Quote of the Week & Week to Come

"When a man is in doubt about this or that in his writing, it will often guide him if he asks himself how it will tell a hundred years hence." -Samuel Butler


This week on Writing From the Peak...

...Jax Hunter introduces Mythic Structure in the seventh installment of her Story Tips series

...Aaron Ritchey gives us "The Secret to Querying"

...Guest poster, Alicia Howie, tells us how the Pikes Peak Writers Conference changed her life

...We provide bios on Pat van Wie and Kate Testerman

PPWC 2013 - Sorche Fairbank, Agent

Fairbank Literary Representation

Sorche Fairbank

Fairbank Literary Representation has recently moved from Massachusetts to New York, but they're ramped up and ready to go. Sorche’s tastes in novels tend toward literary fiction, international voices, and women’s voices. On the nonfiction side, books that tackle current events and topical and societal issues with a narrative treatment. She has a strong interest in women’s voices and class and race issues, quality lifestyle books (food, wine, design), memoir that goes beyond the me-moir, and humor, gift books, and pop culture. 

She’s not interested in: SF, fantasy, children’s, YA, self-help, romance, sports fiction, or anything that opens with a dream scene and/or exhaustive descriptions of weather. Unless, of course, it’s really really REALLY good. 

She can be found at the following places:

Fairbank Literary website

Publisher's Marketplace

Twitter

About the Author:  Shannon Lawrence is a mom of two, a freelance writer and aspiring novelist.  She lives in Colorado Springs and is inspired by the beauty of Pikes Peak and the Rockies.  After years of letting her writing fall by the wayside, she has recently thrown herself back into it.  Her main focus is fantasy and horror and she has just finished a Young Adult Fantasy novel.  She has a flash fiction piece featured in the anthology Sunday Snaps: The Stories, due out in 2013.  She has also discovered a love of photography and enjoys photographing the breathtaking Colorado scenery and wildlife, as well as her children.  She blogs about reading, writing and photography at www.thewarriormuse.com.

April News, Events & Links

PPW News

The April Write Brain will cover everything you need to know about PPWC 2013. Our wonderful conference leaders, MB Partlow and Bonnie Hagan, will talk about conference weekend, guide you through the hotel layout, and answer any questions you might have about conference in order to put any fears you might have at rest. It will be Tuesday, April 16, 6:30-8:30 PM, at the Colorado Springs Marriott, which is also the location of the conference. More information can be found on the "PPW Events" tab above.

PPW Writer's Night at Lofty's (note the new location), will be held Monday, April 22, from 6:30 to 8:30 P.M.  Come enjoy wine, coffee, sandwiches, and various goodies, and chat about writing.  Open to topics of discussion and questions.  More information on the Events tab.

PPW Open Critique Night will occur Wednesday, April 17, 6:30-8:30 P.M at the Cottonwood Center for the Arts.  The first 8 to RSVP may bring 8 pages of their manuscript to critique.  More information on the Events tab.

The Pikes Peak Writers Conference is this month! Friday, April 19 to Sunday, April 21. You can add Thursday, April 18 or take it as a stand-alone. Registration is still open!

Other Local Events

Friends of the Pikes Peak Library District will be holding their annual free Mountain of Authors Event Saturday, April 13, from 12:30 to 6:00 PM, at East Library, 5550 N. Union Blvd. The keynote speaker will be Stephen Coonts, and there will be panels on Love & War and Publishing Advice from the Pros. This is a great place to discover new authors or get signed books from your favorites. PPW will have a table there, so stop by and say hi!

Pikes Peak Library District will host A Conversation with Andrew McCarthy Tuesday, April 30, 4:00 to 9:00 PM, at Stargazers Theater. There is a reception from 4:00 to 6:00 PM with a cost of $30 ($40 after April 20), a free presentation from 7:00 to 8:00 PM, and free signing from 8:00 to 9:00 PM.

The Pikes Peak Branch of the National League of American Pen Women will hold their monthly presentation  on April 20, from 11:30 AM to 2:00 PM. This month's workshop is Poetic Pen, a poetry reading. It will be located at the Business of Art Center in Manitou, with a cost of $23.00 for non-members.

The Lighthouse Writers Workshop will have a full calendar this month, including workshops on plotting, poetry, the fiction toolbox, voice, and freelance writing. They're also holding their annual week-long retreat in July, but are taking registration now.

Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers will have their April workshop with the theme Indie-Pub Extravaganza. Saturday, April 27, 1:30 to 3:30 PM, at Belmar Public Library. They'll have eight writers talking about their independent publishing journeys, including Kenn Amdahl, Bonnie Biafore, Quincy Allen, J.A. Kazimer, Jay Barry, Dr. Shay Fabbro, Ellie Lothlorien, and Colleen Oakes. They will also feature their quarterly programming, Show, Don't Tell: How do They do That? presented by Jan Weeks on Saturday, April 20, 8:45 AM to 1:00 PM, at the Business Incubator Center.

The Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Mystery Writers of America will host Dr. Kim Gorgens, who will discuss Forensic Psychology and the Criminal. Thursday, April 11. Cost is $25 for non-members. You are asked to RSVP.

Colorado Springs Fiction Writers has various meetings throughout the month for critique and discussion.  Visitors are welcome.

Black Cat Books and the BAC, located in Manitou Springs, have lots of programs for readers and writers alike.  Even knitters!  Check out the events page for more information.

The Pikes Peak Romance Writers will be meeting up at the Pikes Peak Writers Conference for their monthly meeting, but they've also rescheduled a big event with Barbara Samuel - O'Neal, entitled The Heroine's Journey. Sunday, April 14, 1:00 PM, at Black Cat Books in Manitou. Non-member fee is $5.00. Must RSVP.

