SUBMISSION CHANGES
Just wanted to let you know, I have changed my mind in terms of submission material.
Beginning in March, I will accept BOTH single title and CATEGORY romances and women's fiction. I will still focus on the same areas I have always focused on.
There will be a change in how submissions are done from the website. Now, if you want to submit for a category line, there is a specific form you can use that gives you the chance to indicate exactly which line you are submitting for.
Just wanted to keep you posted on this!
NEWSLETTER
Please remember that you can sign up for the quarterly newsletter from Greyhaus. The link is on the website in the News section. Next one comes out in March!
BRENDA NOVAK AUCTION
I'll be giving out a huge auction item this year. A partial edit of either the first three chapters, a synopsis or query to one person for an entire year. Authors can submit EVERY OTHER MONTH (yes this means 6 critiques for 1 author).
WEBINAR TIME
On March 29th, I will be presenting a webinar with Writer's Digest. This one focuses on the successful key elements of romance and women's fiction writing with a section also designed for authors wanting to write for Harlequin. Stay posted for more information.
CONFERENCES AND VISITING WRITING GROUPS
If your chapter will be attending RWA this year in Anaheim and will be getting together, make sure to send out your invites soon. I would love to come and chat and certainly to listen to "elevator pitches." Along the same lines, if you are a writing group, and want me to come and present or run a workshop, all you have to do is ask.
I DO NOT CHARGE speaking fees.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, February 3, 2012
Thursday, February 2, 2012
There Are NO Exceptions
Yes, we're going to make this a Blog Flog (sort of).
This really goes out to a lot of writers that some how feel that the guidelines editors and agents put up publically some how do not deal with them. Yes, I understand that many of you who read this blog are thinking, "Come on Scott, why are you even wasting your time on these people?" Well, honestly, there are far too many of them out there. What's more frustrating is that many of them DO have a chance to be published if they would simply think for once.
Let me explain where this is coming from.
As you know, I have been closed to submissions right now and will be closed until March. I have posted this information here on the blog. I have posted this information on my website, not just once, but several times. Frankly, you cannot escape the message. Combine in the links to Facebook and Twitter and I would have to say, that information is pretty much out there. Now, I will have to exclude those people with no internet access at all. But, if they are emailing me a submission, they obviously do.
The point is, since I closed submissions, I receive a huge number of submisisons. Really? How did you miss this.
But I do believe this problen extends beyond the simple submission thing. There are far too many authors that seem to think "their story" is the exception to the rule. Scott accepts only romance and women's fiction, but Author X's non-fiction memoir about his grandmother is really so important that we need to ignore these rules. Steeple Hill takes Inspirationals but Author Z's erotica is so amazing and the sex is inspirational that the editors should take a look at it.
Where else have I seen it? At conferences. You get a chance to pitch to editors and agents, so do your research. Too often I turn away people because they have stories I am simply not acquiring. Heck, at many of these conferences, the information is posted. Again, I do understand that there are some who are complete idiots and just don't read the information. But there are far too many of them that will sit down with me and know I don't take it, but thought I would make an exception. Umm, no.
Yes, these are extreme situations, but the problem can also be seen on a smaller level. Simply put, the information is out there. The information is available to authors. This is not information that we are sending out in a cryptic form just to give us a reason to reject you.
In simple terms. You are not that special YET to do what you want to do.
Scott
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
The Word Of The Day Is Intention
I was on my way home one day and I was listening to this speaker talk about making sure everything you do in your life should be done with purpose and intention. As I listened to him, it got me thinking about the writing that I frequently see and more often reject. Authors have characters doing things or insert plot elements without a purpose or reason. In other words, the concept of "intention" simply wasn't there.
As many of you know, I have done a lot with theatre. One director I worked with made it very clear to me that anything I do on that stage, whether it is a movement across the stage, a hand gesture, an vocalization, etc. must be done with an intention and a purpose. She said that a character wouldn't just walk across the stage for no reason. The same goes for your writing.
When you study your stories that are written, or craft the current works in progress, always stop yourself and ask if this element in your story is really serving a purpose for the characters and the plot. If you are simply adding a piece of dialogue because the line is funny, or you have a character going some place just because you're tired of them being in the same place, then you aren't thinking inention here.
We're talking about alignment here. The character, the plot, the setting, the theme, the dialogue - all of these have to work together in harmony to make the story work. Throwing something in your story just for the sake of putting it in ruins that alignment.
Scott
As many of you know, I have done a lot with theatre. One director I worked with made it very clear to me that anything I do on that stage, whether it is a movement across the stage, a hand gesture, an vocalization, etc. must be done with an intention and a purpose. She said that a character wouldn't just walk across the stage for no reason. The same goes for your writing.
When you study your stories that are written, or craft the current works in progress, always stop yourself and ask if this element in your story is really serving a purpose for the characters and the plot. If you are simply adding a piece of dialogue because the line is funny, or you have a character going some place just because you're tired of them being in the same place, then you aren't thinking inention here.
