Self-Editing: When is Enough, Enough?

I often hear stories of writers who edit the same book over and over and over. They spend months, sometimes years rewriting and editing one book.

When do we say enough is enough and move on to the next project?

Writing friend Sherrinda asked that question a couple of weeks ago: “What if I am just too lazy to do the hard work of revising? What if I don't have what it takes? When you were first starting, what did you do? Revise and revise that first one or did you move on?” Her questions got me thinking (I love when that happens!).

First, we should always consider self-editing part of the job of writing. If we haven’t gone through the three basic steps of self-editing mentioned in the last post, then we need to before moving on.

However, when we finish the editing process, we often harbor a fear that our manuscript isn’t “ready.” If you’re like me, you probably find mistakes to fix every time you read anything you write.

I self-edited The Preacher’s Bride extensively soon after I wrote it and then again about a year later. I also hired a freelance editor to line-edit it. Most recently, it’s gone through in-house rewriting and line-editing. Even with all that work, there are times when I still can’t help wondering if it’s “good enough.” When it hits the shelves in the fall, I’m sure even then I’ll be able to open it up and find things I wish I could change.

Most of us experience doubts about our books. Sometimes, the doubt is good because it causes us to re-evaluate whether our books are indeed ready to send out. But sometimes doubt acts as an anchor that weighs us down and keeps us from moving forward.

How then, can we tell when we’re truly ready to stop self-editing a project and move on? When is doubt helpful to our writing careers and when is it hurtful? Here are a few of my thoughts. I don’t claim to be the expert, so make sure you chime in with your advice in the comments.

Maybe it’s time to move on. . .

• . . . when it’s the first book we’ve written. The first and second books we write will probably end up being our practice books. They’re the ones we write out of the deep well of our creativity, when we’re blissfully unaware of fiction-writing basics. And that’s okay. That’s the job of the early books—to help us discover our inner creator and solidify the joy of the writing process. Sometimes the first books aren’t meant for anything but that.

• . . . when editing is mostly rewriting. Substantive edits (aka rewrites) are a major part of the self-editing process. We’ll need to add, delete, and overhaul scenes. We can tighten the threads, sew new ones here and there, and switch things around. But the longer we rip and repair, the greater our chances of the finished product coming out looking frayed and shabby. If we get to a point where our story needs too much overhaul, we may have to consider starting over, re-plotting and re-planning for a tighter weave (or moving on to the next story idea and learning from our mistakes).

• . . . when we’re putting all our hopes for publication into one book. My agent tried to sell two of my books to Bethany House. They only bought one of them—The Preacher’s Bride (and contracted me for two more different ones). What if I’d only had the one they didn’t want (which I actually considered a better story)? If we get stuck on just one book, what if it’s not our break-in book? We’ll expand our chances if we finish editing and then move on to the next book.

• . . .when we’ve lost the joy of writing. Notice I didn’t say, “When it’s no longer fun.” Editing isn’t always fun. Sometimes it’s pure torture. But when editing a particular book begins to zap our joy in writing, then perhaps it’s time to shelf that book for a time. When we’re in the trenches of editing, we can lose perspective. Time and distance often help us regain it.

Your turn. What are your thoughts? When’s enough, enough? How do you decide when it’s time to move on to the next project?

Three Simple Stages of Self-Editing

Are there simple guidelines that can help us through the confusing task of self-editing? Let’s face it, it’s downright overwhelming to read through every single line of a novel, mark all the areas that need changing, and then go back through it again to make the corrections.

Surely there is some basic method that can help us through the editing mayhem.

As you know, over the past months I’ve been going through in-house editing on The Preacher’s Bride. During the process, I’m beginning to understand that the structure used by publishing houses is one we would be wise to model in our personal editing.

Publishing houses use three main types of edits: substantive, line, and copy.

1. Substantive (Also known as rewrites, developmental, or macro-edits)

This is the kind of big-picture edit where my editors read The Preacher’s Bride from start to finish to get a feel for the plot, conflict, tension, characters, goals, motivations, and other major issues. They made pages of notes and then shared with me the overall weaknesses of my story and characters, along with suggestions for ways I could strengthen those areas.

I spent approximately 6-8 weeks rewriting (and I mean rewriting), adding and deleting whole scenes, paragraphs, and sentences. After the first major rewrites, my editors re-read the book and then asked me to make a few more rewrites. The second set was definitely not as hard or time-consuming as the first.

Perhaps in our personal editing, we should likewise tackle the substantive edit first, before the other edits. Why bother focusing on word flow and spelling mistakes within a particular scene when we may have to delete it?

First, we should try to see the book from a reader’s perspective. We’ll need to go through it more quickly, without stopping too often, so that we get the flow of the story, see the gaps, catch the loose threads, and see the entire picture from beginning to end. We can scribble ideas into a spiral notebook, put sticky notes on troublesome pages, or jot thoughts on a chapter spreadsheet. Whatever works. The idea is to find the BIG problems first.

