Writing is a challenge. We who love to write feel joy, pain, anxiety, rage, sadness, the full gamut. After all, our work is a part of us. The stress of meeting a deadline or even just writing for fun is challenging enough, but after you’ve finished that first draft and re-edited and re-edited… and re-edited, how do we know we have a perfect product? If you are to follow the unwritten code of editing, you’ve surely heard the phrase “read your manuscript out loud.” Sure, it’s our baby, why not? But we’re in the 21st century, here’s an idea, wouldn’t it be great if your computer could read it to you – like it did for Captain Kirk? Believe it or not, if you used Microsoft Word to create your masterpiece, the geniuses at Microsoft already did the work for you, and you don’t even have to be on the bridge of the Enterprise to access this marvel. There’s a built-in app for Office 2010 and newer to allow your document to be read to you. It’s easy to set up and in no time you can have your words read out loud to you. Besides, wouldn’t it be better More
Six Ways to Rethink Rejections
/ 2019-12-27For obvious reasons, writers often find rejection difficult. Even the word feels unnecessarily harsh. When that dreaded notification arrives, most forget that it’s only a collection of your words – and not you yourself – that’s been turned down. Here – from a serial rejectee – are some ways to reframe the concept of rejection in a more positive light. Rejections are acknowledgements. Apart from acceptance, the alternative to rejection – still all too common – is deafening silence. I know of writers with poems or stories in submission queues for three or four years. Personally, I’d rather know asap if someone wants to say No. Then I can move on and decide what to do with it next. So: thank you very much for letting me know. Rejections are just preferences. Many editors and publishers go out of their way to explain that they have to turn down loads of great work because they just don’t have the capacity to publish it all. Sometimes your work is fine, it just doesn’t fit with the reviewer’s taste (or their unconscious biases). Maybe it’s too similar to something else they’re running, or it just got pushed out by something they thought even better. More
Top Tips for Rocking Your Public Book Reading
/ 2019-12-20As a writer of short stories with a new collection out and a few competition successes under my belt, I’ve been doing a few readings at small literary events recently. Here are a few tips I’ve picked up about how to read to best effect, overcome nerves and leave a memorable impression… Check out the reading space If at all possible, I like to get to the event in time to be able to stand in the actual spot where I’ll be reading. It calms me to visualise that moment in advance, and it’s also a chance to look out for any obvious issues to do with acoustics and sightlines. If there’s a lectern but it creaks and wobbles, I probably won’t use it. If the stage is quite a distance to the audience, I’ll know to raise my voice a little more than usual. Remember you’re not taking an exam (and you’re not the centre of the universe) When we’re nervous, it’s easy to see our audience as some kind of adversary, scrutinising us coldly and trying to catch us out. But the people who come to readings are book lovers, a wonderful breed (you are one yourself) who More
Blinkered by Books
/ 2019-12-14So there I am, the young unpublished writer in his 20s working on his novel, Such Lunatic Gods. What genre am I writing in? Science fiction, of course, because that’s what I like reading about. It’s a natural progression, obviously, because I’ve sold a few articles and short stories so it’s time for a full-length piece. I finish it, send it off to publishers, and the rejection slips mount up. I try for an agent, however, and land one. Whoopee! He thinks I’m the greatest thing since sliced bread and promises an exciting future. I start working on the follow-up book. Yet time passes with nothing happening. I’m young, impatient, expecting results. But no publisher biting. I finish with the agent, resigned that I’m a failure and done with writing. Years pass. I’m in a dead-end job one day listening to the radio. An ad comes on saying that the local commercial station, Radio Clyde seeks comedy writers for a planned new series, Six of the Best. I’m not a comedy writer and I’ve never written for radio, but the urge is still there. I dig out the typewriter. I write a sketch called The Curse of Hitler’s Moustache, and glory be, More
Review Copies, Freebies, and Author Copies: Q&A
/ 2019-12-06Think the author of a new book is entitled to unlimited copies? Think again. Here we look at author copies, review copies, and giving away freebies. What is a review copy? Often known as ARCs (advance review copies), review copies are a promotional version of the book for the trade and media. They will not always have the final cover and will be marked as “not for resale.” There may be a few things missing, such as index and pagination, and some editing often needs to be done. What are they for? They’re sent out months in advance to publications, influencers, wholesalers, and sales reps in the hopes of generating reviews and publicity. It’s always understood that the ARC is not the final version of the book. Does the author get any review copies? Not necessarily, as they are mostly for the publisher to share with their network. Hope’s publisher gives her no print ARCs but does provide ebook ARCs via NetGalley. The publisher of my short story collection typically sends out ten print ARCs to authors, with the possibility of more if needed. What’s the difference between an ARC and an author copy? Author copies are simply the agreed More
Simplify Your Writing Life
