10 Ways NOT To Get An Agent: Guest post by Eric Ruben

My awesome literary agent, Eric Ruben was kind enough to visit my blog and share the ways authors ruin their chances for landing an agent.

Agent cat says: "Follow Submission Guidelines!"

"Ten Ways NOT to Get an Agent" by Eric Ruben

1. Send a query that violates the agent’s submission guidelines. 

This tells an agent that you are either lazy or arrogant.

2. Send a query or manuscript with spelling or grammatical errors. 

This tells the agent not that you're uneducated, but that you have no eye for detail.

3. Send a lot of emails. 

This shows you to be high maintenance and without a clue as to an agent’s daily workload.

4. Call. 

This shows you don’t understand how agents work and that you need a lot of attention.

5.  Talk poorly of an agent on social media or be complicit by forwarding or retweeting negative comments. 

This tells us you are not business savvy and untrustworthy.

6.  Misbehave at a conference. 

Get drunk, loud, obnoxious and/or fight. There IS such a thing as bad publicity.

7.  When meeting us, make us uncomfortable with over-familiarity or inappropriateness.  

This let’s us know we have zero chemistry.

8. Bad mouth other authors. 

This shows us you do NOT play well with others.

9.  Complain about the business. 

This lets us know you will be a problem client and hard to handle.

10.   Finally, don’t work your craft. Don’t understand the art form or seek to improve. Send us mediocre work at a time when even great work is hard to sell.

  I really don’t want anyone to do these things. It’s my hope that this list helps people see some ways to actually GET an agent.

My experience working with an editor.

This weekend I've been working with my editor on BITE ME, YOUR GRACE. On Sunday, she called me around midnight her time.

I'm all, "Wow, you're up late!"
She replies, "Well, I'm reading the most awesome book."
I'm about to say, "Oh yeah, I totally know how that is..." Then I discovered that she was talking about MY BOOK!

WOW, working with a professional editor is AMAZING! At first I was petrified at the intimidating prospect of one of the top romance editors in the country scrutinizing my work. I thought she was going to hate it. But she didn't. In fact, it was almost like talking with my critique partners. She had genius suggestions to make the book its very best. And when I disagreed with something, she didn't get grumpy. Instead we brainstormed together until we came upon a solution we both liked. And it was AWESOME!

I cannot believe how incredible it is to have a professional in the industry who loves my book, believes in it, and is on my side to help me make it shine.

Time zone differences can be tricky, though. :)

Anyway, I can't wait to meet her in person and give her a big hug!

A Hidden Sign of a Good Publisher

So you've sent out queries and garnered a few requests from publishers. Then one of them offers. A friend had this happen to her a couple months back.

I asked her the usual questions:

Do they check out on Preditors and Editors?

How long have they been in operation?

How do the rights and royalty rates compare?

How is their distribution?

Everything seemed to check out there, but then I thought of something else, a detail that seems to be ignored in a lot of "seeking a publisher" blogs.

Do the authors stay with the publisher?

I remember reading a book by a certain publisher that I really enjoyed. I've been looking forward to the author's next book. But there hasn't been one. And the first one came out in 2009. The publisher has great connections, excellent staff, wide advertising and distribution, but authors usually only stay with them for one book.

It makes me think of my publisher's motto: "Sourcebooks publishes authors not books."

Obviously those other guys only publish books.

Luckily, the publisher making an offer on my friend's book appear to keep their authors and everything else looked great, so she accepted.   

E-Book Pricing: Your Wallet's Perspective

                                                


Today's post is about E-book pricing in general. How much is too much? How much is too little? One thing I can definitely say is that the Kindle version of A DANCE WITH DRAGONS at $14.99 is TOO MUCH. So's the $35.00 for the hardcover. I enjoyed that book, so thank God for libraries or I never would have had the chance to read it. I do plan on owning it, but until the price goes down, or it comes out in paperback, my wallet's staying in my pocket.

That's all well and good for George R.R. Martin. His addicting series and huge following will keep him from being hurt from my reluctance to purchase his book at such a large price. But what about the debut and mid-list authors? What prices am I willing to pay to try someone new? Or keep following a series I liked?

On the other hand, authors and publishers need to make money. Is there possibility for a compromise? Is there a price readers are willing to pay that will still keep editors, cover artists, and authors fed so they can keep putting out awesome stories?

 For me, I think 7.99 is my limit, but that's mostly because A.) I'm poor and B.) Mass market paperbacks are my preferred mode of reading and paying more than Mass Market Paperback price for an e-book is repugnant to me since e-book is my 2nd choice of format.

How about you? What's the most you are willing to pay for an e-book?

This is a subjective business....

For the last few weeks, bloggers have been addressing bad behavior between authors and reviewers. Apparently things got so ugly that insults were thrown back and forth on the comments sections of one another's sites.

I still see authors mentioning reviews in their Facebook/ twitter posts. Everything from "Please review my book" to "Omg this person left a terrible review and they didn't get my book at all cuz ______."