2. Line-Editing

My in-house editor began doing line-edits on The Preacher’s Bride approximately two weeks ago. This is the type of edit where she combs through the manuscript line-by-line, studying each page and paragraph carefully.

At this stage, my editor makes most of the changes herself. She emails me when she needs to get my input (usually a couple times a day). Since I write historical fiction, she’s mostly asked me to clarify words or phrases used during the 1600’s. (As a side note, make sure to keep all of your research materials, biographies, and any pertinent information. I’ve had to dig through mine many times.)

In our personal editing, we should begin our line-editing once we're done with the substantive rewrites. We'll need to read our manuscript again, this time slower, searching more carefully and looking for things like: POV issues, showing not telling, awkward dialogue, wordiness, unclear passages, repetition, clichés, etc.

The changes we make during line-editing polish our manuscript and add flavor to each page.

3. Copyediting (Also known as Proofreading)

Once my editor is done with her line-editing, she’ll send The Preacher’s Bride to another editor who will do copy-editing. My understanding is that this will involve checking for the minutest details: spelling, grammar, formatting, typos, continuity errors, detail accuracy, and other small scale problems.

During our editing process, this should be the last type of edit we do in a final read-through. If we have Microsoft Word or a similar word processing program that catches grammar and spelling mistakes, we probably won’t have much work during this edit.

However, just because a copyedit is last, doesn’t mean it’s less important. Taking care of the minor details of our novels helps us present ourselves as professionals and says to the agent or editor who reads it, “I take my work seriously and you can too.”

Do you have a basic method for the self-editing mayhem? How is it similar or different from what I’ve outlined? What other suggestions do you have for self-editing? Please share! We’d all love to benefit.

What is Self-Editing? And Why Should We Do It?

Self-editing is a major part of the writing process for those serious about publication. In theory, most writers would claim they go through some sort of self-editing process after the first draft.

In reality, what defines “editing” varies so much from writer to writer, that what one writer considers editing may be nothing more than a basic read-through by another writer.

There are no hard core definitions for editing. And there are no set rules to guide writers through the daunting task of re-reading and correcting page after page of our books. Of course, there are helpful books that can get us started through the choppy waters.

My two favorite books on editing are Revision & Self-Editing by James Scott Bell and Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne & Dave King. Both offer practical advice for polishing our manuscripts. I highly recommend them (and they're both on the Helpful Writing Books list above).

Yet, even with excellent books such as these to help us, we still struggle to grasp what editing really involves.

How many times should we read through our book while editing? How long should it take? How picky should we get? How much time should we spend self-editing before sending our work to critique partners? How long before sending to agents? When is enough?

I blush when I think back to my attempts at self-editing early in my writing career. I’m not sure that my feeble read-throughs could even be considered editing. But like everything else in the writing journey, the longer we’re in it, the more we learn, and the better we get.

Over the years, here’s what I’ve learned about the basics of self-editing:

• Self-editing involves much more than re-reading our books. Yes, reading them is part of the process, but there’s so much more. The same way we need to learn the basic techniques of fiction-writing, we also need to educate ourselves about the basics of editing. (More specifics in the next post.)

• Self-editing is just as important as the writing itself. It’s not something we should haphazardly tack on after we’re done with our first draft. We need to plan concerted time into our writing schedules for editing. I usually set aside four to six weeks for self-editing before I send it out for others to critique.

• Self-editing is critical, but we can’t come to rely too much on the editing process. In other words, we can’t give ourselves an excuse for sloppy first drafts because we’ll “fix” everything in the editing. Yes, first drafts are the time to give our creativity free reign. We shouldn’t let our internal editor inhibit the flow. But. . .

• We should strive to incorporate new techniques and instill good habits in first drafts. Whatever we’re learning whether from books or feedback, we should consciously work to put it into practice a little at a time. If we’re aware of the need to cut adverbs or dialogue tags, we can make an effort to specifically work on becoming better in how we handle them. It may require slowing down the muse for a time and working more deliberately, but eventually that skill will become effortless.

• Expect that no matter where we’re at in our writing careers, we’ll always have to edit. We’ll never become so good that we outgrow the need for it. I’ve chatted with other Bethany House authors about editing, and have learned that even multi-published, popular authors are subjected to major rewrites and editing.

Self-editing is part of the job of writing. It’s not optional. The more we can learn about it and grow in our editing skills, the better chance we give our books at succeeding.

What about you? Have you made self-editing a routine part of your writing process? Have you come to rely too much on the editing process for fixing your manuscript? Or do you try too hard in the first draft to get everything right? Is there a way writers can find a balance between the two extremes?