We're talking about alignment here. The character, the plot, the setting, the theme, the dialogue - all of these have to work together in harmony to make the story work. Throwing something in your story just for the sake of putting it in ruins that alignment.
Scott
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Pitching Is A Job Interview
I know, I always blog about this at least once a year, but we are now starting to think about major conferences and it is always a good reminder. This one, however, is going out to not just writers, but also editors and my fellow agents.
Getting to meet face-to-face at conferences is really a rare and, should be treasured, moment for writers, editors and agents. We have the chance to finally see each other as individuals and people and not simply looking at a piece of writing. With that said, far too many individuals blow this chance for this meeting. For some reason, people in the publishing industry (writers, editors and agents) seem to believe that this meeting is somehow different from any real job interview. This is far from the case and we need to make some changes.
WRITERS
Please come to the interview with your game face on and treat this like a serious job interview. You show up looking the part and acting the part.
I don't want to hear the excuse, "oh, I get sooo, nervous..." Give me a break. If you can't handle talking about something you know better than probably yourself, are you really ready to make this jump to professional writing?
I know you are trying to be nice and make these people feel relaxed, but in all honesty, do you really want to work with someone who doesn't even know their own story? Along the same lines, I know we are all in the same boat about the number of submissions we get. Why, can I ask you, would you ask to see something from either A) someone who you know will not cut it; or B) someone who has a project that you know really doesn't fit. Don't go giving me that whole "I have to read it first" stuff. We all know what we are looking for and we all know the premise of the story that will work and not work.
I have also talked to far too many authors that have said the same thing. They would rather hear us say, "no, it isn't right" then to hear, "send me a full" and then sit around and wait for the form letter, or in the case with some of you, stick with the "no answer is a no" response.
Maybe, just maybe, if we start to act in a more professional tone at these conferences, we can begin to elevate the level and quality of writing we are putting out there on the shelf. Who knows?
Just something to chew on for a Tuesday.
Scott
Getting to meet face-to-face at conferences is really a rare and, should be treasured, moment for writers, editors and agents. We have the chance to finally see each other as individuals and people and not simply looking at a piece of writing. With that said, far too many individuals blow this chance for this meeting. For some reason, people in the publishing industry (writers, editors and agents) seem to believe that this meeting is somehow different from any real job interview. This is far from the case and we need to make some changes.
WRITERS
Please come to the interview with your game face on and treat this like a serious job interview. You show up looking the part and acting the part.
I don't want to hear the excuse, "oh, I get sooo, nervous..." Give me a break. If you can't handle talking about something you know better than probably yourself, are you really ready to make this jump to professional writing?
- Come prepared.
- Make sure your project is ready to go at that exact moment.
- Dress appropriately
- Act appropriately
- DO NOT read or memorize your pitch. This needs to be natural and not sound scripted.
I know you are trying to be nice and make these people feel relaxed, but in all honesty, do you really want to work with someone who doesn't even know their own story? Along the same lines, I know we are all in the same boat about the number of submissions we get. Why, can I ask you, would you ask to see something from either A) someone who you know will not cut it; or B) someone who has a project that you know really doesn't fit. Don't go giving me that whole "I have to read it first" stuff. We all know what we are looking for and we all know the premise of the story that will work and not work.
I have also talked to far too many authors that have said the same thing. They would rather hear us say, "no, it isn't right" then to hear, "send me a full" and then sit around and wait for the form letter, or in the case with some of you, stick with the "no answer is a no" response.
Maybe, just maybe, if we start to act in a more professional tone at these conferences, we can begin to elevate the level and quality of writing we are putting out there on the shelf. Who knows?
Just something to chew on for a Tuesday.
Scott
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Help Out USA Swimming Swimmers and Their Team!
Anyone interested in helping out a USA Swimming team - this link is for you.
Three kids (yes they are mine) getting ready to do their swim-a-thon this year for USA Swimming. All of the money raised goes to things such as pool maintainance and the essential runnings of the team.
I know they would love to have your assistance on this one. Any amount would be a great help.
Thanks in advance from a dad of three great kids!
Scott
Three kids (yes they are mine) getting ready to do their swim-a-thon this year for USA Swimming. All of the money raised goes to things such as pool maintainance and the essential runnings of the team.
I know they would love to have your assistance on this one. Any amount would be a great help.
Thanks in advance from a dad of three great kids!
Scott
Friday, January 27, 2012
Gaining Something From Fairy Tales and Mythology
I hear authors all of the time telling me that there are no new stories out there. Whenever I hear this, I am always frustrated. Unfortunately, these writers are missing the point. There are a ton of new stories out there. What these authors seem to think is that we just recycle plots. In reality, what we tap into are similar motifs and story elements. This is when we go to stories such as Fairy Tales and Mythology.
