Category: Katie Ganshert

What is It? The Importance of Knowing

Posted on by Katie Ganshert

You’ve never purchased something without knowing what it is first, right? Of course not. As consumers, we want to know what we’re buying and we want to know relatively quickly. That’s why it is vitally important to know your story. To be able to answer the question: What is it?


Because if you don’t know, the agent won’t know, and neither will the editor, the publishing execs, the book sellers, or the readers. And if they don’t know, they’re not going to buy it. Plain and simple.

Blake Snyder, screenwriter and author of Save the Cat, a craft book for screenwriters, says this: “In my opinion, thinking what is it is just good manners.” He goes on to say that if we can’t answer that question – then maybe we don’t really have a story at all.

Some of you might be thinking…I think I know what my story is. Let me ask you this: Can you condense your entire novel–your 100,000 word beloved baby–into one simple logline? If you can’t, then you haven’t discovered your story. At least not yet.

So how do you discover your story? Here are some questions you can ask to get on the right track.

  • What is the something and the someone? Every story is about a someone trying to do something. Do you know what yours are?

  • Can you sharply define your someone using two or three words? The who is important, because the who tells the buyer who they’re going to experience the story through. The way you describe him or her will form the buyer’s first impression. And you know what they say about first impressions.

  • Does your something create a clear and compelling mental picture? The something is the story goal. It’s the what your who is trying to accomplish. Hopefully, when you say yours out loud, whoever’s listening will be able to picture it in their head.

  • What is the conflict? Without this, you have nothing to sustain your story. So what is the driving force that gets in the way of your hero accomplishing his/her goal? Is it BIG? Are there stakes involved? If you can answer yes to both of those, then you’ll have a story that will keep readers turning pages.

  • What’s the irony? Snyder devoted several pages in Save the Cat to the idea of irony and the importance of finding it in your story. The ladies from My Book Therapy talk about this too. What is unexpected or contradictory about your story? Something that will hook the buyer’s interest – an itch they must scratch. One of the best examples of irony that pops into my head is from You’ve Got Mail. Meg Ryan falls in love with a man she hates, but she doesn’t know they’re the same guy. Ironic, no?

Once you’ve answered these questions, you should have a firmer grasp on your story. Now you just have to put the answers together into a logline.
I have to be honest – I hate writing loglines. I’m not very good at them. But despite my dislike, they are an important part of making it in this industry. So I have to keep practicing and wrestling with them until I find the right one.

Here’s my logline for A Broken Kind of Beautiful:
In order to raise money for a disease that has plagued his family, a photographer who quit the intoxicating world of high fashion must team up with a woman who epitomizes it.

Let’s dissect:
We have a clearly defined hero – a photographer who quit.

We have a story goal – raise money.

We have the stakes – it’s for a disease that’s plagued his family.

We have conflict – he’s going to have to work with a woman who epitomizes the world he intentionally left behind. Which also acts as my irony.

Now it’s your turn to play.

Who has a killer logline they’d like to share?

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Are You Getting Others Involved?

Posted on by Katie Ganshert

I’m taking a break from 3 C’s to try something new. For the next several Fridays, I’ll blog about things I’m experiencing, learning, pondering, or wrestling with on this new leg of the journey. In a month or two, I’ll reassess and see if this is a good direction.

So without further ado, here’s a small epiphany I had while telling people the news:

I don’t know what’s more fun – getting the contract, or getting to tell people about the contract. I’ve gotten some great responses, some funny responses, and some very humbling responses. You know the ones. When the person just sort of stares at you while crickets chirp backup, and then finally they say something like, Oh, that’s nice, when really they mean, You’re kind of weird. Gotta love those.

The most popular is probably: Are you going to quit teaching?

The most awkward: So is there a lot of money involved?

The most laughter-inducing: Are you going to be famous now?

