If only there was a magic formula, a secret trick that would improve your chances of getting published. Well, there is—but it isn’t magic or secret, and in the end, it can’t guarantee publication. But it’s still the best formula I know of for getting a shot at a contract. Some of this might not sound like good news, but I think it is, because in my opinion, talent is not the deciding factor in getting published. Instead, it’s hard work, patience, and an openness to feedback—things that are accessible to everyone.

Beginner’s Mind

This is a term that comes from Buddhism. What it means is to approach things with the attitude that you might not know everything, which allows for a willingness to learn new ways of seeing and doing. That’s what creativity is all about—seeing and doing things differently.

One of the best ways to keep an open mind is by reading. Studying novels. Taking them apart. Applying what you learn to your own work and practicing it. Another way is to take classes and workshops, go to conferences, listen to podcasts. Find out how others have done things. What works for them might not work for you, but there are many ways to approach the act of writing a novel. Try them on. See what fits.

Beginner’s mind also means being open to feedback. Honest critique. While feel-good feedback is nice, it won’t land you a publisher. You need to be resilient enough to hear that maybe this thing you’ve created could be better. Maybe there’s a kernel of a good idea there, but the rest of it is, well, compost, and you need to start over.

Does that sound harsh? It’s definitely unpleasant. But I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve had to start a novel over from scratch with only the shred of the idea left on the page. Two of my published novels were created that way, and I’m just putting the finishing touches on another that also came into being by way of the garbage can.

Bestselling YA author John Green talks about how 90% of his first drafts end up in the round file. Another bestselling author, Barbara Kingsolver, throws out hundreds of pages in the process of finding a novel’s voice. I used to think it was just beginners who threw out work (well, beginners, and me). But now I know this is the process.

Writing is rewriting. It was probably the first thing our novel-writing instructor said to us in the MFA program, and it’s the truest thing I know about writing. The great lines, the poetry, the character development—most of that gets created in revision. 

Steep Grade Ahead

Writing plays a nasty trick on us. Because we learn how to write essays in school—and maybe the odd short story—we assume we know how to write a novel. Writing is writing, after all. It’s words on a page. But that’s like saying that because a person knows how to play the piano, they will automatically be proficient at the saxophone. True, they’ll know how to read music—but that’s the only advantage they’ll have.

The learning curve for writing a novel is steep. I’m talking years. Maybe ten years. That was how long it took me, and I’d been writing for years before I tackled my first novel. And I’m still learning. Every novel I read or edit or write has something to teach me. There will never come a time where I’ll feel I know all I need to know about writing a novel. That shouldn’t depress you. I think it’s exciting, a testament to the genre’s potential.

The Querying Process

All right. You’ve put in the years, you’ve gotten the tough feedback and revised until you’re cross-eyed. It’s time for the rubber to meet the road.

When it comes to querying, improving your chances of landing a publisher is both simpler and more complicated than you might think. Follow the submission guidelines. Widen your scope to include small publishers. Write a decent query letter. Easy.

Your letter won’t make or break your submission. But there are a few things that will: your synopsis and your opening pages.

Your synopsis shows a publisher that you understand structure and can execute the great idea you described in the pitch of your query letter. If the structure is broken, the novel will be broken. They won’t want to read it. That’s why synopses are so hard to write. And it’s why publishers and agents ask for one.

Then come your opening pages, the true showcase of your novel’s awesomeness. You can write the best query letter in the world, but if your opening pages don’t land, if they don’t grip the reader by the throat and insist that they turn the page, the publisher won’t ask for more.

How do you understand structure and write fabulous opening pages? By working hard. By taking apart the structure of novels you’ve read and trying to understand how the author created their magic. By writing and revising and writing and revising. This is what Steven Pressfield meant by turning pro: taking your craft seriously, developing the necessary discipline to see a project through to the end, not being crushed by feedback but instead using it as a learning tool. There will be setbacks and rejections, but a pro keeps showing up day after day and putting in the work. A pro doesn’t give up.

That’s the magic formula. That’s what will give you the best chance of getting there.

Writers Helping Writers holds a monthly critique contest that can help make your opening gleam. Come back to our blog Thursday, February 20 for a chance to win a 1st page critique from Becca Puglisi!

MICHELLE BARKER - Resident Writing Coach

Michelle Barker is an award-winning author and editor who lives in Vancouver, BC. Her newest book, coauthored with David Griffin Brown, is Story Skeleton: The Classics. They are also the authors of Immersion and Emotion: The Two Pillars of Storytelling. Her novel My Long List of Impossible Things, came out in 2020 with Annick Press. The House of One Thousand Eyes was named a Kirkus Best Book of the Year and won numerous awards including the Amy Mathers Teen Book Award. Her fiction, non-fiction and poetry have appeared in literary reviews world-wide.

Michelle holds an MFA in creative writing from UBC and is a senior editor at The Darling Axe. Find out more about our RWC team here and connect with Michelle below. Michelle’s books

The post How to Improve Your Chances of Getting Published appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

Those who persevere have a chance. 

In the course of these conference years I’ve seen a number of writers who have gotten that contract and gone on to be published by major houses. I’ve even helped a few get there, which is nice. And while it’s nearly impossible to judge why one manuscript makes it and another—which is comparable or even better—does not, I have made note of one item: The overwhelming majority of writers I’ve seen make it are those who look and act like a professional.

When you meet unpublished writers who act like pros, you form the immediate impression that it’s only a matter of time before they make it. This impression is not lost on agents and editors. 

So what are the marks of a professional? 

Grooming

Successful writers-in-waiting look professional. They do not come off as slobs or slackers. They dress sharply though unpretentiously. They say you can’t judge a book by its cover, but we do it all the time with people. Don’t shoot down your first impression by looking unkempt or having stink-breath that can kill low flying birds.

Industry Knowledge

Professionals know something about their profession. They spend time reading blogs and books and the trades, though not to the exclusion of their writing.

To the Point

A pro has the ability to focus on what the other person (e.g., an agent) will find valuable and, most important, can deliver that in a concise and persuasive manner. You should be able to tell someone, in 30 seconds or less, what your book is about, in such a way that the person can immediately see its potential. 

Courtesy

Common courtesy goes a long way, especially these days. If you have an appointment with an agent, be there two minutes early. When you’re done, thank them. Follow up with a short and appropriate e-mail.  Don’t call them unless you’ve been invited to. Don’t get angry or petulant, even if there’s a reason for it. Burning bridges is never a good career move.

Take Action Every Day

Over the long haul, a successful professional in any field is always in a growth mode. Be looking for ways to improve—in your craft and in your social skills. When you do this, day after day, you begin to build momentum. That, in turn, will fuel your confidence and keep you going. And there is nothing an unpublished writer needs more than motivation to keep going. 

Keep writing. Keep learning. And act like a pro. 

JAMES SCOTT BELL

Jim is the author of the #1 bestseller for writers, Plot & Structure, and numerous thrillers, including Romeo’s Rules, Try Dying and Don’t Leave Me. His popular books on fiction craft can be found here. His thrillers have been called “heart-whamming” (Publishers Weekly) and can be browsed here. Find out more about Jim on our Resident Writing Coach page, and connect with him on
Twitter

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Want to write a novel in 2021? Whether it’s your first, fourth or fiftieth manuscript, there are certain considerations that can help you get off the starter blocks. Here are three things I often recommend to writers. (If you have other tips to add, do leave them in the comments!)