Publications Open for Submissions and Contests:
Please note: Inclusion of links in this post does not equal sponsorship by Pikes Peak Writers or a relationship between the two entities.  Please always be sure to pursue due diligence before submitting anything to a publication or contest.

This is the last month for the Pikes Peak Branch of the NLAPW's annual flash fiction contest. Theme: Hidden Amongst These Worlds. Deadline: May 1. Entry Fee: $10. First Prize: $100.

A-Minor Press is looking for poetry collections or flash fiction and short story collections. One manuscript submission at a time. Simultaneous submissions accepted.

Escape Pod is looking for speculative/sci-fi short stories to be published online and to be presented via podcast by an actor. Paying market.

Riptide Publishing has two open calls for collections. This is typically an invitation-only submission company, but if you get in on the open submission call and are chosen for one of their anthologies, you are free to submit manuscripts to them in the future. The two themes open right now are Laying Down (With) the Law (May 1), and College Discovery (June 1). Payment unknown.

Anassa Publications is putting together their first charity anthology. Non-fiction or fictionalized non-fiction. Open until filled. All profits go to charity. Stories of animal relationships, rescues, and/or survival against all odds.

Imaginative Fiction Writers Association has a short story contest going, the Robyn Herrington Memorial In Places Between 2013 contest. Speculative fiction. $125 first prize. No entry fee.

The International Human Dimensions Programme on GlobalEnvironmental Change is holding a writing contest on sustainable development goals. First prize is $500. April 15 deadline.

The wonderful Barbara Samuel (who also writes as Barbara O'Neal) is offering a six-week intensive voice workshop for writers. Unsure of location, but you can email with questions. April 30th to June 4th or July 30th to September 3rd. $225. Scholarships available.

Chicken Soup for the Soul is accepting submissions for a multitude of possible titles. They pay $200 for your story or poem. Ongoing/no deadline.

Port Cities Review is seeking submissions for feature articles about great port cities of the world. Pays $50 per article. Ongoing/no deadline.

Dark Futures Fiction if looking for poetry and prose that fits the theme of dark futures. Pays a small amount based on length. Ongoing/no deadline.

The Journal of Compressed Creative Arts, via Matter Press, is looking for compressed fiction, non-fiction, poetry, mixed media and visual arts. Pays $50. Will close for submissions April 15.

Cardinal Sins Journal has opened their annual flash fiction contest. The theme is "trespassing." No entry fee. First prize is $150 and publication.

Deadwood Publishing is accepting submissions for three different anthologies - Ruined Cities, The Death God's Chosen, and The Ways of Magic. Open until filled. Pays $.01/word. 5,000 to 20,000 words in length.

Bartleby Snopes would like to start releasing flash novels, books that feel like a full novel, but are only 3,000 to 10,000 words in length. No deadlines, but they hope to publish their first this summer. Pays 60% royalties. They will do editing and cover art.

Monster Corral has the image up for their monthly Flash Fiction Contest. 1000 words tops. Deadline March 31. First prize is $50, plus publication (chance for publication at usual pay for all entrants). No fee to enter. Any genre as long as a monster is featured.

The Waterman Fund is holding their 2013 Alpine Essay Contest on technology in the woods. Essays due April 15. $1500 first prize and publication in Appalachia Journal. No fee.

Running Out of Ink is accepting submissions of short fiction, any genre. Not a paying market.

Sword and Laser is accepting submissions for an anthology. Sci-fi and Fantasy themed. Deadline May 15. Pays $200.

About the Author:  Shannon Lawrence is a mom of two, a freelance writer and aspiring novelist.  She lives in Colorado Springs and is inspired by the beauty of Pikes Peak and the Rockies.  After years of letting her writing fall by the wayside, she has recently thrown herself back into it.  Her main focus is fantasy and horror and she has just finished a Young Adult Fantasy novel.  She has a flash fiction piece featured in the anthology Sunday Snaps: The Stories, due out in late 2012.  She has also discovered a love of photography and enjoys photographing the breathtaking Colorado scenery and wildlife, as well as her children.  She blogs about reading, writing and photography at www.thewarriormuse.com.   

PPWC 2013 - Pam van Hylckama Vlieg, Agent

Foreword Literary

Pam van Hylckama Vlieg

Pam van Hylckama Vlieg sold twenty-one books in her first year at Larsen Pomada Literary. She's now moved with mentor Laurie McLean to create a new agency, Foreword Literary.

Not only is Pam an agent, but she is also a writer of YA and a YA book blogger at Bookalicious.org, Bookalicio.us, and Brazen Reads. She feels that being a writer gives her better insight into fellow writers.

Pam is currently seeking YA, MG, Romance, New Adult, SF and Fantasy. Not only that, but she is also willing to take genre fiction and women's fiction pitches back for other agents at her agency, should the pitch interest her. She is currently building her list, so she's open to great ideas.

We recommend you view her Foreword Literary bio (link below) to see what some of her favorite books are in the genres she's accepting pitches for. She's provided great insight for writers in this list!

