RMFW (Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers) annual conference offers a wealth of educational workshops and editor/agent panels to help aspiring writers get published. Go to rmfw.org and click on 'conference' to learn more about next September's conference.

Agents at the RMFW conference this year gave us insight and tips that may change the way you target agents, and when and how you query.

Agents on the panel:

Rachelle Gardner, Wordserve Literary Group

Sara Megibow of the Nelson Literary Agency

Rebecca Strauss of the McIntosh & Otis, Inc. Literary Agency

Sandra Bond of the Sandra Bond Literary Agency

Here’s a peek into the Q&A session.

 Don’t get caught doing this!

When asked what not to do when sending a query, Rachelle Gardner advised that you don’t start with a rhetorical question, or try to be cute. Follow the submission guidelines for that particular agent.

Sara Megibow suggested that you don’t sub in a genre she doesn’t represent.  Write a blurb that will make her want to read the book.  “I want your query letter to sound like the back cover of the novel,” Sara said.

When trying to suggest an audience for your work, Rebecca Strauss suggested you avoid saying, “I’m the next Faulker.”  Instead, try some content comparison with a known author.  Example:  “My work is along the lines of  X Author.” She said it helps to research what the agents represent. Her example:  “I enjoyed Tempest Rising, and my book is similar to that.”  That, Rebecca said, will make her love you.  “Our books are like our children.  If you compliment them you compliment us.”

Does location matter?

Located in New York, Rebecca is in contact by email and phone, but enjoys the convenience of meeting with editors.  “It’s fun to get drinks with them.”  With personal meetings, she feels they open up more about their editorial needs.  She meets with editors once or twice a week.

Sara’s son loves the New York taxicabs. She travels there for business but “I don’t wine and dine editors in New York.  You can live in the North Pole, but what you want to ask, if you are offered representation, is, ‘Will you represent my book and get it sold?’ Not, ‘Do you buy editors beer?’”

Rachelle loves being able to live here and do her job. She sells mainstream fiction to general markets and to Christian publishers. There are four major Christian  publishers in Denver and in Nashville.  She attends conferences and meets editors there. “When I pitch a book, the main thing is will it get read?” she said. “I don’t have any editors ignoring me.  It won’t be based on where I live.  If I were having trouble getting an editor to pay attention to me that would be a problem, but it’s not.”

Sandra noted that agents live all over the place, and editors know that. “Your job is to target the appropriate agent who is right for your book and our job is to target the right editor for your book,” she said.  “It doesn’t matter where we live.  We do also attend many conferences and meet editors, and go to New York and meet with the editors when we need to.  I have specific editors with whom I want to meet.  But I’m also very good at phone relationships.  Authors, too, are all over the place.  I have authors I haven’t met before.”

 E-publishing – panacea, or the death of publishing?

E-publishing is, they agreed, another format of a book, like an audio book.

We may have fewer printed books, but they’ll never ever go away. Yes, there’ll be lots of e-books, but it’s still a book.

Rachelle noted that everyone in the industry is trying to discover how all who are involved in publishing are going to continue to make money from the written word. We can try to re-invent the wheel every day but we still don’t know the answer to that question.  How much readers will pay for the written word is the new question.

Sara agreed.  “The question is: an author may have 25 rejections and ask, ‘Shall I self-publish?’”  Avoid making an emotionally based decision (To heck with you, I can publish and make my millions without you). Don’t e-publish because you don’t like New York, or don’t like not having control of your career.  “Be careful.”

Rebecca observed that we’re all trying to figure it out every day, trying to guess how we’re going to stay in business, all working hard to get negotiating language in contracts which limits time, where standing royalty rates are in effect and re-evaluate in two years.

Coming next:  bidding wars, age discrimination and surprising insights

by Janet Lane

The editor panel this year featured–

Moshe Feder, Consulting Editor for Tor Books

Latoya Smith, Assistant Editor for Grand Central Publishing

Angela James, Executive Editor of Carina Press (Harlequin digital)

Brian Farrey, Acquiring Editor for Flux, Llewellyn’s Young Adult (YA)

Lindsey Faber, Managing Editor for Samhain Publishing.

