The Publishing Pulse: November 9, 2012

Around the Internet

Jane Friedman shared her thoughts on the author platform in this informative video.

Agent Janet Reid shared some things you need to pay attention to on your publishing contract.

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt buys Webster’s New World Dictionary and CliffsNotes.

Do you ever suffer from days when you wonder if you really are supposed to be a writer? If so, check out this post by agent Rachelle Gardner. And in the words of Sir Winston Churchill: Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm. 

There are so many different forms of social media available, but which ones are best for reaching out to readers? Which should you focus on for greatest impact?

And now you know which form of social network has the greatest impact on readers, here is a link with resources to help you make the most of it. But remember, no matter which form you use, please use it wisely. Spamming will only hurt you in the long run (and often the short run).

Here are ten marketing techniques that annoy. Read. Learn. Apply. (Especially #9)

Here is why Nathan Bransford does not believe the publishing industry should be deserving of special protection.

Inspiring Quotes

In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure. (Bill Cosby)

Success depends upon previous preparation, and without such preparation there is sure to be failure. (Confucius). Don’t worry pansters, this was not in reference to your preferred approach to writing your first draft.

Most people give up just when they’re about to achieve success. They quit on the one yard line. They give up the last minute of the game one foot from a winning touchdown. (Ross Perot). Remember these words of wisdom next time you’re querying.

Have a great weekend, everyone.

 

Stina Lindenblatt @StinaLL writes young adult and new adult novels. In her spare time, she’s a photographer and blogging addict, and can be found hanging out on her blog.  

 

Learning to Love the Pitch

By Sarah Pinneo | @SarahPinneo

I have often pondered the question of why QueryTracker is so effective at bringing writers together as a community. My favorite theory is that the querying process is a career bottleneck which forces everyone to learn a new and uncomfortable skill. When I recommend QueryTracker to people I meet, I often refer to it as a friendly "writers' ghetto." It's a place where whining about the query process is accepted, even encouraged. We encourage each other, we share information, we comfort those who hit road blocks. We gently steer first draft queries toward greatness, and we pass out tissues to those who bemoan the impossibility of compressing the nuance and greatness of their work into two solid paragraphs.

And while everyone deserves an occasional wallow, my opinion about the painfulness of query writing has evolved. A few years ago, as I strolled up a New York City avenue with my dear friend Abbey, she gave me a crumb of advice she’d once received during her formative years as an actress. And Abbey’s wisdom entirely changed my opinion about querying.

“Listen, kid,” she had been told. “If you want to be an actor, you’d better love auditioning. Because that’s what 90% of successful working actors do with most of their days—they audition. They wait in line. And then they get up in front of strangers and perform with a smile, and then they do it again the next day.”

The truth of it hit me like a wobbly stack of unsold manuscripts. Authors are in precisely the same boat. Pitching is a part of every writer’s life. And it doesn't go away once you land an agent.

Eventually I got my wish. By querying (and querying, and querying) I landed a terrific agent who sold my debut novel. Cue the champagne and streamers. But then last year we agonized together over the catalog copy. Later, the back cover copy. Then, I pitched other authors for blurbs to bedeck my shiny new cover. I pitched book bloggers who agreed to review it. And then? I wrote to every bookseller I've ever known, I pitched media outlets who might cover me.

I’m sure you've spotted the theme by now. The querying never stops. But—and it was a big surprise—I finally began to enjoy it.

Perhaps I shouldn't mention that I also enjoy preparing my own taxes. But my reasoning is the same. Who wouldn't want to devote a little extra time to really getting that right? In the same way that an accountant couldn't possibly care as much as I do about my bottom line, nobody knows my work as well as I do.

Which is just as well, because the pitching never ends. Having one success doesn't mean you’ll never write another pitch. If your agent believes your next book could be part of a two or three book deal, you’re going to have to write a few punchy paragraphs about the next books in the series.

Pitching, like taxes, is part of (the publishing) life. This is something your agent understands too. The first time your agent reads your pitch, she’s also writing her own in her head. Ditto your editor--she's going to have to sell your book to the acquisition meeting, and then later to her sales force. Agents and Editors are query writing professionals. If they can do it, so can you.