How to Handle Feedback on Our Writing

Any writer serious about publication NEEDS to get feedback on his or her writing in one form or another. And let’s face it, “feedback” usually translates into “painful revelations about the true reality of our writing skill.”

As much as we like accolades about how we’re on our way to becoming a NYT Best Seller, those kinds of comments won’t help us improve.

And if we happen to be getting feedback from someone that’s more positive than negative, most likely we need to find another critique partner. No matter where we’re at in our writing journeys, we’ll always have a lot of room for improvement, and if we're not getting feedback that painfully stretches us, what good is it?

Only brutal honesty can help us grow—the kind of feedback that doesn’t tip-toe around our sensitive feelings, doesn’t worry about what we think, and tells us like it is. That’s what we all need.

Published author, Cheryl Wyatt, commented on the last post and she said this: "I once polled about 100 editors and agents (CBA & ABA) about how far they read before they KNOW. Close to 97% of them said they know by page 10. Over 50% of them know by the end of page 1." We would be wise to get critical feedback (at least on the beginnings of our books) before we send them to agents and editors.

As you know, I’ve been judging contest entries this month. For $35, the entrants are getting three different judge’s feedback on one entry. That’s a LOT of feedback. Of course some judges may offer less feeback than others. Still, I think that’s a pretty good price to pay to get three critiques.

Overall, a national contest with strong judges (i.e. published authors, freelance editors, award winners), is one of the best ways to get honest feedback. Usually everything is anonymous, so the judges can tell-it-like-it-is without worrying about offending the writer.

Of course there are other ways to get feedback. And here’s how I would rank them in order of credibility, knowledge, and helpfulness to a writer’s career. (Starting with least helpful and going to most helpful):

Personal family members
Non-writing friends
Writing friends below your skill level
Writing friends at your skill level or above
Judges in a contest
Published Authors
Freelance editors
Agents
In-house editors

The list is a generalization and there will be blending of roles and unique situations for various writers. But the point is this: The more qualified the feedback, the harder it will be and the more painful to accept.

So how should we accept feedback?

1. Know the source and give weight accordingly. We would obviously need to give more weight to a contest judge over writing friends. And we would definitely need to give more consideration to the critique of freelance editor over family.

2. Develop thicker skin. If we ever hope to survive being the reciprocate of unbiased and truthful feedback, that means we have to toughen up. We have to get ourselves into the mindset that says, “It’s nothing personal. It’s just part of the job.”

3. Always take serious consideration of comments concerning writing basics. That would include comments about inconsistent POV (point of view), clichés (including overused phrases, trite characters, and familiar plots), lack of sensory details, too much narration/backstory, stilted dialogue, lack of conflict/tension, unclear motivations, telling vs. showing, etc.

4. Weigh opinions about the story itself more carefully. Sometimes voice, plot development, and genre nuances are more subjective. However, if several people tell us the same thing, then we would be wise to take their advice more seriously.

5. Realize honesty is the best policy. We need to hear the truth, and the truth isn't always easy to hear. Maybe the feedback isn't as gracious as we'd like. Maybe it's even downright hurtful. Simon Cowell isn't easy on Idol contestants. His critiques are often painfully honest. But what helps us more: fudging to spare hurt feelings or honesty that stings? Which will move a writer closer to publication?

In summary, I really liked what Penny C. Sansevieri said last week in her article Why (Some) Authors Fail: Look, I know not everyone is going to be spot-on with their feedback, but take from it what you can and move on -- better yourself, better your writing. Feedback is a crucial part to any writer's career. If someone who is more knowledgeable than you. . . is willing to give you feedback you should listen. Really. In a room of one hundred authors I can pick out the successful ones. You know who they are? They are the ones who aren't so wrapped up in their egos that they aren't willing to listen and learn.

What about you? How do you handle feedback? Are you willing to listen and learn? Are your critiques painful enough, or do you need to start looking for someone to be more honest?

Potential First Chapter Problems

This year I was asked to be a judge in the first rounds of the ACFW Genesis Contest, a national fiction writer’s contest for unpublished writers. Since this was the same contest I finaled in last May, I wanted to give back to the contest that had done so much to launch my writing career.

So, in my “spare” time over the past few weeks, I’ve been reading contest entries. I usually read the entry all the way through to get a feel for the story. Then I go back through it again more slowly, making notes in the margins. Finally, when I’m done, I fill in both pages of the score sheet.

I count it a privilege to read the work of other aspiring writers. I know each one of them poured their hearts into their stories. I was in their position only last year, biting my nails, wondering what the judges would think of my work, waiting for that all-important feedback.

Each entry is no longer than 15 pages. I’ve never believed 15 pages is long enough to determine the worth of a story—anyone can polish up the first chapter but it takes infinitely more skill to weave the entire plot to a believable and satisfying conclusion.

