Thursday Thoughts

Thoughts lately...

1) I'm in a longterm relationship, but not married so I don't wear a ring. This causes some confusion for males when they try to make an approach. I have to wonder how much more confusing it would be for them if I didn't have a ring finger at all. I can make up a wood chipper story and leave it at that.

2) People are funny about statistics. When there's a very low probability for a positive thing to happen, they like to point out that it does in fact, happen. When it's a very low probability for a negative thing, they discount it out of hand.

Example: "People win the lottery. It happens."

Example: "Sometimes people get bit by sharks and hit by lightning at the same time, but it's just not going to happen to me."

3) If I suddenly see something moving in my peripheral I may attack. Just be aware, and don't take it personally.

Tatum Flynn On Social Media For The Love Of It

I'm lucky (or cunning) enough to have lured yet another successful writer over to my blog for an SAT- Successful Author Talk. SAT authors have conquered the query, slain the synopsis and attained the pinnacle of published. How'd they do it? Let's ask 'em!

Today’s guest for the SAT (Successful Author Talk) is Tatum Flynn, who lives by the sea in England with a cat called Friday and too many hats. She has a soft spot for the word ‘ramshackle’, and a vagabond past which involves piloting lifeboats in Venezuela, playing poker in Las Vegas, shooting rapids in the Grand Canyon and almost falling out of a plane over Scotland. Her debut, THE D’EVIL DIARIES, will be out from Orchard/Hachette on the 2nd April 2015, with a sequel, Hell's Belles, to follow January 2016

Are you a Planner or Pantster?

Mostly a planner. For me it’s like a road trip: I like to know where I’m starting and vaguely where I’m ending up, and at least a few places I’m going to stop at in the middle, but, you know, if I suddenly see a sign for Dollywood or a monster truck rally or all-you-can-eat pancakes I can always swerve off  and take a different route for a while. (Yes yes I’m English but I heart American road trips :)

How long does it typically take you to write a novel, start to finish?

My first two (one trunked, one my debut) took me about 3 months to draft, and around another 3  to revise and polish. My WIP (Evil Sequel) took me a little longer, around 6 months for a first draft. All books are different and it doesn’t surprise me that some come easier than others.

Do you work on one project at a time, or are you a multi tasker? 

The nature of publishing (so I’m learning, and it was expected) is that you’ll be writing one book while doing copyedits or proofing for another. But I don’t think I could *write* two different books at the same time like some people do; my brain would feel like a TV tuned to two channels at once, and probably all I’d end up with would be static.

Did you have to overcome any fears that first time you sat down to write?

Nope :D After all, the first time I sat down to write a novel, I didn’t have to show it to anyone if I thought it sucked. I didn’t even know if I could finish it. So it was just pure fun in the beginning. Plus I’d had articles in my student magazine way back when and have also worked on a travel magazine, so it wasn’t the first time I’d have the world see my scribblings. 

How many trunked books (if any) did you have before you were agented?

One, an MG historical adventure. It had a bunch of fun stuff in it, so quite possibly one day I’ll sit down and rewrite it.

Have you ever quit on an ms, and how did you know it was time?

You mean quit in the middle of writing it? Not exactly. I often write copious notes and a couple or even several opening chapters just to see if an idea will ‘take’ – if it’s something I want to spend the best part of a year on. But I see those as possible ideas for future, that maybe need further mulling over, not abandoned stories. I’ve got a few of those.

Who is your agent and how did you get that "Yes!" out of them? 

I’m with the Blair Partnership (JK Rowling’s agency, which is still fun to say). I queried traditionally, pretty much (see next question), ended up with three offers, and picked them. (Although – I can’t believe I’d forgotten this – I did enter an agency’s writing contest as well, where I was runner-up and which led to my first offer. So competitions are good too!)

How many queries did you send? 

I sent OVER A HUNDRED queries for my debut. Yup, just that one book. I liked it and wanted to leave no stone unturned before moving onto another book. Still, I was on the verge of giving up when I got an email from my current publisher asking me to come in and meet them. (I’d met the acquiring editor at a SCBWI retreat where she’d read my first chapter and asked to see the rest.) That was a very good day. (And it didn’t hurt that I was in Paris at the time!) Agent interest followed :) 

Any advice to aspiring writers out there on conquering query hell?

Alcohol. Cake. Writer friends who understand what you’re going through or even better are querying at the same time as you. I was extremely lucky to have my CP, NK Traver, querying at the same time as me. We then got agent offers around the same time, and then a book deal around the same time, which was hugely fun. I’d probably have gone nuts if it weren’t for her :) 

How did it feel the first time you saw your book for sale?

