Great news! I just sold another novel, a manuscript that is a true "book of my heart," as authors call those stories they just can't let go. Called Sloane Hall, it tells the tale of a Hollywood chauffeur in the 1920s who falls in love with his starlet employer, only to be repulsed by secrets on their wedding day.
If the climactic plot point sounds familiar, that's because Sloane Hall is inspired by Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, one of my favorite books.
I must have re-read Jane a dozen times over the years. I love the melodrama, the Cinderella aspect of the story, and especially the love so strong it defies time and distance at the book's core. My heart broke with Jane's at the moment of discovery and betrayal, and I rejoiced when she returned to Rochester after hearing his voice across the miles.
But over the years, those deeply-moving moments started to fade, and I dearly wanted to experience them again. I thought perhaps other Eyre fans would feel the same way, so I decided to refashion the story into something different. And what better way to have readers approach this story as a completely fresh tale than to reverse the genders of the main characters?
Instead of a young governess working at a powerful man's estate, in Sloane Hall you'll find a young chauffeur with a troubled past working for a bewitching starlet of the silent era about to make her first sound picture. The book contains many familiar benchmarks Eyre fans will recognize, but it's also something completely new, a story that delves into the path to and meaning of forgiveness.
Sloane Hall has gone through several revisions and has been praised by the many editors .... who ultimately rejected it! LOL! But it's found a home at last with Five Star Publishing and will be available September 2010.
If you'd like to be on my email list to hear news of its release, please send a note to me at: Libby_Malin@hotmail.com and put "Sloane Hall" in the subject line.
In the meantime, if you're looking for a light and entertaining beach read, check out Fire Me, which has been hailed as "hilarious" and "inspired" by online reviewers!
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Saturday, April 18, 2009
FIRE ME Is In the House!
I'm jumping for joy--at last, my new book Fire Me! is available, shipping from amazon and other outlets now and soon to be in stores everywhere (well, I hope everywhere--be sure to ask for it!). Woohoo! Click on the heading of this blog entry to go to the amazon site, in fact, if you'd like to order it.
Fire Me! tells the story of Anne Wyatt, who goes into work one day determined to hand in her resignation, only to change course when she learns her mercurial boss will lay off an employee by the end of the day, bestowing on said worker a generous severance package. Anne decides to go after that prize, trying to earn her boss' negative attention, and learns a lot about life and love in the process.
Yes, it's a comedy filled with crazy stunts and zany antics as Anne races her way to the finish line, eager to see her boss point his finger at her as the one slated to go. But it's also a deeper story about pursuing one's dreams, and learning how to seize opportunity and take risks, even when you think you have everything so carefully planned.
Fire Me! takes place in the space of one wild twenty-four-hour period, but I'm offering a free extra chapter to those who want to hear what happens to Anne several months after the story in the book ends. Information on that offer, plus how to sign up for my newsletter, plus news on a "blog tour" I'm doing in the next couple weeks, plus.....well, more....can be found at my website: www.LibbysBooks.com. Stop on by!
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Four Book Reviews -- Fiction and Nonfiction
NONFICTION:
THE WORST HARD TIME by Timothy Egan
If you ever thought the Dust Bowl was just an act of nature, you'll think again after reading this moving and well-researched book. Egan tells a sad tale of strivers, believers in the "next good year" who settled the High Plains with the hopes of farming enough to support their families, only to be rewarded with high wheat prices during the first World War that led to more plowing, more turning over of the once-grass-laden land. One hundred million acres of grass were plowed up on the High Plains by these yeomen farmers during good rainfall times. Then, when the weather went back to normal -- scarce rain -- nothing held the soil in place, since the grass was gone. A staggering 850 million tons of dirt blew off the land during a single year of the Depression, several "dusters" dumping dirt as far east as New York City. People died of "dust pneumonia" and the "dusters" created so much static electricity in the air that barbed wire fences sparked and people dragged chains under their cars as a kind of "ground" to keep the static from hurting them in the car. Egan recounts this history through the eyes of several High Plains dwellers, but is careful to lard the story with cold, hard facts about soil conservation. Excellent read. Highly recommended.
FICTION:
THE BRASS VERDICT by Michael Connelly
My pocketbook doesn't usually allow me to pick up hardcovers, so I wait for the paperback version of most books to be released before heading to the store. Not so with Michael Connelly's The Brass Verdict, the second installment in Connelly's new Mickey Haller mystery series. After reading the first one, The Lincoln Lawyer, I couldn't wait for this second swipe at the Haller saga.
Like the first book, it was a great read and doesn't disappoint. The Mickey Haller character, a defense lawyer who struggles (although not too mightily) with the concept of getting off crooks and murderers, is a well-rounded, sympathetic soul you just like spending time with. He's quick-witted and kind, cynical and hopeful, great combinations that make him real and not a legal-beagle stereotype.