How submissions rise out of the slush pile

At Samhain, there’s an agent pile and a slush pile.  “One person logs and sends the sub to an initial reader,” Lindsey said.  “The acquiring editor can make decision independently and doesn’t need a committee. “

At Flux, submissions used to be open to unagented mat’l but it became too overwhelming.  Since March they accept no unagented submissions.  “I prioritize my in-box by what’s I’m looking for, not chronologically,” Brian said. He was a book publicist before he became an editor, and this publishing background helps him. “I can put on my publicist hat and present a full package.  I’d love it to always be about the brilliant writing, but this is why I think it will succeed.  I ask myself, ‘How can I sell it if I can’t compare it to anything?’ I have the answers because I know publicity.”

“Our subs hit slush piles for 13 editors,” Angela James said. “We match it to genre and an editor reads it. We do have an acquisition board that includes digital marketing and sales.”   There are eight on the acquisition team.  “We discuss as a team if it’s a book we can get passionately behind.”  She said to think of the process as an  “America Idol” approach of approval.  It’s a go “if two or more people can get behind it, someone on the team who can market and say yes, we can market this book.”

If what Latoya Smith reads is not quite right for her, she passes it along to another reader. If she likes it, she brings it to the editorial board, to either the hard-cover or paperback editor or chief, or to a specific imprint project.  “If I can get them behind me, I can acquire.” Grand Central takes both agented and unagented material.  Every Thursday projects are presented.  And Latoya can’t just love the writing.  “I have to present at least two comparison authors before we can market it.”

Moshe Feder accepts unsolicited subs for Tor, which are read by editorial assistants. The majority of the submissions come from unagented authors.  He often meets writers at sci fi meetings and pitch sessions.  “I’m open to working with new authors.  “It’s not just a question of getting through the acquisition proess, but how I am going to most effectively market this book.  I publish from passion.”

If you wish to submit to Brian Farrey of Flux, you’ll need to have agent representation.  All of the remaining editors accept unagented submissions.  Before submitting, always check the publisher’s website because requirements do vary from publisher to publisher.

Attend conferences, like RMFW’s Colorado Gold, where these gems of information were discovered.  Read articles like these, from RMFW’s Writer newsletter, offered as one of the many benefits of membership in RMFW.

Another tool I find extremely useful is querytracker.net, where you can quickly check an editor’s website and other useful publishing websites and even, if you’re lucky, find interviews that reveal the editor’s current interests and needs.

Now armed with all this information, go forth and create! Write! Polish! And may all of us be blessed with a wealth of opportunity in our quests for publication.

During RMFW’s conference Janet Lane received requests for partials of Traitor’s Moon, her romantic adventure set in 15^th century England. Did you receive requests during the conference?  Share your conference success story!

RMFW’s conference burst at the seams this year with informative workshops and panels.

For those of you who couldn’t attend, here’s an update.  Enjoy and employ these tips!  –Janet

The editor panel this year featured–

Moshe Feder, Consulting Editor for Tor Books

Latoya Smith, Assistant Editor for Grand Central Publishing

Angela James, Executive Editor of Carina Press (Harlequin digital)

Brian Farrey, Acquiring Editor for Flux, Llewellyn’s Young Adult (YA)

Lindsey Faber, Managing Editor for Samhain Publishing.

Where does your genre fit?

If you write Young Adult (YA), your work will be welcome with Brian Farrey.  He’s looking for YA stories that feature urban fantasy, straight up fantasy, teen romance, and sci fi, but no space opera or high fantasy. He would like to see more realistic books with no fantasy, just teens trying to relate to each other & themselves.

If you write mystery, Carina Press does digital imprints of all genres of adult fiction, so consider querying Angela James when your book is ready to market.  They’re big on mystery among other genres.  Latoya Smith is interested in all adult, commercial fiction.

If your pen produces romance or women’s fiction, your work may find a home with Latoya Smith at Grand Central Publishing.  She’s acquiring romance (mainly paranormal and romantic suspense), women’s fiction, and erotica and African romance, across the board.  Angela James’ Carina Press is also big on romance, as is Lindsey Faber of Samhain.

If Sci Fi’s your genre, do not pass ‘go’ and run directly to the post office (or computer) and send your ready-to-market query to Tom Dougherty of Tor in hard-copy or Angela James at Carina Press, where you can launch your career in digital format.