On the flip side, I see reviewers getting all high and mighty like they're the final word on whether you should buy a book or not. A lot of their issues I think comes from their popularity. I shake my head every time when followers of the site slavishly declare: "Thank you so much for posting this review. This book was on my TBR list but now I won't buy it."

REALLY?

People seem to be forgetting something. Tastes are different. Raise your hand if you liked every single book you've read.

Yeah, that's what I thought.

If you're an author, some people are going to hate your book. It's a fact of life. Quit fussing about it and focus on the ones who love it.

Because this really is a subjective business. Agents and editors don't say that in rejection letters to blow smoke up your ass. It really is true. This is why you must keep writing, query more than one agent or editor, and have more than one beta reader.

And if you like or dislike something, quit trying to convince others they should do the same. I'm not just talking about books here. I like heavy metal music. A lot of people don't. But it really pisses me off when someone insults my favorite bands when they're in my home or on my Facebook wall, etc....you know, my turf.

Do they expect me to jump for joy and say, "Oh thank you for enlightening me. I had no idea Iron Maiden sucked until you told me. I'm going to go buy all the Jonas Brothers' albums and start worshiping Lady Gaga straightaway!"

Seriously, all art is subjective. People like what they like. That is why there's variety. Quit getting pissy and celebrate it.

Seeking the The "Holy Grail" of publication. (rerun post)

I'm going to share a few things I've learned about my journey using quotes from the movie, "Monty Python and the Holy Grail." Hey, someone did it with "Princess Bride."

"When I first came here, this was all swamp. Everyone said I was daft to build a castle on a swamp, but I built in all the same, just to show them. It sank into the swamp. So I built a second one. That sank into the swamp. So I built a third. That burned down, fell over, then sank into the swamp. But the fourth one stayed up. And that's what you're going to get, Lad, the strongest castle in all of England." 

Getting published takes determination and you likely won't succeed until your 3rd or fourth book.

  "Welcome, brave sir Knight. Welcome to the Castle Anthrax."  

"The Castle Anthrax?" 

"Yes... it's not a very good name, is it? Oh, but we are nice, and we'll attend to your every need."

A good title can get you far.

"Meanwhile, not more than two swallow's flights away, Arthur and Bedivere had discovered something. Oh, that's an unladen swallow's flight away, obviously. There were more than two laden swallow's flights away, four really, if they had the coconut on a line between them. I mean, if the birds were walking, and dragging the coconut..."

"Get on with it!"

Your plot needs good pacing and better not ramble.

"Oh, wicked, bad, naughty Zoot! She has been setting a light to our beacon, which, I've just remembered, is Grail shaped. It's not the first time we've had this problem." 

Be sure to always check submission guidelines to be sure that your manuscript is what they are looking for.

"First shalt thou take out the Holy Pin. Then shalt thou count to three, no more, no less. Three shall be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shalt thou not count, neither count thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out. Once the number three, being the third number, be reached, then lobbest thou thy Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch towards thy foe, who, being naughty in my sight, shall snuff it." 

Follow Directions!!!

"The Lady of the Lake, her arm clad in the purest shimmering samite held aloft Excalibur from the bosom of the water, signifying by divine providence that I, Arthur, was to carry Excalibur. THAT is why I am your king."
 

"Listen, strange women lyin' in ponds distributin' swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony. 

"Oh, but you can't expect to wield supreme executive power just because some watery tart threw a sword at you. If I went 'round sayin' I was Emperor, just because some moistened bint lobbed a scimitar at me, they'd put me away."

You may have some credibility issues with your plot.

 "Go and tell your master that we have been charged by God with a sacred quest. If he will give us food and shelter for the night, he can join us in our quest for the Holy Grail."

 "Well, I'll ask him, but I don't think he will be very keen. Uh, he's already got one, you see."

They may have already bought something similar.

Finally, they may not be the right publisher for you. But if they do this, you should probably report them to Preditors and Editors.

Sexual Objectification of Men in Romanceland: Part 1

Face it, we totally do it.

A few prime examples:

Mmmm....

Rawr!

Oh my!

And it's not just the covers. Hop on twitter and follow a few romance readers and/ or writers and you'll hear all sorts of talk that probably trumps what one would hear in a men's locker room... I think. Really, I have no clue, but trust me, we get all kinds of dirty. :)

As for categories of preferred novels, we in romance-land totally navigate by the type of guy. Cowboys, Navy Seals, Vampires, Dukes, even firemen. There's categories of um...certain videos for men that are organized in a similar manner.

See, sexual objectification all the way.

And I don't think it's a necessarily a bad thing. First off, I think it speaks highly for gender equality. For years, many women have protested against the rampant sexual objectification of women in the media. The feminists point the blame at our patriarchal society. I think that's not completely accurate. I think much of sexual objectification comes from the fact that humans are sexual beings. Now...with the majority of the objectification being of women by men...yeah, there's a point there.

But....I believe that many in society have been doing their part to level the playing field, with the romance genre leading the fray...and scoring points. I have a theory that the infamous volleyball scene in Top Gun was truly intended to be targeted for women, despite the homo-erotic accusations it receives. I think someone in the film crew walked by a display of NYT bestselling romance novels adorned with topless Fabio and thought, "Hey, the ladies like their eye candy, too! Let's throw em a bone and maybe we'll do better in the box office?"  