1) Your Chapter Length

What should your chapter length be? Well, as my writing site Bang2write always says, there’s no rule or standard on anything writing-related. This means it depends … but how do we decide?

I think it can be good to consider what other writers have done and/or think about it. This useful article from WordCounter.net breaks it down as follows:

• Some writers believe 2500 words per chapter is optimum
• Others believe it’s somewhere between 3-5,000 words
• Most writers agree under 1000 words is too short
• They also agree over 5000 words is too long
• ALL writers agree chapter length should be defined by the story

Myself, I usually write chapters somewhere between 1500 and 2500 words. One of the reasons I do this is because I write crime fiction. I like to use cliff-hangers at the end of chapters, plus I know my target audience loves to read on Kindle. Sure enough, lots of my reviews have praised my short chapters on this basis. Result!

TOP TIP: Consider the genre and style you’re writing, as well as your readers’ preferences. This will help you land on a ‘ballpark figure’ to aim for if you’re stuck.

2) Your Book’s Overall Word Count

Just like chapters, book length should obviously be dictated by the story. That said, it can be very helpful again to consider what other writers have done in the past. It can also be useful to consider what your readers prefer.

A while back, B2W did an informal survey of literary agents, book editors, beta readers, book bloggers and publishers I knew. I asked them their thoughts on ‘ideal’ wordcounts for various genres. This is what they came back with …

• Literary and epic fantasy: 100-120K
• Crime, Romance, Horror, Comedy etc: 70-90K
• YA and Erotica: 50-70K
• Novellas: 20-40K
• Short Stories: Up to approx. 1500-10K(ish)

Obviously you will have read books that are way outside these word counts, but it is still offers useful perimeter. Another thing worth thinking about: the ‘newer’ writer you are, the more you probably want to err on the shorter end. Generally speaking, the more experienced writers tend to get the longer word counts.

TOP TIP: Consider what has gone before in your genre when it comes to overall word count. Also think about ‘where’ you are on the writing ladder. If you’re a debut author, try and be as lean as possible.

3) Your Daily Word Count

How many words can you write daily, weekly, monthly towards your masterpiece? This will obviously be personal and depend on other factors in your life … This may include (but is not limited to) such things as your day job, family and/or caring commitments or health challenges.

However, many writers just don’t know where to start with setting targets. This means they set themselves writing targets that are not achievable. As a result, they de-motivate themselves or even get ‘blocked’ and come to a complete halt.

I recommend coming up with a word count you can stay on top of easily. This means that every word you go beyond that feels like a BONUS. This sense of positivity can prove useful in spurring you on. For this reason, I think 300-500 words a day on your novel is a great number. I have recommended to this many of my ‘Bang2writers’ and they report it has helped them finish their novels.

(Remember, 300 words a day x 30 days = 9000 words! Not too shabby at all.)

However, maybe you can’t / don’t want to write every day? I hear that. I am what I call a ‘binge writer’. Instead of writing every single day, I like to splurge words out until I have none left. This means every writing session I aim for approximately 2000 words. I try and do this a minimum of twice a week, meaning my target each week is 4000 words. 4000 words x 4 weeks = 16000 words!

But don’t just listen to me. Here’s the word counts of 5 famous authors, including the prolific  Stephen King. (I would have put real money on him having a MUCH higher word count, so just as well I am not a gambling woman!).

Whatever you think is a good word count for you, what’s important is creating a meaningful goal.
Once you have this goal, you need to …

1. Work out a plan on how to achieve it
2. Ensure you have a ‘when by’ date to focus you
3. Evaluate your progress
4. Tweak as necessary

The fourth is especially important since LIFE HAPPENS. If you work with that expectation in mind, you are far more likely reach your goal. You know what they say … ‘Failure to plan is planning to fail’!

TOP TIP: Have a goal in mind and personalized strategy to get it done, as well as ‘when by’ date to keep focused.

Good luck!

LUCY V. HAY - Resident Writing Coach

Lucy V. Hay is a script editor, author and blogger who helps writers. She’s been the script editor and advisor on numerous UK features and shorts & has also been a script reader for 20 years, providing coverage for indie prodcos, investors, screen agencies, producers, directors and individual writers. She’s also an author, publishing as both LV Hay and Lizzie Fry.  Lizzie’s latest, a serial killer thriller titled The Good Mother is out now with Joffe Books, with her sixth thriller out in 2024. Lucy’s site at www.bang2write.com has appeared in Top 100 round-ups for Writer’s Digest & The Write Life, as well as a UK Blog Awards Finalist and Feedspot’s #1 Screenwriting blog in the UK (ninth in the world.). She is also the author of the bestselling non-fiction book, Writing & Selling Thriller Screenplays: From TV Pilot To Feature Film (Creative Essentials), which she updated for the streaming age for its tenth anniversary in 2023.

The post 3 Things Worth Thinking About BEFORE You Start Your Book appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

And unfortunately, that’s what we have right now. A lot is happening outside the doors to our homes. Stress and worry have become part of our everyday. Life’s not easy at the moment and that makes us twitchy, scattered, and frustrated.

We feel uncomfortable because we are used to the predictability of cause and effect: do this, and that happens. But right now, cause and effect is less certain. We hope that by staying at home, we will not get sick. We hope that once the Covid threat is over we can find our financial footing again. But hope and certainty can be mountains apart, and that makes us face an uncomfortable reality: right now, we’re not 100% in control.

I can’t pretend I’ve ever faced a situation like this but I have definitely hit moments in life where it feels like someone else has the steering wheel. I’m sure you have too.

What always helps me get through it is knowing that the best thing I can do is let go of what I can’t control and focus my energy on what I can.

We take back the steering wheel by setting goals. But what should they look like during a crisis?

This is an important question. Trying to take on too much will not end well. Sure, loading yourself up will help distract you from what’s happening but it will probably lead to burnout.

Your primary goal should be to practice self-care.

Goals should be reasonable and achievable, meaning they must fit with everything else we have going on: responsibilities to family, others, and ourselves. What that looks like will be different for everyone. Here are some ideas to consider.  

Writing Goals:

If you think you can focus on your WIP right now, find a routine and keep going. Even if you don’t write as much or as fast, all progress is good. There will be an end to this pandemic, and when it’s in the rearview mirror, how great would it be to have made serious inroads on your novel? Maybe you can complete a draft, make progress on revisions, or perhaps get close to taking the next step to publish it.

Researching Goals:

Not everyone will have the mindset they need to write, or a full house means you only have small pockets of time. Don’t beat yourself up if you can’t write; there’s more to this career than just the creative side. To be successful we have to research, so make a list of things you’ve been meaning to look into: resources to help you write stronger novels, information on traditional vs. self-publishing, how ads on Amazon or Facebook work, or something else that’s part of your path forward.

Knowledge Goals:

Now might also be a good time to prioritize your growth. You could take a class on writing or marketing, spend time at your favorite writing & publishing blogs, read books on writing craft, or if you’re tight on time, get bite-sized writing & author career tips delivered to your inbox.