At the panel, Moshe pointed out that Tor publishes more Sci Fi per year–150 new titles per year—than anyone else.  Their stories run the gamut: epic, high, sociological SF, space opera, military adventure, paranormal romance.  Each of Forge’s three seasons includes 50 sci fi titles and 20 of all other titles.

Have a thriller to market?  Try Carina Press or Grand Central Publishing.

 What they can offer you

As authors, we’re concerned about being lost in the cracks, especially with a debut novel.  Are the publishers too small to afford any promotion?  Will we have to do it all ourselves?  If the publisher is large, are all their promotion dollars used on established authors?  The editors addressed these concerns during the panel.

Latoya Smith mentioned promotional themes and making good use of the online department at Grand Central. “Who are your contacts? How can we combine efforts to make a strong promo effort?”  The author will pay for some of it. “We usually focus efforts on bookmarks, postcards. Most all books get galleys and ARCs (Advanced Reading Copies printed at no cost to the author) to send for blurbs. Some authors go on tour. We offer all of our authors  an on-line blog tour and Twitter parties.” Grand Central also hosts a Forever Fan Page where authors can speak to readers during hour-long book club sessions.

Moshe Feder mentioned Tor’s large PR department.  “Every book has someone in PR who’s associated with it, arranging reviews, interviews, book stores placement.  Tor encourages our authors to participate in the website activities.  They do tour their authors extensively.”  Tor is large, but small, Moshe said.  “We are a family run company who happens to be part of a large corporation.  We work on an informal, friendly basis; no editorial board that has to be run through.  We have strong personal relationships with our authors.”

Lindsey Faber noted they use print, advertising, media, blogs, horror magazines and conference sponsorships to promote their authors.  They do banners and giveaways at Comic Con,  “And we’ve had lots of success with giveaways.” She explained how Samhain offered the first book of a series free for a week which was “hugely successful with many downloads.  Book giveaways are very successful. In a post giveaway week we sold over 2,000 copies.  The second book in the series hit the USA Today best seller list.”

There are advantages to being small.  Flux’s Brian Farrey said they work closely wth authors, doing lots of social media on-line—video streams, Facebook and Twitter.  “We’re a company of 110 years. We target the library market.  We’re all doing the same thing, just with different resources.  Flux prints targeted ARC copy runs of 2,000—more modest runs but more targeted.”  Further, Brian said Flux helps authors understand what they can do so they can have their own voice.  “We educate our authors on proper on-line etiquette.”

“We’re a small press within a larger company,” Angela James said. “We have tools to help you learn how to (promote) yourself because no one’s more passionate about your book than you are. We teach you how to do social media, how to build a web site, and you can take that wherever you may go in your career.  We utilize Net Galley – online digital ARC reviewers, librarians, bookstores – over 30,000 users for review copies.”  Through these resources they are able to reach many people. “Every release gets a release tour.”

Next:  How submissions rise out of the slush pile and how to query.

The RMFW Writer's conference starts tomorrow (September 9) at the Renaissance Hotel, Denver.

7.  Bring an idea collection kit.  Yes, it’s nice to have an emergency sewing kit, but not that kind of resource.  At conference, you learn important information about craft, marketing, story ideas, etc. This kit helps you FIND that information later. My kit is in a zipping plastic bag, about 8 inches by four inches, see-through so you can quickly find emergency supplies like paper clips, scissors, highlighters, rubber bands, post-it notes, stick-em ‘flags’ so you can quickly flag important pages and not lose vital business cards; Sharpies so you can post or add info on bulletin boards.  Drop this kit into your conference bag and you’ll be ready to gather important info.

8. Bring a thumb/travel drive of your writing.  No, don’t wave a 400-page completed manuscript at a passing editor or agent.  Travel drives (portable memory drives) are small and can hold query letters,  synopses, first chapters, partials and such of every novel you’ve written.  Should you connect in a meaningful way with an editor or agent who asks for a partial of your pitch story, or another story you’ve written, you can easily take that travel drive to the business office of your hotel and print it out.  It never hurts to be ready when opportunity knocks.