You can also find Pam at:

Larsen Pomada Literary

LinkedIn

Goodreads

Foreward Literary

Bookalicio.us

Bookalicious.org

Brazen Reads

Twitter

Google+

About the Author:  Shannon Lawrence is a mom of two, a freelance writer and aspiring novelist.  She lives in Colorado Springs and is inspired by the beauty of Pikes Peak and the Rockies.  After years of letting her writing fall by the wayside, she has recently thrown herself back into it.  Her main focus is fantasy and horror and she has just finished a Young Adult Fantasy novel.  She has a flash fiction piece featured in the anthology Sunday Snaps: The Stories, due out in 2013.  She has also discovered a love of photography and enjoys photographing the breathtaking Colorado scenery and wildlife, as well as her children.  She blogs about reading, writing and photography at www.thewarriormuse.com.

Living the Writing Dream

By Deb McLeod

The theme of the 2013 Pikes Peak Writer’s Conference is "Writing from the Ashes: Never Lose Sight of Your Dreams." As a writing coach one of my jobs is to help my clients keep their writing dream alive. We march one step at a time toward their writing goals together. Learning to write can be a long apprenticeship. In a world where results are the measuring stick, it can get hard to face friends, family and busybodies who ask, yet again: “Finish your book yet?”

Well, it takes as long as it takes, but, bless them, if they aren’t writers they don’t know that.

Writing a book is a journey into yourself, into your characters and your story. If you let yourself, you will be changed when you come out the other side. And process is process is process. Beginning, middle, end.

In honor of the conference, and for my clients and friends everywhere, here are five things to remember that might help you keep your writing dream alive.

1. Know that it’s an incredible time to be a writer.
The publishing industry is in upheaval. That can only be good for writers. We have more control over our careers than ever before. Book tastes are changing as the audience tastes begin to drive what sells and not just what legacy publishers will publish. Cross genre books are selling and e-published work is challenging the same old genre formulas. With the advent of e-readers, studies say more people are reading. I can say for a certainty that more people are writing. It is a time of writing and reading abundance! Can you see yourself as part of this great writing evolution? Can you remind yourself that you are part of this new conversation?

2. Understand your writing as a process.
Sometimes when you’re in the long middle of your journey it can seem like your dream is only ever going to be a dream. I’m here to say that is only so if you let it be so. Start something and be alright not knowing where it will end up. Break up the long middle of your journey into pieces, set goals to get you through the time of accumulating pages so you can see what it is you have to say. Writing is editing too, so learn the tools and the craft and measure your progress as you transform that idea you had into something concrete. Transformation is process. Where are you in yours?

3. Lighten up – don’t put pressure on your dream.
Some writers are driven by the measurement of publishing. Some writers feel they aren’t really writers until an outside source has given them validity. And some, like Anne LaMott, will say that publishing isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. The joy is in the journey. When you’ve had a good writing day, measure your life by that. Do your friends and family know when you haven’t been able to sit down by yourself and get some words on paper? Most writers are happier, nicer and more relaxed after they’ve written for the day. If you’re one of those, as I am, then measure your success by the page. Did you get words on the paper today? Good for you. You win.

4. Be aware of the dream squelchers.
I have learned to use my squelchers to drive me. I have a dream to read one day in the auditorium of The University of Arizona where I got my bachelor’s degree in creative writing. I had a professor there who said – on our first day in class – that “there is so much bad writing out there, as a university professor it is my duty to encourage the best and weed out the rest.” I got a C in that class. My one and only writing C. He’s still at the U of A. I checked. One day I’m going back there to give him the raspberry. But then I’m going to thank him.

Pam Houston said once a workshop participant commented that she should find something else to do with her hands. Negative feedback can be turned. Learn how to turn yours, because you’re always going to get negative feedback.

5. Bring writing into your life - find community.
Of course, if you surround yourself with other writers, if you find your peeps and talk about writing, if you write together, share the dream, breathe words with one another, then aren’t you really already living the dream?

About the Author: Deb McLeod, is a writer, creative writing coach and founder of The Writing Ranch. She has both an MFA and a BA in creative writing. She has been teaching and coaching for over ten years. Deb has published short fiction in anthologies and journals. She has written articles and creative nonfiction. Deb has been a professional blogger, tech writer, graphic artist and Internet marketing specialist. 

PPWC 2013 - Barry Eisler, Author

Barry Eisler

Barry Eisler is the closest to an international man of mystery you'll get at this year's Pikes Peak Writers Conference, and luckily for all of us, he's a keynote speaker! 

Barry once worked with the CIA's Directorate of Operations. If that's not cool enough for you, he was also a technology lawyer at an international law firm, in-house counsel in a Japanese company, and a startup executive in Silicon Valley. Because all work and no play makes Barry a dull boy, he earned his black belt in Judo at the Kodokan International Judo Center. Do not sneak up behind this author at conference!

All of that said, he has also found great success as a bestselling author. His books have won awards and made it onto "Best of" lists, and they've been translated into more than twenty languages. They include his John Rain thriller series and his Treven books. He's also published several short stories/novellas, and a couple of essays.

If you visit his website, you'll find a page for writers where he gives helpful information for others trying to find success in writing.

You can find him at the following places:

His website

His Blog

Twitter

Facebook

LinkedIn

Goodreads

About the Author:  Shannon Lawrence is a mom of two, a freelance writer and aspiring novelist.  She lives in Colorado Springs and is inspired by the beauty of Pikes Peak and the Rockies.  After years of letting her writing fall by the wayside, she has recently thrown herself back into it.  Her main focus is fantasy and horror and she has just finished a Young Adult Fantasy novel.  She has a flash fiction piece featured in the anthology Sunday Snaps: The Stories, due out in 2013.  She has also discovered a love of photography and enjoys photographing the breathtaking Colorado scenery and wildlife, as well as her children.  She blogs about reading, writing and photography at www.thewarriormuse.com.

Letter From the Editor - It's Go Time!