Planning Goals:

I don’t know about you, but the planning stage of a new project gets me giddy. I love playing with ideas, building characters, and imagining how a story will unfold. And honestly, would a bit of giddiness right now be amiss? I think not! So, if it feels right for you, plan something new to write. If you don’t know where to start, use the 2-week free trial at One Stop for Writers to build a character, play with the timeline tool to storyboard ideas, visit the idea generator, or plot your novel using Story Maps.

Another option? Do “schoolwork” alongside your kids. You can nurture new ideas by printing out templates and worksheets here, here, and here. Being a good role model while working toward a goal is a #parentingwin.

Platform Goals:

The business side of writing is important, so improving your online visibility can be a goal right now, too. Do some investigative work: find out who your ideal audience is, who your book influencers might be, and use my printable Influencer Hotsheet to make notes as to where they hang out online. Then build up your connections by engaging with people and building genuine relationships.

Or turn a critical eye to your Facebook page, website, and profiles to update and refresh them (or create a website, FB page, Bookbub profile, etc. if you need one). Is your SEO on point? How does your Amazon Author page look compared to other authors you know? Making upgrades that you usually don’t have time for might be a great use of time.

Publishing Goals (Traditional):

Some of you may be ready to submit to agents and so querying goals might be on your radar. But is it a good time to submit? Tough question; I’ve seen agents on Twitter ask for queries, but I suspect many are in the same boat as the rest of us: dealing with life stress, maybe kids at home, plus they’re seeing industry disruption, changing release dates, and more.  

My guess is fewer people are querying right now. It’s possible this might mean an opportunity for some, provided folks research well and make sure the agents they wish to submit to aren’t underwater right now. I recommend that if you’re in doubt, hold off and focus on related goals: polishing your query, getting feedback on it, researching agents and comp books, etc. This way when the time is right, you’re ready to go.

Publishing Goals (Self-Publishing):

If you happen to be like Becca and me, you might be looking to publish a book soon. The question becomes: is that a good idea? Honestly, I don’t know. On one hand, some readers are under financial strain but on the other, more people may be reading than ever before and so need more good books to read.

This is a goal where you’ll need to think carefully. There are possible supply chain and distribution challenges to think about for print. Is enough of your audience online right now to push forward and launch your book? Fans online could probably use good news and seeing you have a new book out might brighten their day. If you do go ahead, just make sure you promote carefully and respectfully. And if your book contains a topic that won’t be well-received right now, hold off.

Goals don’t have to be huge. Every step forward is a positive effort.

Working toward a goal at whatever pace feels right for you will help your mindset overall. Rather than feel guilt over what you aren’t doing, you’ll feel peace at what you are doing—taking control and putting one foot in front of the other on your own terms.

Have you set goals for yourself? Let me know in the comments!

ANGELA ACKERMAN

Angela is a writing coach, international speaker, and bestselling author who loves to travel, teach, empower writers, and pay-it-forward. She also is a founder of One Stop For Writers, a portal to powerful, innovative tools to help writers elevate their storytelling.

The post Goal-Setting for Writers (During a Pandemic) appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

It’s a sad fact, but most writers don’t have a basement full of money, meaning we have to think carefully about where we spend our money and why.

Investing in our career is smart, when we can afford it. There are infinite workshops, conferences, resource books, memberships, courses, and coaching available to us. All can help us develop our skills, better understand storytelling, and navigate the business side of being an author. But what they don’t help with is a question that plagues us more than any other:

“Is what I’ve written any good?”

No matter how many books are under our belt, the same worries about quality surface.

Am I fooling myself that I have what it takes?

Did I just get lucky before?

Is this the book that ends my career?

Impostor’s Syndrome is always there ready to kneecap our self confidence.

On the plus side, I think wobbly self-confidence can also push us to do our best and it encourages us to seek feedback. (And we should. I recently posted about the importance of feedback, which is a powerful way to crowdsource opinions to help answer the question above.)

Knowing what type of feedback we need and when, and what help we should pay for and what we shouldn’t helps us make sure we’re sticking to the budget. So I’ve put together a list of people to seek when you need feedback, and share the different free vs. paid options.

Free Help For Writers

There are many different ways to get help as a writer without breaking the bank. The more you do on your own, the less you’ll end up paying when you’re ready to take your manuscript to the publication stage.

Alpha Readers are the first people to see your draft, and act as a sounding board as to whether the story holds together at a high level or not. They understand the writing will be rough and aren’t there for a quality check, just to help find glaring plot holes, underdeveloped characters, logic gaps, and other story problems that will need massaging to give the story good bones. In some cases, alpha readers are brought in as the story is being written, so they can weigh in on the story’s direction as it is being developed. Overall, most writers don’t use alphas and wait for beta feedback. More below.

More on alpha readers here.

Beta Readers are typically your first readers, people who may be writers but often are not, rather they are potential readers, people who enjoy the type of books you write and they won’t let a personal relationship with you get in the way of offering constructive feedback. They give “overall” feedback on the story (usually when it’s in an early draft stage so you know if it works or not), and will tell you what pulled them out of the reading experience, like a lack of emotional connection to a character, a confusing plot, etc.

You don’t need to pay for beta reads (although there are some services that do offer experienced editorial feedback, so do your research to make sure they are legitimate if you choose to use them.) You can find readers by asking people that you interact with online if they would like to beta read for you, or ask unbiased family or friends who read your genre.

• More on beta readers here.
• Here’s how to be an ethical beta reader.
• Grab this excellent Beta Reader Worksheet from Jami Gold.
• To organize feedback, try out BetaBooks (they have a free trial).
• Bonus: BetaBooks has a Book Club feature that matches books with readers.
• Did you know there are many Beta Reader groups on Facebook?

Critique Partners are those who will workshop a book with you, meaning they read each chapter and offer your feedback on any (or all) story elements that you want their opinion on. I recommend running through your book chapter by chapter at least once by other writers (yes, writers — having more than one partner means different perspectives and strengths are applied to your story).

Critiquing is free, but based on give and take: someone critiques you, and you critique them. This is work, but work well worth doing. Some writers try to find critters for a one-way relationship but this shortchanges them on a valuable opportunity to improve. Why? Because when you critique others, you learn a ton about what works and what doesn’t in a story. And once you “see” a problem in another person’s manuscript it becomes much easier to spot the same issue in your own stories. These epiphanies are golden opportunities to grow your skills quickly!

Critiquing shouldn’t cost you, although there are services who do charge, so again, if you go that route, do your research to make sure they are legit and are worth the return on investment (ROI). To find critique partners, ask your writer’s network or join a site like the Critique Circle. This is where Becca and I met and we have both workshopped many stories there. Other ones to check out might be Inked Voices, Nathan Bransford’s Connect with a Critique Partner, and Scribophile.

• More about critique partners
• How to know you’re in a good critique group
• Six rules to keep critique partnerships golden
• How to evaluate critique feedback
• Our 2-level critique checklist (life changing!)

Full Swap Partners are writers who are looking for a full novel read. Typically this happens when a writer has already had their manuscript workshopped extensively and they now need fresh eyes to have a look before they take the next step, either querying it or to hiring an editor to self-publish it.