When we think about mythology, every culture has stories that go back to the beginning of time. What researchers will often tell us, is that stories have used the same ideas and motifs over time. Each time they tell a story they draw on similar ideas to convey a bigger message. Again, we are not talking about using the same plot, but combining elements of character, conflict and such.
Think about the common fairy tales we have. Let's start with Cinderella. We have a simple story of rags to riches. But, within that story, we can draw on different character and plot elements and put these into our stories:
What about the Beauty and Beast storyline?
Have a great weekend.
Scott
When we think about mythology, every culture has stories that go back to the beginning of time. What researchers will often tell us, is that stories have used the same ideas and motifs over time. Each time they tell a story they draw on similar ideas to convey a bigger message. Again, we are not talking about using the same plot, but combining elements of character, conflict and such.
Think about the common fairy tales we have. Let's start with Cinderella. We have a simple story of rags to riches. But, within that story, we can draw on different character and plot elements and put these into our stories:
- The conflict between jealous siblings and someone who gets something from nothing.
- The evil step mother
- The idea of things just showing up when you need it.
What about the Beauty and Beast storyline?
- Finding something in a person we don't view as being likeable
- A character hating themself because of how they look
- The concept of punishnment for being mean
Have a great weekend.
Scott
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Don't Give Up On Print Books Yet
Recently, I read an interesting statistics regarding ownership of e-readers in the US. It got me thinking that for many out there in publishing, the moves they are making now in terms of "shifting" to an electonic market may be a bit hasty. The statistic showed that only about a 1/4 of the adults out there own e-readers. Now, they didn't specify what type but I do have to guess that people with iPads probably are clumped into this group as well.
So what does this tell us?
On the first level, it says that there is still 3/4 of the population that are not making the move to e-readers. Why? We can only guess. For some it may be the cost of the books. For others, it may be the argument of the "feel of the book." For others, it may be a dread fear of technology. Regardless of why, the numbers still say there is a huge number of readers out there not on that e-book bandwagon.
What I find interesting is the number of publishing companies that are now thinking they want to dive into the digital only market. I guess I have to question...WHY? If the money is tough to come by right now, why would you invest in a product that can only read 1/4 of the readership and, in many cases, at a cheaper cost? It would seem to me that a better move would be to focus in on that other 3/4.
I also find it interesting when I hear of the number of writers out there putting all of their eggs in one basket and really pushing this e-pub only movement. I do have to stress, I am talking here about NEW authors. Those authors tossing their backlists into an e-pub program might as well. This may be a way to extend the life of their books. The people I am talking about are those new writers.
I know what these people are saying though. They do this because the print market won't take their books. Yes, I know part of that is because the traditional publishers are scaling back, but in far more cases (clearly an overwhelming majority) it is simply because the writing is not good. (But I digress here).
I personally applaud publishers such as Harlequin who utilize the e-pub market as a way to both extend the life of an author as well as a promotion tool. The free reads online, the links to electronic stories that are connected to the main print books. This is a great use of the technology.
In the end, I would simply have to say, let's stop and think a bit. No, we don't have to live in the dark ages. Yes, we should pay attention to technology. But, don't abandon that other 3/4.
Scott
P.S. We also have to remember that when we hear of people buying books online, this doesn't mean they are buying electronic books. They are buying print books via the internet. Don't confuse that.
So what does this tell us?
On the first level, it says that there is still 3/4 of the population that are not making the move to e-readers. Why? We can only guess. For some it may be the cost of the books. For others, it may be the argument of the "feel of the book." For others, it may be a dread fear of technology. Regardless of why, the numbers still say there is a huge number of readers out there not on that e-book bandwagon.
What I find interesting is the number of publishing companies that are now thinking they want to dive into the digital only market. I guess I have to question...WHY? If the money is tough to come by right now, why would you invest in a product that can only read 1/4 of the readership and, in many cases, at a cheaper cost? It would seem to me that a better move would be to focus in on that other 3/4.
I also find it interesting when I hear of the number of writers out there putting all of their eggs in one basket and really pushing this e-pub only movement. I do have to stress, I am talking here about NEW authors. Those authors tossing their backlists into an e-pub program might as well. This may be a way to extend the life of their books. The people I am talking about are those new writers.
I know what these people are saying though. They do this because the print market won't take their books. Yes, I know part of that is because the traditional publishers are scaling back, but in far more cases (clearly an overwhelming majority) it is simply because the writing is not good. (But I digress here).
I personally applaud publishers such as Harlequin who utilize the e-pub market as a way to both extend the life of an author as well as a promotion tool. The free reads online, the links to electronic stories that are connected to the main print books. This is a great use of the technology.
In the end, I would simply have to say, let's stop and think a bit. No, we don't have to live in the dark ages. Yes, we should pay attention to technology. But, don't abandon that other 3/4.
Scott
P.S. We also have to remember that when we hear of people buying books online, this doesn't mean they are buying electronic books. They are buying print books via the internet. Don't confuse that.
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