While 15 pages can’t give the whole picture, I’ve realized it is enough to come to conclusions about the author’s writing skills. I’m beginning to understand why an agent can make a clear-cut decision about whether to pursue a query based on sample pages. If a writer doesn’t have a grasp of basic fiction-writing techniques, that jumps out from the first line and paragraph. And likewise, if they’ve practiced their skills, that’s evident too.

In the entries I’ve judged so far, I’ve noticed a few common first chapter “mistakes.” Here’s a short list:

Not opening with a strong enough hook. The first line. The first paragraph. Even more than that, the first scene. Each one is extremely critical and should be crafted to bait the reader into needing to find out more. I might be able to forgive a mediocre first line, but the first scene must draw me in to the story.

Waiting to begin the “real” tension and conflict. Several contest entries began with the main characters reflecting on life, thinking about their current or past situation, or contemplating doing certain activities.

First chapters should contain very little if any static. That includes conversations, meetings, or meals between characters simply for the purpose of conveying story information. It would be like writing a phone conversation and asking our reader to “watch” the characters talk to each other. How exciting is that?

Instead, find the first major conflict of the external & internal plot lines and start in the middle of them.

Too much setting up of the story. Readers don’t need to know how our characters got to the point they’re at. Throw our characters into the story and for the first chapter pretend the reader already knows as much as we do.

Readers want to piece the story together on their own. We’ll give them a more fulfilling reading experience if we let them take our small hints and finally put the character’s past together in their own time. And if we need to explain anything, we can always slide it in little by little later.

Character confusion. We can confuse our readers with too many characters in the first chapter. And we can also confuse them if we don’t put the spotlight on our main characters right away. Readers want to empathize and relate with the main character(s) from the get go.

Using too many clichés. Every writer should steer away from overused phrases, especially in the first chapter. They jump out and brand an author as amateur. We should always be striving to find unique and fresh ways to express emotions and descriptions, but it’s particularly important for the first chapter.

I’ve also noticed the tendency to use clichéd characters, reactions, and plot lines. My test for deciding if something is clichéd is this: if it sounds even vaguely like something I’ve read somewhere else, then it probably isn’t unique. If it has even a hint of cliché, then I need to dig deeper into my mental recesses and come up with something fresher.

Summary: When writing for the modern reader, the first chapter is critical. We have to captivate them in the opening pages or we might lose them altogether.

What other problems have you noticed with first chapters? Is there a particular area in your opening that you struggle with the most? And on a different note, do you think you if you were a judge or agent you could make a fair assessment about a writer’s skill from the first chapter?

3 Ways Writers Can Make the Most of Contests

I whole-heartedly endorse writing contests. As most of you know, last year I finaled in a national contest, and the recognition helped propel my writing career forward. As a result of the final, I acquired an agent and four months later she sold my book.

I think we can all agree that writing contests offer many advantages:

• Contests are a fairly inexpensive way to get feedback.
• Contests force us to focus on our openings and make them shine.
• Contests can help us gauge where we’re at in relation to other writers in our genre.
• Sometimes contests can get our work before editors and agents who often judge the final rounds.

By all means, enter contests. When I was trying to decide whether to enter the Genesis, my mother told me, “What do you have to lose by entering this year?” I decided I had nothing to lose if I entered. In fact I had everything to gain.

But. . . I’ve also seen unpublished writers who enter contest after contest, year after year. Some of them even final in the contests. Sometimes more than one. But they don’t make much progress forward in their writing careers, or at least that I can see.

That begs the question: What good is a contest to a writer, if we don’t use it to move us forward in our writing careers?

How then, can writers make the most of writing contests?

1. Take to heart the feedback and use it to improve. Yes, the critiques are often hard to swallow. I’m a judge this year for the Genesis, and I’m giving a lot of feedback on each entry (more specifics in the next post). Overall, my goal is not to tear stories apart, but to help writers grow.

Writers shouldn’t rush to change everything based on a judge’s feedback. However, when it comes to the basics of fiction-writing, there’s really no arguing—we need to be open to the advice and let it push us to the next level.

2. Polish the first pages, but make sure the story is solid. Have an editor or critique partner read through the entry before submitting it. Make sure the first pages are as polished as can be. After all, those are the pages we’ll likely send in a query, and we want them to be able to grab the attention of an agent someday.

Don’t stop there. Make sure the rest of the novel is just as superb. In one of the entries I judged, the writer hooked me with his/her first chapter. But when I read the synopsis, I wasn’t impressed with the direction the rest of the story took. No matter how good the writing in the first chapter is, if the rest of the book doesn’t follow suit, we’ll likely have a hard time garnering interest.

3. Do everything possible to capitalize on a final. First and foremost, writers should finish their books before entering or make sure they’re well on track to finish before the final round of judging begins. I’ve seen too many finalists unable to take advantage of a prestigious final because the book wasn’t completed.