Full swaps are about viewing the story as a whole rather than line editing, and passing on honest opinions afterward about the book. Swaps are often between writers who are more advanced and write in the same or similar genres. Typically the writers involved do not steer the other in any way so that they are not specifically looking for issues or problems as they read. This way it’s easier to see if improvements made during past revisions were effective. After the read is complete and the critiquer submits their impressions about the book, and the author may send along follow up questions on specific areas if they wish.

To find a writer to swap with, ask your network. Think about the forums you belong to, the social media writing groups you interact most with, and the people you trust. It can be beneficial to swap with people you don’t know because they will spare your feelings, but always research first. Ask questions about the person (and the story) to ensure it’s a good match. If you are seeking swaps as you move toward publication, you’ll want to make sure the other person’s work is of the same quality and that they are a skilled writer as reading a full manuscript is a bigger time commitment. No money changes hands for a swap.

Necessary Writing Help that Will (Probably) Cost Money

Keeping costs down is every writer’s goal but the trade-off should not be quality. A poorly written book will not sell, and this will only lead to self-doubt and disillusionment about making writing a career. Don’t be afraid to invest and pay for the help you need.

Freelance Developmental Editing is something to look into if you are self-publishing, but I don’t recommend it if you are trying to traditionally publish. Why? Two reasons. First, the publisher will assign an editor to you and they will ask for edits that align with their house style and vision, overriding any edits you paid for. Second, and I know this might sound harsh, but your writing should be strong enough to gain a contract without a professional editor shaping it.

I say this because you’ll be expected to follow editorial directions and return quality work after a contract is signed. So while all writers do need an editor, we also need to bring our own skills to the table. If a writer leans too much on a freelancer so they can shop a book, it could leave them in a sticky predicament if their writing skills are not up to the task of following editorial directions once under contract. It’s best to apply yourself as a writer to learn the craft, taking advantage of the many blogs, books, courses, and workshops available to you, often for free. Then workshop your book extensively with critique partners. This, and your own abilities, should be enough to get your book where it needs to be to interest an agent and editor. However, if time is an issue and money is not (and sometimes this is the case), then hiring an editor might be right for you even if you do plan on traditionally publishing.

One important thing to note: if you are offered a deal by an agent or an editor on the condition that you pay for editing, this is a scam.

If you self-publish, you should hire a professional editor. No matter how strong we are at writing there will always be gaps in our knowledge. A professional freelance editor can help with this and because the story isn’t theirs, they also have the distance we lack.

There are different types of editors, so you should research what you need for your story. This is one part of publishing where paying is sort of unavoidable, so just make sure you choose someone who is professional and experienced in your genre.

Costs will vary, but if the price is too low, be aware that sometimes you get what you pay for. Always ask for a sample edit first so you can see their style and skill level, and don’t be afraid to ask for references from past clients.

• A breakdown of the different types of editing (with examples)
• Looking for an editor? Scroll down to “Editing Services.”
• 3 Signs it might be time to stop editing a manuscript
• How to boost your self-editing superpowers

Proofreading is something I recommend. You can pay for proofreading (Becca and I do) but it is also possible you might know someone who is very skilled in grammar and punctuation that may be willing to help you for free. Or, you can try to use a tool like ProWritingAid (good options for writers going the traditional route if their grammar and proofing skills need support).

Tempted on skipping this type of editing? I wouldn’t. If you traditionally publish, too many errors will pull the agent or editor out of the reading experience as they assess your story. And if you self-publish, readers will ding you on reviews if they notice too many mistakes. We are often blind to our own typos and grammar missteps, so another set of eyes can be really helpful. And, if you are a Canadian like me writing for the American market (or vice-versa) there will be all sorts of “isms” that a professional proofreader will catch. (Michael Dunne loves turning all my greys to gray and neighbour to neighbor!)

TIP: If you are interested in hiring a proofreader, ask for a sample page or two. We did this with 5 proofreaders, seeding certain mistakes into a sample, to see who would catch them all. Only one did, so be aware that not all proofreaders are created equal.

• Using text-to-speech as a self-editing tool
• ProWritingAid (free and paid options)
• Michael Dunne, proofreader (this is who we use)

A one-on-one Writing Coach is another option for feedback. While Becca and I are writing coaches we focus on groups, not individuals. A one-on-one coach is someone who will help you through the process of writing a novel by being your sounding board, and by offering you feedback, education, and keeping you accountable.

There are various places to find coaches. Many authors have a side business where they offer coaching because they have been through the book writing process. There are also highly professional coaching firms with a professional coaching team. The one I recommend whenever asked is Author Accelerator as I know the skill level of many of their coaches, and I love the fact that they partner each client with a specific coach based on the writer’s needs, genre, and style.

One-on-one coaching is often a higher price investment. But, what a writer learns while in a program will help them accelerate their writing skills exponentially. The knowledge they end up with can be applied to every novel moving forward. So for writers who are able to afford this investment, it’s well worth considering.

• What does a Book Coach do
• Watch a Book Coach in action in this Character Clinic replay
• Author Accelerator

Looking for MORE help? Check out this MASTER LIST OF WRITING & PUBLISHING RESOURCES.

The wonderful thing about choosing writing as a career is that there are many, many ways we can steer our own growth and development, and this in turn helps us develop our Writer’s Intuition, which lets us better evaluate feedback and view our own writing objectively. Opening ourselves up to learning at every step means each novel will get a little easier. It’s hard work, but that’s also how you know it is work worth doing.

Happy writing, all!

ANGELA ACKERMAN

Angela is a writing coach, international speaker, and bestselling author who loves to travel, teach, empower writers, and pay-it-forward. She also is a founder of One Stop For Writers, a portal to powerful, innovative tools to help writers elevate their storytelling.

The post Story Feedback: Free and Paid Options for Writers appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

Have you self-published a novel you had originally intended to send to literary agents (to see how it did)? Or, did you self-publish a novel, decide that publishing path wasn’t for you, and now want to send that book to literary agents?

Let’s talk about why sending previously self-published books to literary agents (or publishers) may not be the best idea.

As you are probably aware, there is no “right” or “wrong” way to go about publishing. Meaning, you can self-publish books, send unpublished manuscripts to agents, you can publish with an indie press… There are so many (great) publishing options in 2019 that weren’t available in previous years.  >> Check out my previous blog, How Should I Publish My Book?, to learn more about the publishing paths available to you.

In addition, with so many high-quality books being self-published, the stigma around this publishing path has been slowly fading over time. Though, I wouldn’t say it’s gone away entirely (yet).

However, there is one persistent question I see in the comments for almost every YouTube video I publish, and that is: “Can I query a book I’ve already self-published?”

The short answer is: No. Or, I don’t recommend it.

The long answer is one I’m going to attempt to get into today.

When I worked at the literary agency, the authors who queried me with a self-published project usually were querying that manuscript because the book didn’t sell well.

If a book didn’t sell well—meaning, readers had a chance to check out the story and decided they weren’t interested in it—why would industry professionals be interested in that book (again, if readers weren’t)?

