Most of you probably know about Mindy McGinnis through her fun, informative blog Writer Writer Pants on Fire or because her awesome-looking debut NOT A DROP TO DRINK hits bookstores this September. (Enter to win a copy on Goodreads here) But when she's not writing or blogging, she's a school librarian aide. Once I sold THE BREAK-UP ARTIST, I realized that the library world is totally foreign to me, even though I use libraries all the time. I spend time thinking about selling books, but getting your book into libraries is also important. People check out library books and get recommendations from their librarians every day. But what happens before that?
So today, Mindy is taking off her writer hat and putting on her librarian fedora to answer some questions about how libraries buy books. And in the tradition of her SAT, SHIT, and CRAP series, I'll call this interview with a SLOB (School Librarian on Books).
How do libraries buy books?
That really depends on the individual libraries. My own library is a public school in a rural area, and we've recently had to go through some serious funding cuts. When I first started, we had three full time librarian aides (one in each building) and one district librarian. Right now I'm the only full time librarian aide, and the District Librarian is also a part-time English teacher. So, our method of buying books has changed. We used to have the time to browse through School Library Journal, Horn Book, the YALSA site, read reviews, and hit up major book blogs. With our time so restricted now we use a service through Junior Library Guild where they send you an age appropriate selection every month.
How far in advance do they order them?
In my own library we typically don't pre-order unless it's an anticipated big-demand sequel or series addition. Most of the time we rely on JLG [Junior Library Guild] to stock our shelves and then we do buy single titles through word of mouth or titles that our own browsing have led us to.
How do you decide what to buy?
Our budget is restricted, so we buy what we know will circulate. Sequels and series additions are easy choices when we know the first title circulated well. Also we pay attention to the trends of what our kids are reading - which may not necessarily be what's trending in the industry. Right when zombies were going hard, all our kids wanted to read were contemporary issues books. So hey - we found them.
What do you think makes kids at your school pick out the books that they do?
Two answers on that:1) The cover2) UsCovers are HUGE for teens. I can't tell you how many great books with bad covers have totally tanked with my kids because they don't want to be seen carrying them around. Our kids have learned to trust us though, and it's such a great compliment when a kid comes up to me and says, "Pick a book out for me. You know what I like."
Do authors ever reach out to you directly to pitch their books?
In different ways, yes. I do have people approach me as a blogger for help with a signal boost, but also I've had quite a few YA authors (Simone Elkeles, Liz Norris and Lenore Applehans to name a few) donate copies of their books because they know I'm a school librarian. It also never hurts when I pick up a copy of a book and hand it to a kid and breezily say, "Yeah, I know her." ;)
Is there anything content-wise (language, violence, sex) that restricts you from stocking a book in your library?
Tricky question. I don't enjoy censorship, but I do enjoy having a job. My library currently serves grades 7-12 and next year due to a building closure it will be serving grades 5-12. Obviously there are some content that is perfectly acceptable for seniors that a seventh grader shouldn't be near, let alone a fifth grader. Typically, because it's a small town, we know the kids, and usually we know the parents, too. We know their maturity levels, but we do make sure there's nothing too terribly shocking going home with someone who shouldn't have it.
I've always said it's possible to have everything from Doctor Seuss to Cory Doctorow to E.L. Doctorow on the same shelf in my library... and that's pretty much the case.
Book Addict 24-7 Welcomes Mindy McGinnis
1. Not A Drop To Drink has a pretty interesting theme that touches on the very real fear modern society has of running out of water. Of all the global issues at hand, what attracted you to the topic of decreasing water resources?
“I actually have the boyfriend to thank for the inspiration.
He’s an avid documentary watcher, and he happened to have one rolling called Blue Gold when I was at his place one time. It focused on this topic precisely, and it left me thankful for my own backyard pond.
After seeing the film, I dreamt that night of teaching my little niece how to operate a rifle so she could help me defend our water source. I woke up and told the b/f -
“Hey, I think I wrote a book in my head just now."”
2. Your debut’s cover is stunning! Can you explain to us the process in which that particular cover made it onto your book?
“I have the amazingly talented Erin Ferdinand at Harper to thank for my cover.
It is lovely, and I’m so happy with it. There really wasn’t much of a process. I was asked what ideas I might have, and I gave them a list of things I *didn’t* want - no faces was a big one for me.
I want my readers to see themselves as the characters.