The Brass Verdict, like The Lincoln Lawyer, features a mystery (who killed Jerry Vincent, a defense attorney whose cases Mickey "inherits") which ultimately has its solution buried in the multi-layered attorney-client privilege that Mickey protects as fiercely as he protects the rights of scumbags.
There's an extra treat in The Brass Verdict, though. Mickey meets Connelly hero Harry Bosch, who works the murder case while Mickey goes to court defending a man on trial for another murder.
You might think, as you approach the end of this book, that you know where it's going. Hold on to your hat because there's an elegant and very satisfying twist to it all.
One final note on this excellent offering: I love the way Michael Connelly occasionally includes what could be "asides" on the book biz. In one scene, Haller drops into a bookstore to make a call he doesn't want his driver to overhear. Haller eschews the "mystery aisle," which was "too crowded with customers," and instead "found an empty alcove where big coffee-table books were stacked heavily on the shelves and tables." Great subtle commentary on publishing!
NONFICTION:
POWER, FAITH , AND FANTASY: AMERICA IN THE MIDDLE EAST 1776 TO THE PRESENT by Michael B. Oren
Be warned -- this is a loooong book, clocking in at around 700 pages. But it's well worth the time and effort, even if it does sag a bit in the middle. If that stalls you, skip ahead to the more recent history, which is a faster and easier read.
For those who think America's (and the world's) recent problems in the Middle East are new challenges, this book will provide eye-opening insight. Since the beginning of the American Republic, presidents have grappled with the same old problems--how to keep vital trade open while protecting Americans (and American interests) from thuggish and/or militant Middle Eastern leaders who used piracy, kidnapping and worse to gain advantage. "To the shores of Tripoli" -- the line from the Marine anthem -- has its origins in the beginning of this American/Middle Eastern struggle. Oh...and European nations standing idly by, willing to pay ransoms instead of facing down brutal hostage-takers, is nothing new either.
What I liked most about this book was its dispassionate narrative. I didn't sense the author had an ax to grind or agenda to push. The last 100 pages or so, which covered familiar territory, did seem a wee bit pro-Arab, but not over the top anti-Israeli. Keeping that in mind, this book is an excellent overview of a complex part of the world, a great primer for understanding today's events. Highly recommended.
FICTION:
THE BLACK TOWER by Louis Bayard
About four years ago, I discovered this author's sweet and heartbreaking historical Mr. Timothy. That book seemed to be marketed more as historical fiction than as mystery, even though a mystery was included in it. It was a delightful read, featuring a grown-up Timothy Cratchett (yes, that one, from A Christmas Carol), a melancholy soul trying to figure out how to live his life.
I was entranced and bought Bayard's next book, a true-to-the-core mystery, The Pale Blue Eye, that went on to become an Edgar finalist (although it didn't win). Blue Eye also featured a young "searcher"--this time the great poet himself, Edgar Allan Poe.
This past year, Bayard has scored again with another historical mystery, The Black Tower. While the book still features a youthful man caught up in discovering what will give his life meaning, the story is much more mystery-focused than Bayard's first two similar novels.
And what a mystery it is. In Reformation France, where the wounds of the French Revolution still sting as sharply as those to come in post Civil War America, Hector Carpentier is enlisted by master detective Vidocq to determine who killed Chretien LeBlanc, who was searching out Carpentier at the time of his death. The murder leads to a deeper mystery -- is the Dauphin of France, the son of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI, still alive?
This is a page-turner mystery that places you immediately in the world of a country teetering between monarchy and democracy, with no one quite sure if they are safe from the next "revolution." Highly, highly recommended.
THE WORST HARD TIME by Timothy Egan
If you ever thought the Dust Bowl was just an act of nature, you'll think again after reading this moving and well-researched book. Egan tells a sad tale of strivers, believers in the "next good year" who settled the High Plains with the hopes of farming enough to support their families, only to be rewarded with high wheat prices during the first World War that led to more plowing, more turning over of the once-grass-laden land. One hundred million acres of grass were plowed up on the High Plains by these yeomen farmers during good rainfall times. Then, when the weather went back to normal -- scarce rain -- nothing held the soil in place, since the grass was gone. A staggering 850 million tons of dirt blew off the land during a single year of the Depression, several "dusters" dumping dirt as far east as New York City. People died of "dust pneumonia" and the "dusters" created so much static electricity in the air that barbed wire fences sparked and people dragged chains under their cars as a kind of "ground" to keep the static from hurting them in the car. Egan recounts this history through the eyes of several High Plains dwellers, but is careful to lard the story with cold, hard facts about soil conservation. Excellent read. Highly recommended.