So we might as well stop hating pitching, and start to see it for the lifeblood that it is. A query, like an audition, is not an obligation, it's a chance to impress. So step up on that stage and give them your best Hamlet. To read or not to read. That is the question.

Sarah Pinneo  is a novelist, food writer and book publicity specialist. Her most recent book is Julia’s Child. Follow her on twitter at @SarahPinneo.

A New QueryTracker is Coming – Sneak Peek

Well, it's that time again. The current version of QueryTracker has been up and running for over three years now, and that’s a long time for the technology world. Lot’s of things have changed about the Internet since then, and it is time for QueryTracker to adopt some of those changes.

But "change" isn't always good. And change for change's sake is never good. That's why a key requirement of the upgrade was to improve QT without changing things too much. Sure, there's a new look, but that's just cosmetic and I don't think it will take long for you to get used to that. 

In fact, most of the biggest changes are under the hood and out of site, such as improvements in speed. Some pages are loading up to ten times faster than the current version.

Another major area of focus was on convenience. Many of the operations regularly performed by members have been streamlined, making it quicker and easier to get things done. For instance, entering query information can now be done with almost half the number of clicks previously required.

But, instead of telling you all about it, here is a short video highlighting just a few of the improvements in QueryTracker version 4.

Watch the First-Look Video.

The new QueryTracker is expected to go live in late December. But before that, we’ll need some volunteers to use it for a few weeks to see how it goes. If you would like to sign up to be a beta tester for the new QT, please go to QueryTracker.net/contact.php and let us know. Beta testing should be starting near the beginning of December.

We'll be posting more updates here as we get closer to the release date.

Below are some screen captures of the new QT.

Managing multiple projects is now easier.

The search page has been improved.

It is now easier to use folders

View an instant summary of any project or folder.

Easier and faster to record your query info.

Upgraded report charts and graphs.

And don't miss the First-Look Video.

Publishing Pulse for Friday, November 2, 2012

Wanted: Success Stories.

Get started on your success story today: write that novel and get your query on. The book part is up to you...but we got your query covered at QueryTracker.

If you're a QueryTracker member (membership is free) you can view the database of more than 1200 agent and publisher profiles. Premium Members can be notified whenever an agent or publisher is added or updates their profile, in addition to receiving access to several other enviable features.

NANOWRIMO!

The great annual race to write is on! November is National Novel Writing Month--and writers everywhere use these thirty days as their inspiration to get the stories out of their heads and on to paper. The goal is 50,000 words…and the trick to winning is simply writing. Not editing. Not last draft perfection. Just the pure joy of following a story wherever it takes us--no pressure. It's true literary abandon.

Of course, NaNoWriMo isn't just a writing exercise-- many people have turned previous NaNo projects into success stories.

Are you a NaNoWriMo'er? Why or why not?

The Industry

Penguin and Random House have merged. 
But it's not necessarily bad news for indie writers. Here's how it may benefit them.

EBook News

No doubt, we are living in a digital world--but analog kids like me might appreciate this article, which totes paper over pixels.

Digital kids, however, need love, too--which is why you'll be glad to have this reference: a list of websites that will help you keep on top of epublishing news.

The Bloggity Blogs

An oldie but goodie: reasons why fiction manuscripts are rejected. I'm guilty of at least two of them. :) (And got published anyway…so don't despair.)

Janet Reid talks about the things self-publishing cannot do for an author…it all comes down to hard numbers.

Jason Rust talks about what he's looking for in his agent search. Are you looking for someone to show you dollar signs? Or someone who loves your work as much as you do?

Have a great weekend, everyone!




Ash Krafton is a speculative fiction writer who resides in the heart of the Pennsylvania coal region, where she keeps the book jacket for "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" in a frame over her desk. Visit Ash's blog at www.ash-krafton.blogspot.com for news on her newly released urban fantasy "Bleeding Hearts: Book One of the Demimonde" (Pink Narcissus Press 2012).