Determination: Moving From Writer to Author

A writer is one who writes. An author is one who is published.

 

That’s a pretty common and accepted distinction. Plenty of people write, far fewer are published. For some people, making that leap is as easy as a stroll across the back nine, for others it requires building a whole new course. Regardless of the route, crossing the chasm requires two things:

 

1. Finishing the work. This one’s mandatory.
2. Submitting your work. When it's ready. Someone might stumble upon it, but they still have to read it. And like it. And be willing to put up money. 

But there’s one other quality: Determination. Drive. Yes, to do the above two, but also to study, research, know your craft, your genre. Participate. Be involved.

 

In short, to be immersed.

 

I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately, right after realizing that I’ve probably spent my entire first advance going to conferences and book events. And I also realizing it’s worth it. I have to be there professionally and personally.

 

But here’s where it gets muddled. Writers Conferences are a given. Writers go to get better, but mostly they go to gain access to editors and agents. Smart move. But why don’t they ever seem to be at the book events: 1. Doing the same and 2. Supporting authors. Soaking up the ambience. Learning.

 

In short, immersing themselves.

 

I belong to two writers groups (Eastern NY SCBWI and the Glens Falls Writers Group) and several defunct groups. Total membership for all the groups combined? More than 100. And yet I saw one writer – and the same writer at that – at all the book festivals and signings I’ve been to lately (see the Empire State Book Festival and the Hudson Children’s Book Festival entries).

 

I find myself freely talking to authors, watching them work, seeing who's selling books, how they’re selling them, what presentations move and which drag. But beyond that – far beyond that – I simply have to be there. I’m going this weekend to see Jane Yolen* and Mark Teague at Open Door Books in Schenectady . Why? Because I have to. I can’t explain it. Just like I had to see Hemingway’s house when I was in Key West . Some things you have to do.

 

Being around books is mine. I wish more writers looking to make the leap to author felt the same way. Maybe more of them would be published if they were Driven. Determined. Immersed.

 

And no, I’m not published yet. But I feel like I’m getting ever closer (see the Pocono SCBWI entry). But until then – and I’m sure after then, too – I’ll enjoy the next festival as much as the next conference – not to network, but to be surrounded by writers and readers who share my passion: books.

 

“Writers are not paid for their words. They are paid for their perseverance.”

*Jane Yolen says writing is a matter of 

"butt in chair." Don't make the mistake of using

book festivals to get out of writing. If anything,

write twice as much. Keep writing until you're

behind one of those tables selling your book.

Who knows? I might be there to buy it from you.

What's the last book festival you went to? Who did you go to see? What did you buy?

Hard Work at the Hudson Children's Book Festival

Once again, some amazing authors and illustrators showed up in tiny Hudson, NY for the Hudson Children's Book Festvial. Just south of Albany, the event draws plenty of talented authors from upstate, downstate, and across the state, but also  from across the country. Among the bestselling children's authors in attendance were Nick Bruel (Bad Kitty), Da Chen (Colors of the Mountain), Caldecott winner Emily Arnold McCully, Fran Manushkin (Katie Woo, and The Tushy Book), Lee Harper (Woolbur), and Susanna Leonard Hill (Punxsutawney Phyllis).

Capital District SCBWI was also well represented, with kidlit writers Nancy Castaldo, Kyra Teis, Kathy Ceceri, Eric Luper (the inspiration behind the festival), Rose Kent, Liza Frenette and Erica Villnave all setting up shop, conducting workshops and more.

Which is where the hard work comes in. Not just from the official workshops, but from working the room as an aspiring author. I had a chance to connect with children's writers who've given me great adivice in the past and those who gladly gave me some this year. It’s too long a list to name every author, but I will name those who were very helpful (and give you a little of what they said).

Advice From Award-Winning Children’s Authors

Bad Kitty Meets the Baby
available June 7, 2011



1.   Nick Bruel. The Bad Kitty author was good to me last and even better this year. I'm glad my son counts him among his favorite middle grade writers. Last year, Nick suggested I get an agent for a book idea, and that led me to approach agent extraordinairre Marcia Wernick. This year, Nick gave me advice on signing contracts, what to look for when it comes to advances, mutlibook deals, serials, etc. In short, don't let publishers link the advance for one book to another book. Make sure each contract is separate.

I also attended Nick's workshop on creating picture books. Great to watch him work a room full of fans. Real control over the room. The presentation was interactive and funny. His style is slower-paced than mine, so to watch him was educational, to say the least.

I was also with Nick for a unique moment: when he first laid eyes on the Bad Kitty mascot. The costumed character wasn't supposed to be ready until Book Espo America in a few weeks, but it was ready early. His first words? “They did a great job with the tail.” And they did. Funny what you notice first.