9.  Defeat self-defeating behavior and denial.  Avoid disaster thinking such as,

“I don’t need to practice my pitch.  It will all come to me when I sit down.”  Practice at home.  Prop a doll, a stuffed animal or even a potted plant on the owner side of your desk and take a seat on the public side.  Pretend you’re talking to the agent or editor, and be able to say, smoothly and enthusiastically,

“Thank you for coming the conference.  I’m (your name) and I write (your genre).  My completed novel is about (protagonist’s name).  S/he (describe the inciting incident that starts your protagonist’s story) and must (whatever s/he must do to get what s/he wants), but (describe the antagonist/villain and what makes her goal seemingly impossible), only to realize (describe the growth your protagonist experiences through the course of the novel.”

If you can deliver this information succinctly and comfortably, you’re home free.  The agent or editor may ask questions to learn more–questions like length, where the story is set, particulars about the story, but if you can deliver this small pitch, the publishing pro knows that you have completed the novel, and most importantly s/he knows that you know what your story is about.  You may want to elaborate.  If so, go for it, but not until you accomplish the short pitch above and can deliver it in your sleep because you’re so familiar with it.

This familiarity will give you confidence, and once you have that, your  appointment will be pleasant, not agonizing.

Final tip on the pitch:  save at least ninety seconds to ask a question, something you want to know about your story, the market for your story, whatever.  Allow the publishing pro to talk!  You have endured the many challenges of completing your story, and you have suffered anxiety over this appointment.  The least you can do is be prepared for the meeting, ask a pertinent question, and really listen to his or her answer so you can walk away with a kernel of information that will be helpful to you.

10.  Go forth and mingle!  Conference is time to re-charge your creative battery.  Do that by attending as many workshops as you can.  Conference Goddess Pam Nowak and her team have worked hard to assemble a fantastic assortment of workshops and panels just for you. Be there!  If you’re shy, work past that.  Sit down at a table where you know only one person, or no one at all, and introduce yourself to the person to the right of you and to the left of you.  Be genuinely interested in them and what they can share about their writing and the industry.

Wishing you a terrific conference, and be sure to stop me and say Hi!  I look forward to this all year long!

RMFW's 2011 conference starts Friday! Click the balloons to learn about the excellent workshops and attending editors and agents.

Time for conference – exciting!  You may have just begun writing fiction, dancing in the joy that comes with it, or you may be a conference veteran like me with over a decade of attendance under your belt.  Or you may be somewhere in between.

You may have an appointment with an editor or agent.  Along with published authors, they will be mingling with writers at several events – workshops, pitch sessions, panel discussions, and even at our tables during meals.

You may be a contest finalist, heart thumping, wondering if you not only accomplished the significant achievement of reaching the finals, but also won in your genre category.  You may be published, with contests far behind you, wondering how all the drastic changes in the industry will affect your career.

Whatever your circumstances, conference is an opportunity to share and learn.

As we prepare for it, consider ways to take full advantage of the opportunities.  Here are some common conference pitfalls to avoid:

1.  Tame the green-eyed monster. Expressing jealousy, trash-talking or minimizing the accomplishments of that writer who is a finalist in the contest this year, or that writer who just got published, or made a certain best-seller list, because you know your writing is better than his or hers.

2.  Come out of your shell. Fight off the Shyness Dragon and Negativity Dragon!  Don’t let them keep you from mingling, making new friends, sharing and networking about industry news and opportunities that might benefit you.

3.  Squelch your Inner Critic. Face your mirror, give yourself a genuine smile and say, “I can do this!”  If you need more, here are some to speak, loudly and confidently, to silence that ne’er-do-well critic:

▪   I am in control of my own thinking.”

▪   “I think only thoughts that create and fulfill the best in me.”

▪   “My mind is constantly in tune with the positive.”

▪   “I am full of great thoughts and positive ideas.”

▪   “My thoughts are bright, cheerful and enthusiastic.”

▪   “I consciously choose what I think.”

▪   “I always choose thoughts that are most positive and beneficial to me.”

▪   “All of my thoughts create healthiness within me.”

▪   “I remember to think positively all day, every day.”

4.  Know when to speak and when not to.  Conference may inspire dozens of new ideas, but be sure your timing’s right when you wish to share them.  Avoid interrupting a workshop presenter or discussion group because you have very helpful and interesting anecdotes, jokes, research, statistics and/or opinions to share, and you’re so eager to do so that your timing is less than ideal.