Writers: Don't Stop Blogging! ....Unless you hate it.

I'm waaay late to the party on this one, but since it's a topic that likely won't go away for a long time, I think it's okay for me to weigh in.

A few weeks ago, the blogosphere exploded on the subject of, well, blogging. Awesome author, Roni Loren, gives a nifty list of links to the debate here. Also, you should totally follow her blog because she's one of the best out there. She's always on top of what's going on. Whereas I am not, as you can see. (Hey, I was sick that week, then my blog was booked up with awesome guest authors and Halloween fun. In my universe, Halloween takes precedence over current events...unless it's the zombie apocalypse)

Anyway, two of the main debates are: Should an author bother to blog? If so, what should they blog about? An agent caused a furor over this advice: "Don't blog about writing."

Anyway, here's my opinions on these matters:

AUTHORS SHOULD DEFINITELY BLOG

Why?

A) To connect with other authors.
I've met the greatest people through blogging as well as found valuable information on all aspects of the journey.

B) Blogging may not equal BIG sales, but it does equal sales. I have bought books because I liked the person's blog.

C) Book giveaways and contests are the BEST!

Who doesn't like winning free books? If authors stop blogging, then those awesome giveaways stop and that will make this poor smut-writing-janitor very sad. Also, these giveaways do equal sales and connections in miraculous ways. Here are some examples:

1. I have a very limited budget so I am careful on who I buy. If I win a book and love it, I will buy the next one and be a customer for life. AND I spread the word to my friends, who then buy the book as well. 
2. An author once ran a contest in which she awarded a full manuscript critique to the winner. I won and her critique made the book awesome enough to get my book deal.
3. Through blog tours and giveaways I have made friends and valuable connections. They promote me to their readers and vice-versa

 Pretty cool, huh? And all of this came from author blogs.

Now to the next point:

WHAT SHOULD AUTHOR'S BLOG ABOUT?

My short answer: Anything!!!

As for the "don't blog about writing bit," I say, go ahead and blog about writing, just don't be boring. I think Chuck Wendig has one of the most entertaining blogs out there...and it's all about writing.

However, the whole "not blogging about writing" admonishment was a bit of a relief to me. For the longest time I had believed the opposite and felt guilty for my nothing-to-do-with-writing posts. But now that I figured out how to track my most popular posts...check it out! Most of them have little-to-nothing to do with writing!

Then there's the advice to write about a niche. I simply can't do that. I have too many interests, which is why you'll see everything from cats to rock stars to movies on here. And ya' know what? When I let go of the guilt and let things be that way, my traffic went up exponentially.

The summary? Blog about whatever you want, as long as you be yourself.

And finally, if you hate blogging, (and it's pretty obvious if you do since your posts are probably sporadic or dry as burnt toast) then DON'T do it. Find some other way to connect to readers. The options are limitless.

The Crazy Tale Of My 3-Book Deal!!!

Crazy as deep-throating a whole cake...with lit candles.

You guys have NO idea how hard it was to act like everything's been normal the last 2 weeks. Whew!

What am I talking about?

For those of you who missed my announcement on Twitter and Facebook this weekend: I ACCEPTED A THREE-BOOK OFFER FROM SOURCEBOOKS!!!!

How did I get it? Mostly by accident, with a lot of craziness....and a ton of hard work to write the manuscript and get it in its best possible shape.

Oh, and did I mention that I kinda-sorta wrote that book on accident?

I'd lost my career and my mother (that part was the worst) in five month's time and my attempts to query an earlier novel failed miserably. Half mad from grief, I took a gamble with my small inheritance to take a year off, research the industry better, perfect my craft, and write a better, more marketable manuscript.

I replaced my dinosaur computer with a laptop and got the internet. Wow, I learned a ton. The first thing: A writer NEEDS the internet. :) But I had little idea as to what to write.

I tried a brief stint as a financial adviser and though I learned a ton about finance, I was a complete failure at making a career out of it. But... I got THE idea.

My coworkers asked me what I wrote and I explained what paranormal romance was. Then I heard, "Oh, like TWILIGHT?" for the 100th freakin' time. As one who'd cut her teeth on vintage Anne Rice, Maggie Shayne, The Lost Boys, and the Subspecies movies, it kinda irritates me when people think TWILIGHT is the first vampire craze ever. I knew about Bram Stoker, but I was pretty sure the history went further back.

That's totally what Louis would think. :)

I took out my "Encyclopedia of the Undead" that my aunt got me in my goth days and found out that the first vampire story in English was written in the REGENCY period by none other than Lord Byron's physician, Dr. John Polidori. In fact, the story evolved from a ghost writing competition with Byron, Percy Shelly, and Mary-freakin'-Shelley. Frankenstein was another story birthed from that fateful night.

Polidori's tale spawned a vampire-craze all over western Europe long before Dracula, The Vampire Chronicles, Twilight, etc.

And he was CUTE too!