2.   Eric Luper. At the Empire State Book Festival Eric (Jeremy Bender and the Cupcake Cadets) answered questions on my agent situation; this time we talked about his publisher, Balzer + Bray. His suggestion? Whatever middle grade manuscript I eventually send B+B should grab them, the sort of thing they can't live without. He says the feedback I'm getting from them now is great and encouraging, but the next project will have to be big. He's right, of course, which may lead me to scrap one of the two middle grade projects I'm working on. Oh, well, se la vie. Onward and upward.

3.   Fran Manushkin, whose mg Katie Woo is a long and well-received series (24 books in 3 years!) gave me similar advice. Sitting next to Eric (authors were arranged alphabetically. Fitting, I guess), she said she was once told by an editor, after a rejection, that her next book had to be “perfect.” Perfect! Now that's pressure. I guess it was, because Fran was signed. That said, she also gave me advice on being a bit more aggressive with a particular editor. Not impolite, of course, just more aggressive. Get a response from her as soon as I can. Publishing may have its own schedule (about as slow as Amtrak being pulled by a mule), but she's probably right here. The editor is question has worked with Fran a great deal over the years.

4.  Rose Kent. The author of Kimchi & Calamari and

Rocky Road 

told me to shoot for the Rutgers One on One this year. Eric told me the same thing a few weeks ago, but Rose gave me advice on writing the cover letter: let them know why you're the right candidate for mentoring. How serious you are, how much this can help. Rutgers is a big event, an important event, and Rose is right – I believe it can help me, but they need to know it, too. As Rose said, “Make your letter as good as your work.” One more thing that has to be perfect!

I can't wait for next year's impressive array of authors and illustrators. And while next year is likely too soon to have a book on the table, I hope Nick Bruel is right (once again). Briggs is close to Bruel. Perhaps at a future event we will have adjoining tables. If someone doesn't buy my book, I'll gladly send her to Nick's table. He's influenced my writing and career choices, and given more of his time than he needs to. Thanks, Nick!

(And thanks to everyone who gave of their valuable time!)

Matching Your Manuscript to Publisher and Editor

It can be maddening matching your manuscript to the right publisher, and even harder to the right editor. I encountered this again while deciding between two picture books to send a particular publisher, a normally closed house, but one where I managed to meet the editor at a conference.

That doesn't solve my dilemma. This house publishes a lot of easy readers, focusing largely on books for boys. Check. I can do that. But they also love dialogue-friendly stories, and only one of my two choices falls into that category, and it's not, by definition, and easy reader. None of the usual repetitive phrases that drive home a point and teach word structure and usage. I could be splitting the difference here, but, as always, I want to get this choice right.

It may come down to a gut choice, or even, as sometimes happens, the one with the best pitch – in this case, the story told entirely in dialogue and illustrations. Unfortunately, the other one is probably a better piece. Ahh, the dilemma!*

In the meantime, while I pore over details a five year old won't use to decide his favorite story (but that are still very important to make everything just right), here's a list of considerations when picking a publisher or editor to pitch.

Submitting to a Publisher

1. Do they publish authors you like? Probably the most common trick, but one often overlooked. Find out who publishes your favorite author.
2. Are there similarities between your work and theirs? Just because they publish your favorite author, do they publish work like yours? That is, is your work really similar to your favorite authors’? I love Faulkner, but I don’t write what he wrote. Find work similar in theme, style, voice, etc., and approach those publishers.
3. What to they publish most? A big house may publish everything, a small house a select line. Just because they publish everything from board books to young adult doesn’t mean they don’t have a preference.
4. Books for Boys or Girls? Are there more boy books or girl books? Most houses publish some of both and certain books can be for either, but is there more of one than the other?
5. Age range? Sure picture books are for younger children than middle grade and so on, but even those genres are divided into ever-increasing niche markets. Is your middle grade for 8-12 year olds or 10-14 year olds? Is your YA for 13-16 or 15-18, and so on. Even picture books can 2-6 or 4-8. Marketing has been doing this for years; publishing has caught up.
6. Voice? Are most stories first person or third? Dialogue or text heavy? Present tense or past? Male or female narrator? Clipped sentences or lengthy literature? Try to match up wherever you can. Don't change your style to match theirs. After all, you need an original voice or you'll never get published. You just want to be close to a given house's history

And with that said, stick to what they've published in the past few years. Publishing, like the digital world, is getting a shorter history. Two years can be out of date.

Submitting to an Editor

Once you have a publisher or two picked out, you'll need to submit to a particular editor. Sending it to Dear Editor is a sure trip to the bottom of the slush pile. The very bottom. Of course, particular editors have particular tastes. Agents know these and follow these, but like researching a publisher, you have to rely on old-fashioned leg work (and by old-fashioned I mean the Internet). Find interviews with them, blogs they write, tweets they send, podcasts they've joined, and most importantly, conferences. Some editors are virtually anonymous on the web, but most do conferences and they come with one important answer:

“So what are you looking for?”

They hear it a hundred times. They have an answer prepared. When you approach them, be prepared, too. Explain why you think your work is right for them. Do your homework!

And good luck.

*Briefly discussed in my post Balzer and Bray on the Brain