5.  Open your mind to new possibilities. Does this sound line you, poking your head in from the hallway and listening to 2 minutes of a workshop and thinking you know all that stuff already, no need to waste your time at that workshop?  Be open to new ideas.  Don’t find yourself sitting in an overstuffed chair in the empty lobby while everyone else is in the workshop rooms visiting, getting to know new writers, authors, industry professionals, and exchanging ideas and knowledge.  Get out!  Meet!  Learn!

6.  Make a list now, before conference begins.  Get your money and editor/agent requests in early, allowing for plenty of time so you can book your most desired professional for a pitch session or workshop. Mark with bold felt-tip ink the workshops you want to attend.  Follow up on your best intentions.  If you think it would be helpful to have business cards when you network with other writers and meet editors and agents, design and print them now so you’ll be ready.  Practice your self-introduction so you’ll be prepared to meet new friends and describe your writing and interests. Familiarize yourself with the conference information packet so you don’t find yourself joining the wrong workshop, or arriving late at a workshop in progress because you don’t know your way around the hotel. If during the year you’ve borrowed books and/or materials from fellow writers, the conference is a convenient place to return them without burning extra time or gas or, worse, keeping your friend’s materials when s/he might need them.

Next up:  the final four tips, including one of the most important tips for conference preparation.

At a recent group writing session, a fellow author told us about changes in her work in progress.  Like me, she’s a plotter as opposed to a pantser, meaning she has determined her protagonist’s character arc and has planned scenes from the beginning to the end of the novel.

One of her characters was scheduled to reveal a Deep Dark Secret in the middle of the novel.  In writing a scene for chapter four, however, her chararacter spilled the Deep Dark Secret ten chapters early.

She has written and published enough novels to trust her instincts, so she didn’t protest , even though it meant she’d need to re-invent her next twenty-something scenes.

So, who’s writing her book?  Have her characters taken over?

Jenny Crusie would say she’s listening to the “girls in the basement,” the creative subconscious that knows more than our conscious, plotting minds do.

In a recent blog Agent Jessica Faust of Bookends, LLC asks if you plot for yourself or for your story. During a pitch appointment, Faust made suggestions to an author about how she could strengthen her story, but her suggestions put the author in panic mode and she refused to make any changes.  Faust calls this a “common mistake many authors make: writing for themselves and not the story.”  No matter how much you plot in advance, you can’t always control how the book plays out.

I’m a dyed-in-the-wool plotter, but I, too, have found myself at a crossroads with my plot.  As characters develop on the page, changes occur. Refinements are made.  As the story reveals itself to me, more of the character’s history, instincts and weaknesses are revealed.

I carefully plotted Traitor’s Moon, book three in a series of historical stories, and the story culminated with the discovery of a treasure.  After plotting I wrote a one page, then a three page, then a five page synopsis.  I fleshed out my story board, including turning points.

At around chapter six I hit a brick wall.  My research revealed a significant battle in the War of the Roses that occurred just a hundred miles from my setting.  How I wished I could ignore it and proceed merrily on my plotted way!  But it was not realistic.  This battle took thousands of lives on both sides. My characters would have been drawn into the drama and tragedy.

I stopped, dismantled my plot, abandoned the treasure discovery, and literally re-plotted my novel based on that single historical fact.  I wove the battle into not only the plot line but also their character arc growth.

Who’s writing this story?  Because I write historical romance, history intervened.

Characters can grab the steering wheel of your plot and abruptly change its  rhythm and pace.  Reality or facts can take control.  A third possibility is that your critique partners can question motivations or plot.  This, too, can be good or bad.

If a critique partner points out a flaw that, if fixed, will significantly change your plot, we call it an RSS – Radical Story Suggestion.  With RSS comments, avoid a knee-jerk plot overhaul that could ruin your story. A good course of action would be to…

Wait.  Time – a week or two – will take the sharp edge off the RSS.  Give it over to your subconscious, and it will work for you.  Time also gives you the distance you need to consider changes to something you have already created.

After waiting, play with the idea in your mind.  Study your synopsis, avoid getting lost in individual scenes, and listen to your gut.  If you have misgivings about the person proposing the RSS, resist dismissing it and consider the idea, not the person.  Answer questions:  Is the suggestion valid?  Is your character inconsistent with his goals, for example?  Does your plot fail to make sense or hold the reader’s interest?