I adore regency romances! I've read Judith McNaught and Johanna Lindsay like an addict. Virginia Henley and Eloisa James are my heroes. I love rebellious heroines with unconventional dreams. I got to thinking....why was this vampire craze never mentioned in regency novels? Or Mary Shelley's work, for that matter?

I did a little more digging. How far had feminist literature progressed by then? In Georgian times, a famous work was: A VINDICATION OF THE RIGHTS OF WOMEN, by Mary Wollstonecraft. She was none other than MARY SHELLEY'S MOTHER!!! It was too delicious for words.

Imagine a regency heroine idolizing those women and wanting to write horror novels of her own. Then I got to thinking again about vampires. Wouldn't Polidori's story piss them off? Especially one trying to pose as a member of London Society?

As Stephen King would say: POW!!! And it all started with me trying to prove a point to people who probably didn't care.

Stephen King's my hero, too.

In a state of giddy delight, I finished the rough draft in less than three months. It was the most FUN I've ever had writing. Even better was that my beta readers had fun reading it.

I polished it up and wrote the query. I got a ton of requests right away, most complimenting the title....which was ALSO an accident. While writing the novel, I had no clue what to call it, so I gave it a joke title. My vampire was a duke, so I called it "BITE ME, YOUR GRACE."

But when I threw it out on Twitter, people loved it so much, even going so far as to say they'd buy it due to the title. So it stuck.

After having fulls with 8 agents, I signed with one. The others passed because the manuscript wasn't awesome enough...which proves I yet again queried too soon. Because the agent I signed with turned out to... Not really be much of one.  (I ask that you click on that link so you get that story without me having to make this post longer than it is.)

After that relationship ended, I took another gamble and inquired on the status of my submission with a few publishers and queried a few more. I didn't expect to get far with the inquiries, but figured I'd find a home for BITE ME, YOUR GRACE with a small respectable house. Still, both inquiries led to full requests and the editor of Sourcebooks even emailed me personally when she received it to say she loved the title. Then a smaller house requested the full...and offered a contract within two days.

I was totally stoked. The publisher loved the book, their terms were appealing, their authors were great (in fact, a few were former clients of my ex agent) and I admired their cover art. However, Sourcebooks was still considering the manuscript. Following protocol, I informed the editor of the offer and asked for two weeks for a response. I fully expected her to pass, being so busy. To my surprise, she didn't.

For the next week and a half, my inner voice vacillated between "Hurry up and reject me already!" and "Could they REALLY be considering it?" I doubted it, the reasons outlined in my "no longer have an agent" post. (See, I told you to click that link.)

But after a bunch of crazy emails and exciting phone conversations, Sourcebooks counter-offered with a three book deal. "I just couldn't let that book go," said the almighty DEB WERKSMAN.

It was like that microphone had been replaced by...um...me.

As much as I liked the other publisher, it was in my best interest to take Deb's offer.

And as a gangster-skater hybrid from the 90's would say, "Shit just got real, Yo."

With hard work, a multitude of happy and unhappy accidents, and untold support from friends and family, my dreams have begun to come true.

That's my crazy story. The next post will be on said shit getting real, "yo." :)

Lynn Rush Talks About Editing with a REAL Editor

Thanks so much Lynn, for giving me an excuse to use this pic!

When I was a newbie writer, I used to read about how authors were deep in edits and had deadlines. I wondered if I’d ever get to do something like that. Would it really be as hard as they wrote about? Would I really disappear for days on end from the social media world to get things done?

Well, I found out pretty quick. March 11^th, 2011 was the day I signed my contract for Wasteland with Crescent Moon Press. It was an amazing day. Surreal, actually.

Within the next few weeks, I got my first round of edits.

Oh.

My.

Gosh.

I quickly found out everything I’d read about edits, especially the first ones for us newbie authors, was true.

All the mark ups, suggestions, highlights…Some of my non-writing friends questioned the need for such changes, because why else would they buy your book if they didn’t like it, why change it so much?

Because editors have one thing in mind: Make this story shine. Because if it’s the best it can be, everyone wins.

I totally get it.

But yikes, so many changes? Did I really use the word flesh 192 times? Holy Cow!

Editors come at your novel with a fresh, objective eye. They haven’t been writing the story for weeks, months, years. They aren’t close friends wondering if they’ll hurt your feelings if they say something doesn’t work.

They do this for a living. They know what they’re doing. And they say what they mean. No filters. I really enjoy that, actually! Just tell me what needs fixing so I can fix it. That’s what I need.

Usually the editing process starts with bigger issues. Giving suggestions, ideas, direction on story/plot concepts. Then the following rounds of edits get more focused until it ends with making sure every T is crossed and I is dotted.

How long it takes varies with each publishing house and writer. For me, I signed my Wasteland contract March 11^th, and the book officially released September 6^th.

So, yeah, take in all the suggestions and work through your story, still maintaining your voice. But with the guidance of an editor, your novel becomes what it truly is meant to become.

