mistakes. I also discovered that some sentences even paragraphs had disappeared, had--incredibly--been swallowed up by my computer.

SFH: Considering the setbacks and the disappointment with your publisher, are you contemplating another writing project?

Baacke: Yes, I am planning to write a follow-up about "Life in a Defeated, (Devastated), Divided, Dismantled Germany after 1945." (The 4 D's seem a bit too much) That'll be the title of my book and it will include some of my impressions of America after my emigration in l953.

Thank you very much, Dr. Baacke. Your next book sounds like it will be as interesting as Tainted Blood?. It’s fascinating to read not only an historical account, but to have the first-hand memories and perspective to go along with the facts.

You can find out more about Margaret Baacke (known to her friends as Gretel), at her AuthorHouse page, where you can also read a brief preview, watch a video of Gretel talking about Tainted Blood?, and buy the book. If you have questions or comments for Gretel, post them here in the comments section.

Books Make Great Gifts This Holiday Season

Last Christmas season, I wrote a post about buying books as presents. I’m going to recycle it here, with a few updates. I’ve already bought 6 books to give to relatives, and I’ve got another on my list that I need get. Luckily, it doesn’t have to be mailed.

It’s nice to see people out buying books as Christmas gifts. I went to the bookstore yesterday. I called to order a book, but the store closest to me didn’t have it in stock, so I trekked across town to another. The store was packed! I even saw people I knew. The checkout line was about twenty people deep, even though they had five or six cashiers. The guy behind me in line was on the phone sort of grumping about the line.

But I didn’t mind the wait. It moved fairly quickly and, to my mind, it meant people were buying books. It’d be nice if they all bought the books of friends of mine, but any book is a good gift. You can find something to suit anyone’s taste. Even if they don’t read, there are always coffee table books with luscious pictures. I buy books every year.

There’s one thing I wish bookstores would do this time of year. I’d like for them to set up two tables -- one that has autographed books and one that displays books by local authors. The second bookstore I went to (yes, it’s like chips – you can’t visit just one) had a table of books by local authors. That’s interesting to browse, but they only had one book that had been autographed. Usually I get books autographed during the year and have them ready to give. I didn’t do that this year, but I still like to give autographed books.

I had to walk the aisles, looking for books signed by the author. I only found one that I thought the person I wanted to give it to would like. Plus, it was time-consuming to find autographed books. They usually have a sticker, but the sticker’s on the front cover, not the spine. This year, I had trouble finding a particular book. Actually, I should say that I had trouble finding autographed copies of a particular book. But I kept calling around until I found a store that had three, the exact number I was looking for. Lucky for me, the Austin area has a lot of bookstores.

I think more people would buy books if they were autographed and easy to find. So I would like stores to set up tables of these kinds of books and I’d like more local authors to sign stock and encourage stores to set up these kinds of tables. Not just because it would make my life easier, but because it would also increase sales.

6 Tips for Finding an Agent

Yesterday, we discussed how difficult it can be to find an agent and some things to look out for during your research. Today – tips on finding an agent.

1. Go to the bookstore and find books similar to yours. Look in the front on the dedication page. A lot of times, authors will thank their agents. Query them.

2. Find a local library which subscribes to Publisher's Weekly. Scan through each issue and note the comings and goings of agents. An agent who has left an established agency and gone out on her own probably will be looking for new writers.

3. See if your library carries the Literary Market Place. It's a big book that comes out twice a year, I believe. Among other things, it lists Agents. The nice thing about that is that it lists what kind of material the agency is interested in looking at. There's no point in querying an agency with your nonfiction book proposal if he only reps gothic romance!

4. Of course, a really good way to find a reputable, "brave" agent is to get a friend to recommend you to hers. If you don't know other authors, then join a writers group and make friends. 'Course, that's sort of a long-term plan, since you can't just walk up to strangers and ask who their agents are. You have to build a relationship with them.

5. Go to conferences and workshops and meet other writers. You can also meet agents and editors there. When you meet an agent you like, you can ask if he'll accept a query from you. If he says yes, then send it to him, along with a reminder of where you met.

6. Go to some of the major search engines, such as Yahoo, Google, HotBot, etc., and type in keywords like Agent or Literary Agencies or Author Representatives, and see what they bring up. Bookmark agencies that look interesting, then do some research on them.

Keep in mind, though, that whether you end up with a well-known agent or an up-and-coming one, you'll still be doing a lot of your own marketing. The Grishams, Rowlings, Kings, Graftons, and the like may have people who do the marketing and arrange PR, but most everyone else does a lot of their own, to varying degree depending on how much is set aside by the publisher for marketing.

Sometimes we forget that while agents can be elusive, they are always human (contrary to rumor). They make wise decisions and they make mistakes. If an agent rejects your idea or manuscript, don't assume it's bad and will never sell. Move on to the next agent on your list. And the next and the next. Refine your query letter; edit if you feel it's needed. Write new material. Work your strategy. Go out and meet other authors, attend conferences, research new agents.