We've made it! It's April, conference month for Pikes Peak Writers. A lot of preparation has gone into getting to this point, and there is still plenty of work being done behind the scenes. Picture a bunch of writers, scrambling around like ants, albeit creative ones, and you'll know just what it looks like around here right now.

On Writing From the Peak, we will continue passing along bios for the keynote speakers, editors and agents who are attending the conference right up until the conference date, so be sure to check in to learn more about the people you can pitch to, and who you might want to sit with at the meals. Maybe you'll get a little extra insight into the people behind the bios. We also try to put links to their various websites so that you may look them up and learn more on your own.

Even with conference approaching, Pikes Peak Writers is hard a work planning our free programming for the rest of the year. We'll also have a table at Pikes Peak Library District's Mountain of Authors the weekend before conference (more information on Friday's post), and we'll be helping out when Andrew McCarthy visits PPLD on the 30th of the month.

If this is your first conference, and even if it isn't, the Write Brain the week of conference is a good idea to attend. Our lovely conference ladies will help prepare you for the crazy weekend coming your way. You can find more details on this on the Events tab above, as well as on this Friday's post.

Our columnists are still bringing you quality content this month, as well. You'll find some posts on conference and pitching, but also posts on querying, art and writing, and mythic structure. We hope there's something for everyone, so please check back daily. We post varied content Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays are dedicated to conference bios for the majority of this month, and Sundays give you a head's up of the posts coming up that week, as well as a writing quote.

Whether you're coming to conference or not, I hope our excitement and energy are contagious, and that you can take what you learn on the blog, at our free programming, and at conference, to forge a successful writing career.

Have a great and productive month!

Shannon Lawrence
Managing Editor, Writing From the Peak
PPW Director of Non-Conference Events

Quote of the Week & Week to Come

"Everywhere I go I'm asked if I think the University stifles writers. My opinion is that they don't stifle enough of them. There's many a bestseller that could have been prevented by a good teacher." -Flannery O'Connor


This week on Writing From the Peak...

...You'll find the monthly Letter From the Editor

...Deb McLeod tells us about "Living the Writing Dream"

...The editor passes along this months local events and helpful links

...And the PPWC 2013 bios continue with David Liss, Pam van Hylckama Vlieg, and Sorche Fairbank

PPWC 2013 - Deb Werksman, Editor

Sourcebooks

Deb Werksman

Deb Werksman has been an editor at the Illinois-based Sourcebooks for fourteen years. She is acquiring single title romance in all sub-genres (paranormal, historical, suspense, contemporary, and erotic), historical, and women's fiction. From her bio on the Sourcebooks website, she is looking for the following traits in romance submitted to her: a heroine readers can relate to, a hero she can fall in love with, a credible and imaginative world, the ability to escape into the world, a hook, and a career arc for the author. For commercial women's fiction, she's looking for a strong hook and an unusual angle. She is also fond of happy endings over dark and depressing tales.

From Sourcebooks: "We like to say that we publish authors, not books, because we think strategically about authors’ careers, and we constantly promote our backlist, which encourages readership to grow." The editors and staff at Sourcebooks invest themselves in their authors' careers, and they publish more than 300 titles each year.

Before working with Sourcebooks, Deb had a small publishing press, where she put out a political satire magazine with her husband. She sold this press to Sourcebooks when she joined the editorial staff.

You can find Deb at the following places:

Sourcebooks website

Twitter

LinkedIn

Casablanca Authors Blog (once per month)

About the Author:  Shannon Lawrence is a mom of two, a freelance writer and aspiring novelist.  She lives in Colorado Springs and is inspired by the beauty of Pikes Peak and the Rockies.  After years of letting her writing fall by the wayside, she has recently thrown herself back into it.  Her main focus is fantasy and horror and she has just finished a Young Adult Fantasy novel.  She has a flash fiction piece featured in the anthology Sunday Snaps: The Stories, due out in 2013.  She has also discovered a love of photography and enjoys photographing the breathtaking Colorado scenery and wildlife, as well as her children.  She blogs about reading, writing and photography at www.thewarriormuse.com.

Good News for all Writers Everywhere! Rejoice!

By Aaron Michael Ritchey

I have a friend, Betsy Dornbusch, who posted on her blog that people think she self-published her book. They just assume it. Now, she’s spent the last eight years working on her craft to get to the point that she is a professional writer, and yeah, she hasn’t self-published, and gets miffed that people just assume she did.

It’s a fascinating blog post. And you can link to it from HERE. 

I commented, which I don’t do often. This is my comment in funky fresh italics:

I have to say, when asked if I self-pubbed, I can honestly say I didn't. I have a publisher. My press is small. Does that make a difference? I don't know. Mark Coker of Smashwords would say the market and the readers will decide.

However, the days of working years on a book only to shove it under the bed because you couldn't find a publisher are over. Good.

Write books. Publish them. Repeat. If you suck, you suck. If you're divine, the readers will come. Perhaps only a few, but better than no readers at all.

I keep thinking, though, that I didn’t capture exactly what I wanted to say. The issue is so deep, wide, and pervasive—it plunges into the murky bottom of my vanity and my fears.

I don’t have a literary agent. I published my first book through a small press. I’ve had to do everything myself as far as marketing and promotion. People are sooooooooo impressed that I got published. Most normal people don’t know the difference between my contract with Crescent Moon Press and Stephen King’s latest contract with Simon and Schuster. I know. And it pains me.

This is hard stuff. Should I stop writing and give up because the outside world has not given me the six figure advance? Or should I rejoice in the fact I have an ISBN?  Shouldn’t I be grateful I have a book in the world, and that readers in Germany and the Philippines get to write negative reviews about my work on Amazon?

