Christmas is Coming--Buy a Book!

When I was a kid, my grandparents always brought me books as gifts when they visited. They weren't expensive books, but each time, I felt as if they had given me the whole world. I was the type of kid who sneaked flashlights under the blanket to read. When I was in middle school, I even chose to take the creepy basement bedroom in order to keep my light on later. What's a few waterbugs when there's a whole world waiting for me in a book?

As an adult, I'm still just as drunk on the printed word as I ever was. But now, I'm concerned. As you may have heard, there's a recession on and publishing houses are particularly vulnerable. For the whole story on this, you might want to check out this editorial assistant's take on what happened to the industry in October.

http://editorialass.blogspot.com/2008/11/crash-flow-or-what-went-wrong-in.html

Publishers aren't running to Washington with their hands out. All they need is for us to put our Christmas money where it will do the most good. Take a look at your Christmas list. Is there a niece or nephew? Why not give them a book instead of yet another video game? Exercise their minds, not their thumbs. A grandmother? Give her a large print book. A busy mom to buy for? How about a book on tape she can enjoy while she ferries the fam around? Got a little one on the list? A picture book you can read aloud together will make more than a wonderful gift. It will make a memory.

We are all shaped by the people we surround ourselves with, the media images we let scream into our brain, and the books we read. Am I suggesting you buy my books? Only if you intend to give them to a romance reader. Choosing a book for someone means you've taken the time to think about them long enough to pick something you'll think they'll like. So think about your loved ones. Pay attention to their hobbies, their favorite things. It should lead you to the right section. Or let a knowledgable bookseller recommend something if you can't pick something yourself. Heck! Send me your list and I'll be happy to make some suggestions.

Even now, my husband gives me books because he knows I'll love them. They tell me he's paying attention. So pay attention to your family and friends this holiday season and pick out a book that tells them how special they are to you.

For under $10, you can give someone a whole world. What other gift can beat that?

New release ~ New website!

Last week I was in San Francisco for RWA Nationals. I had a ball and especially enjoyed rooming with my critique partner, Darcy. She ripped my old website to shreds and started me down a path to designing a new one. Check out the results at www.emilybryan.com First person to spot a fixable error (spelling, non-working link, missing picture, etc.) and drop me a note using the Contact Em form, will receive their choice from my backlist. The number of winners is limited to the number of errors. (So I could be in real trouble here!) Have fun!

I said I'd post a sample query letter, so here it is: (Of course, you use the standard business style for the letter with your address and contact info, then the editor's address before you launch into the body. The names have been changed to protect the guilty!)


Dear Ms. Editor's last name; (or Mr. Editor's last name. Be certain of the spelling!)

I enjoyed meeting you at the AnyoneCanWrite Conference last week. Enclosed please find the synopsis and manuscript (or partial if that's what they ask for--always send exactly what they request.) of HUSH, the 90,000 word romantic suspense, you requested. (I've reminded the editor of the request and exactly what type story I offer, and yes, they want a word count.)

In the stillness, evil waits. Megan Kelley can’t hear him coming, but she knows he is there. Set in Boston where politics have always been a blood sport, HUSH is a tale of ballot corruption and organized crime, of honor lost. And rebuilt.

A bout with meningitis left Megan with only 60% of normal hearing. When she practices her speechreading and ends up ‘eavesdropping’ on a murder-for-hire contract, she becomes a target herself. In a chilling game of cat-and-mouse, Megan must discover why an MIT professor was murdered before his killer catches up to her.

She’s forced to rely on the cop who’s her unfaithful ex-husband and the new man in her life, a former Navy Seal with some dark secrets. Megan must find the courage to trust again to find closure not only for the murder case, but for her heart as well. (This was my blurb-style pitch. It might be a tad long, but I wanted to show I've balanced the suspense and the romantic elements of the story.)

I currently write historical romances for Leisure Books as both Diana Groe and Emily Bryan. Since May 2006, I've had 5 books published to critical acclaim, and am under contract for a 6th title and novella for 2009. I love writing historical romances and plan to continue, but will not be violating my contract with Leisure when I branch into romantic suspense with a different publishing house. (These are my publishing credentials. If you're not published, include contest wins here. I'm letting them know I'm still writing for Leisure and also signalling that there will be no legal trouble if they pick me up in a different sub-genre.)

