EditorEve.com

I can't begin to count the number of times I've been accosted by "published authors" urging me to demand their books at my local shop. Often they carry homemade business cards featuring decidedly amateurish cover art and an ISBN prominently displayed. They proudly announce that their "bestseller" is in the top 100, according to the Web site of their publisher--PublishAmerica, AuthorHouse, etc.--and that all their relatives think they've got the next Harry Potter. It was so perfect, in fact, the publisher didn't suggest a single change! And they've sent the book to Oprah but, although they haven't heard anything yet, aren't worried yet--after all, it can take some time to read a 600-page novel.

There's a (polite) word for that: scam.

You shouldn't have to beg a bookstore to carry your book. If someone wants to order your book and have it delivered to the nearby B&N, he or she shouldn't have to pay for it as part of the ordering process. "Bestsellers" on these sites mean that the author's friends and family have bought a ton of copies and the New York Times or Publishers Weekly tallies these stats, it is nothing but (to coin a phrase) sound and fury, signifying nothing. Don't even get me started on contracts that promise authors an advance of a dollar, then hold them ransom for several years.

Next time, I'll outline some things you'll want to know if you do plan to go the self-publishing route. It's not all disreputable, but it's not for everyone either. In future blogs, I'll also discuss ethical and reputable ways to to go about getting your book published and onto store shelves. That isn't easy, and not everyone succeeds, either. But if you're up for the effort--and possible rewards--it's worth it to do it right.

Stay tuned.

Labels: Rants

Writers don't exist in a vacuum. It's not unusual for an aspiring author to adopt the voice of a favorite writer or character; read The Catcher in the Rye a couple of times and you'll find it easy to fall into the cadences of Holden Caulfield. (Hundreds of high school teachers will back me up on this.)

Such practices, although grating to a reader, are not entirely without merit. As an exercise, take a few authors with whom you're very familiar and write the same scene in the style of each. By "trying on" different styles, you'll learn how to write for different audiences, differentiate your characters from one another and, ultimately, discover and hone your own distinct style.

Labels: Free advice