FICTION:
THE BRASS VERDICT by Michael Connelly
My pocketbook doesn't usually allow me to pick up hardcovers, so I wait for the paperback version of most books to be released before heading to the store. Not so with Michael Connelly's The Brass Verdict, the second installment in Connelly's new Mickey Haller mystery series. After reading the first one, The Lincoln Lawyer, I couldn't wait for this second swipe at the Haller saga.
Like the first book, it was a great read and doesn't disappoint. The Mickey Haller character, a defense lawyer who struggles (although not too mightily) with the concept of getting off crooks and murderers, is a well-rounded, sympathetic soul you just like spending time with. He's quick-witted and kind, cynical and hopeful, great combinations that make him real and not a legal-beagle stereotype.
The Brass Verdict, like The Lincoln Lawyer, features a mystery (who killed Jerry Vincent, a defense attorney whose cases Mickey "inherits") which ultimately has its solution buried in the multi-layered attorney-client privilege that Mickey protects as fiercely as he protects the rights of scumbags.
There's an extra treat in The Brass Verdict, though. Mickey meets Connelly hero Harry Bosch, who works the murder case while Mickey goes to court defending a man on trial for another murder.
You might think, as you approach the end of this book, that you know where it's going. Hold on to your hat because there's an elegant and very satisfying twist to it all.
One final note on this excellent offering: I love the way Michael Connelly occasionally includes what could be "asides" on the book biz. In one scene, Haller drops into a bookstore to make a call he doesn't want his driver to overhear. Haller eschews the "mystery aisle," which was "too crowded with customers," and instead "found an empty alcove where big coffee-table books were stacked heavily on the shelves and tables." Great subtle commentary on publishing!
NONFICTION:
POWER, FAITH , AND FANTASY: AMERICA IN THE MIDDLE EAST 1776 TO THE PRESENT by Michael B. Oren
Be warned -- this is a loooong book, clocking in at around 700 pages. But it's well worth the time and effort, even if it does sag a bit in the middle. If that stalls you, skip ahead to the more recent history, which is a faster and easier read.
For those who think America's (and the world's) recent problems in the Middle East are new challenges, this book will provide eye-opening insight. Since the beginning of the American Republic, presidents have grappled with the same old problems--how to keep vital trade open while protecting Americans (and American interests) from thuggish and/or militant Middle Eastern leaders who used piracy, kidnapping and worse to gain advantage. "To the shores of Tripoli" -- the line from the Marine anthem -- has its origins in the beginning of this American/Middle Eastern struggle. Oh...and European nations standing idly by, willing to pay ransoms instead of facing down brutal hostage-takers, is nothing new either.
What I liked most about this book was its dispassionate narrative. I didn't sense the author had an ax to grind or agenda to push. The last 100 pages or so, which covered familiar territory, did seem a wee bit pro-Arab, but not over the top anti-Israeli. Keeping that in mind, this book is an excellent overview of a complex part of the world, a great primer for understanding today's events. Highly recommended.
FICTION:
THE BLACK TOWER by Louis Bayard
About four years ago, I discovered this author's sweet and heartbreaking historical Mr. Timothy. That book seemed to be marketed more as historical fiction than as mystery, even though a mystery was included in it. It was a delightful read, featuring a grown-up Timothy Cratchett (yes, that one, from A Christmas Carol), a melancholy soul trying to figure out how to live his life.
I was entranced and bought Bayard's next book, a true-to-the-core mystery, The Pale Blue Eye, that went on to become an Edgar finalist (although it didn't win). Blue Eye also featured a young "searcher"--this time the great poet himself, Edgar Allan Poe.
This past year, Bayard has scored again with another historical mystery, The Black Tower. While the book still features a youthful man caught up in discovering what will give his life meaning, the story is much more mystery-focused than Bayard's first two similar novels.
And what a mystery it is. In Reformation France, where the wounds of the French Revolution still sting as sharply as those to come in post Civil War America, Hector Carpentier is enlisted by master detective Vidocq to determine who killed Chretien LeBlanc, who was searching out Carpentier at the time of his death. The murder leads to a deeper mystery -- is the Dauphin of France, the son of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI, still alive?
This is a page-turner mystery that places you immediately in the world of a country teetering between monarchy and democracy, with no one quite sure if they are safe from the next "revolution." Highly, highly recommended.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Book Ads and Book Reviews: What Moves the Consumer?
Recently, news hit the book world of yet another standalone book review section at a newspaper folding . The Washington Post will no longer publish its separate book section, instead placing reviews in its features section. The number of reviews is not supposed to decrease (significantly) but the review section will cease to exist.
The explanations for this that I read seemed to indicate the ad revenue wasn't there to support a standalone book section. One article suggested that publishers themselves weren't doing enough advertising to keep the section afloat. I'm hoping that was just a bit of less-than-complete reporting, because a newspaper book section should have many other advertising possibilities beyond publishers of books.