Yes, but I have a problem. I have dramatic sensibilities. If I don’t have Twilight fame, I suck. If my work doesn’t win awards, I suck. If I’m not making millions of dollars off my books, I suck. If German teens don’t love my books, I suck.

And yet, there are writers who got the six-figure advance and then got screwed. Who got dropped by their publisher. Who lived a life of woe. There are no easy answers. Good books do well. Crappy books do well. No one knows anything except if you hit it big, people will call you a genius. Take the same book, give it a bad cover and add some misspelled words, the same EXACT book, and the same people who lauded your genius will laugh at you.

I say we should rejoice in whatever path we are on. If you are self-pubbed, rejoice that you live in a time when you can get your voice out into the world. Give Mark Coker a big kiss next time you see him. And pray for sales.

If you have a big-time literary agent with big-time contracts with big-time publishers, rejoice because you’ve done something very few people ever do. And pray for sales.

Above all, write books. Write good books when you can. Write really stupid books when you can’t. And then take the plunge and put your book in the hands of readers, real readers, with hearts, minds, and souls. If some knucklehead shrugs you off because your book is only available online, talk to the next person, who might really need to read your work.

My first book I had printed by a tech manual printer. I had about twenty copies made. The book was unreadable. I dedicated it to my wife and she couldn’t get past the first chapter. It was a disaster. But my friend Peter read it. And he cried because he understood what I was trying to say in that 150,000 word monstrosity. My story touched him down to the roots of his soul. So the disaster was worth every single piece of shrapnel.

Rejoice and be glad! 

About the Writer:  YA Paranormal author Aaron Michael Ritchey has penned a dozen manuscripts in his 20 years as a writer. When he isn’t slapping around his muse, Aaron cycles to look fabulous, works in medical technologies, and keeps his family in silks and furs. His first novel, The Never Prayer, hit the streets on March 29, 2012.

PPWC 2013 - Barry Goldblatt, Agent

Barry Goldblatt Literary

Barry Goldblatt

Barry Goldblatt, one of the agents who will be appearing at PPWC 2013, headed to New York with a dream of finding an editor position in science fiction and fantasy, ultimately discovering that this dream wasn't going to be easy. A helpful interviewer pointed him in another direction, and he ended up working with children's books for a branch of Penguin. 

Through eleven years, he also worked for Putnam and Orchard, having fallen in love with children's literature. When Orchard was bought out, he decided to open his own literary agency, encouraged by a friend and award-winning author. That was in 2000, and he's still going strong. In fact, he represents his wife, Libba Bray.

Other authors he's worked with include Angela Johnson, Shannon Hale, Cassandra Clare, Tim Wynne-Jones, and many more recognizable names. He represents the gamut of literature for youths, from children's to Young Adult, but he is especially looking for Middle Grade right now. He is hands-on with his clients, and helps them get their work ready for publication, in addition to finding them contracts.

You can find Barry at:

His website

Twitter

About the Author:  Shannon Lawrence is a mom of two, a freelance writer and aspiring novelist.  She lives in Colorado Springs and is inspired by the beauty of Pikes Peak and the Rockies.  After years of letting her writing fall by the wayside, she has recently thrown herself back into it.  Her main focus is fantasy and horror and she has just finished a Young Adult Fantasy novel.  She has a flash fiction piece featured in the anthology Sunday Snaps: The Stories, due out in 2013.  She has also discovered a love of photography and enjoys photographing the breathtaking Colorado scenery and wildlife, as well as her children.  She blogs about reading, writing and photography at www.thewarriormuse.com.

The Number One Reason Writers Get Rejected

By Linda Rohrbough

I’m going to tell you a secret. The number one reason writers get rejected by agents and editors is genre. I’ve heard this from a number of literary agents, including Noah Lukeman, author of The First Five Pages: A Writer’s Guide to Staying Out of the Rejection Pile. Writers tend to mislabel their genre, or they misunderstand what genre an agent or editor is looking for. And these days, due to electronic submissions, you usually don’t even get the favor of a form letter returned in your self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE). So many authors may never know they’ve made this mistake.

Most writers I know without much experience in publishing think what I just said is nonsense. It simply can’t be genre. Doesn’t everyone know you just go down to the bookstore, find the books similar to yours, copy down the genre written on the edge of the shelf and voila – you’ve got it? How hard can this be?

Evidently, it’s harder than it looks. What continues to surprise me is that “experienced” writers, who crank out how-to articles aimed at educating those who want to be authors, tell people that bookstore nonsense. If that strategy worked, everyone would know and understand their genre. But they don’t and they may never figure it out. Once in a while, some editor or agent takes the time to simply tell them, but that doesn’t happen very often.

So let me tell you why the bookstore idea doesn’t work. Bookstores use a labeling system aimed at readers. It’s not the same system that agents and editors use, even though it uses many of the same words – kind of like American English and the Queen’s English. (A British editor of mine said he and I were “two people separated by a common language.” You should have seen his face when I recommended he order a quesadilla at a Mexican restaurant. Or when I called the small zipper bag around my waist a “fanny pack.” He’s no prude, but his face turned all kinds of red as he whispered that I’d said a very bad word - and it wasn’t ‘pack.’)

Authors start as readers, speaking that language learned mostly in high school English class or bookstores. And what do bookstores do? They attempt to sell books to readers, not buy books from authors. Bookstores develop categories based on marketing, even though the terms sound familiar and literary. When a bookstore says “mainstream,” they mean books that sell a lot of copies, not books that are really in the mainstream genre, which has an entirely different meaning to an editor or agent.