Are you a newbie writer or author? Don’t worry. You’ll be able to do it. It’ll be scary, might sting a little, but in the end, it’s totally worth all the blood, sweat, and tears. Editors are worth their weight in gold.

~~~~

I’ve got an e-book copy of Wasteland here for one lucky person. So, leave a comment and you’re entered.

I’ll choose a winner tomorrow and contact you, so be sure to leave your email addy in your comment. If you’re not wanting to do that, just send me (lynnrush@cox.net) your email addy and I’ll set it aside in case your name is drawn.

Thanks for having me here today, Brooklyn!

Write on, my friends!

Lynn Rush began her writing career in 2008. She has both an undergraduate and graduate degree in the mental health field and has enjoyed applying that unique knowledge to developing unique characters.

A former inline speed skater and mountain biker, Lynn has been known to test the limits of her athletic endurance. So, when she's not writing, she spends time enjoying the Arizona sunshine by road biking nearly 100 miles per week with her husband of fifteen years and going on jogs with her loveable Shetland Sheep dogs.

Catch the Rush: www.lynnrush.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/LynnRushWrites

Twitter: www.twitter.com/LynnRush

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/k6NAZa  

Amazon:  http://amzn.to/pavzwE

Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/pbigOg

All Romance Ebooks: http://bit.ly/nujjjp

You Tube Trailer:  http://youtu.be/k-KRE1yMiNk 

Book Blurb:

Bound by the blood contract his human mother signed four centuries ago, half-demon, David Sadler, must obey his demonic Master’s order to capture fifteen-year-old Jessica Hanks. But as he learns more about her, he realizes she may be the key to freedom from his demonic enslavement.

The only obstacle—Jessica’s distractingly beautiful Guardian, Rebeka Abbott. He must not give in to their steamy chemistry, or he will lose his humanity. But fresh off a quarter millennia of sensory deprivation as punishment for not retrieving his last target, he may not be able to resist temptation long enough to save what’s left of his human soul.

6 Reasons you need more "babies."

Of course, this is how we feel when we have to "kill" them. 

Not human babies, silly. More “word babies,” or stories, poems, articles, etc. I cannot believe how many people write only one book and lay all their hopes and dreams on it. I never went that far, but I was guilty of putting my one book on through the submission process and endlessly obsessing over it for a long time before starting a new one. THIS IS BAD!!!

Why?   

1.)Most published authors can tell you that their first few novels were rejected before they made their big break. Stephen King had several novels and countless short stories rejected before he wrote CARRIE and became my hero.

2.) If you’re not occupied with another project and wasting your time stalking your one project, you might just do something stupid and blow your career. Like publically complaining about rejections or the publishing industry.

3.)You’ll never grow as a writer. To become better at anything, you need to do it a lot. If you don’t write a lot, then you’re not much of a writer. How many paintings do you think Da Vinci did before the Mona Lisa?

4.) If all you ever talk about is your one “baby,” people are going to get bored quickly….unless it’s TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

5.) If your one “baby” dies, it won’t be so devastating if you have others. Knowing you have other stories to market gives you unbelievable confidence in this difficult industry.

It gets easier when you have more..seriously. On another note, this was a great album and was about killing babies in the metaphorical sense i.e. child abuse, govt. issues, drugs, etc.

6.) When you do get a publishing contract, it’ll likely be for more than one book. Nobody likes a one-hit-wonder….again unless it’s TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

Why Self- Publishing Is Not For Me...at least for now.

No hidden meaning intended with this picture, I just thought it was funny. :)

I have many friends who have embarked in the world of self-publishing. Many have had great success with it, in fact. As they watched me through the disastrous situation with my former agent, they've begun trying to lure me to the "other side."

Despite the triumphs of my friends, I am still refusing to go that route and before I drown under the cries of "join us, join ussss!" (Sorry, friends, I gotta tease ya a bit.) I feel compelled to state my personal case. Here I go, in no particular order.

1.) Self-pubbing the "Right way" costs money. Yeah, anyone can throw their work up on Smashwords and other sites, but the most successful self-pubbed authors hire editors, cover artists, and pay for various forms of promotion. My funds are limited in that capacity. Speaking of promotion.

2.) All authors, whether commercial or self- pubbed, have to spend a lot of time and effort in online promotion. But I've noticed that the best self-pubbers are almost superhuman in their web presence. ::cough Jamie DeBree::cough Between my job, my family, and my writing/ editing schedule, it's enough for me to keep up with the blog/ twitter/ facebook. Still, I think I'm doing fairly well.

3.) Security. All respected authors have specific lines that the reader trusts to get what they expect from. i.e. unknown authors become an insta-buy for faithful readers of specific imprints. I would feel far more confident and honored for my work to be among a successful imprint.

4.) I WANT AN EDITOR!!!! A good editor supports your work and is behind you 100% ....but she won't let you go out in public with your fly unzipped, figuratively speaking. ;) There is so much I don't know about the industry and I would feel much more comfortable for an expert's advice on keeping my readers happy.