After all, a book section has an"evergreen" quality to it. Unlike the "breaking news" sections that become a trout's overcoat by evening's end, a book review section can hang around a house or business for later perusal or reference. Advertisers like that kind of staying quality. And book lovers do buy other things--dinners out, coffee at the local Starbucks, jewelry, wine, chocolate, tea. The list is endless.
Book review sections, too, are one of the few places where newspapers might have an advantage over parallel free internet sites. Sure, there are a lot of fine book reviewing web sites out there. I read them. Friends of mine read them. But I do believe that most book lovers still rely heavily on book review sections of newspapers or magazines, with established and respected editors choosing reviewers for important books, to point readers in the right direction for new offerings. That's just my speculation, based on no marketing research whatsoever.
And therein lies the problem. Marketing research probably does come into play when these decisions are made at newspapers, just as such research comes into play at publishing houses when buying and promoting books. But market research isn't perfect. Just ask the folks who came up with New Coke.
I've always been baffled, for example, by most publishers' decision to eschew advertising directly to the book reading consumer, instead focusing most promotional efforts on influencing the booksellers (book stores and vendors). Publishing is about the only segment of the entertainment industry that doesn't advertise directly to the consumer.
That will probably have to change quickly as the Kindle and Sony E-reader start pushing the electronic book market to broader audiences. With no bookstores necessary for these book purchases, publishers will have to figure out ways to reach the e-book reader directly. Why not start now looking at ways to advertise books effectively?
The only ads I've ever seen or heard for books are usually stilted things without much flash--print ads that tout reviews or blurbs, or the occasional television or radio ad with the serious, eager voiceover providing a two-sentence summary of the book and a "you must read this thriller/romance/coming-of-age story now" message that hardly convinces me to even remember its title. If these efforts worked well, you'd probably see/hear more of them.
But what about using a different approach--one that has already shown phenomenal success? I'm talking about the Oprah strategy. Oprah Winfrey need only breathe a book's name and sales skyrocket. This makes perfect sense. Don't most people buy books on the recommendation of a friend whom they trust? People trust Oprah.
Surely there are other celebrities people trust. Why don't book publishers hire such people as spokespersons? Strike a deal where the publisher determines the celebrity's reading interests, provides the celebrity with a range of books in that area the publisher wants to promote, and allows the celebrity to choose those he or she is willing to tout in well-designed "book club"-like ads that can play on television, radio and the publisher's web site?
Yes, the celebrity will be a "paid spokesperson," which will remove the sheen of objectivity from this exercise. But if done well, these promotional efforts could still influence readers.
If book publishers opted for more traditional television or radio ads, I would suggest taking a page from perfume ads that run at holiday times--moody scene-setters with breathy voiceovers that tell a story in a few seconds, a story you usually want to know more about (even if you do sometimes roll your eyes at the zaniness or sentimentality!).
Those are a few ideas from this author who has no idea what book promotion budgets are at publishing houses, big or small!
I'd love to hear your ideas, readers and writers, on what kinds of direct-to-consumer ads would move you to take a look at specific books or which celebrity spokespersons you'd choose to promote books!
The explanations for this that I read seemed to indicate the ad revenue wasn't there to support a standalone book section. One article suggested that publishers themselves weren't doing enough advertising to keep the section afloat. I'm hoping that was just a bit of less-than-complete reporting, because a newspaper book section should have many other advertising possibilities beyond publishers of books.
After all, a book section has an"evergreen" quality to it. Unlike the "breaking news" sections that become a trout's overcoat by evening's end, a book review section can hang around a house or business for later perusal or reference. Advertisers like that kind of staying quality. And book lovers do buy other things--dinners out, coffee at the local Starbucks, jewelry, wine, chocolate, tea. The list is endless.
Book review sections, too, are one of the few places where newspapers might have an advantage over parallel free internet sites. Sure, there are a lot of fine book reviewing web sites out there. I read them. Friends of mine read them. But I do believe that most book lovers still rely heavily on book review sections of newspapers or magazines, with established and respected editors choosing reviewers for important books, to point readers in the right direction for new offerings. That's just my speculation, based on no marketing research whatsoever.
And therein lies the problem. Marketing research probably does come into play when these decisions are made at newspapers, just as such research comes into play at publishing houses when buying and promoting books. But market research isn't perfect. Just ask the folks who came up with New Coke.
I've always been baffled, for example, by most publishers' decision to eschew advertising directly to the book reading consumer, instead focusing most promotional efforts on influencing the booksellers (book stores and vendors). Publishing is about the only segment of the entertainment industry that doesn't advertise directly to the consumer.