/ 2019-11-23I don’t know about you, but in my attempt to keep up with publishing changes, my stress level often rises. My email box posts roughly 200 emails daily, the majority of them telling me how to best edit, publish, market, and partner with influencers. How to work Amazon. . . how to hate Amazon. How print sales are falling. . . how they are rising. How bookstores are struggling. . . how they are surging back. I see so many writers scrambling to the next shiny thing trying to grasp the latest advice, tool, or concept. Of course books, courses, podcasts, and conferences are going to instill in you the right path to take for each venture. I recently watched a TED talk about how emotions can change the shape of your heart. Emotions can also mean stress if you listen to the speaker (or read the text online). Your heart takes a beating with stress and can literally show the signs in the shape it changes to and from. I’m a serious advocate of simplifying life. There a few indie authors I watch from afar, on one hand admiring their persistence and drive. . . on the other hand grateful I’m More
The Unseen Writer: Ghostwriting for the Corporate Sphere
/ 2019-11-16An entire world of writing exists for which you’ll never see a by-line. Welcome to the world of corporate ghostwriting, where product descriptions and press releases pay. Here’s what you’re in for, and why it’s a great writing gig any day. What You’re Writing Corporate ghostwriting is a vast field that includes product descriptions, manuals, press releases, packaging content, site blogs, reviews, newsletters, lessons and sometimes internal training content. Most ghostwriting is handled by in-house writers, but much gets outsourced to contracted copywriters or agencies. Corporates Prefer Agencies Most of my corporate ghostwriting work has been through leading copy agencies: Large companies like Coca-Cola usually prefer to hire equally large agencies. Sure, you’ll still get work as a sole writer, but join forces with a copywriting agency, and you’ll get your ‘in’ faster. Getting In Establish connections with copywriting agencies, CEOs, company marketing heads, and other “corporate types” – long-term relationships and word of mouth carry faster than ads when people are looking for writers, and it’s a good thing if your name comes up. Cold pitch: One e-mail placed right can launch a thousand jobs. “Hey, I used this writer. Try him.” Startup Companies Target smaller, startup companies with More
Owning Your Pockets of Time
/ 2019-11-01How much better is silence; the coffee cup, the table. How much better to sit by myself like the solitary sea-bird that opens its wings on the stake. Let me sit here for ever with bare things, this coffee cup, this knife, this fork, things in themselves, myself being myself. ~Virginia Woolf I’m an advocate of alone time, and nothing soothes me more than walking in nature or sitting at the keyboard composing a story. An extrovert I am not, and solitude energizes me. But when my grandson started kindergarten at a school three miles from my house, and my husband quickly volunteered the two of us to pick him up everyday, I wondered if I could afford to lose that time in my already packed schedule. Sure, we could switch off days, but still, that school line of cars meant a solid hour or more out of my day. . . with nothing productive to show for it. The first week I arrived 45 minutes ahead of schedule, parked in line, and tackled editing a manuscript that was already on a tight deadline. Before I knew it the cars started moving, and I had completed a major chunk More
Interest a Publisher with Children’s Nonfiction Ideas
/ 2019-11-01As a writer of children’s nonfiction, I’ve enjoyed a fairly steady flow of work over the years. The usual pattern is that publishers come up with ideas for new books, then approach me to write them. Occasionally though, when work is thin on the ground, I’ve had to adopt a more proactive approach by going out and selling myself as a writer for hire. I’ve found the best way of doing this is to come bearing gifts in the form of juicy new ideas for books. 1. First approach It’s important to avoid giving the impression that you’re desperate for work. A common formulation, when writing to a publisher, might be: ‘Dear X, I hope all is well with you. Just to let you know, I’m coming to the end of a big project and should be free to take on new commissions from [insert month after current one].’ You might then go on mention that you’ve got a few ideas, and suggest a meeting to discuss them. 2. Ideas? What ideas? If you don’t actually have any ideas at this stage, now would be a good time to come up with some. For inspiration, look in your local bookshop More
Squeezing the Most Out of a Writer’s Training Course
/ 2019-11-01Whether it’s a masterclass on finding a literary agent, a seminar on improving your social media skills, or a workshop on self-publishing, investing in some training can give your writing career a massive boost – so long as it’s the right training. I’ve been running training courses in copywriting for 20 years and have attended many courses for my own development, too. There are lots of things you can do to make sure that the course you’re considering is right for your needs, assuring that you receive the maximum bang for your buck. You can address a lot of my points by contacting the provider with a few questions beforehand. The way they respond will tell you a lot about whether they’re a good fit for you. Look hard at the track record of the trainer Is your trainer being an admirable practitioner of what they teach? If they’re teaching creative writing, what have they actually published themselves? If they’re offering a marketing course, what do their own promotional materials look like? Check their Amazon rankings and read reviews of their work. Talk to others who’ve done the training Personal recommendations help you understand if the course is really right More