Just as we all hope to find an agent brave enough to take on a new author, be brave yourself. Giving up is taking the easy way out. Toughing it out and continuing against odds takes courage. Sure, some day you may decide to give up on a particular manuscript, but don't let an agent, friend, co-worker, critique partner, or your mother tell you to do so.

The Elusive Agent

One thing I love about blogging and doing my newsletter, Doing It Write, is that it takes this huge world we live on and makes it rather small and intimate. To illustrate: One time I received an email from a woman living in the U.K. who, on the advice of a friend in Israel, had written me here in the U.S.

She wanted to know how to get an agent interested in her books. Her experience in querying agents here in the U.S. and in the U.K. was that, unless you were a big "name," you couldn't get in the door.

I don't know a lot about agents in other countries, but here in the States, she's not far off in her evaluation. It is quite difficult for most writers to find an agent.

Having an agent is pretty much essential in the States. It used to be that you could query the major publishers directly. Not really possible anymore, although you can go directly to most of the smaller presses. In some ways, it’s even getting harder to query an agent! A few of the big agencies won't even read your query letter unless you have a recommendation from an author they know or represent.

As far as a new author finding an agent:
First off, do not pay an agent up-front money to represent you. If he (or she) asks for money to sign you up, run the other way. Chances are, it's a rip-off or scam. It tells you that agent is not making money selling the works of his authors, but on signing up authors. Yes, you will probably have some expenses along the way with a legitimate agent -- mailings of your manuscript to editors, for example. Until he sells you, he's not making any money and he has overhead. He won’t ask for a lump sum of money, though. You’ll get a detailed listing of where the expenses were incurred. And some agents are part of an editing business, but that's separate from their services as an agent and should not be a requirement for him to represent you.

Secondly, don’t be surprised if you don’t make headway with the "big" agents. They represent the major authors and usually don't even consider anyone that's not recommended to them. So, unless you know one of their clients or an established author who will recommend you, look for smaller, newer agencies; they're hungry for clients. Now, I’m not saying never query the big agencies or that agent who represents your favorite author. Just recognize the odds are against you. A safe place to start your search is with those who are members of AAR (The Association of Author Representatives). Members of the AAR agree to a code of ethics and don't charge up-front fees. Choose agents not on that list at your own risk, although there are a lot who are not members of the AAR who are legitimate – but without that “seal of approval,” it’s harder to tell.

How do you find them? We’ll start exploring that tomorrow.

My Take on the Kindle and the Future of E-Books

It seems like the publishing world is abuzz with news about E-readers, especially the newly released Kindle by Amazon. Magazines, newspapers, and blogs, including my own, have articles about the Kindle. But at $400, it's rather expensive. The news seems to be not so much the Kindle, which some reviewers have given only lukewarm ratings to, but what the Kindle could represent or bring about for the future of e-readers.

Certainly, the Kindle is a step above previous e-readers. But there are already other, newer, better, more advanced, technology in the works. Readers that will have color, not just black and white, higher resolution, less power consumption. Phillips Company is working on one that will have a rollable, wrappable display. They expect to release it next year.

The Kindle supposedly can hold 200 books plus hundreds more on a memory card. Books can be downloaded from Amazon's list of 90,000 e-books. And reports are that a book can be downloaded in under a minute. You can search within a book for a name or phrase. You can even change the font size. And it’s all wireless, like your cell phone.

What people are saying is that Kindle, although not perfect, is such an advance that it heralds more to come. I don't think anyone is saying that printed books will disappear anytime soon. But e-books are getting a boost from the new readers, especially when it comes to books with lots of pictures. I can certainly see how e-books would be popular for textbooks. And eventually all books. It’s also destined to be popular with travelers and with those who want to be able to increase the font size of a book.

If you’re still not convinced or you want more information on the Kindle, pick up a copy of the November 26 issue of Newsweek or go online to read that issue’s cover story: The Future of Reading.

Margaret Baacke, Author , Coming Next Thursday

Next Thursday, Margaret Baacke will be stopping by Straight From Hel, to talk about her book, "Tainted Blood?: Memoirs of a Part-Jewish Girl in the Third Reich 1933-1945."

Dr. Baacke and her twin brother were born in 1923 during the difficult post World War I era and experienced the even harsher period of World War II and the post war period. With her twin brother Hans, Margaret (Gretel) Baacke joined the Hitler Youth at an early age; but as "Quarter Jews" they were both expelled after two years. Hans fought at the Russian front. Margaret was drafted for a year to the Reich Labor Service and War Auxiliary Service, and then worked in a Luftwaffe Hospital near Königsberg, East Prussia, from where she, with hospital staff and patients, fled westward by ship to avoid the approaching Soviet army.

In “Tainted Blood?” Baacke interweaves stories of terror, strength, courage and even joy.