A final is a good opportunity to follow-up with agents/editors who might have the manuscript or to send out queries mentioning the final (only if the contest is a national contest that most agents/editors would recognize). After I finaled I made sure I notified Rachelle who had my full in her slush pile.

In other words, be smart, savvy, and strategic. A contest can only benefit a writer to the extent that the writer works at it.

What about you? Have you entered any contests lately? How are you trying to make the most of the contest? What other words of wisdom do you have for writers entering contests?

8 Tips for Organizing Writing Time

Not many of us can magically make more writing time appear in our days. As much as we’d like to wave a wand and change minutes into hours, we're often stuck with what we’ve got.

I can whine and complain about how little I have, especially of uninterrupted time. And to be honest, I find myself whining a lot more than I’d like.

I struggle every day to find time to fulfill my ever-increasing writing responsibilities and balance them with the full time job of mothering and teaching my children. Yesterday, fellow writer, Heather Sunseri, asked a thought-provoking question in her post: Can one work a full time job and write?

It's a tough question. But for me it boils down to organizing my time. Just this week a friend told me, "The reason you can manage all that you do is because you organize your time well." She went on to say that because of all I'm doing, she was inspired to squeeze quilting back into her busy life.

So, how do we organize our time better? Here are 8 tips:

1. Maximize the time we have. We can’t wait to write until we have an office, until it’s perfectly quiet, or until we have uninterrupted time. When our designated writing time comes around every day, we have to sit down and put our fingers on the keyboard for each and every precious minute we have. In other words, we need to stop making excuses and just write.

2. Minimize distractions. Yes, we need to stop making excuses, but we can also ruthlessly eliminate as many distractions as we can. No, we can’t lock our children in the closet during writing time, but we can shove our internet connection there, keep the TV off, and have our coffee and snack at hand so that we have no reason to get up once we’re down.

3. Mark daily or weekly goals and meet them. At the back of my plot notebook, I’ve been marking down my daily goals. Before I start my writing each morning, I jot down the word count I hope to accomplish. On those days when the words are slow it’s especially helpful because it keeps me going, even when I’m tempted to close up shop.

4. Multiply the momentum. There are times when the words trickle like a dry stream and times when they flow like a rushing river. We should write through both but capitalize on those times when the momentum is high. If I can occasionally have extended writing time, my muse has more opportunity to gain speed and stay with me in the following days.

5. Model seriousness toward work time. If we demonstrate a level of commitment and seriousness toward our writing, eventually others will follow suit. I prioritize my daily writing time. When I stick to my schedule day in and day out, my family can see that I take my work seriously. Because I respect my writing time, they do too.

6. Mobilize support from family and friends. Maybe family and friends won’t “get” our writing, but the first step is sharing openly about the importance of writing in our lives. I’ve explained to my children why I’m passionate about writing and given them concrete ways they can help me preserve my writing time. My husband tries to help me carve out more time. And just recently I had a friend watch my children so that I could write without interruption.

7. Make sacrifices. We can’t do everything, even the good things. I’ve made a commitment to head to the library every Saturday for extended and uninterrupted writing time. That means I’ve had to say no to fun activities because I’m dedicated to keeping my work hours.

8. Muster self-discipline. The foundation of productive writing time is self-discipline. I push myself to write something every day of the week (except Sundays). Even when I had weeks of illness this past winter, I continued to write through it. A little bit every day, eventually adds up to a completed book.

Summary: If we waved a magic wand and suddenly found ourselves with more time, would we really use it to increase our writing time? Let's be honest. It's all too easy to fill extra time with other things, to squander it, to let it slip through our fingers.

When we start to complain about the little time we have for writing, maybe first we should ask ourselves, are we good stewards of the time we already have?

Are you a good steward of your writing time? What are ways you've learned to manage your writing time? What has or hasn’t worked for you? I’d love to hear your tips!

P.S. I've added a new page at the top of my blog: Helpful Writing Books. I took an informal survey on Twitter this week and asked writers to weigh in with their favorite writing craft books. Based on the responses, I've compiled a list of approximately 45 different books. The list has been helpful to me. I hope it will be to you as well!

The Confusing Publishing Timetable

Occasionally I get questions from other writers like: How long should I expect to wait before I hear back from an agent who has a query or requested material? How long does it take an agent to get a book deal? Or how long does it take for a publication committee to come to a decision about a proposal?

These are all great questions. The publishing timetable is often very confusing. And as usual, I can only answer these questions out of my own experience and what I’ve learned by observing the journeys of other writers.

How long does it take to hear back from an agent who has a query or a requested partial or full manuscript?

I always encourage other writers to think in terms of weeks, even months, especially before following up. Keep your expectations low, and then consider yourself lucky if you hear back sooner.