Wait another week.  Your novel depends on careful thought, not impulsive, hasty changes.  If it feels right, these thoughts will stand the test of time.

Finally, should you write to the market?  Should the best-seller list, or agents’ or editors’ comments be allowed to drive your novel?  There’s a wealth of information written about this topic, and here’s my take.  If the market is currently hot on ghosts and you happen to love ghosts, good for you.  Write for the market.  If, however, you can summon only ho-hum passion for the trials, if you hold no wonder or love of ghosts, do not attempt to write a novel about them.  Three or four hundred pages demand passion and commitment from a writer.  Writing a passionless novel will produce a bland book.

Ultimately, you are the one who makes the decisions about your novel.  Be open to ideas, but be protective of your work and honest when considering change.  You are in the driver’s seat.  Buckle up, keep your eyes on the road and enjoy the ride.

Have you ever hit a major speed bump that forced you to let your characters tell their story?  

It said, "Dear Writer, enclosed are two rejections, one for the book you sent us, and one for the next book you send us."

 …by Janet Lane

     L. M. May wrote in her blog yesterday about fiction writers and learned helplessness.  In it, she discussed the theory of learned helplessness which was developed by American psychologist Martin Seligman in the sixties. 

     May presented a powerful visual in which we hold our query letters, partials or entire manuscripts in our hands and place them in a large red box.  (Imagine a shoe box only larger—a boot box, perhaps.) 

     We begin our submissions career by shoving the precious bundle of our work in this “box” for an agent or editor, and one of three things happens:  a) It’s rejected and we get a painful electrical shock; b) We receive no response and nothing happens or c) We get a request for more or a contract and we’re injected with an opiate.

     Like lab rats, the process is repeated over and over again over the course of an author’s career.  The pattern is burned in our brains.

     Enter the new publishing world, with independent publishing as a viable option, and what happens? 

Like Pavlov’s dog with a twist, we’re stuck in the brain pattern of timidity and fear learned over time, and we fear the very gift we’ve been given as writers:  a new option in which we have more control over how and when our beloved novels are shared with the world.

     That we’ve suffered through a market that’s grossly out of balance with supply and demand is not news.  What May has offered us, is the power of knowledge, the chance to break free from this pattern of learned helplessness.

     May posits that writers have developed coping mechanisms to counteract the learned helpless.  Mechanisms like contests to see who can send out the most submissions in a week, for example, or how many rejections one can accumulate in a month. “The games help writers keep writing and also provide a way tocope with the pain of “No” until a thicker emotional skin develops,” says May.

     This is all good to know as we consider the Brave New World of e-books, Kindle, and new contract options when marketing our novels.

     A hearty “Huzzah!” to L. M. May for blogging about this, and a big “Thank you!” to my RMFW friend, Lynda Hilburn, for sharing this link.  You may learn more at May’s blog, http://lmmay.com/  

How do you cope with rejection?  Have a fun contest or game you can share with us?  Please comment!

Batter up! Catch up with the quickly changing traditional and e-pub market so you can hit a home run with your novel!

Making sense of it all

By Janet Lane

As the Rockies prepare to send out their first pitch of the season, I, too, prepare for my time at bat in the literary field.  I peer from the bull pen, alarmed at the massive market changes.  After a decade of plying my writing wares, I thought I had it down pat:  continue marketing my novels through my publisher, Five Star/Thomson Gale.  Perfect my craft. Gather fans and work my way up to the New York publishers.  But now the game rules have changed.

Strike one: Five Star Publishing discontinued their Expressions line under which my historical romance novels were published.

Strike two: E-books make significant inroads in the publishing industry much faster than predicted, creating a threat to traditional publishers.

Strike three: Tried and true publishers announce bankruptcy and/or continue to trim releases, shrinking to survive. Agents tighten their acquisition process even more.

Am I three strikes and out?  Are you?  Are all of us?  Like a splintered bat, marketing strategies hang useless in our hands and we wonder how best to react as we face the competition’s star pitcher.

While on a project this winter in North Dakota (in a town with a population of 16,000), I was shocked to learn that their mall – indeed, the entire town — had no new-book bookstore.  This revelation left me close to speechless. Then I found myself strolling through the dying remains of a Borders store, shopping with throngs of other guilt-ridden bargain-hunters as Borders closes over 200 stores.