That will probably have to change quickly as the Kindle and Sony E-reader start pushing the electronic book market to broader audiences. With no bookstores necessary for these book purchases, publishers will have to figure out ways to reach the e-book reader directly. Why not start now looking at ways to advertise books effectively?
The only ads I've ever seen or heard for books are usually stilted things without much flash--print ads that tout reviews or blurbs, or the occasional television or radio ad with the serious, eager voiceover providing a two-sentence summary of the book and a "you must read this thriller/romance/coming-of-age story now" message that hardly convinces me to even remember its title. If these efforts worked well, you'd probably see/hear more of them.
But what about using a different approach--one that has already shown phenomenal success? I'm talking about the Oprah strategy. Oprah Winfrey need only breathe a book's name and sales skyrocket. This makes perfect sense. Don't most people buy books on the recommendation of a friend whom they trust? People trust Oprah.
Surely there are other celebrities people trust. Why don't book publishers hire such people as spokespersons? Strike a deal where the publisher determines the celebrity's reading interests, provides the celebrity with a range of books in that area the publisher wants to promote, and allows the celebrity to choose those he or she is willing to tout in well-designed "book club"-like ads that can play on television, radio and the publisher's web site?
Yes, the celebrity will be a "paid spokesperson," which will remove the sheen of objectivity from this exercise. But if done well, these promotional efforts could still influence readers.
If book publishers opted for more traditional television or radio ads, I would suggest taking a page from perfume ads that run at holiday times--moody scene-setters with breathy voiceovers that tell a story in a few seconds, a story you usually want to know more about (even if you do sometimes roll your eyes at the zaniness or sentimentality!).
Those are a few ideas from this author who has no idea what book promotion budgets are at publishing houses, big or small!
I'd love to hear your ideas, readers and writers, on what kinds of direct-to-consumer ads would move you to take a look at specific books or which celebrity spokespersons you'd choose to promote books!
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Interpreting Rejection Letters
Almost every author has experienced rejection. Usually, lots of it. I'm no exception. I have file folders full of rejection notes, from agents and editors alike.
When I first started writing seriously, in fact, I began measuring my progress by the type of rejection letter I was receiving: starting with form letters ("Dear Author...."), moving to short personal letters ("Dear Libby...not right for us..."), and on to longer, more thoughtful letters with more specific reasons why my manuscript didn't work for the editor or agent.
Whenever I received a longer rejection letter, I'd pore over the words trying to unlock the "real" meaning of what the editor was saying, looking for some magic fairy dust I could sprinkle on future manuscripts to make them sell.
Now I find myself in the ironic position of writing rejection letters too. Several months ago, I took a freelance job reading manuscripts for a publisher. I write up recommendations for the purchasing editors. And without thinking about it, I've started using some of the phrases that popped up in rejection letters to me. Now at last, I think I know what they mean. Here are my interpretations of two such phrases, which always had me scratching my head and pondering their meaning:
Sadly, this is a pass for me: My reaction to this frequent letter-closer was always something like this: "Sadly? Sadly? Why not make yourself happy and accept my gem of a manuscript? Then you won't be sad any longer!" But once I used that phrase myself, I knew what the editor was feeling. Here's what I meant when I used it: I really wanted to love this. It had so many great elements and it's clear the author has talent. I was rooting for it even as I stumbled over its flaws. But eventually the flaws made me realize this book wouldn't work without substantial revision. I'm not opposed to working with an author on revision, but this one requires a lot of "pulling apart at the seams" in order for it to work for me. And what if the author doesn't agree to the edits? What if she digs in her heels and says "this is the book you bought?" Nope. Can't take that chance. So......sadly, this is a pass for me......
The writing wasn't strong enough: Ouch. This hurt when I'd see it show up in rejection letters. I always thought it meant the editor believed I was a lousy writer. My reaction: "Say it isn't so! I was at least competent--right, right, right?" Well, yeah, right.
I had to think about this a long time to figure out what I meant when I found myself using this phrase. And here's my conclusion -- for a book to work for me, it has to have three key ingredients, all of which have to be good to great, but at least one of which has to be way above average: characterizations, plotting, writing. So, a fantastic yarn -- a story with magnificent characters and plot -- can pull me through a story even with so-so writing. (I can think of at least one recent bestseller that fits that description, in fact.)
But if all three of those elements are merely competent or even just "good," the book doesn't tug me along; it doesn't force me to turn its pages.
Is it possible for the writing to be excellent and the other elements missing? Sure, and then the rejection letter would focus on those. But when the plotting and characterizations are good to even very good, but the writing doesn't cry out --Listen. To. Me.-- then the book doesn't work. And that's when I look at the lovely characters and the intelligent plot and sigh. And find myself saying....the writing wasn't strong enough.