5.) I want a team behind me. Besides an editor, commercial publishers have marketing/ publicity departments. They do a bunch of mathematical calculations and secret magic ceremonies to determine the most profitable circumstances for your book release. Like, X-genres sell best in the fall, X types of titles are trending...or X author has a new release that month so let's do a different month so she won't overshadow you. How cool is that?

6.) I want a profitable cover. Yes, I've seen some really bitchin' covers in self-pubbed books, but a publisher's art department has even more resources. They have their own magic ceremonies to determine what cover will attract readers. Bold colors or pastels? Embossed or flat font? Topless guy (mmmm) or embracing couple?

7.) A GOOD agent would be a godsend. I know jack about negotiating contracts, subsidiary rights, foreign sales, or when it would be appropriate to approach the editor about a new project. And hopefully my agent would help me get my manuscript in its best shape before the editor sees it.

Yes, self-published authors get to keep the majority of their profits, but for me, the benefits of commercial publishing I listed above are well worth the reduction of my royalties.

I no longer have an agent, but maybe that's okay.

For those of you who haven't yet heard, Tribe Literary Agency is no more. The agent closed shop due to family obligations. For a few of the clients, this was an unpleasant surprise, but for others, like myself, it was a good thing because we'd already sent out "intent to terminate" letters and thus no longer have to wait 30 days to get back in the game.

Instead of launching into a vitriolic rant about my experience with this agency, I've decided to share the positive things I got out of it.

1.) I'm cured of the "I MUST HAVE AN AGENT NOW" fever. There seems to be a persisting attitude online that you're nothing without an agent. Those who have one seem to be held in higher esteem. They often have more followers on Twitter, their blogs get more traffic, etc. It seems they have it all, and the thrill when their book sells is vicariously exciting.

Once I had an agent, it seemed there was a huge empty spot in my life that had been taken up by querying and stalking my inbox. I dedicated that time to what should have been priority #1: focusing on my writing and perfecting my craft. I ended up fixing a previously broken novel and completing another, along with 2 short stories and a novella.

2.) I made a lot of new friends. Part of what drew me to the agent in the first place was the awesome bond she helped form between her authors. When she quit, that closeness remained and we were able to comfort each other.


3.) The manuscript being "shopped" was not the best way to launch my career with a big house. BITE ME, YOUR GRACE is a historical paranormal. It's a really fun book, but the problem is, I don't have any more historicals at the moment. That would have been awkward, had I landed a multi-book deal.

4.) My manuscript wasn't really ready. I recently won a critique from the awesome Ashley March and she pointed out a bunch of stuff that needed fixed. On the bright side, there was nothing wrong with the story or the flow, so it'll be an easy fix.

So, what am I going to do now?

For starters, I am NOT going to rush straight into hunting for an agent. I am going to step back and really do my homework.

While I polish up my urban fantasy romance series, I am going to shop my novella and short stories to get more credentials. I may even find a home for BITE ME, YOUR GRACE. It's such a fun book and a lot of people loved it. It feels wrong to let it die because of my poor decisions.

In the end, I think I'm going to be okay. I think I came out of this experience stronger than ever. I would like to give special thanks to those who were with me through all my doubts and turmoil. I wouldn't have made it out as well without you.

Book Covers and Blurbs

Maybe it's the artist in me, but I've always had a thing for good cover art on a book. It's the first thing I notice when browsing. And paranormal romance novels have some of the most kick-ass covers. I picked this one 'cuz not only is it a beautiful cover (I love purple), but it is an awesome series. I generally don't pick books that have yellow covers because that color offends me for some reason.

If the cover grabs me I read the blurb on the back to see if it does the same. Unless it's one of my favorites, author recommendations mean nothing to me. It's all about the back cover synopsis. If it's confusing or boring, I put it back. 

Unfortunately I can't name specific things that make me go, "YES!" But a few things that will turn me off are:

A.) love triangles. I think it's because I've been in one or two (Loooong ago) and the emotional baggage of them nauseates me.

B.) If the heroine/hero has a kid/kids. Harsh, I know. But as a mom, I read to escape. (One major exception is Rebecca Zanetti's DARK PROTECTOR series.)

C.) Getting back with an ex. This one's 50/50 for me. If it sounds like the back story will be told and it's interesting, I may give it a whirl. Because one of my favorite parts of a romance novel is reading about how the characters first meet.

Of course I can still be willing to read these types of romances if they come recommended by friends or are by a well-loved author.

How about you? What grabs you in a book's cover art and blurb. What things make you go, "meh," and put it back on the shelf?

On Queries and Researching Agents

I made a TON of mistakes while querying my first novel. I have since learned from them and the results of my submissions for my current novel have much improved. I figured I'd share what I learned. Get your paper n' pen & hold on. You'll need em even more after reading this.
An important thing I learned is that the internet is almost a must if you are an aspiring author. And not just because many agencies now only take e-queries)
Oh, and if your manuscript is not complete and polished to its very best, QUIT READING NOW AND GET BACK TO WORK!

First off, perfect your query letter. If you think it is perfect, you are probably wrong. There are multiple sites and blog posts on how to write a proper query letter. There are some that show examples of good and bad ones including comments about what an agent loved or hated about a query. QueryShark is a great one! You can find a lot of info when you just Google "query."