What makes this more confusing is the best-selling books that mix genres. Remember, authors started as readers, so they think they can get away with doing that, too, because it’s interesting. They say things like, “I’ll just write a Romeo and Juliet story where a Zombie falls for the daughter of the most important leader of the humans and set it in a post-apocalyptic world where the Zombies have the edge on the humans.” And some new authors do get away with it, like Isaac Marion, who wrote Warm Bodies, which was recently released as a feature film and which further reinforces the idea of genre blending.

Marion calls the book a “Zombie romance,” which appeals to readers. (Notice he figured out a way to talk about his book in a way that interests readers. Warm Bodies is his first published book, after three failed self-published novels.) There are no hard and fast lines here, but I’d say Warm Bodies is a speculative fiction sci-fi romance. So if Marion came to me for advice on looking for representation or a publisher, I’d say first approach agents and editors who represent speculative fiction since that’s the strongest element of this work. Stay away from agents and editors who represent romance, because they’re not going to buy this book, even though romance has a large readership. (Most new authors know a large readership means the odds are better for new writers to break in to the genre.)

As an aside, I think genre blending is a lot like the lottery. When people buy that ticket, they believe they can beat the odds. Heck, if they knew they’d be better off financially using that bill to clean their teeth instead of buying dental floss, the lotto folks would go broke.

So what’s a new author to do? As a new author, not only do you want to write in a genre that’s selling, which means there’s demand, but you want to write something that stays inside the boundaries of the genre. Debbie Macomber can introduce speculative fiction elements (angels) into her romance novels and get away with it because she has a track record. But she didn’t do that when she started. She started writing category romance, which has very stringent guidelines. But you can’t just do what everyone else has done either. You’ve got to find a way to stay in the lines, only with a twist of your own.

Having said that, writing in a genre that no one wants to buy is a different problem. And one that’s fairly simple to solve (despite the fact that some authors like to get into a lot of creative angst over it). You either commit to writing what you write, and hope tastes change or you get a break. Or you write what you think you can sell - which is no guarantee either, but it definitely increases the odds of being published.

So is there a way to learn about genre so you can speak the language of agents and editors? Sure. Chris Mandeville is doing a workshop on genre for the March Write Brain. I know, because she’s using materials I developed some time back, along with input from other experienced authors. That’s one of the cool things about PPW. You can either work up your courage to ask for help, or just go listen to learn what you don’t know.

If you want a leg up sooner, you can go to my website (www.LindaRohrbough.com) and in the articles section near the bottom there’s an article I wrote about genre for PPW called “The Genre Hurdle.” Then go to Chris’ workshop to get the latest on genre, which is always a moving target.

Also, keep this in mind: increasing your knowledge about genre is the best way to increase your odds of acceptance.

About the Author: Linda Rohrbough has been writing since 1989, and has more than 5,000 articles and seven books to her credit along with national awards for her fiction and non-fiction. New York Times #1 bestselling author Debbie Macomber said about Linda’s new novel: "This is fast-paced, thrilling, edge-of-the-seat reading. The Prophetess One: At Risk had me flipping the pages and holding my breath." The Prophetess One: At Risk has garnered three national awards: the 2012 International Book Award, the 2011 Global eBook Award, and the 2011 Millennium Star Publishing Award. An iPhone App of her popular “Pitch Your Book” workshop is available in the Apple iTunes store. Visit her website: www.LindaRohrbough.com.

PPWC 2013 - Libba Bray

Libba Bray

The first thing you need to know about Libba Bray is that she has a great sense of humor. If you don't believe me, you should check out her website (link below) or view the video I've included on this post. On her website, she has condensed her life story into a quick, witty story you're bound to get a kick out of.

Libba (or Martha Elizabeth Bray) is one of our keynote speakers at PPWC 2013. She published the Gemma Doyle Trilogy before going on to write The Diviners, about a girl sent off to live with her uncle in a freaky museum of the occult; Beauty Queens, which resembles Survivor with beauty queens; and Going Bovine, about a boy with mad cow disease and the hallucinations to prove it. She's also had stories in quite a few anthologies, many with dark overtones.

A New York Times bestselling author, she has received the Michael L. Printz Award (Going Bovine), and Beauty Queens received the honor of being named one of the Best Teen Books of 2011 by Kirkus Reviews.

The daughter of a minister and a teacher, Libba went through a time where she wrote copy for Richard Simmons. Ultimately, she became a published author and joined a band with three other YA authors. Her fellow Tiger Beat musicians are Daniel Ehrenhaft, Natalie Standiford, and Barnabas Miller.

After the list of places to find Libba Bray, I've placed a video of her book trailer for Going Bovine. It's a video you don't want to miss, especially if you plan on making a book trailer some day. Or if you like to laugh and be entertained. 

You can find Libba Bray at:

Her website (check out her bio and FAQ's)

Facebook

Twitter

Goodreads

Wikipedia

And now, I leave you with her book trailer for Going Bovine:

About the Author:  Shannon Lawrence is a mom of two, a freelance writer and aspiring novelist.  She lives in Colorado Springs and is inspired by the beauty of Pikes Peak and the Rockies.  After years of letting her writing fall by the wayside, she has recently thrown herself back into it.  Her main focus is fantasy and horror and she has just finished a Young Adult Fantasy novel.  She has a flash fiction piece featured in the anthology Sunday Snaps: The Stories, due out in 2013.  She has also discovered a love of photography and enjoys photographing the breathtaking Colorado scenery and wildlife, as well as her children.  She blogs about reading, writing and photography at www.thewarriormuse.com.