I hope this helps other writers interpret these common phrases. It's possible editors and agents mean different things with them, but I suspect my interpretations are pretty close.
When I first started writing seriously, in fact, I began measuring my progress by the type of rejection letter I was receiving: starting with form letters ("Dear Author...."), moving to short personal letters ("Dear Libby...not right for us..."), and on to longer, more thoughtful letters with more specific reasons why my manuscript didn't work for the editor or agent.
Whenever I received a longer rejection letter, I'd pore over the words trying to unlock the "real" meaning of what the editor was saying, looking for some magic fairy dust I could sprinkle on future manuscripts to make them sell.
Now I find myself in the ironic position of writing rejection letters too. Several months ago, I took a freelance job reading manuscripts for a publisher. I write up recommendations for the purchasing editors. And without thinking about it, I've started using some of the phrases that popped up in rejection letters to me. Now at last, I think I know what they mean. Here are my interpretations of two such phrases, which always had me scratching my head and pondering their meaning:
Sadly, this is a pass for me: My reaction to this frequent letter-closer was always something like this: "Sadly? Sadly? Why not make yourself happy and accept my gem of a manuscript? Then you won't be sad any longer!" But once I used that phrase myself, I knew what the editor was feeling. Here's what I meant when I used it: I really wanted to love this. It had so many great elements and it's clear the author has talent. I was rooting for it even as I stumbled over its flaws. But eventually the flaws made me realize this book wouldn't work without substantial revision. I'm not opposed to working with an author on revision, but this one requires a lot of "pulling apart at the seams" in order for it to work for me. And what if the author doesn't agree to the edits? What if she digs in her heels and says "this is the book you bought?" Nope. Can't take that chance. So......sadly, this is a pass for me......
The writing wasn't strong enough: Ouch. This hurt when I'd see it show up in rejection letters. I always thought it meant the editor believed I was a lousy writer. My reaction: "Say it isn't so! I was at least competent--right, right, right?" Well, yeah, right.
I had to think about this a long time to figure out what I meant when I found myself using this phrase. And here's my conclusion -- for a book to work for me, it has to have three key ingredients, all of which have to be good to great, but at least one of which has to be way above average: characterizations, plotting, writing. So, a fantastic yarn -- a story with magnificent characters and plot -- can pull me through a story even with so-so writing. (I can think of at least one recent bestseller that fits that description, in fact.)
But if all three of those elements are merely competent or even just "good," the book doesn't tug me along; it doesn't force me to turn its pages.
Is it possible for the writing to be excellent and the other elements missing? Sure, and then the rejection letter would focus on those. But when the plotting and characterizations are good to even very good, but the writing doesn't cry out --Listen. To. Me.-- then the book doesn't work. And that's when I look at the lovely characters and the intelligent plot and sigh. And find myself saying....the writing wasn't strong enough.
I hope this helps other writers interpret these common phrases. It's possible editors and agents mean different things with them, but I suspect my interpretations are pretty close.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
FREE BOOK: Mystery Novel
Although I'm the author of four teen (or YA -- "young adult") mysteries, I've not yet published an adult mystery. My published adult books are women's fiction--lighter fare written under my maiden name, Libby Malin.
To help draw attention to my YA mysteries, I am offering readers a freebie--a full adult mystery novel available for download from my web site at: www.LibbysBooks.com
Death is the Cool Night is set in the world of opera, in my native Baltimore, in the months before December 7, 1941. Its operatic tale follows the lives of five main characters who become connected through the death of a villainous conductor. I hope you enjoy it! Please let me know your thoughts by emailing me at: Libby_Sternberg@hotmail.com
To help draw attention to my YA mysteries, I am offering readers a freebie--a full adult mystery novel available for download from my web site at: www.LibbysBooks.com
Death is the Cool Night is set in the world of opera, in my native Baltimore, in the months before December 7, 1941. Its operatic tale follows the lives of five main characters who become connected through the death of a villainous conductor. I hope you enjoy it! Please let me know your thoughts by emailing me at: Libby_Sternberg@hotmail.com
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Bancroft Press
Recently I deigned to participate in a phone survey. It was from my alma mater and it dealt with the alumni magazine--a confluence of two subjects in which I'm interested on different levels. At the end of the survey, the interviewer went through some standard demographic questions, one of which was: what was my occupation? "Novelist," I answered, with no hesitation.
Novelist. When I look back at how it has come to pass that I'm able to say, with no qualifiers, with, in fact, a sense of pride, that I am a novelist, I know I owe a debt of gratitude to many people. My family is among them, cheerleaders extraordinaire. They know who they are and why I owe them.
But among the crowd of folks to whom I owe a deep debt of gratitude is the publisher who first took a chance on me--Bancroft Press.