Find people to critique your query: The best site I've found for this is Querytracker.net. You have to join to be able to post your query on their forum for people to critique, but joining is well worth it, for there are multitudes of other great resources on that site, which I will mention soon.

While working on that, it is time to research agents. QueryTracker and other such sites have vast online databases in which you can look up agencies based on genre. But DON'T stop there. It is a big waste of time for you and the agent to just willy-nilly pick agents off these lists and go straight to the email address listed to send a query. These databases almost always include a link to the agent's website. That's because you're supposed to check that first!

Take some time to study the agent's website: Don't just skim through the submission guidelines and then jump into "compose mail" in your email program. Agent websites are filled with priceless gems, including more specific info about what they are looking for, links to their blogs and recent interviews, and articles about perfecting your submission.

Research a prospective agent's clients: Besides the fact that it is important to know if an agent HAS published clients, it is very useful to know how close the books they rep will fit in with yours. When an agent says they rep Romance, that doesn't tell you enough. For example: An agent expressed interest in my previous novel, which would fit in with novels like Sherrilyn Kenyon or JR Ward. I'm not querying her with this one because it is more along the lines of Judith McNaught-meets-Virginia Henley-meets-Maggie Shayne.

Enter contests! Contests are not only a great credential if you win, but they are also a great opportunity to receive agent feedback. Many blogs, such as QueryTracker and Miss Snark's First Victim have them regularly.

I entered Miss Snark's First Victim Secret Agent contest last year with my previous project. Not only did I get great feedback from the agent, but when she was revealed, I discovered that she sounded like an excellent fit for my current novel. Needless to say, after further research she was bumped to the top of my query list.
And last January QueryTracker hosted a contest for romance, and that very agent was the judge! And.......I WON THIRD PLACE!!!! She read my material not only gave me great feedback, she also recommended me to 2 other agents.

Follow agent blogs and follow them on twitter: You really get to know agents as people as well as get priceless information on their response times, their pet peeves (Many hate the .docx format because it's a pain in the rear for them to convert) and valuable tidbits on the publishing industry. Many agents get together often on twitter to host an "#AskAgent" session. You can ask them anything but questions about queries. Follow that hashtag! (That’s the # sign)
But remember, for the love of God, DON'T PITCH YOUR NOVEL TO THEM ON THESE SITES! They hate that, and for good reason. Agents tweet and blog in their rare personal time and get their chance to be people. They don't want it ruined by some schmuck who can't follow the rules.

Be professional, courteous, and patient in your query as well as everywhere else online. Agents receive 100's of submissions a day. They also have to work with their existing manuscripts, pitch to editors, and attend conventions and conferences. And they somehow have families and personal lives, which I have no idea how they pull that off. Don't bug them EVER about the status of your query and only nudge on partials and fulls if you have waited long past the agent's stated response time.
As for your online presence, i.e. facebook, twitter, blogs, etc. Remember: AGENTS DO THEIR HOMEWORK TOO. If they Google you and see that you are posting rants whining about rejections or waiting time, they will likely hesitate to work with you. And if you tweet "Dude, I was so WASTED last night!" EVERY day, well, a few might frown on that too. Still, don't be too scared to be yourself. Agents do want to know who you are. And if they dislike you for your political leanings, spiritual beliefs, or sexual orientation, then they likely wouldn't be a good fit anyway. Still, it would be best to keep your bedroom habits and other too-personal details to yourself.

Handle rejection gracefully: First off, don't publicly rant about them and DON'T SEND ANGRY HATE MAIL! This will not do you any favors and will damage your chances at a writing career. I can't believe how many agents still get regular nasty letters. This is why they don't give personal rejections most of the time.
Rejections are not only depressing, but they can also be infuriatingly mysterious. One of the main reasons for rejection is when the author did not follow submission guidelines. Typos are another one (one time I revised my query with a kick-butt closing sentence- and then sent it off with 2 mistakes! I still garnered a request, but the agent said I almost blew it and I should have known better.)
If you rack up a lot of rejections with very few requests, it is likely a sign that you need to revise your query and/or your manuscript. And be sure to double check your revisions as I learned earlier.
A scary theory on some rejections: I don't know about you, but I have book cravings. Sometimes I want something dark and deep. Sometimes I want light and cheerful, other times I want a tough heroine and blood n 'gore. Maybe agents also have cravings and your submission didn't fit that day's craving. Of course, maybe some cosmic force helps with that to ensure you get the right one =) I can dream, you can't stop me.

Anyway, there is a lot more info on agents and valuable resources at your fingertips, so go out, do your homework and do your damn best to be sure that your submission is in the cream of the slush pile. Good luck to you all!

GRRRR! Titles!

If you'll kindly take a look at the top right progress bar, you'll see that I passed the halfway mark on my WIP. You'll also see that I have yet to come up with a name for it. So, I'm starting to get nervous. :)