The role of a literary agent is to find books they think they can sell to editors at publishing houses. Agents only make money when an author does. Once a book is sold, agents take a fifteen percent cut of what the author makes. (And good agents earn that fifteen percent!)

The role of an editor is to find books they think they can sell to readers. They want to find a fantastic story that they think they can edit, package, market, and hopefully make a profit on. If publishers don’t make money on the books they publish, they will have to downsize or eventually close their doors.

Therefore, if you have previously self-published a book that didn’t sell… well, most publishers won’t be interested in it for that very reason. 

The typical response I get to this is: “BUT BUT BUT I’m not good at marketing. If this book had been traditionally published and had marketing support, it would have sold better.”

Perhaps. But, then again, perhaps not.

While a good marketing strategy can absolutely help spread the word about a book, it’s not just about marketing.

Publishers considering whether or not they want to purchase a book will look at: 

1. The quality of the writing: Because, obviously!
2. The uniqueness of the story: Has it been done in a similar way before? If so, how is this story unique?
3. The marketability of this book: Do readers want to read this type of story?
4. Trends in the marketplace: Where do they think the market will be in two+ years?
5. Whether or not the publisher can make a profit

Most publishers also want rights to first to market. Meaning, they want to be the ones to introduce a story to the world. By an author previously self-publishing a title, the book has lost its “newness.” People have had a chance to see it. If they didn’t purchase it before, why would they purchase it in two+ years after a publisher has published it? 

In addition, even if a book is published traditionally, authors are still expected to participate in the marketing efforts. A common misconception writers have about traditional publishing is that they only have to write stories and the publisher does the rest (including marketing). While that may have been true in the past, it’s no longer true today. Therefore, if the book didn’t sell well before (with your marketing efforts), why would publishing it now be any different?

Now, if a book performed well and sold many copies, you will likely have agents and/or editors knocking at your door (without having to query them). Don’t forget that publishing is a business. Publishers are always looking for books that will earn them a profit. If a self-published book is selling thousands of copies, all bets are off for everything I said before. Again, if a title is doing well, industry pros will likely be coming to you (rather than the other way around).

An alternative approach to querying a previously self-published title would be to write a new manuscript and query that. You can always write another book and send it to literary agents in the hopes of getting it published traditionally (should that be the publishing path you’d like to pursue). Just because you previously self-published books doesn’t mean you can’t traditionally publish titles later on. (Hello, hybrid publishing!)

It’s always going to be sticky territory (and likely a big fat “no thanks”) if you try to garner interest from a literary agent (and ultimately a publisher) on a title that has already been published.

*Please Note: This conversation doesn’t apply to self-published authors who work with literary agents for foreign rights and sub rights. Everything mentioned above is geared toward authors who want to remove a book from the market (for example, North American, English rights) and try to sell those rights to a publisher. 

MEG LATORRE

Meg LaTorre is a writer, YouTuber (iWriterly), creator of the free query critique platform, Query Hack, co-host of the Publishable show, blogger, and she formerly worked at a literary agency. She also has a background in magazine publishing, medical/technical writing, and journalism. To learn more about Meg, visit her website, follow her on Twitter and Instagram, sign up for her monthly newsletter, and subscribe to her YouTube channel, iWriterly.

The post Why Writers Shouldn’t Query Self-Published Books appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

Querying writers have quite a few hurdles to jump through to secure literary representation. For those of you who don’t know what a query is or what I mean by literary representation, let’s go over a few of the basics to start.

There are a few ways to publish a book, one of those being traditional publishing. As of early 2019, the big five publishers—whose names you have likely heard of many times before—are Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins, Macmillan Publishers, Penguin Random House, and Simon and Schuster. If you want to be published through the big five or through another traditional publisher, you need to have a literary agent.

Many people call literary agents the “gatekeepers” to the traditional publishing industry. Whether or not that’s true, writers have to pitch their unpublished manuscripts to agents via a query letter, which is essentially a professional cover letter all about your book.

There are certain formats and pieces of information that are expected to be within your query letter, but we won’t dive into that today. To learn more about querying, be sure to check out iWriterly’s Query Hack series, where we critique queries.

Essentially, writers are expected to pitch their book (via a query letter) to one literary agent per agency. Many represented writers have shared that they queried an upwards of 100 literary agents before they signed their contract with their current agent. On average, most writers write an average of four books prior to securing literary representation. That means, they likely wrote several books before writing the book that landed them an agent.

If you do the math, a writer could potentially send out 400 queries (assuming they sent approximately 100 queries per manuscript) before signing a contract with a literary agent.

Now, imagine you write a book that no agent is going to want. You spend a year or more writing and editing the book—both by yourself and with critique partners and beta readers—prior to sending out your 100 queries. You are beyond excited for this book, and you think readers are going to be as captivated about the story and character as you are… if only agents had fallen in love with the first book in the series.

One less known fact about literary agents is that most will not consider representing subsequent books in a series. That means agents need to fall in love with the first book in a series first. If they don’t want to represent book one, they aren’t going to want to represent the whole series.

Therefore, the months—or years—you spent drafting and editing the sequel will not assist you in your goal to land a literary agent. In fact, some might consider having written a sequel a waste of time. Personally, I think that any book written is never a waste of time because it teaches you to hone your writing craft. However, this sequel will unfortunately not be able to assist you in your goal to get literary representation, which is a main stepping stone to becoming traditionally published. In addition, even if you are picked up by an agent, if the agent can’t sell a series to a publisher and only sells a one-book deal, then there is nothing you can do with those sequels.

Instead, once you finish the first book in a series, consider going on to write a new book in a different series (or a standalone). Try to write these books as standalones with series potential. Meaning, a reader can read the first book and feel completely satisfied with where the story ended. There aren’t any glaring cliffhangers to the main plot or conflict. However, there might be little threads that the author could pick up later to write subsequent books in the series.

By writing several first books in different series, you are increasing your chances to secure literary representation—and, eventually, securing book deals with traditional publishers.

MEG LATORRE

Meg LaTorre is a writer, YouTuber (iWriterly), creator of the free query critique platform, Query Hack, co-host of the Publishable show, blogger, and she formerly worked at a literary agency. She also has a background in magazine publishing, medical/technical writing, and journalism. To learn more about Meg, visit her website, follow her on Twitter and Instagram, sign up for her monthly newsletter, and subscribe to her YouTube channel, iWriterly.

The post Why Querying Writers Shouldn’t Write Sequels appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

You may think that elevator pitches are only for high-tech startups, job hunters, or Hollywood screenwriters, but being able to succinctly summarize your book in a very short space is a skill that every writer must master. The elevator pitch is a powerful marketing tool that you can put to use when enticing readers, reaching out to potential marketing partners, and when you meet people at a conference who ask, “So what’s your book about?”

Here are six simple steps to help you develop an elevator pitch, as well as some ideas for how to use it:

1. Write down what your book is about in less than 50 words

Think in terms of character and conflict – the basic elements of story.

Example: It’s a story about a woman who becomes part of the first father–daughter pair in the Senate, except she’s on one side of the aisle and he’s on the other, and they don’t agree on anything.

2. Add something about the context or the world of the story

If there’s a way to talk about your genre in relation to something going on in the news, or with a current hit book or movie, you might consider referring to that.