I hope you enjoy HUSH. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Diana Groe (I sign with my legal name, not my pen name)

And that's it. There may be a better way to query out there. This is what I do.

Don't forget to check out my new website. www.emilybryan.com There are several pages just for aspiring writers under WRITE STUFF.

Enjoy!

Writing a 'Grab 'em by the throat Query Letter'

Being a selling writer means acquiring several skill sets. One is the craft required to put together a compelling story for 400 pages. The other is to market it effective to the people who might be interested in publishing or representing it. The first step is an engaging query letter.

Let’s start at the top. I’m assuming you’ve done your homework and know that the particular editor or agent you’re targeting edits/represents work similar to yours or is actively looking for it. You can find this information on agency or publisher websites, through networking with published authors, reading trade magazines or the acknowledgement page of their authors’ latest release. Make sure you have the editor/agent’s name spelled correctly. And be certain of their gender. Chris Keeslar, senior editor at Dorchester, tells of queries he’s received that start “Dear Ms. Keeslar,” and then the writer proceeds to ‘remind’ him of when the writer supposedly met ‘her.’ Guess what happens to those queries.

Start with a brief reminder of how you met the editor/agent only if you have. Writers’ conferences are invaluable for this sort of networking. If you haven’t, you might give them a short and sincere compliment about their other clients’ work. Don’t fake it. Don’t say you’ve read something if you haven’t.

Then launch into your sharpest blurb-style pitch of your work. Only tout one manuscript per query unless you’re pitching a series.

Tell the editor the word count and sub-genre of your completed manuscript (oh, yes, it must be finished before you submit.) In the final paragraph, list your publishing credits. Here’s where you put your contest wins or short stories you’ve had published. If you don’t have any publishing credits, just let them know how they can contact you to request the full manuscript.

Don’t say your mother likes your manuscript. Don’t tell them you’re the next Nora Roberts or JK Rowling. Keep the query short. Absolutely no longer than one page. Remember agents and editors read constantly. Use 12pt or larger Courier New or Times New Roman font. Smaller font equals eye strain, which equals fussy editor, which equals rejection. Be professional. Be patient.

And start writing your next story. Because if the editor/agent wants this one, their first question will be “What else have you got?”

Good luck!
www.emilybryan.com

Getting Published

PLEASURING THE PIRATE, my 5th book, will be in stores tomorrow! I'm thrilled. And grateful. And feeling like this is an opportunity to look back a bit over the last few years since my debut in May 2006.

When one of my MySpace friends asked about how to get published, I thought there might be others who'd like to know as well. Everyone's journey is different, but if others will be helped by my experience, I'm willing to share. So, here's a brief stroll down my path to publication.

I'm not like Susan Elizabeth Phillips, who scribbled a proposal and sold her first book before it was even written. I had to learn my craft. I started in 2001 with the naive notion that since I was a reader, I could be a writer. That's right. It took me 5 years to publish. You may take less time. Or more. It's the journey that's important, not how long it takes.

I wrote 2 complete manuscripts that will forever gather dustbunnies under the bed. They were my teachers. I learned about story arcs and POV and dialogue. And generally how not to write a romance novel. Even so, the 2nd one (a sad little western) started to win a few writing contests. It was enough encouragement to keep me going.

Then we moved to Seattle and I joined Eastside RWA. Finally I wasn't on my own, trying to reinvent the wheel. I had help in learning how to write. And at one of the chapter meetings during a writing exercise, my heroine Rika from my debut novel MAIDENSONG was born.

I was just typing THE END on MAIDENSONG when my husband lost his job in a corporate downsizing. We moved to Missouri to lower our expenses. I took a position as a banker to help make ends meet, while he looked for work. While I struggled to learn a new job, I also struggled to learn to write in the evenings and on weekends, when I was tired, whether I felt like writing or not. I wasn't playing with this. It was not a hobby. There was far too much of my blood on the pages for that. I was determined to be a real writer.