And e-book sales are growing faster than our cell phone bills.  From March 17  Publisher’s Weekly come this stat:  e-book sales rose 115% in January beating out both paperback and hardcover sales in the same month.

Personal stories abound on the exponential sales of e-books.  Authors can cash in on this bonanza, many say.  For example, author Barry Eisler (Best Thriller of the Year award from Gumshoe) recently made the switch from traditional publishing to self-publishing e-books.  His short story is on track to make $30,000 this year and unlike print books, it will stay on the virtual “shelf” (earning royalties) forever.  And for pre-pubs, it’s also good news:  now pre-pub writers can snub the editors and agents and market their novels to instant success.

Once a novel has been written, it can be produced into an e-book in as quickly as one day and sold at any price you wish, right down to 99 cents.  But alas, whole novels can also be copied and pirated in hours.  As RMFW’s Kenn Amdahl points out, print pirates can change the title and/or author name spelling, making it difficult for the authors to monitor piracy through such tools as Google search.

What’s a striving pre-pub writer or a modestly selling pubbed author to do?

Sometimes historical perspective helps.  An enlightening glimpse-back was offered in a Slate news article, What Are Independent Book Stores Really Good For? By Tyler Cowen, the story reminds us that the bookstore “field” is constantly evolving.  In the 1920s and 30s, we bought our mass market books at drugstores.  Then came the Book-of-the-Month Club and, in the 70’s chain bookstores took to the plate, making home runs at area shopping malls.  Every inning brought a more commercialized alternative to bookselling.  And in spite of all the changes, literacy continued to rise.

Now we see books in grocery chains and super discounters like Sam’s and Wal-mart, and 99-cent books on the Internet.

So all this “change” is really just “more of the same” and one fact is constant: we can’t win the game if we don’t play.

Get to spring practice. To thrive in these new outlets, let’s learn how the game has changed. Sort through the hysteria to find facts. Learn what we can do to compete in the new climate.

Watch other batters. We need to visit sites like the creativepenn.com by Joanna Penn, author and business consultant. In a recent article, she writes about creative destruction and how to survive the e-book apocalypse.  In this article, she discusses the strategy of writing e-books at the same time you’re writing for the New York houses.  To learn more, go to: http://www.thecreativepenn.com/2010/10/22/creative-destruction-or-how-to-survive-the-ebook-apocalypse/ And definitely read about Amanda hocking, the 26-year-old phenom who self-published with such fabulous success, at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tonya-plank/meet-mega-bestselling-ind_b_804685.html

Here’s an excellent March 30, 2011 overview of the indie vs. traditional publishing options available to both pre-pub and pubbed authors.  In it, Kris Rusch succinctly explains how an author can and should make different decisions about this based on the changing status of his or her career.  http://kriswrites.com/2011/03/30/the-business-rusch-smackdown/

And Google for similar sites. We need to learn so our decisions will be informed.

Go out there swinging. After careful consideration, we need to approach home base with confidence, ready to build our fan base. This will help us through the challenges of a changing market.

Batter, batter, batter! Let’s not allow naysayers to distract us from our course.  Our spring mantra is, “Learn, focus and pick up the bat.”  We can hit a home run!

What are your strategies to get published? Please share them with us!

A Valentine for you! Give yourself the gift of kindness and time this month. Save time for you!

Look at the calendar and rejoice.  We’re in that deliciously leisurely time of the year, the time to recharge our batteries.

We floated (or collided, crashed and survived, however it might have been for you) through the holidays, the hymns and carols and candles and celebrations. We sipped egg nog (innocent or otherwise), licked candy canes and finalized our gift lists.  We stuffed the stockings, survived the card flurries and last-minute gift wrapping, and the unexpected relatives who showed up at less than opportune times.

Now the house is back to normal and we’re well into the new year.

Past the resolutions.  Tape measures have circled our bodies, those irreverent little scraps of numbers that ruthlessly count the rungs of our self-indulgence, how far we have veered from “ideal.”  Weight scales have been challenged with the bulk of our holiday merriment, motivating January contracts with the fitness club and making us don new armors of guilt.  We’ve set ambitious new goals for our writing, too, and we’re on our way.