Baacke entered Writer’s Digest’s Self-Published Book Awards. This is part of the commentary she received:

I loved this book….it’s 400 pages of fantastic writing. The author has a real way with words. I love her subtlety, her lack of clichés. I love the gentle humor in such a harrowing tale. I love that she made me see another side to such a major chunk of history, to understand how anyone could have stood behind Hitler. I was gripped by this story and thought about it day and night.

She'll talk about her book, especially the research and the process of publishing it through Author House. So stop by next Thursday, December 13th. You won't be disappointed since Dr. Baacke has a lot to say and doesn't pull punches.

In the meantime, you can find out more about Margaret Baacke and “Tainted Blood?: Memoirs of a Part Jewish Girl in the Third Reich 1933-1945” on her Author House page, including a video interview with Baacke.

New Website for Unpublished Writers

Here’s an idea out of New Zealand. Not necessarily new, but interesting, nonetheless. The Scoop Independent News published a press release from a website called Worthy Of Publishing.

The site, less than two months old, is designed for unpublished writers to put up a synopsis of their book and as many chapters as they want to include. Then book lovers go to the site and give feedback and vote on what they would like to see published. The service is free for both writers and readers.

According to the article, the more positive feedback an unpublished book receives, the greater the chance that a publisher will pick it up. Aaron Cook, the Director of Worthyofpublishing.com, said:

The website has already started to attract the attention of some local and international publishers who are keeping an eye on new content that may be worthy of publishing.

Jenny Harrison from Authors Direct said in the future publishers won’t need a slush pile. All they will need is this website.

Keep in mind, this was a press release from Worthy of Publishing, so it was written either by the people directly involved in the website or their marketing team. But do you think it’s a good idea? Would you post a synopsis and chapters from your work?

Do you think publishers are prowling (or will prowl) the site in search of the next great unknown author?

Blogs by Publishing Experts

If, like me, you were an avid reader of Miss Snark, you’ve been in withdrawal for quite a while. And, if you’ve never read the Miss Snark blog, you can still go browse the archives. Miss Snark defined the term “snarky,” or sarcastic. Her blog was informative, funny, eye-opening, and extensive. She is sorely missed, but, frankly, I don’t know how she had time to get any agenting work done, considering the long daily blogs she put out.

There are other agents blogging, but none will ever come up to the snarkiness of Miss Snark.

One you might want to read is Rachel Vater’s Lit Agent X. Vater is now with Folio Management. She doesn’t blog on a daily basis, nor is she anywhere near as sarcastic as Miss Snark, but she gives good advice, posts some real query letters she gets that will make you feel like a genius, and is approachable for questions.

Another blogging agency is the Knight Agency. A lot of news about their authors, but also some useful information for aspiring writers, like query letter questions. This is a good site to visit, especially if you write romance or women’s fiction. But, even if you don’t, you can still ask writing questions.

The last blog I’ll mention today is not an agent’s blog, but rather an editor’s blog. If you’re looking for a bit of the snarkiness that you’ve been missing for the last few months, check out Evil Editor. The name kinda says it all. You can ask questions and read his comments. You can, at times, send him stuff and he’ll go medieval on you.

E-Book Readers, An Author Speaks

Last Friday, I blogged about the Amazon’s new Kindle, an e-reader. I’m going to continue with a bit more today since this morning there was a piece in Business Week by David Kiley about the Kindle and what he feels it will mean for the book business.

In Amazon Can Empty Bookstore Shelves, Kiley is excited, not so much about the Kindle itself, but what it could mean for publishing, in his opinion. He’s the author of two books, with another one in the works. The next one will be published by traditional means, but he anticipates that the Kindle, although not perfect, will cause a shift in the way books are published.

He thinks e-books will put more money in the authors’ pockets and will make for better books, especially those with pictures or which are time-sensitive. Of course, the example he uses is himself. And he already has a platform. Here’s his example, based on his own sales and record:

Books don't have to end, and neither will my author's revenue stream. If I sell my Kindle book to a reader for $9.99, he has saved perhaps $20 on the price of a hardcover book. Let's say I sell 40,000 copies of the book, and further assume that I can get at least 10,000 of the buyers to subscribe to periodically updated chapters and podcasts, or perhaps a blog, for an additional $9.99. As an author, I would like to control that end of the revenue stream, which I don't need a big publisher for anyway. That's another $100,000 in revenue to me, minus my costs and Amazon's cut.

Then, as he points out, they’re better for the environment. Kiley predicts that business people will be the first to embrace the Kindle-type readers since they’ll be able to take many books, magazines and newspapers on planes on a reader much smaller than a laptop, then university students will quickly follow. After that … the world.

Kindle says:

If I was Barnes & Noble (BKS) or Borders (BGP), I would start planning for what I was going to put in all that store space in 20 years. At least I hope they have to have those meetings.