In the publishing world, there's a lot of gnashing of teeth and moaning and whining about how Big Corporations are having negative effects on the book "industry." Big Box Stores. Big New York Houses owned by Big Multinational Corporations. Big. Big. Big.
Bancroft is a small, independent press. No multinationals pull its strings. Just a courageous publisher operating out of a tiny corner of Baltimore, Maryland looking for "books that enlighten."
That publisher is Bruce L. Bortz. I knew Bruce before he started his publishing business. And when I finally decided to give in to my muse and start writing novels (thanks, in large part, to the continuing encouragement of my sister), I sent Bruce some of my stuff.
He liked it. But I was writing adult novels in a genre he wasn't handling. In fact, he was just starting to publish young adult novels (YA) at the time and wanted to know if I had an interest in that genre. Well, no, I didn't.
Not at first, that is. I thought about it. I remembered how reading the Trixie Belden mystery series turned me on to reading when I was a kid. And I decided that I would like to try to write books like that, books that ignited in young readers the desire to....read more. And to keep on reading.
So I put stylus to parchment (or rather, ink jet to paper) and wrote Uncovering Sadie's Secrets, the first Bianca Balducci mystery. Bruce loved it and offered a contract. I accepted, still thinking that somewhere out there was my Future as a Wildly Successful and Respected Adult Novelist.
While I waited for that fate to catch me, Sadie became an Edgar finalist. The paperback rights to it and its sequel, Finding the Forger, were sold to Dorchester Publishing (an independent New York City house). I went on to sell a "chick lit" book to Harlequin's Red Dress Ink, and recently a romantic comedy to Sourcebooks (another independent publisher), the film rights to which have already been optioned.
Without Bruce and Bancroft Press, these things either wouldn't have happened or would have been extremely unlikely.
Bruce loved Bianca and her stories, yes. But he also saw a spark that, if tended well, could be coaxed into a glow. He was willing to take the time and effort to nurture that flame. This is an important point, one that distinguishes him from the crowd.
Authors who submit regularly to publishing houses know it's not unusual to get glowing rejection letters (some of which read almost like back-cover blurbs!), many of them ending with...But I didn't fall in love with it.
I never sense Bruce has to "fall in love" with a book to see its potential. In fact, potential is the key to acceptance with him. If he sees the bones of a great manuscript and the sparkle of a good writer, he is willing to take a chance and help the author shape his or her manuscript into something publishable.
(It's important to note here that, like some Big Houses and their editors, Bancroft Press operates an editing services component of its business, but this is separate from the publishing arm in that no author is told they should use the editing services to enhance their chances of getting published by Bancroft. Nor is this ever implied.)
Bruce matches his editorial support with marketing back-up as well. Bancroft Press does everything within its power to promote its books, from advertising in industry publications to providing boxes of ARCs for potential reviewers and blurbers and more. Much more. If I had a marketing idea that Bruce bought into, his first reaction was, "How much does it cost? I'll help pay for that." Once he commits to an author, he doesn't back down.
I came to realize what a special attribute this was as I made friends in the book industry. It wasn't unusual to hear tales of woe from authors published by large houses about everything from lack of marketing support to delays in check delivery.
Other Bancroft authors I contacted at random have similar good things to say about Bruce and his Little Press that Could:
That's a pretty good track record for a very small press. Some imprints of large houses would be happy to claim it.
The point of this blogpost is that starting with a small press can jump start your publishing career. Yes, you should be careful. You should scrutinize any offered contract to make sure your rights as an author are protected. Look at publication date windows, options clauses, and subsidiary rights. Follow up when delivery of checks are due.
But don't eschew small independent presses just because they're "small." Bancroft Press is a shining example of a small press that can launch authors' careers.
Thanks, Bruce, for taking a chance on this author.
Novelist. When I look back at how it has come to pass that I'm able to say, with no qualifiers, with, in fact, a sense of pride, that I am a novelist, I know I owe a debt of gratitude to many people. My family is among them, cheerleaders extraordinaire. They know who they are and why I owe them.
But among the crowd of folks to whom I owe a deep debt of gratitude is the publisher who first took a chance on me--Bancroft Press.
In the publishing world, there's a lot of gnashing of teeth and moaning and whining about how Big Corporations are having negative effects on the book "industry." Big Box Stores. Big New York Houses owned by Big Multinational Corporations. Big. Big. Big.
Bancroft is a small, independent press. No multinationals pull its strings. Just a courageous publisher operating out of a tiny corner of Baltimore, Maryland looking for "books that enlighten."
That publisher is Bruce L. Bortz. I knew Bruce before he started his publishing business. And when I finally decided to give in to my muse and start writing novels (thanks, in large part, to the continuing encouragement of my sister), I sent Bruce some of my stuff.