Most of my rejections came fairly quickly, within a month or two. When Rachelle requested a full, my manuscript sat in her slush pile for nine months before my contest final brought it to her attention. I followed up a couple of times during those months, but also realized that I just needed to move on to my next project while I waited and not put all my hope in the one book.

How long does it typically take an agent to get a book deal?

Once a writer acquires an agent, the agent may request that the writer make edits or sometimes even major rewrites before beginning the process of submitting to publishing houses.

If a book is polished and ready to go, the agent and/or writer will then put together a proposal to help “sell” the book to publishing houses.

After the proposal is completed, the agent can actively begin sending it out to the various publishing houses she believes are appropriate for the book.

My agent sent out my proposal in June of 2009. She decided specifically on Bethany House because she had previously spoken to the senior acquisitions editor at a writer’s conference about my book. She sent my proposal to him for a thirty day exclusive—meaning she was holding off on sending it to anyone else until Bethany House made a decision. They liked it, and after negotiating back and forth, I finally signed a three book deal in early September of 2009.

From the day I got my agent call to the day I signed my book deal, approximately four months elapsed. Four months is much quicker than average. But it’s just like querying, plan on the process taking months, maybe even a year or more. If it happens sooner than that, then consider yourself fortunate.

How long does it take for a publication committee to come to a decision about a proposal?

Once our books garner the interest of an editor or publishing house, we’re in for another long stretch of waiting. Publication committees meet once or twice a month. Sometimes committee meetings get pushed back or rescheduled especially around holidays.

The committee, made up of editors, sales, marketing, and other VIPs, will analyze every facet of the book. The bottom line is that taking on a new author is a huge risk and investment. As I mentioned in a previous post, traditional publishing houses spend an incredible amount of money in edits, cover, promotion, etc. all before the debut author has brought in a dime.

Because of all those initial start up costs, the committee must choose their projects ever so carefully, and that translates into a slow, meticulous process of weighing the pros and cons of each proposal.

I liked what agent, Chip MacGregor said about publication committees in a recent post: A publishing house has all those filters in place so that they can do the easy thing and say "no" to you. (Really.) The purpose of the process is to say "no" to most everything. Therefore create proposals they can't say "no" to.

For the author waiting on a decision, the process may seem tortuously unbearable, but ultimately when we finally get the affirmative, we’ll know we’ve gotten a huge compliment and the affirmation that all our hard work is finally beginning to pay off.

What do you think about the publishing timetable? What experiences have you had with waiting? Does anything confuse or discourage you about the inevitable waiting? I’d love to hear your experiences or questions!

Does “Putting in the Time” Really Matter?

How long does it really take before a writer is ready for publication? Does it take years? And how many books does a writer need to finish before they’re ready?

Recently Writer’s Digest had an article titled “Put in the Time” by author Sue Grafton. In it she says this: “My big gripe about newer writers is they’re not willing to put the time in. Somebody’ll write one book and they’re asking me who my agent and my editor are, and I’m thinking, Don’t you worry, sweetheart, you’re not any good yet. Give yourself time to get better. Writing is really hard to master. . .”

On the one hand, her bluntness made me a chuckle. But on the other hand, I realized how discouraging that kind of blanket statement would have made me feel earlier in my writing career.

The longer I rub shoulders with other writers, the more I believe length of time and number of books are mostly irrelevant factors in the quest for publication. I’ve met writers who land an agent after trying for ten years and others for two. I’ve seen writers get a contract on the first book they’ve ever written and others who don’t get contracted until the twentieth.

So, in an effort to encourage aspiring writers, I want to throw out the reminder—each writer’s journey to publication will be different. There’s no magic formula for years and books necessary to acquire an agent or book contract.

But—you knew that was coming, didn’t you? Time and number of books may be different, but mastery of basic fiction writing and story-telling is a common denominator.

I’m a judge this year for the Genesis Contest, a national fiction contest sponsored by ACFW. One thing that’s struck me about the entries I’ve read so far is the lack of application of basic fiction writing skills.

If any writer hopes to make it to publication, they must excel in the foundational skills of the job. The same is true of any profession—surgeons, pilots, mechanics—at the very least, they all have to master the basics of their career. I sure wouldn’t want to have a surgeon operate on me if he didn’t know his job inside and out. Would you?

Why should we as writers think we can acquire book contracts, if we haven’t mastered the basic skills of our profession? We often want the process to be quicker and easier. Sometimes we fool ourselves into believing that somehow we’re different than the masses of other writers, that we have what it takes, that we don’t have to study hard, that learning fiction-techniques are somehow beneath us.

However, the writers who are well on their way to publication are the ones who’ve put concerted time and energy into learning, studying, and practicing the craft of writing. It might take months for some and years for others. The point is, those who succeed have worked hard at mastering the foundational concepts of fiction-writing.

