Category: Publishing Tips

Two Tips to Make Life Easier

Posted on by Katie Ganshert

I’ve discovered that editing a contracted book is trickier than editing one that’s not yet contracted.

Notice, I didn’t say harder. Just trickier.

Allow me to explain.

Here’s how the writing process typically works:
– The writer engages in some level of brainstorming
– The writer writes the rough draft
– The writer engages in some level of revising

Usually, these happen successively, which results in a very intimate knowledge of the story. The further we move along in the process, the more deeply we know our characters and our plot. Until we reach this point where the manuscript is complete and ready to shop.

So what do we do?

We send it off. We say goodbye. And we start all over again.

Which is why editing a contracted book gets tricky.

I finished Beneath a Velvet Sky in the summer of 2009. It was my third novel. The one that caught the attention of my agent, Rachelle Gardner. Since then, I have finished two more novels and written the rough draft of a third.

Not only has a lot of time passed since I knew Beneath a Velvet Sky intimately, but three other story lines, three other casts of characters, have come and gone in my life.

Have you ever had a friend, who at one point, you knew incredibly well? But then you lost touch and time passed and you made new friends? And then you run into this old buddy at the grocery store or the gas station, only to discover you don’t really know each other anymore?

That’s what editing a contracted novel feels like. Especially for a debut novelist.

That’s one of the reasons I believe the editing process for a contracted novel is so intense.

My editor asked me some deep questions about my hero and heroine. Questions to which I no longer knew the answers. So not only did I need to dedicate a chunk of time toward implementing the requested changes, I had to spend a considerable amount of time reacquainting myself with the story. I had to regain the intimacy that was lost.

So what? What’s my point in all of this?

I have two, actually.

See that picture up top? Save your work. 
Character sheets. Back story information. Outlines. Deleted scenes. Information about the setting. Research on the characters’ jobs. Save all of it. Put it all into a file and do not delete.

If you don’t create these items beforehand, write them after. 
As in, after you finish the novel but before you say goodbye. I know it sounds weird, but consider writing a simple summary of the setting and each main character. Make sure to include important back story information, personality, quirks, fears, and the way the character arcs through the novel.

Seriously. You won’t regret it.

Let’s Talk: What lessons have you learned as you venture forward in this writing journey? Any simple tips you can share that might make all of our lives easier?removetweetmeme

4 Ways Out of a Slush Pile

Posted on by Katie Ganshert

My stack of books to be read (often referred to as TBR pile) grows and grows. I will be honest. Some of the books in there? I should have read by now. In fact, some have been in my TBR pile for over a year. They’ll rise to the top, and I’ll pick them up, look at the cover, thumb through the pages, then slip it further down in the stack again.

Every time I do it, a little voice in the back of my head whispers: Will this happen to your book, Katie?
Yikes!
Slush piles are everywhere. They don’t just belong to agents and editors. Readers have them too. So how do we stay out of them?

The truth? I’m not sure. I’m guessing there are a whole bunch of factors that play into a book’s time in a slush pile. I’m also guessing some of those factors aren’t in our control. But since that’s not a very helpful response, I came up with four factors that, for me, make a book rise quicker to the top (or bypass the pile altogether):
  • Title
  • Cover
  • Back cover blurb
  • First page
The importance of a standout cover: I got a book in the mail the other day. A free one. I’m sad to say I judged it by the cover and tossed it aside. Wow. That’s harsh, huh? But it’s reality, and most likely, our readers will respond the same way. We peruse a bookstore and look for those killer covers. I think that’s why I’m so eager to see the cover of my book–I know what a big role it will play in getting people to pick it up.
The importance of a standout title: Several weeks ago, Janet Grant with Books and Such Literary wrote a wonderful post about the importance of titles. Agents, editors, and readers see a ton of them each year, so it’s ultra imperative that we create, in Janet’s words, “something so stellar we blink our sleepy eyes, perk up and say, ‘Whoa…what did you just say?'” When a title does that for me, I turn the book over and read the back.

The importance of a standout blurb: This is the agent, editor, or reader’s first taste of the story, so we want to make it shine. We can’t disappoint, especially if the cover and title deliver. We want our blurb to introduce intriguing characters, major conflict, and the promise for something special between the front and back cover.
The importance of a standout first page: The title can be intriguing. The cover breathtaking. And the back cover blurb promising. But if the book doesn’t pass the final test, back to the bottom of my TBR pile it goes. And for me, the final test is the first page. I almost always read the first page of a book before committing to the whole thing, and if it doesn’t grab my attention immediately with a question I need to answer, then I just won’t make the time to read it.
So there you go.
Cover. Title. Back cover. First page.
Those are my four criteria for plucking a book off my stack and keeping it in my hands.
I know most of us don’t design our covers. We don’t write our blurbs. And many times, we don’t choose our titles. But still, as writers looking for readers (or agents, or editors), we should do everything we can to make sure these four stand out. And once we’ve done that, we need to make sure the story underneath them satisfies. Because satisfying our readers is the best way to not only get readers, but to keep them.
Let’s Talk: How big’s your TBR pile? What makes you shuffle some books to the bottom over and over again? How important is the title, cover, back cover blurb, and first page to you as a reader? Is there anything you think is more important than those four?

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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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