Example: Set in a post-Trump future when partisan politics has reached its extreme expression, this story is about a woman who becomes part of the first father–daughter pair in the Senate — except she’s on one side of the aisle and he’s on the other, and they don’t agree on anything.

3. Mention the genre

This gives people a sense whether it’s sci-fi dystopian fantasy, historical romance, or contemporary women’s fiction

Example: It’s women’s fiction set in a post-Trump future when partisan politics has reached its extreme expression. It’s the story about a woman who becomes part of the first father–daughter pair in the Senate — except she’s on one sideof the aisle and he’s on the other, and they don’t agree on anything.

4. Add something about why readers might care

Remember that readers come to fiction for a million reasons – for solace, education, entertainment, escape. Give your audience a sense what they will get from your story, not just what happens in it. This is a particularly important tactic when approaching agents. They will be thinking about why readers might buy your book, so they will be thinking about why it matters, why it resonates. Help them see it.

Example: It’s women’s fiction set in a post-Trump future when partisan politics has reached its extreme expression. It’s a story about a woman who becomes part of the first father–daughter pair in the Senate — except she’s on one side of the aisle and he’s on the other, and they don’t agree on anything. It proves that politics is always personal, and offers hope for a future where what happens in Washington is far from business as usual.

5. Make it snappy

Polish your description to a high shine by adding texture, details and rhythm. Allow your unique voice to shine through so that your audience can get a real sense for you and what your book is really about. These words can form the foundation of a query letter.

Example: It’s women’s fiction set in a post-Trump future, where Washington is gridlocked because neither party will budge an inch on anything — from what to serve in the Senate dining room to who will protect the people from agricultural toxins threatening the fertility of an entire generation. The hopes of a nation are resting on the Senate’s first father–daughter duo – but he’s on one side of the aisle and she’s on the other. Politics is about to get very personal.

If you are using your pitch in a Twitter contest, this is the version you would use to whittle it down to 280 characters:

In post-Trump DC, the hopes of a nation slipping towards civil war rest on the first father-daughter Senator pair, but she’s on one side of aisle and he’s on other. When he runs for POTUS and her party asks her to bring him down, politics gets very personal. Women’s Fiction

6. Practice saying it out loud

Remember that when you talk about your book in person, you’re not ever actually giving a pitch or a speech. You’re starting a discussion. You want to entice your listener to respond or react in some way, not make them feel like they are pinned in a corner. Practice saying your book description in different ways, in response to various imaginary conversational prompts, and consider the best places to break or to pause.

Example 1 – Conversation with Another Writer:

Them: “What’s your book about?”

You: It’s women’s fiction set in a post-Trump future, where Washington is gridlocked because neither party will budge an inch on anything — from what to serve in the Senate dining room to who will stop agricultural toxins from threatening the fertility of an entire generation.

Them: [laughs.] Sounds like that’s NON-fiction.

You: I tried to raise the stakes far higher than real life – which has been a bit of a moving target. My main character is the daughter of a long-time conservative Senator who is appointed Senator of the nation’s most liberal state and that’s a reality we haven’t yet seen.

Them: Ohhh that’s good

You: Thank you! What genre are you working in?

Example 2 – Conversation with an Agent in Line at Breakfast:

You: I enjoyed your panel on the pitch process.

Them: Thank you. Are you signed up for the pitch event on Sunday?

You: I am. I didn’t get a slot with you, but I’m working on what you suggested we do in terms of getting to the point right away.

Them: That’s great – let’s hear what you’ve got.

You: Right here?

Them: No time like the present!

You: I’m writing women’s fiction set in a post-Trump future. My main characters is the daughter of a long-time conservative Senator who is appointed Senator of the nation’s most liberal state.

Them: Oh wow, sparks are going to fly!

You: [laughs]. Exactly. I imagined a Washington so gridlocked that neither party will budge an inch on anything — from what to serve in the Senate dining room to who will protect the people from agricultural toxins threatening an entire generation’s fertility. Politics is going to get very personal.

Them: Is the manuscript complete?

You: It is. I’ve been working with a book coach for the last year on a revision. My goal was to have it ready for this conference and I made it!

Them: Here’s my card. Send me a query and your first chapter.

You: Thank you! I appreciate the offer. Enjoy the rest of the weekend.

Being able to speak clearly about your book will help you be confident when you find yourself face-to-face with a potential reader or agent. Instead of panic, you’ll feel the possibility of being able to invite people into your imaginary world.

Jennie has worked in publishing for more than 30 years. She is the author of four novels, three memoirs, and The Writer’s Guide to Agony and Defeat. An instructor at the UCLA Extension Writing Program for 10 years, she is also the founder and chief creative officer of Author Accelerator, an online program that offers affordable, customized book coaching so you can write your best book. Find out more about Jennie here, visit her blog, discover the resources and coaching available at her Author Accelerator website, and connect online.

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Heads up! Pitch Pro Sarah Isaacson has a Query Clinic here PACKED with info to help you escape the slush pile.

The purpose of a pitch is to hook a reader or land an agent.

You must be able to describe your entire passion project concisely and compellingly. But how do you accomplish this effectively without losing the heart of your work? I break it down beat-by-beat in this query clinic.

The Pitch:

Your pitch must consist of the following: the protagonist, setting, conflict or villain. It must display the title in all CAPS (not italics) and provide the genre, word count, and an author bio. Additionally, it is most compelling if it can be done in or around 300 words.

The Hook:

The best pitches also have a hook—a sentence that sums up the entire book in less than 25-words. Kind of like the logline you see on movie posters. The very best of them include irony. Irony is “an action which has the opposite, or different effect than the one initially desired.” Irony is what twists your plot and forces your characters to grow.

 Killer Hook Examples:

Imprisoned, the almighty Thor finds himself in a lethal gladiatorial contest against the Hulk, his former ally. —Thor: Ragnarok

(Irony: friends turned to foes)

Set in the South, a crusading local lawyer risks everything to defend a black man unjustly accused of a terrible crime. –To Kill a Mockingbird

(Irony: a white southerner defends an African-American man, also present: binaries of white/black, law/crime)

As he plans his next job, a longtime thief tries to balance his feelings for a bank manager connected to one of his earlier heists, as well as the F.B.I.—The Town

(Irony: the criminal falls for his victim, also a play on Stockholm syndrome)

What goes into the body of your query pitch, beat-by-beat:

• Protagonist and setting—present the main character’s world as it is.
• Catalyst or conflict—the moment where everything changes. The theme is stated.
• But there’s a debate because change is scary—she could gain something or lose everything—tension, risk.
• The plot or journey begins and sometimes the “B” story or supporting character (lover, friend, or mentor) can go here.
• Depending on the story, this is the moment where the protagonist gets what they think they want, or things turn for worse. Because sometimes what we want, isn’t what we need. Either way, it’s tense and uncertain!
• The villains are closing in, all is lost. This is emotional. The bottom. Doubt, fear, or a serious problem arises—it takes everything to regroup.
• Now a shining inspiration (or advice from the “B” story friend/lover/mentor) helps our protagonist realize that what they’ve lost makes way for something new. It’s time to try again.
• Rather than give away what happens in your final act or chapters, end here on a question or statement that circles back to the irony or theme within the hook. Can she? Will they?