For most of us, gaining proficiency takes writing more than one book. My first books were my “growing” books, the ones in which I practiced all I was learning. They weren’t of publishable quality. But they were the stepping stones to get me to where I’m at today.

Like any profession, no matter where we’re at, we should be continually striving to improve. That means even under contract, I’m always on the lookout for good writing craft books to add to my personal library. I love reading blog posts about writing techniques because even if the information isn’t new, it helps keep me sharp and striving to practice what I’ve learned.

My advice in a nutshell? We need to do whatever we possibly can to master the basics of fiction writing. Devour craft books, practice what we’re reading. Learn, learn, learn. Write, write, write. Ad infinitum.

What do you think? Have you ever been discouraged by comments about “putting in your time”? Do you agree or disagree with me that it’s less about putting in your time and more about learning how to write well? How much effort have you given to mastering the basics of fiction writing?

Social Media: How Much is Too Much Self-Promotion?

Writers are expected to help in the promotion of their books. In the age of “Books-a-Million” why wouldn’t we want to make all the effort we can to help our books stand out from the other millions of books?

But how much is enough promotion? And how much borders on too much?

We’ve all seen others work at promoting not only their books, but their blog posts, articles, links, etc. If you’re like me, sometimes you might wonder if a particular author is trying too hard. There are times when I wonder how others perceive my self-promotion and whether they think I’m too pushy.

That’s the thing about promoting ourselves. It’s about US. We’re tooting our own horn on what we’re accomplishing or writing. And it feels a little strange to actively attempt to bring attention upon ourselves when we’re accustomed to living humbly and in relative obscurity.

Recently the Bethany House marketing and publicity department sent me a questionnaire. It read: As a department, we strive to do the best we can to publicize and sell your book. In order for us to do this the most effectively, we’ve come up with twenty questions that will help us get to know you and your book a little better.

Even though the questionnaire took some time and deep thinking, I was excited to fill it out, knowing I have a group of people who are willing to help me sell my book. It brought to mind a couple of concepts in relation to self-promotion:

Self-promotion is always better when you get others to join your effort.

When someone tries to sell you something, are you more likely to take them seriously when they say “My book is great”? Or when someone else says, “Her book is great”? Which statement has more credibility?

I’d much rather have Bethany House publicizing my book, getting out the word, and shining the light on me, than me trying to do it all on my own. Likewise, I’d prefer to have supportive friends who get behind me and spread the word about my book.

When we get others to join us in promoting our books, blogs, or whatever it is, we take some of the pressure off ourselves. In the process we gain credibility because the “shout out” isn’t just coming from our own mouth.

Pre-publication is a great time to begin forming relationships with people who will someday genuinely be excited about spreading the word about our books. I’m sure we can all think of those who’ve befriended us once their book was almost out, and we felt as if they were “using” us for their promotion. Instead we ought to spend the early months and years joining the writing community, getting connected, and forming real friendships.

Self-promotion is always better when we’re able to strike a balance.

If all we do is promote ourselves and our books or blogs, eventually that’s going to come across to our followers. Yes, the social media outlets are the place to “sell” ourselves, but if that’s our primary focus we’re likely to turn others off.

Instead, we should look for ways to promote others too. I mentioned this in my post about Twitter Etiquette. Twitter is a great way to help point the spotlight on others, particularly when they have a helpful or inspiring blog post. I’m sure Facebook can operate in the same way.

Also, we should find ways to give back to the writing community. Whether through helpful advice, links, critiques, contests, or encouragement, we can be working to make this writing journey less about us and more about others. In other words, we're trying to strike a balance.

My summary on self-promotion? It’s a necessary part of the writing business. But like anything else, we should strive to do it professionally and with humility.

What do you think? Have you ever been turned off by someone’s self-promotion? How much is too much? And how much is enough?

Twitter Etiquette

More and more writers are joining the large community of writers on Twitter. I’ve personally found the support and encouragement there incredible. I’m better able to stay connected with friends and meet new writers. It’s a quick and easy way to promote our blogs, books, and one another.

However, after participating in Twitter for many months, I’ve come to realize there are a few basic courtesies. I'm not sure I have a full grasp on twitter etiquette, but here's what I've learned so far:

1. Promote yourself, but promote others too. It’s perfectly fine to use Twitter to post links to our blogs, to share big news about ourselves, or to showcase our books. That’s a wonderful part of social media--the ability to share news instantly with crowds of people.

But we can’t stop there. Nobody likes to listen to someone who is constantly talking about themselves. And the same is true on Twitter. We should be looking for opportunities to help shout out the good news of others, link to other encouraging blog posts, and retweet helpful information.

2. Join in conversations, but don’t overdo it. People talk back and forth on Twitter, but because of the fast-pace we can’t always easily follow along with all the chatting. My eyes tend to glaze over the tweets of someone who comments too much.