The Importance of Being Earnest...Hemingway

By Cindi Madsen

I like Ernest Hemingway, but I’ve never devoured one of his books. The Old Man and the Sea isn’t a very big book, but it took me a couple weeks to read. Probably because I read it about the same time the last Harry Potter book came out—I finished that 700 page bad boy in a day-and-a-half. I tend to like books with a lot of romance, humor, and big action, but sometimes genre writing is looked down on, as if writing a book that makes people fall in love or laugh doesn’t require skills or brains. Writing is hard work, regardless of genre.

So, I’m going to go ahead and make a confession. I’m a…a… Okay, deep breath. I’m a romance writer. I used to cover it up, claiming suspense or comedy, but the truth is, all my books have a strong romantic element. Finally, I’m able to admit it. Of course now that I’m admitting to it, I’ve had people look at me, faces all scrunched up, and ask, like they’re sure they heard me wrong, “Romance? Like fluff or bodice-ripping?”

Well, neither. My characters have real problems, and along the way they fall in love. I certainly wouldn’t call it fluff, but I’m all about a happy ending. That’s just me. And if that’s who you are, too, or if you write the bodice-ripping, deep thought provoking, literary, historical, or Christian fiction, I say be true to yourself and go for it. If you want to be the next Hemingway, Austen, Steinbeck, more power to you. Because at the end of the day, it’s about writing what you want to write—what you love. Even if family, friends, and your mom give you “that look” when they find out what you’re writing. Or even more terror-inducing, if they actually read it. 

If you don’t love what you’re writing, it’ll show. Plus, it ends up feeling like homework. I’m learning to write for me, and hope that other people will love it, too. So whatever you write, hold your head high, be true to who you are, and find the joy of being earnest.

(Originally published on Writing From the Peak April 2011.)

About the Author:  Cindi Madsen sits at her computer every chance she gets, plotting, revising, and falling in love with her characters. Sometimes this makes her a crazy person. Without it, she’d be even crazier. She has way too many shoes, but can always find a reason to buy a new pretty pair, especially if they’re sparkly, colorful, or super tall. She lives in Colorado with her husband and three children. Look for her YA novels, All the Broken Pieces with Entangled Publishing, and Demons of the Sun with Crescent Moon Press. More information can be found on her website: www.cindimadsen.blogspot.com.

Quote of the Week & Week to Come

"Writers are not just people who sit down and write. They hazard themselves. Every time you compose a book your composition of yourself is at stake." -E.L. Doctorow


This week on Writing From the Peak...

...Cindi Madsen tells us "The Importance of Being Earnest...Hemingway."

...Linda Rohrbough details "The Number One Reason Writers Get Rejected."

...Aaron Michael Ritchey has "Good News for Writers Everywhere! Rejoice!"

...We present the bios of keynote speaker Libba Bray and agent Barry Goldblatt.

Also, don't forget tomorrow is Writer's Night at Lofty's. 6:30-8:30 PM at Lofty's, down town. For more information, see our "Events" tab above or go to the website.

Have a great week!

PPWC 2013 - Hannah Bowman, Agent

Liza Dawson Associates Literary Agency

Hannah Bowman

Hannah Bowman is one of the agents who will be at PPWC 2013. She interned with Weronika Janczuk before her current position at Liza Dawson Associates. But before that she moonlighted in physics, working Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. Particle physics may seem odd for a literary agent, but she has dual degrees from Cornell, one in English, one in Mathematics. 

Hannah writes fiction, in addition to agenting, and actually wrote and queried a couple novels, which were rejected. This led to her interest in the other side of things. She writes science fiction and fantasy. She also plays the organ. 

If you intend to pitch to Hannah, or query her, she specializes in commercial fiction, especially science fiction and fantasy, women's fiction, cozy mysteries, romance and young adult. She's also interested in nonfiction, particularly mathematics, science, and religion.

Hannah has a Tumblr account (link below) where she answers industry questions and gives advice on querying, genre, etc. From her Tumblr: "I love big concepts, powerful voices, and twisty, complex plots, and I'm a sucker for sweet love stories." You can find her at the following places:

Tumblr

Agency Website

Twitter

About the Author:  Shannon Lawrence is a mom of two, a freelance writer and aspiring novelist.  She lives in Colorado Springs and is inspired by the beauty of Pikes Peak and the Rockies.  After years of letting her writing fall by the wayside, she has recently thrown herself back into it.  Her main focus is fantasy and horror and she has just finished a Young Adult Fantasy novel.  She has a flash fiction piece featured in the anthology Sunday Snaps: The Stories, due out in 2013.  She has also discovered a love of photography and enjoys photographing the breathtaking Colorado scenery and wildlife, as well as her children.  She blogs about reading, writing and photography at www.thewarriormuse.com.

Notes on Ghostwriting

By Karen Albright Lin

Ghost. A wispy creature some people converse with but others don’t see or even know about. That’s basically what an “author” has when hiring a ghostwriter. Many people don’t have the skills, discipline or research experience necessary to write a book. A doctor, celebrity or famous author might hire a ghostwriter because he/she doesn’t have the time. Popular authors are often expected to pop out three or four books a year. Some series are sold under one name, yet written by numerous writers, like the Nancy Drew Mystery Series. Is this cheating? That’s debatable. But the practice is more popular today than ever before. I’ve seen estimates that suggest almost 40% of books are ghostwritten. 