But my two favorite have got to be these:

  • When I found out I was getting published, I was in the middle of teaching and therefore couldn’t tell a soul. I teach with two close friends who have read all my books and have supported me through this entire journey. So after school, when I’m about to burst with the news, I have Susan and Melissa meet me in Melissa’s room, whereby I blurt, “I’m getting published!” Oh my goodness. It was the BEST reaction ever. They hurled themselves at me with hugs and screams. They jumped up and down with me and cried with me. I’ll never forget it.
  • The second was more unexpected. I volunteer Wednesday nights at junior high ministry. One of the 7th graders used to be my student two years ago while I was writing Beneath a Velvet Sky. While she waited for her bus at the end of the day, she’d answer my farming questions. So while we were hanging out on Wednesday night, I told her I was getting published, thinking she’d smile, but not really get it. Nope. She freaked out! Then she asked if it was the one she helped me with and when I said yes, she about peed her pants.
Both of those reactions got me thinking. People like to be involved. Melissa and Susan wouldn’t have gotten as excited as they did if I never would have shared my writing with them. But I did. And it’s like this publishing deal isn’t just happening to me, it’s happening to them too. They are such an important part of it.
And then there’s my junior high girl. When I think of my reading audience, I do not think junior high. I think adult women. But when I told her, she was SO excited to buy my book. So excited that she helped me with it. She told her friends and all of a sudden, I had three girls who couldn’t wait to buy a novel that won’t come out until next spring. Three girls who couldn’t wait to tell their moms about it, because their moms like to read, and their moms ARE my intended audience.
So here’s something I’ve learned. Something I’ve rolled around in my head:

As writers, we should be looking for ways to get people involved. Because when people get involved, they get invested. And when people are invested, they’re going to encourage others to get invested too. And really, isn’t that the core of good marketing?
Let’s Talk: How are you involving people in your writing? Do you have a hard time doing this? Why or why not? And just because I’m not sharing my 3 C’s, doesn’t mean I don’t want to read yours. Feel free to share those too!

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7 Tips for Landing a Book Contract

Posted on by Katie Ganshert

After signing the contract, I spent some time reflecting – trying to figure out what worked. How did I get here? I came up with a list of things that I believe helped. Hope they help you – wherever you may be on your journey.

Pursue learning. I wrote my first two novels not knowing much about anything and got a whole lot of rejections. It wasn’t until I spent a summer devouring every writing book in sight that my writing turned a corner. I highlighted. I took notes. I wrote blog posts about what I learned. I paid for professional critiques. I found two very amazing critique partners. I entered contests. I listened to feedback.

Persevere. I didn’t give up when I got rejected. I determined at the start that I wanted to be published by a traditional publisher—one that would actually pay me—and I didn’t let rejections influence my determination.

Keep writing. We submitted my book in the fall of 2009. By the time it went to pub board almost a year later, I’d written two more novels. My editor was able to bring not one, but three books to pub board. She was able to show the committee that I wouldn’t be a one-book wonder. She was able to show them that I know how to write novels.

Surround yourself with supportive people. This business is hard. You meet a lot of people who don’t get it. A lot of people who get it, but don’t like your work. Having some encouragers in your corner is vital. I am blessed with three amazing friends who are my biggest fans (hi Erin, Susan, and Melissa!) These girls believed in me when I couldn’t and spurred me on with their encouragement.

Keep a journal. All those times I wanted to rant and rail against the publishing industry? I did it in my journal. My safe, private journal. Ranting online would not have helped my cause.

Go to writing conferences. Not for learning, because you can save yourself a ton of money and get the bulk of that from books and blogs. But go for networking. Go when your writing is ready. I got face-to-face time with my editor and agent at the 2009 ACFW conference and landed my agent two months later. I got more face-to-face time with the same editor at the 2010 ACFW conference and landed a book contract two months later. I can say with complete confidence that I would not be where I’m at today if I wouldn’t have gone.

Hold out for a reputable agent. I know this is a hard one to control—especially when you just want an agent already. But I’ve heard it said a bad agent is worse than no agent, and I believe this 100%. Rachelle is well-respected within the industry and she goes to bat for her clients. Without her determination and follow-through, I wouldn’t have Waterbrook Multnomah as my publisher.

Of course, there’s a caveat. A big BUT at the end of this list. Something I think is important to understand.

You can do every single one of these things, and still find yourself waiting, because so much of it is out of your control.

You might be an amazing writer – but the agent you want has a full roster, or too many clients who write books similar to yours. You might have an awesome agent and solid work to submit – but your genre just isn’t selling right now.

So much of this comes down to….timing. Everything lining up just so. Some luck. And God. I like to think God.

Here’s the good news: If you’ve got the talent, the passion, and the right attitude, your time will come. Work hard. Persevere. Keep writing. Believe in yourself.

Let’s Talk: Do you have anything else to add to the list? Are there any you disagree with? Any you struggle with? What has helped you the most on your journey?

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