For more personal ongoing conversations, consider using direct messages. I’ve begun to make more use of DM’s for private matters, thank yous, or conversations that others may not understand.

3. If you find a helpful link, give credit where it’s due. Retweet is an excellent function on Twitter. When we see a helpful link or comment that someone else has tweeted, retweet allows us to quickly post it to our followers.

However, we need to make sure we’re giving credit to the person who first tweeted that post and not making it seem like the clever saying or link came from us. It’s just one more way to help promote others.

4. For every complaint you post, try to make an equal number of positives. We all appreciate open and honest communication. If we’re having a bad day, we should feel the freedom to express ourselves to a caring community.

But we don’t want Twitter to become the place where we’re constantly complaining about our health, work load, or life in general. So, let’s be real, but remember to balance with the positives too.

I think we’ll all be safe if we follow the Twitter Golden Rule: Tweet unto others as you would have them tweet unto you. (Yes, I made that up, but you get my point!)

A few other basic Twitter considerations:

• Make use of hashtags to communicate with others. Among the writing community here are a few that I follow: #amwriting, #writechat, #writers, #authors, #writetip

• Make use of Twitter applications for ease in organizing followers. There are quite a few available to download for free. I use Tweetdeck and organize my followers into columns like: Blogging Friends, WordServe Clients, Agents, Etc.

• Make use of Twitter buttons. At the very basic, we can all get one of those cute birdie widgets into our sidebars so people can sign up to follow us on Twitter. Also, a retweet button like the one at the bottom of my posts, allows readers to easily share a link to helpful posts on Twitter. (Click here for the application.)

• Make professional use of the Bio. Just like our blogs, we never know who might stumble across our Twitter home page. We should make sure our real name is evident, the fact that we’re a writer, and any other credits or important links.

What about you? What things about Twitter bother you the most? Are there other “rules” or etiquette you would add to my list? And are there other Twitter gadgets or applications you’ve found helpful? Please share!

How Important is a Website for an Unpublished Author?

When should an author develop a website? How important is it before publication? How much time, effort, and money should an author give a website? If a writer has a blog, is a website even necessary?

If you’re like me, you’ve probably had these questions at one point or another. I’ve struggled through them over the past year. I don’t claim to be an expert on the matter. But I can share some of the conclusions I’ve come to.

If a writer has blog, is a website even necessary?

I look at my blog as the place to engage in open and ongoing dialogue with readers. When I write my posts, I communicate my thoughts and feelings. Through the comments, people can respond back. First and foremost, I want readers who come to my blog to know I care about encouraging them, not pitching my book to them.

A website, on the other hand, is a place where I can actively sell myself and my books. Even though I have information about my book on my blog, my website is where I can really showcase everything on a much grander scale. The website becomes the home base for true readership fans.

When should an author develop a website?

Ideally, an author should have a website up and running by the time a book is available for pre-order on any of the major sites. (And no, my website is not ready yet. Live and learn!)

The weekend The Preacher's Bride was posted on Amazon for preorder, a potential reader saw my book there, googled my name, and was directed to my blog. She left a comment that she liked the cover and had added the book to her reading list.

That one communication helped me realize how much I needed a website. When the average reader googles my name, I want to direct them to the front door of my cyber home, my website, where they can gain a positive first impression about me as an author. Sure, they can slide in the back door and lounge around with everyone else visiting my blog. But if that’s not their interest, I want to give them a different place to congregate.

How important is a website before publication?

I don’t think unpublished authors should put too much pressure on themselves to have a website before getting a book contract. Without a published book, not many people are actually going to google our names and try to find out more about us. A blog can suffice for the time being as a cyber home, especially with the new tab features.

On the other hand, a website can help unpublished authors begin to prepare for the future and can possibly save time and effort later. The process of registering for a domain name, thinking through and writing up website pages, and establishing ourselves as professionals certainly can’t hurt.

If a writer wants a site ahead of contract, there are a lot of inexpensive options available. Jill Kemerer has an excellent post detailing some of those options.

How much time, effort, and money should an author give a website?

Once we’re contracted and our book is on its way to shelves, it’s time to invest more into our web presence—and that includes a professionally designed website. I got references, visited a lot of websites, and finally narrowed down two design companies whose work I liked the best.

Between the two, I finally picked Pulse Point Design. After looking at their client portfolio, I decided their work best represented what I wanted in a site of my own. Pulse Point specializes in Christian author sites. Because of their popularity, they’re already double-booked for the next eight months and turn down at least five clients a week. I was excited when they managed to squeeze me in.

Pulse Point Design will start designing my website in May and it will likely be ready for launch in June with a few months to spare before the release of my book.

Now that I’ve shared my opinions, I’d love to hear yours. Do you think a website is necessary? When is the best time to develop one? How much time, effort, or money do you plan to give yours?