Always Look Forward

Publishing is an ever changing business. It is just one of those businesses where one day it can go one way and then the next day it will go another way. For authors, it is always a good thing to just keep looking forward and to always have multiple plans and routes available to take. 

Think of writing as your drive home from work. I am sure you know of multiple paths home, right? You have your standard route, but you have your alternate routes: the one you take for the good cup of coffee, the one for the grocery, the one to get the kids, the one for the heavy traffic days, the one for the accidents and so forth.

Well, the same goes for writing.

Things will change for you on your writing journey and you need to constantly be ready for that change. If you are only thinking of one path, you might be stuck. I have honestly seen too many author run into a brick wall when they think this way. Consider this.

They have one style of writing they do and they are determined to stick with it. OK, that might be fine, UNTIL... what happens if that style of writing suddenly goes out of fashion. Now what? If you keep on doing what you are doing, you will get no where. 

BUT... if you have a plan B, or a plan C, you might be a better place. 

Now, this is where an agent might come into play. No, this is not self promotion, but it is one of the things that we are here for. Remember, part of our job is to work with you on career planning. We are here to help create those "other options" to think about. Can you do this on your own? Sure. But sometimes, it is always good to have that second brain there with you.

So as you sit there with your writing, think about those other plans and routes with your writing. It might be a good thing to consider for your future. 

#MSWL - WANTED CONTEMPORARY WOMENS FICTION

OK, here is what I am looking for...

75-100K word count

OK, we got that out of the way, now to the good stuff. 

I want stories about women that make us feel good. I DO NOT want Rom-Con. I do not want drama stories that make me want to take up drinking or drugs. In other words, don't give me stories that make have us feeling overly depressed. I want stories of inspiration. I want stories that make us feel that we can do it. 

This is where I am coming from.

As I am writing this, I am watching THE LOST KITCHEN which is my latest binge watch (thank you Erin French (check her out on Instagram@thelostkitchen) (tell her you heard about this on my blog)

These are stories about inspiration. These are stories about real people. But here is the thing. I DO NOT want BIOGRAPHIES and I DO NOT want real stories where you just changed the name to protect the innocent. 

I want you to tell me stories that make me feel good. I want you to teach me a lesson. I want you to think that your story has a "theme" and a "message". There was a block of time, at the early stages of women's fiction when women told these stories. But then they felt that the only way they could get attention was to make the stories so incredible, was to make it over the top.

I am sorry but the world is done with it.

Share this with your friends. 

If you have this story, Send it to me. 

If you have a friend who has this story, send it to me.

If you are a write with an editor at a publishing house, tell them that we need to move on. This IS the new trend.

I will bring you the next trends next week.

Don't Just Settle On Anyone Just To Say You Are Published

I get it! Publishing is a tough business. There are a lot of you and a limited number of places on the book shelves out there. Although the market is starting to pick up. Look at some of the numbers.

In the U.S. print book sales totaled $782 million in 2924 which was a 23% increase over the past decade. 

Predictions show even more growth.

And yet, so many writers today are complaining about how hard it is to get published. They write their book, send it to editors and agents only to be rejected, or more likely, don't hear anything at all. Talk about frustrating. 

Now, if you have been here on the blog, or heard me talk before on my other platforms, I have stated that there could be any number of reasons for this - you sent it to the wrong person, bad timing, not marketable, and yes, your writing could be bad. The list is endless. It could even be that this is your first book are you are simply impatient. 

Impatience is really a mark of many in the present generation. We are living in the "we want it now" generation and publishing is no different. So, if they can't get published, often they will jump to anyone who will take their writing. 

And it is here where I want you to ask yourself, do you really want to do this? Sending your writing out to anyone, just to say your are published, might not be the best option. Do you really want this product out there for the world to see and say "this represents who I am?"

I am sorry, but I look out there and I see a lot of authors who have, for lack of a better word, slapped on some pretty hideous covers on their books "just to be published." And I don't know about you, but looking at the cover, it just is not that appealing. 

At Greyhaus, I openly state that I am looking for "traditional print romance and women's fiction authors." Note the word PRINT. I am pretty picky about what I am looking for. Now, does this mean I will ignore digital presses? No. But I WILL NOT just toss my authors book out to anyone just to let they be able to say they are published. They worked to damn hard on that book. They love their baby. I love their writing. I believe in their writing and that writing DESERVES the best. 

Doesn't your writing deserve the best too?

Are You Just Copying A Storyline Or Building On A Trope

Writers are often told to by editors "read what we publish". The purpose is really simple. To understand the voice of the line. To understand the tropes and the style of the writing. Unfortunately, too often, writers hear this and end up taking this to an extreme when they write their own stories. What do they do? They make carbon copies of the books already out there.

And what happens?

They get rejected! Ugh! Ugh! And double Ugh!

"But Scott, they told us to read what they publish!" 

Yes they did, but did you hear what I said up there in the first paragraph? They want you to look to the style of the writing and the voice. They want you to see if you can follow some of those smaller ideas and nuances. It does not mean to take the same plot lines and just move the story to a different setting. And honestly, this is so important for those of you who want to write for publishers who have a clear "Series" or "Category" line.

Many publishers out there have dedicated lines that follow a unique pattern. Obviously Harlequin stands out as well as Entangled and Wild Rose Press. But others out there are doing the same thing. They have found they can draw in a group of readers who love to stick to that line, which is awesome for sales. You get hooked there and then get drawn in for the other books at that publisher. 

Now, this is what I often see. Let's say, for example, that someone wants to write for Harlequin Presents. They see a word count that is short. They see hot rich guys, often royalty or filthy rich CEO's and then there is a sudden pregnancy. So they write the same dang story. Now, when an editor (or an agent like me) reads the story, we have the "been there done it" approach. Give us something new! We already have people who are in those niches.

Remember, the idea of a trope is to use it as PART of the story, not the whole story. The idea is to figure out how the story "READS". Follow the flow of it, the rhythm of it, the style of the writing. Then, toss in maybe one trope but add in your own flare to make it unique.

Doing that might get you noticed faster!