My book isn’t out until April 2015 so I haven’t seen it in a bookshop yet, but it has been fun seeing it for sale online. And I did grin massively over the page proofs. I have no idea how I’m going to feel the first time I actually get to hold a print copy. There’ll probably be a tiny bit of screaming.

How much input do you have on cover art?

My editor is incredibly sweet, and showed me a couple of early iterations of my cover. I got a little input and they did a few tweaks based on comments I made. But… see next question…

What's something you learned from the process that surprised you?

What surprised me was that I got to have lots of input regarding my illustrations (The D’Evil Diaries is illustrated throughout). Some characters were changed completely at my (and my editor’s, we were very much on the same wavelength) behest, and I asked for and got a bit more of the setting put in. So that was immensely cool, and I’m so thrilled with the way they’ve turned out. The artist, Dave Shephard, is super talented. (And actually, what surprised me even more was that I got to have illustrations at all! Like most writers I have a pretty vivid imagination, but it hadn’t even crossed my mind that my publisher might want to have the book illustrated. Such a huge bonus, like getting 25 covers all at once!)

How much of your own marketing do you do?  

I spend way too much time on Twitter, but I can’t help it cos I love it, it’s full of fascinating and hilarious people. I also have a Tumblr, a Goodreads page, and a Pinterest for my books. Oh yes and a website where I blog occasionally. 

So far the only marketing I’ve really done is having a presence on those sites (which I’m on because I enjoy them anyway), which has led to meeting a few book bloggers who’ve become interested in my book, one of whom kindly did my cover reveal. I’m also about to get some bookmarks printed up to hand out to libraries and bookshops etc, and once the book is out I’ll look into doing school visits, and maybe even festivals or conference panels (if anyone will have me!). 

When do you build your platform? After an agent? Or should you be working before?

Personally I don’t think of it as a platform, but instead (especially Twitter) as a way to find your tribe, so you’re not isolated and clueless. I’ve met so many lovely writers and other bookish types online, and not only will you meet nice people and learn all kinds of stuff about writing and publishing, but you’ll also stumble into opportunities and lucky occurrences. For example, it was through Twitter I found out about the SCBWI writing retreat I went on that led directly to my debut being bought! It also led to my meeting in person some lovely MG/YA authors in my hometown and elsewhere. And I met all my fantastic CPs online too. It’s a pleasant sort of accidental networking.

Do you think social media helps build your readership?

That, I have no idea, since my book’s not out yet. I hope so, at least a little, but I suspect the best thing you can do to build your readership is just to write damn good books. Social media is probably the icing on top that helps sell a tiny handful more, for 99% of writers anyway, although as I said above, sometimes opportunities can come your way that might help your career, if not your readership directly.

On Submission with Catherine Doyle

If there's one thing that many aspiring writers have few clues about, it's the submission process. There are good reasons for that; authors aren't exactly encouraged to talk in detail about our own submission experiences, and - just like agent hunting - everyone's story is different. I managed to cobble together a few non-specific questions that some debut authors have agreed to
answer (bless them). And so I bring you the submission interview series - Submission Hell - It's True. Yes, it's the SHIT.

Today's guest for the SHIT is Catherine Doyle, author of VENDETTA, coming from Scholastic Inc, on February 24th, 2015. Catherine was born in the West of Ireland in 1990. As a child she was an annoying smarty-pants with an overactive imagination. She feels lucky to have now found a healthy outlet for her tendency to make up stories.

How much did you know about the submission process before you were out on subs yourself?

Absolutely nothing. I had spent so much time and energy worrying about getting an agent when it came time to submit to publishers I was kind of like “Whaaaaat? There’s more?” I couldn’t have been any less prepared, which I’m very happy about in hindsight.

Did anything about the process surprise you?

I was surprised at how much conferring and discussing goes on when publishers are considering your book. I thought it would be similar to agent submissions – an editor gets a book (“oooh, interesting book. I’ll just cancel everything and read this immediately”), they like the book (“sweet book, I like it and that’s all that matters”), they offer for the book (“OK, I’ll just make up a number in my head”). THEN EVERYTHING IS GOLDEN. Nope. It was way more complicated than that. Even when an interested editor declared himself or herself, I had to wait to see whether this interest would be converted into an offer, or whether ultimately they would pass.

Did you research the editors you knew had your ms? Do you recommend doing that?