But it’s the lull we feel now. A welcome hush has fallen over our world.  No parties to attend, no packages to ship, no relatives to visit, no traditions to rekindle or keep alive.

February is ours.

Winter has toyed with us, giving us balmy weather, then plummeting us into subzero temperatures.  We know it won’t release its hold for several more weeks .

We can choose to continue revving our motors, idling our engines high, spinning our wheels and creating additiona goals — or we can seize the moment and opt for bliss.

I vote for bliss.  The luxury of self-love, a Valentine to ourselves because we care about us.  We appreciate our considerable talents, our secret dreams, and the joy we experience when we write.

Think for a moment about someone you have loved deeply.  A parent, a sibling, a pet.  Doubtless you rejoiced in their joy, smiled at their pleasure, encouraged their delight. Can you light your own fire during this gift of winter, this February, the month of love?  Can you cease trying to make each moment “useful,” each goal “acceptable,” and nurture your inner child, and your precious talents?

Sooner than we can imagine, the season will arrive of planting and weeding and watering the hungry lawns and gardens, made dry by summer’s baking sun.  Schedules will be interrupted by births and weddings and vacations.

But February, quiet February, wearing her lace and Valentines, offers love and affection.

Don’t force her to rush like the other seasons.  She is quiet, she is soft and supporting.  For a change, give to yourself.  Allow yourself to be lulled and nourished.

Before the month has passed, accept three of the following gifts to yourself.

/__/ Fill your creative reservoir by watching a movie marathon.  By reading new books, by sitting b y the fire and watching the flames dance and tickle your fancy in a warm, golden way.

/__/ Visit your photo albums, and re-live your moments of passion and pleasure.  Find a photo that stirs your heart, and enlarge it to an 8 x 10, or hey! Get wild and make it a 14 x 20, and put it where it makes you smile, again and again, like the soft lapping of waves against the shore of your soul

February can do that.

/__/ Peruse your cookbooks, and find three recipes that sound fabulous, and try them, for you and another, or spoil yourself and do it just for you.  It’s February.  You’re allowed this special time.

/__/ Write a rich, meaningful letter to your brother/mother/daughter/best friend.  Think of ways s/he has enriched your life, and share at least three of those ways with her or him, what they did, and how it affected you.  Then smile at the happiness that thinking about his or her gifts to you has brought you, just realizing them.

What do you love most about yourself, about your writing?  Please share, and make me smile.  :-)

10,000 attended UDT-SEAL "Muster" Day Celebration

The 25th annual Muster Day SEALS program yesterday was more than I ever imagined it would be.  Ten thousand people showed up, and they staged a SEAL night attack, complete with “frogmen” parachute jumpers, tanks and two incredible Black Hawk military helicopters, SEALS streaming from it to defeat the enemy, and bombs and explosions and “gunfire.”  Really amazing.  SEALS stands for Sea, Air, Land.  They were created by Pres. Kennedy in 1962.  The museum is amazing. If we get a chance, I’ll visit it again without the mobs of people. Such national pride, men and women serving their country, trading stories with others who have served.  Many SEALS return for this program every year.  A real celebration of the American spirit.  During the bell ceremony for those who fell, I thought of my uncle, my brother, and my niece, who met her boyfriend, who is still serving in Iraq, and thought of all those who have sacrificed so much so that we may enjoy our freedom.

From the website:  SEALs are U.S. Special Operations Command’s force-of-choice among Navy, Army and Air Force Special Operations Forces (SOF) to conduct small-unit maritime military operations which originate from, and return to a river, ocean, swamp, delta or coastline. This littoral capability is more important now than ever in our history, as half the world’s infrastructure and population is located within one mile of an ocean or river. Of crucial importance, SEALs can negotiate shallow water areas such as the Persian Gulf coastline, where large ships and submarines are limited by depth.

The Navy SEALs are trained to operate in all the environments (Sea, Air and Land) for which they are named. SEALs are also prepared to operate in climate extremes of scorching desert, freezing Arctic, and humid jungle. The SEALs’ current pursuit of elusive, dangerous and high-priority terrorist targets has them operating in remote, mountainous regions of Afghanistan, and in cities torn by factional violence, such as Baghdad, Iraq. Historically, SEALs have always had “one foot in the water.” The reality today, however, is that they initiate lethal Direct Action strikes equally well from air and land.