Need help getting noticed in the slush pile?

Sarah Isaacson specializes in screenplay pitches, book jackets, and novel queries that pop. Her writing experience spans from movie trailer copy to Warner Bros. She’s worked in TV and film from Indie to Disney and has read more novels than she can count.

ANGELA ACKERMAN

Angela is a writing coach, international speaker, and bestselling author who loves to travel, teach, empower writers, and pay-it-forward. She also is a founder of One Stop For Writers, a portal to powerful, innovative tools to help writers elevate their storytelling.

The post Escape the Slush Pile: Elements of a Successful Query Pitch appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

A few months ago, I sat down to condense my 70,000 word novel into a captivating synopsis that was guaranteed to ‘wow’ anyone who read it. And yep – you guessed it. The one I ended up writing, sucked.

Writing a 1 – 2 page summary of your book is hard. But after speaking to my writer and editor friends (and later, the agent that signed me), I tried out a ‘cheat’ method that actually seemed to work. Even better – it was surprisingly simple.

The golden rule of a synopsis: It explains the plot

One of the main issues I was having with my synopsis, was that I was trying to sell my book to the reader. I was using the kind of language you’d find on the back of a published book, or in the film trailer. The result? Two pages of pitchy words and no sense of story.

The point of your synopsis is to explain the main plot to the reader. It is a technical document and doesn’t need to ‘sell’ your book – your book will do that. This is the golden rule.

Finding that out felt like a weight lifted from my shoulders. I didn’t need my synopsis to be a literary masterpiece – I just needed to write short sentences on what my book was about.

This is how I did it.

 1: Know what your book is about

What is the key theme running through your novel? This will probably be the line you give family and friends when they ask you what you’re writing. My book is about my protagonist – Ele – and knowing this gave me something to focus on when writing my synopsis. Anything that didn’t concern the progression of her character, didn’t need to be in my synopsis.

2: Take out the post-it notes

To find out what happened in my novel, I read it through again from the beginning. For every scene, I wrote a one-line summary on a post-it note and stuck it on my wall. When I had done, I could see my whole plot from a distance.

 3: Merge and remove

My next task was to remove notes from the wall that didn’t directly progress the central story – in my case, that of my protagonist, Ele. Some of this was hard – it can be difficult to know which scenes progress plot and which don’t, so if I was unsure, I kept them in for now.

 4: Transfer it to the page

Looking at my post-its, I found that my novel could be split into four main parts according to setting, which I used as headings on a new Word document. I then typed up each post-it in turn using short, clear sentences. At this point, it started to become clearer which scenes were integral to my main story, so I continued to remove those that weren’t.

5: Tell the story

I now needed to set the scene for the reader at the beginning of the synopsis. I wrote two paragraphs under my first heading, which outlined who my protagonist was, where she was and what she wanted.

My next job was to go through the scene descriptions I had written and ensure they made sense to an outsider.

As my novel is character-driven, I found that I only needed to mention the scenes that progressed her story. For example, over ten of my original post-it notes could be summarized by ‘Ele finds out more about the Outside’. The important scenes for me were the ones that raised the stakes for my protagonist and showed her changing attitudes as the novel progressed.

 6: Complete the checklist

The only thing left to do then was to ensure my synopsis was ticking the boxes on what all synopsis should do:

1: Tell the whole story (even the ending).

2: Give the names of only the most important characters (too many names become confusing).

3: Be a technical document with no ‘pitchy’ words (eg: using clear, simple language that enables your story to be the star).

The result? A simple outline of my plot and characters, including the major stakes and their resolution.

It was perfect.

My novel is told from the point of view of one character and is linear in time, but that doesn’t mean that this process wouldn’t work for writers with complex stories. When I spoke to my agent about my synopsis, she said that one of the most useful things I had put on there were my four headings, separating each part of my novel in terms of where my character was. As you go through your novel, you might find that headings emerge for your story two – perhaps in terms of who is narrating it, or where you are in time.

The most important thing to remember is that it’s not your synopsis that will be ‘selling’ your book to an agent or publisher – that job lies with the novel itself. A synopsis is really just a neat version of your plotting notes. Simple – right?

If you do try this Cheat’s Guide to write your synopsis, I’d love to hear how you got on. It worked for me – I hope it helps you, too!

 Sarah Juckes is a YA author with Penguin Random House. She works for Jericho Writers – a club for writers serious about getting published. Connect with her on Twitter @SarahAnnJuckes.

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ANGELA ACKERMAN

Angela is a writing coach, international speaker, and bestselling author who loves to travel, teach, empower writers, and pay-it-forward. She also is a founder of One Stop For Writers, a portal to powerful, innovative tools to help writers elevate their storytelling.

The post A Cheat’s Guide to Writing a Synopsis appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

And…I find a lot of neat stuff.

I have a feature in our WHW newsletter called Angela’s Super Six where I share 6 very cool links, articles, or tools I’ve found. This is quite popular, so I thought I’d do a round up of some fantastic finds here.  Hopefully some of these tools and sites will help you as they have helped me!

OneLook Reverse Dictionary: Seriously, I love this one. Whenever I can’t think of the right word but I know the “theme” or “idea” I’m going for, I visit this site. It’s more than a synonym finder, because it looks at words related to the word or phrase you are looking up. This can be great too if you are looking for words that reinforce a certain emotion. (Try typing in Fear and see what you get.)

Word Frequency Counter: Worried that maybe you used the word look 9,007 times? Or maybe the color green appears everywhere? Dump your writing into this text box and it will find the words you use the most. If you are overdoing it on the smiles, grins, shrugs, or frowns, BOOM, you’ll know.

Hierarchy of Human Needs: After writing six books, most of which have deep roots in psychology, I can’t even begin to describe how awesome Maslow’s Human Needs pyramid is for writers. If you need a psych refresher from those blurry college years, have a peek at this post and maybe this post too. Trust me, you’ll be happy you did!

List of Literary Themes: Wondering what to write about? Not any more! Visit this list and you are sure to walk away with an idea or two.

Query Tracker: Full disclosure–it’s been a long time since I used Query Tracker to get an agent, but it is just a terrific site with a supportive community, and I want to highlight that here. If you’re on the hunt for that mystical literary unicorn, check this site out.

The Story Structure Database: A shout out to the brilliant K.M. Weiland for this one. This terrific database of movie structure will help you finally understand story structure no matter how much it might have baffled you in the past.

Weapons, Weapons, Weapons. Do I need to say it again? WEAPONS, people! Pictures, descriptions, terminology, oh yes, and how to fight. Massively good information here.

The Critique Circle: I admit, I have a super soft spot for this online critiquing site, because it’s where Becca and I met, and well, you know how that went. Seeing as I send someone here at least once a week, I figure let’s get all official and make it part of my list. CC works on a tit-for-tat system: you critique someone’s work and get points, and you use those points to submit your own work for critique. If you are ready to jump into the feedback pool, check it out.

Silk: Got a problem you are trying to noodle out? Writer’s block knocking at the door? Or do you just need a pick-me-up and want to let your creativity soar? Whatever the flavor, try this out. It’s fun, and you’ll make something beautiful, guaranteed.