I didn’t research them. If I let myself think about it too much I probably would have ended up cyber-stalking their every move and driving myself insane before my inevitable implosion.

What was the average amount of time it took to hear back from editors?

Because I live in Ireland and my agent, Claire, is based in London, and VENDETTA takes place in Chicago, we submitted the MS to publishing houses in both the UK and US at the same time. We started hearing back from editors within the first couple of weeks, though I think editors in the US were not as quick as those in the UK.

Within the first week or so, we received a pre-empt offer from Random House, Germany. I had no idea what this meant (so Germany wants to buy the whole book? Wait, how did Germany find out? What exactly are translation rights?) We weren’t out on foreign rights submission, but it appears someone in the North American side who was about to make an offer tipped off their German scout (it all sounded so clandestine to me, though in reality it was probably just someone sending someone else an email saying “hey, check this out”). The very first offer we received for VENDETTA was the pre-empt for German rights, which we accepted. Once we updated the editors who were considering the MS, things started to speed up.

What do you think is the best way for an author out on submission to deal with the anxiety?

Two words: Duvet fort. Or, OR, if you want to remain a productive member of society during this time, that’s fine too. I would say it’s important to take your mind off it. Start working on something else – keep writing, keep reading. Keep busy. Surround yourself with good friends and family, and remember that the submission process, while important and exciting, is just one part of your whole life. Concentrate on those other parts, and remember to look at the bigger picture, especially when the rejections roll in.

If you had any rejections, how did you deal with that emotionally? How did this kind of rejection compare to query rejections?

My agent didn’t dwell on the rejections, and I’m glad of that. I really don’t know how many there were. She forwarded me a couple of ones that were really nice and positive. I would say these rejections were easier to deal with compared to query rejections. By the submission stage, you know your book has real potential – after all, you secured an agent, so that’s a big deal! And now the two of you are in this together, so it’s less lonely and soul-destroying.

If you got feedback on a rejection, how did you process it? How do you compare processing an editor’s feedback as compared to a beta reader’s?

VENDETTA does contain some violence, so the feedback from a couple of the more family-friendly publishers was very specific about this. I understand it’s not a book for everyone, but in this case, I knew it wasn’t something I was prepared to compromise on. Not that I’m a violence-loving sociopath (heh heh heh…), but my feeling has always been if I’m going to write about the criminal underworld, and the Mafia in particular, then I can’t shy away from the realities of this world. It just wasn’t a good fit, and I was OK with that. Other feedback about certain plot points and character names being a little too similar to certain parts of the Sopranos (which I hadn’t seen much of at the time) was very helpful, and I made sure to change all those things.

When you got your YES! how did that feel? How did you find out – email, telephone, smoke signal?

I love the idea of finding out by way of smoke signal. Imagine if it was carried out in the same way they pick the new Pope in the Vatican. Black smoke, black smoke, black smoke, white smoke – wait, WHITE SMOKE. WHITE SMOKE, PEOPLE. I’M GOING TO BE PUBLISHED. OK, I digress…

When I got the email from my agent with the offer from the publishers I ended up going with, I was in my bedroom. I couldn’t believe it! Barry Cunningham is the guy who discovered J.K. Rowling when he was at Bloomsbury and I had just written about him in my thesis at college. I ran downstairs squealing, looking for someone ANYONE to celebrate with.

Then my brother, who had been painting a neighbor’s house all day, pulled into the driveway at that exact moment, and I thought YES – HE’LL DO! When he came through the door I word vomited in his face about the offer and how I was going to keel over with excitement and how my dream had come true and how I didn’t know what to do, and I was just standing there, jumping up and down like maniac, flailing my arms, waiting for him to freak out with me.

He slow-blinked, took one long, bewildered look at me, released a heavy sigh, and informed me he was starving and so he absolutely had to make a sandwich STAT before he could process anything I had just said. I followed him into the kitchen and waited (still jumping up and down) while he made two giant sandwiches (“Oh, OK, I’m getting a celebratory sandwich? I can get on board with that.”). He then proceeded to eat the two sandwiches all by himself. When he was finished, and the light had returned to his eyes, he stood up and said “THAT’S AMAZING NEWS”, and we hugged and whooped and danced around the kitchen.

Did you have to wait a period of time before sharing your big news, because of details being ironed out? Was that difficult?

I didn’t have to wait before sharing. In the end when everything was being finalized I was on a flight to America and by the time I arrived, it was all done and dusted. So I met my friends at the baggage claim and told them and we just jumped around screaming and hugging in the middle of the airport for a while. It was nice, if a little noise disruptive.