He liked it. But I was writing adult novels in a genre he wasn't handling. In fact, he was just starting to publish young adult novels (YA) at the time and wanted to know if I had an interest in that genre. Well, no, I didn't.
Not at first, that is. I thought about it. I remembered how reading the Trixie Belden mystery series turned me on to reading when I was a kid. And I decided that I would like to try to write books like that, books that ignited in young readers the desire to....read more. And to keep on reading.
So I put stylus to parchment (or rather, ink jet to paper) and wrote Uncovering Sadie's Secrets, the first Bianca Balducci mystery. Bruce loved it and offered a contract. I accepted, still thinking that somewhere out there was my Future as a Wildly Successful and Respected Adult Novelist.
While I waited for that fate to catch me, Sadie became an Edgar finalist. The paperback rights to it and its sequel, Finding the Forger, were sold to Dorchester Publishing (an independent New York City house). I went on to sell a "chick lit" book to Harlequin's Red Dress Ink, and recently a romantic comedy to Sourcebooks (another independent publisher), the film rights to which have already been optioned.
Without Bruce and Bancroft Press, these things either wouldn't have happened or would have been extremely unlikely.
Bruce loved Bianca and her stories, yes. But he also saw a spark that, if tended well, could be coaxed into a glow. He was willing to take the time and effort to nurture that flame. This is an important point, one that distinguishes him from the crowd.
Authors who submit regularly to publishing houses know it's not unusual to get glowing rejection letters (some of which read almost like back-cover blurbs!), many of them ending with...But I didn't fall in love with it.
I never sense Bruce has to "fall in love" with a book to see its potential. In fact, potential is the key to acceptance with him. If he sees the bones of a great manuscript and the sparkle of a good writer, he is willing to take a chance and help the author shape his or her manuscript into something publishable.
(It's important to note here that, like some Big Houses and their editors, Bancroft Press operates an editing services component of its business, but this is separate from the publishing arm in that no author is told they should use the editing services to enhance their chances of getting published by Bancroft. Nor is this ever implied.)
Bruce matches his editorial support with marketing back-up as well. Bancroft Press does everything within its power to promote its books, from advertising in industry publications to providing boxes of ARCs for potential reviewers and blurbers and more. Much more. If I had a marketing idea that Bruce bought into, his first reaction was, "How much does it cost? I'll help pay for that." Once he commits to an author, he doesn't back down.
I came to realize what a special attribute this was as I made friends in the book industry. It wasn't unusual to hear tales of woe from authors published by large houses about everything from lack of marketing support to delays in check delivery.
Other Bancroft authors I contacted at random have similar good things to say about Bruce and his Little Press that Could:
- From my first conversation with Bruce Bortz, I knew that Bancroft Press was not representative of the cutthroat, jump-on-the-latest-hot-trend
publishers that so many in the industry have become. Bruce was interested in the quality of the work and made it clear that he would want to publish my novel only if he was certain that he could make it better without compromising the work's integrity. And he did exactly what he promised. Bruce and Bancroft editor Harrison Demcheck offered unerring advice and a strong sense of teamwork that made the editorial process enjoyable and gave a great boost to my creative confidence. -- Ron Cooper, author of the satirical Hume's Fork, called by novelist and MacArthur Fellow Rebecca Goldstein a "mix of zaniness and erudition, satire and insight . . . as delicious as it is original."
- I have had the pleasure of working with Bruce Bortz and Bancroft Press for the publication of my two novels, Mia the Meek and Mia the Melodramatic. Bruce's personal attention, excellent revision skills, and business savvy have been instrumental in launching my writing career. My books were designed and crafted with the ultimate professionalism and are an example of the thoughtful consideration Bancroft Press gives to each detail of the publishing process. -- Eileen Boggess, author of Mia the Meek and Mia the Melodramatic, called by a teen reviewer for Flamingnet.com: "...amazing, extremely hilarious, laugh-out-loud.... "
- Bruce and Harrison certainly have a passion for publishing. They constantly strive to produce the best work possible and encourage the writer to move forward in his or her writing career. Like all passions, it can be a blessing and a curse. Certainly, the blessing is the opportunity to see new novelists succeed. And the curse is the continuous rewrites that must be done to move towards a better final product. They do both well. -- Andy Harp, author of A Northern Thunder, called by Booklist "heart pounding."
That's a pretty good track record for a very small press. Some imprints of large houses would be happy to claim it.
The point of this blogpost is that starting with a small press can jump start your publishing career. Yes, you should be careful. You should scrutinize any offered contract to make sure your rights as an author are protected. Look at publication date windows, options clauses, and subsidiary rights. Follow up when delivery of checks are due.
But don't eschew small independent presses just because they're "small." Bancroft Press is a shining example of a small press that can launch authors' careers.
Thanks, Bruce, for taking a chance on this author.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