Along with being a professional editor and writing consultant, I’m a ghostwriter: memoir, YA fiction, “screenplays for hire” and children’s. I’ve been lucky. All of them have been produced, published, or will soon be published. One question to ask yourself before taking on a project is whether or not there is some assurance your work will see the light of day. That means it’s already agented, contracted, or, in the case of screenplays, funded or attached to an experienced producer/director. 

How many times has someone come up to you and said, “I’ve had cool things happen in my life. It would make a great book. Want to write it?” Some believe they're doing you a favor by slipping you their amazing stories. I love a great tale as much as the next writer, but telling that story in 300 pages is no small undertaking. Though it has its upsides, ghostwriting, in many ways, is harder than writing your own nonfiction, novel or memoir (elements of each).

Collaboration is not something to take on without great consideration. It’s like a marriage; imagine being joined at the hips for six months or more. Are you ready for the commitment? Do you feel driven to hop inside this person’s head?  As in marriage, it matters why he chose you. Hopefully there are many reasons.

• Why this ghostwriter?

Understands the subject matter

Recommended

Past experience

A convincing trial sample

Known to be trustworthy (especially if there is a nondisclosure clause in the contract)

Has an intuitive sense of what to put in and what to leave out

Available when you need him

What he brings to the table: proposal, an agent, and investigative skills

Integrity and speed

Ready to write objectively, without judging

Talent

How do you find a ghostwriting job? You can look on writing job sites or in magazines. In my case, it’s been word of mouth through editing clients and networking in the writing community. If someone decides you're the one to write the story, there are quite a few things to consider before taking on a ghostwriting gig.

• What’s expected of each of the collaborators?

Will the client (author) dictate and the ghostwriter (writer) transcribe and brush up?

Will one do the interviews, research and writing while the other adds his name in order to gain credentials for his career or capitalize on his established name to get a book out quickly?

Will one take a rough version of the written story, shape and edit until it is a finished product?

Who will do the marketing research, the investigative work?

How much freedom will the ghostwriter or collaborator (writer) have?

Interview skills are important. It takes time to arrange for recording if allowed, agree on costs, and prepare questions (that’s another blog post). I needed to travel to interview my celebrity “author” recently, arrange for housing and food expenses. All absorbed by me, knowing it would come back to me in spades on the other end. It’s a big book, with a big percentage contract, represented by a big agent. 

Regardless of the strength of the story or the marketability of the named author, the writer should consider career enhancement and monetary potential. Few opportunities are big books. But you never know; depending on the uniqueness and power of the story it could hit big. Unknown authors must be prepared to pay before the book sells. If a ghostwriting gig comes your way, charge what you’re worth. If the story is likely to have a huge readership, consider putting in unpaid time up front in anticipation of a percentage of the advance and royalties. Some take a fixed fee. Hillary Clinton’s memoir supposedly got an 8 million dollar advance, the ghostwriter a $500,000 flat fee.   

• How and when will the ghostwriter be paid?

Flat fee?

Hourly rate?

Per page or per word?

A percentage of the proceeds (only advance or advance plus royalties and derivative works)?

If contracting for a percentage, you can get anywhere from 10% to 50% depending on what you bring to the table, the sale potential, and the scope of the book. The pay iterations are only limited by the collaborator’s imaginations and the attorneys’ sharp sensibilities. An indirect form of pay would include having your name attached, being less ghostly, adding to your public bio, and often your prestige.

• Will the ghostwriter receive credit for the book?

Name on front of book (with X , as told to X, or X, contributor)

Name on back cover, spine, or inside flap

Name in acknowledgements or forward

Not named at all (some want the glory or need the credit, some don’t)

There are other considerations. Besides pay and credit, it is wise to address: 

• Who takes on other obligations and retains certain privileges?

Who will retain copyright?

Who is signatory to the publishing agreement?

Who will cover out-of-pocket costs like travel?

Is there a confidentiality clause?

Nothing is without downsides and risk. My own experiences have been rewarding, but painful at times. 

Problems I’ve experienced:

• Broken promise of acknowledgement (blamed on publisher, “one extra page in the book”)
• Contract with terms unfavorable to me (check with an attorney!)
• Never ending requests to edit (contract for limited edit passes)
• Encouraging and counseling a dreamer who was not a doer
• Eking out payments
• Broken contracts, time lost
• A client backing off the guts of a story, leaving only a shell of a tale to tell
• Difficult personalities to work with
• An agent interfering with the collaborative agreement
• A client backing out without an agreed-upon kill fee in place (attorney!)

Make your experience a great one by getting a good feel for the potential partner and scope of the project. Sign a clear contract with fair terms. Why would I do something so complicated? Ghostwriting adds to the number of stories I get to tell and helps me connect with people I wouldn’t otherwise. It makes me accountable, keeping me on task; I don’t have time to experience writer’s block. I’m about to embark on another ghostwriting gig with a woman who is not yet a household name. She has a great story with much to offer her readers. I’ll let you know how that goes. There are many wonderful things about ghostwriting. If the opportunity comes your way, try it; you may end up loving it. 

(First posted on the Chiseled in Rock Blog, Oct 10, 2012)

About the Writer:  Karen is an editor, ghostwriter, pitch coach, speaker and award-winning author of novels, cookbooks, and screenplays. She’s written over a dozen solo and collaborative scripts (with Janet Fogg, Christian Lyons and director Erich Toll); each has garnered international, national and regional recognition: Moondance Film Festival, BlueCat, All She Wrote, Lighthouse Writers, Boulder Asian Film Festival, SouthWest Writers Contest, and PPW Contest. Find out more at www.karenalbrightlin.com.