Titles are funny things. You use them to grab the reader, and hopefully, an agent or editor. But one thing I learned about the industry is that editors often change a book's title. Why bother giving your book a title then? Because a good one can still grab people and you may get to keep it. And you gotta call it something. That'd be like having kids or pets without names. It's just not right.

Some of my other works were easy to name. I came up with IDOL'S KISS after writing 2 pages and AN IRONIC SACRIFICE came to me after the first chapter. However, BITE ME, YOUR GRACE and WRENCHING FATE were tough. BITE ME, YOUR GRACE was intended to be joke title after writing 40K and still having nothing. But when I mentioned it on Twitter, there was such a positive response to it that it stuck. After awhile it even grew on me.

WRENCHING FATE was originally called BLOOD PROPHECY and neither of those titles came easily.

Maybe you guys can help a little. This will be a category-length contemporary romance that's "sweet" in tone. Here's my basic premise: (keep in mind it's not in query or synopsis form yet)

After losing her baby and marriage, historical romance author Shayna Gray decides to take a walk. She walks for over a thousand miles, finally collapsing outside of a rock concert. Some thugs attack her and she's rescued by famous rock star, Dani Deity. Well, actually his body guards save her and that makes him feel really inept and he's got a "Knight complex" so he takes her in and takes care of her.

Shayna's been emotionally beaten down by grief from the death of her son and her controlling ex husband. Dani's one of those guys that needs to be needed. Because of that, and also because a rock star and author would be a good combo since they can tour together, they're a perfect match. Eventually, they'll figure it out.

As for a title, I like the idea of including something about walking in there, but can't get it to work. I also like the idea of hinting at Dani's modern "knight" persona, but again I'm still lost. Any ideas?

How do you go about choosing a title? What was your hardest one?

Success Story! Lynn Rush scores a deal with Crescent Moon!

If you haven't heard yet, one of my fellow authors at Tribe Lit landed a book deal! Lynn Rush is here to tell the awesome story!

Hi, Brooklyn, thanks for having me here to help celebrate the recent contract for my novel, Wasteland (http://lynnrush.wordpress.com/my-novels/wasteland/). Boy, telling this story never gets old, that’s for sure. I still feel like it’s a dream!

Oh, but I do have a dorky confession…as soon as I got the email stating they were interested in offering me a contract, I started writing every detail down.

Just so I’d remember.

Dorky, right? But anyone who knows me knows I forget EVERYTHING. And I never want to forget a second of this experience.

I wrote Wasteland in December of 2009. I just loved the idea of a half-demon who was half demon against his will! Anyway, the story spent quite a bit of time with critique partners to get it whipped into shape for submissions.

On February 17^th, 2011, I pitched the book in a chat-room pitch session with Crescent Moon Press. It was organized for the Savvy Authors (http://www.savvyauthors.com) members. ***Oh, and if you’re not a member of that group, quick, go now and join. It’s worth it!***

Here was my pitch:

Bound by a blood oath his human mother signed four centuries ago, half-demon, David Sadler, must deliver fifteen-year-old Jessica Hanks to his demonic Master or suffer unspeakable torture. But as he learns more about her, he discovers she may be the key to freedom from his demonic enslavement.

The only obstacle—Jessica’s distractingly beautiful Guardian, Rebeka Abbott. He must not give into their steamy chemistry, or he will lose his humanity. But fresh off two centuries of sensory deprivation as punishment for not retrieving his last target, he may not be able to resist temptation long enough to save what’s left of his human soul.

From that I got a partial request. I sent it out the next day and figured I’d be waiting months.

But within a couple weeks, I got an email from Stephanie, another editor from Crescent Moon Press (http://www.crescentmoonpress.com/). She requested the full, so I sent it straight away.

Needless to say, I was ecstatic when I saw an email from her the very next morning.

Yep. The very next morning. 6:55am to be exact. **I’m a dork, remember?**

The email stated she wanted to offer me a contract.

Okay, at that time, my legs morphed into the consistency of wet noodles, right? Oh, and I was ironing, too. So, I set the iron down…and managed not to put it down on clothes and burn holes in them…and walked over to my hubby.

He was sitting in a chair in the living room. I think the look on my face startled him because he immediately asked, “What’s wrong?”

Yeah, I’m thinking I kinda went pale.

I told him about the email.

A smile filled his face, and he pulled me into the best hug ever.

I couldn’t believe it. Of course I texted Super Agent, Cari, (http://tribelit.com/) right away, and she pretty much took over after that. They discussed the contract, talked about changes, and a couple days later the end product was a signed contract.

What an exciting time. I couldn’t have done it without my Super Agent. She helped with all aspects of the pitch and handled everyone with the contract—all the while making herself available to my every question.

So far I’ve been assigned an editor at Crescent Moon Press (http://www.crescentmoonpress.com/), and she’s reading the story with a critical eye to get me my first round of edits. I’m looking forward to her input because I know Crescent Moon Press has great editors and will help make the story shiny!

Thanks for sharing in the excitement with me, Brooklyn. I’m honored to be a part of Tribe Literary (http://tribelit.com/) with you!

Stay in touch with me as the journey continues:

Catch the Rush: http://www.lynnrush.com

Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/LynnRushWrites

Facebook Profile: http://www.facebook.com/LynnRush

Twitter:  http://www.twitter.com/LynnRush