#ontheporch: If you are on Twitter, look into this community if you are searching for a writing tribe. Lots of moral support, conversation, encouragement, and learning opportunities.

Angela’s Writing Utopia on Pinterest: Are you a pinner? You should check out my Pinterest boards. I have them all broken down by writing topic or genre, so it’s easy to find the information you need. (And of course all your favorite Writers Helping Writers articles and One Stop For Writers Tip Sheets are there too.)

(NOT ON PINTEREST? No worries!)

The dozens and dozens of popular One Stop for Writers Checklists and Tip Sheets are now also available straight from our One Stop site. No subscription necessary.

Blogs to Check Out

There are many, many, MANY terrific blogs out there for writers. If I created a list of all my favorites, well, we’d be here all day. So instead I’m going to list a few you may NOT know of that have excellent articles. You might want to go be friends with them, just saying.

Mythcreants: Great articles, many with a Fantasy bent, but applicable to all writers for the most part. The crew over there post topics you won’t find elsewhere that go deep, and you’ll definitely see your writing improve if you apply what you learn. Head over and subscribe.

Buffer: I’ve been using Buffer for some time now (all that content to curate, remember? It’s a terrific tool that you should check out.) and one thing I like about them is that they genuinely want to help people better connect with their audience. So, they posts some good articles on how to use social media, and have webinars for new strategies to try. Buffer is successful, and it’s my experience that people who excel with their customer base are ones to listen to when it comes to understanding how to better connect with and reach an audience.

Bang2Write: This blog is a screenwriter’s haven, but has a ton of great articles for novelists too. Lucy cuts it straight, and offers some really good advice, especially in the character creation department. When you have some time, swing by and go on a treasure hunt. This is what I did the first time I visited, and I have been back many times since. This site is uncensored, so be warned.

PsychWriter: This blog is newer, but it’s already a gem. Psychology. Writing. Do you see where I am going with this? Let’s just say that if you want to write complex characters who have real-world fears, needs, and desires, put this blog on your subscribe list.

Have you found anything new and helpful lately?

And if you like the things I share, come find me online:

Twitter: @angelaackerman ~  @onestop4writers

Facebook: Angela’s Profile ~ Writers Helping Writers Page ~ One Stop For Writers Page

And go find Becca too, so you can hear her complain about me: ~

@beccapuglisi & Becca’s Facebook

And, just a suggestion…but if you like the types of resources Becca and I put together here at WHW and the books we create, you might want to check out One Stop For Writers.

We have a powerful suite of tools that is changing the game for many writers. Test drive it for yourself using our FREE TRIAL.

Happy writing, all!

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ANGELA ACKERMAN

Angela is a writing coach, international speaker, and bestselling author who loves to travel, teach, empower writers, and pay-it-forward. She also is a founder of One Stop For Writers, a portal to powerful, innovative tools to help writers elevate their storytelling.

The post Angela’s Fantastic Finds for Writers appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

Why Join a Writers’ Association?

Writing a book is hard. All of us on this website know it and have struggled with some aspect of our prose, pacing, or plotting. And once the work of writing, getting critiques, editing, and polishing is over, we find out that publishing is even harder.

As I encountered different obstacles on my path to becoming a published author, I started to feel the need for a support structure. I wanted help to turn my idea into a coherently structured story. Finding readers to look over my story and catch my mistakes was difficult (thanks for trying though, Mom!) and I had no idea how to get that finished work out in front of readers who would (hopefully) pay for it. Like raising a child, creating a career as an author takes a village…but where was I going to find my village? When I heard about writers’ associations, I decided to join one in my genre and it has turned out to be a great decision for me.

A Writers’ Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping writers develop their writing, and then assist them as they work toward publication. Most have a fee to cover certain costs. 

Some of the most well-known associations:

Horror Writers Association (HWA): Active members $69 a year.
Mystery Writers of America (MWA): $115 per year.
Poets and Writers (PW): Free, although they do encourage a $35 donation.
Romance Writers of America (RWA): $124 a year.
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Inc. (SFWA): Associate members are $90$, Active members $100 a year.
Society of American Travel Writers (SATW): $100 new member fee, $155 a year after that.
Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI): $95 your first year, $80 renewal fee thereafter.
Western Writers of America (WWA): Active members $75 a year, sustaining members $150.

Wait, come back! I see you backing away slowly gripping your wallet. I know the costs might seem high for some, but these associations don’t just take your money and leave you stranded. In return for your membership fee they offer you many different types of support, depending on what you need. A breakdown:

Networking and Connection

Joining gives you access to local and online chapters of your association. You’ll be able to find mentors, critique partners, and reach out to other writers for brainstorming, moral support, and general advice. In addition to chapter meetings, some groups write and publish anthologies together, host their own contests, and hold writing classes. Could you find a group to give you all of this on your own?

Access to Workshops and Conferences

Most associations have their own big conventions (the tickets cost money, to warn you) where you can make friends, listen to keynote talks by agents, publishers, editors and best-selling authors, participate in pitch contests, advertise your work, and just generally immerse yourself in a world of writing. It’s a little like the Oscars for your genre.

Folks who might be a byline on a website become people you know. In some cases they can become a friend, and a source of help in your own journey. You can also pitch to agents and editors at conferences and gain great insider advice.

In fact, when you ask writers what they love best about their memberships, most say the friends and connections they’ve made through their writers’ association events.

Up-to-date Industry Information

One of the best parts of an association is the access to shifting trends and news, the lists of vetted publishers and agents in your genre, and staying current on best practices for publishing. There are usually online classes (or in-person ones) not only on the nuts and bolts of writing, but often also on querying, self-publishing, and marketing. Many associations have a database of places to go for reviews, resources, or to find help with specific legal things like contracts and copyright law.

Each association offers its own mix of information and you’ll want to research what yours can give you before you join, but they will likely have information for you that you may not be able to hunt down alone. Remember, it takes a village to get that book published.

Marketing and Visibility Help

Most associations have a newsletter that allows for contributions or advertising if you are published. This can be a way to get your name and book cover in front of potential readers. Also, there’s usually a section on their website full of marketing links, like lists of book bloggers, information on ads and book discounting, and tips on  how to get your work out there for people to read.

You could find this stuff out by searching it up online, but it would eat up a lot of time. One terrific aspect of a writers’ association is they stay on top of the ways to help their writers, and have their finger firmly on the pulse of the industry for you.

Final Thoughts

If you feel at this point in your writing career you might need a large community of fellow authors to support, inform, and advocate for you, joining a professional association is an investment that I consider worth it. If you have found your own village and are already well-invested in your career, you may not need to add an association.  If you are on the fence, reach out to current members and ask them if they are getting the help they need.  And for more information on major writer’s organizations, check out this link from Writers and Editors.com.

S.E. White is an author writing from Carson City. Follow along as her query letters are rejected and find encouragement for your own author journey at www.sewhitebooks.wordpress.com.Save

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ANGELA ACKERMAN

Angela is a writing coach, international speaker, and bestselling author who loves to travel, teach, empower writers, and pay-it-forward. She also is a founder of One Stop For Writers, a portal to powerful, innovative tools to help writers elevate their storytelling.

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