I sent queries (I'll talk about query letters in my next post) to agents, since I knew I didn't have time or the expertise to submit MAIDENSONG on my own. Thanks to a faithful e-critiqueing friend, during this time I finished ERINSONG, and wonder of wonders, I finally was offered agent representation in 2004.

I continued writing. Each time I finished one story, I didn't wait to see if it would sell. I started on the next one. In June 2005, I got THE CALL. Leah Hultenschmidt from Leisure Books had found MAIDENSONG languishing on her desk and loved it. (Bear in mind, MAIDENSONG had been there for a year. Most of the time, publishing grinds with glacial slowness.) MAIDENSONG came out in May 2006 and I wept when I first saw the cover.

Now, I have 5 books in print, another due out next March and a contract for one after that. I'm writing full-time now (Thank you , God and my dear husband!). I have been extremely blessed and I feel I must share that there is an element of luck in who gets published and who doesn't. It's a matter of the right manuscript on the right desk at the right time.

But it's also a matter of perseverance. The clinical definition of that word is "continueing an activity past the time when it makes sense. To persist in an idea, purpose or task, despite obstacles." I used to think 'perseverance' meant going to grad school, but it fits trying to be published to a T.

Persevere. Keep writing. Once you start down the path, don't give up on the journey. You'll find places in yourself and others you never knew existed. Good luck!

* * *

"I simply couldn't put this one down!" ~ Reviewer Top Pick, NightOwl Romance on PLEASURING THE PIRATE

10 Ways to Make Sure You'll Never Publish

Anyone can give you ideas to help you get published. Here's a few helpful hints to make sure you never have to worry about getting The Call.

1. Never finish a manuscript. Surely just your premise scrawled quickly onto the back of a napkin ought to be enough. It's the idea that counts.

2. Don't accept critique from others. It's your story. You should be able to tell it from 37 different points of view if you want. And be sure to ignore the publisher's guidelines. Do they want your manuscript double-spaced in Courier New 12 pt? Well, isn't that silly? You can fit twice as many words if you single-space. And if you use Ariel 8 pt. I bet you can cram even more on each page.

3. Never be willing to revise. Why mess with perfection? Your mother loves your story just as it is.

4. Agent-schmagent! Who needs another hand in your pocket? Sure, the publisher's guidelines require agented submissions, but that's just for those other less-inspired writers. Besides, if you're a tough negotiator on your advance, that editor will think twice about trying to cross you with pesky revision requests.

5. Be as nasty as you can to other writers. After all, we're all going for the same finite number of slots. Leave the encouragment and mentoring of other authors to the Mother Theresa's of the writing world.

6. When you pitch, make sure you tell the editor how lucky he/she is to have found the next Nora Roberts. Of course, once she reads your 800,000 word manuscript, she'll realize how brilliant you are. But it never hurts to be cocky . . . er, I mean, confident.

7. Don't join RWA or some other writer's group. If they knew so much, they'd all be published. Besides, one of them might steal your idea for that genre-bending futuristic, erotic, chick-lit western mystery.

8. If you attend a writer's conference, be sure to stalk the editors. They like the attention. If you want to be totally memorable, shove your complete manuscript under the bathroom stall door to them. That'll get your work noticed! And I guarantee they'll remember your name. They might even tell their friends.

9. If you do finish a manuscript, make sure you don't start a second one before the first one sells. Just keep sending the same manuscript out to as many houses as you can, whether they publish your type of story or not. For good measure, if one editor at a publishing house rejects you, make sure you send it to all the other editors at the same house. Won't that first editor feel silly when the fifth editor buys your work? After all, it's not as if they talk to each other or, heaven forfend, consult with each other on their acquisition decisions.

10. Don't give away the ending in your synopsis. What better way to make an editor request the full manuscript than to finish up your outline with a coy, "If you want to know how it all turns out, you have to read the full manuscript!" Besides, they really need to read the whole thing to understand why you decided to kill off the hero on the last page.

If you follow these guidelines, I can virtually guarantee you'll never be bothered by a contract offer. However, if your goal is actually to see your writing in print, you might want to forget these rules or even do the opposite.

Happy Writing!