I also didn’t want any ball gowns, but given the topic, I didn’t think that was likely.
My only feedback was that DRINK felt like a very blue / green book, and if we could make that happen it’d be cool. And they came back at me with that, and I said, "Um… good job."”
3. If given the chance, what other global issue would you write about, or feature in a future novel?
“Not sure, honestly.
To me I think water is just THE BIGGEST all pervading thing. We ALL need it. We CAN’T create it. It’s insane to me that more people aren’t freaked out about it, to be honest.”
4. Can you tell us the book that turned you into a young adult fan?
"Ha. No, I honestly can’t.
I’ve been a YA librarian for about ten years so I can’t even begin to answer that. I will say that when I began working as a YA librarian I made the mistake of being a little dismissive of it as an art form. I still thought of it as easily digestible, watered down forms of "real” books. Then I picked up THE KNIFE OF NEVER LETTING GO by Patrick Ness and was thrown onto my ass by it.
OK, never mind. I guess I *can* answer the question.”
5. Can you tell us how you planned Not A Drop To Drink when you first came up with the idea?
“I’m a complete pantster. I just start typing.
I know generally where things are going to go, but I just let the story happen. DRINK totally just fell out of my head. I know that’s really attractive, but that’s pretty much what happened.”
6. There are a lot of fantastic debuts coming out in 2013, how does it feel to be part of such a fun and exciting year?
“It’s pretty awesome.
I’m a member of three groups that are all 13 debuts - The Lucky 13s, Friday the Thirteeners, and The Class of 2k13 - and they’re populated by wildly talented (and highly entertaining) people.
As a lifelong reader and complete book geek, I’ve been having the best time going into book stores and airily declaring, “Yeah, I know her. And her. And him. And her. And oh yeah… that person? We totally tweet."”
7. The publishing world is growing and expanding beyond the conventional forms of publishing (i.e. physical vs digital)–do you have any specific opinions on how this change in publishing might affect your writing career? Do you think it is an exciting change, or do you think that the publishing world has a risky future ahead?
“Personally I’m a paper person.
I like holding a book. I do use an iPad to read occasionally, but mostly I like paper. However I know plenty of people that love e-books, and who cares what the medium is? Audiobook, hardcover, paperback, e-book - whatever! It’s still a story being delivered to someone in THEIR preferred manner. So more power to them. I’ll give it to them however they want it.”
8. Can you share three of the most important things a writer needs to remember when sending out query letters and finished manuscripts to agents and/or publishers?
“1) You’re not perfect.
You did not just write the best thing ever written. Seriously, if I’d not been so ridiculously self-inflated and refused to look for critique partners, I probably could’ve been published a lot sooner. Instead I was convinced of my genius and stuck in the query trenches for a decade.
2) Subjectivity.
It never ends. At every level there will be people that don’t like your book. There will be agents that don’t like your book. There will be editors that don’t like your book. There will also be people that love your book, AN agent that loves your book and AN editor that loves your book. Now, the thing to remember here is that if YOUR MOM doesn’t like your book, you are totally back at square one and need to rethink everything.
3) Homework.
Do it. Know your market. Know your agents. Know what you’re doing and be professional.”
9. What are some of your favourite genres and books in the young adult age group, and which genres do you think will gain more popularity in the future?
"I like a fresh dystopian or post-apoc, I lean towards post-apoc.
I declare that straight, hard-core SciFi will be the next thing to blow big. At least I hope so.
Also, I’d love to read some great, non-creature, straight-up ghost stories.”
10. What do you think is the biggest global issue that we, as consumers, should keep an eye on (besides the depleting sources of water)?
“Nope. Water. It is everything. Without it, we are so stinkin’ dead.”
Remembering the Challenger
I was only in kindergarten when the Challenger exploded, but I remember it clearly because it was my first experience of chaos.
When you're five, you believe that adults know everything, control everything, and can fix anything. I got off the bus on January 28, 1986 to find my mother crying, which was shocking enough on its own. The worst thing my child-brain could conceive of was that one of our pets had died, but she explained what had happened over my snack.
I remember what kind of jelly was on my PB&J. I remember what my juice box looked like. I remember that my tiny tummy folded up on itself and refused to eat anything else.
I suddenly understood that adults could die. Even worse, a teacher - a type of adult I thought of as being super-human - was just as susceptible to a random accident as anyone else. I peeked at the TV while the Challenger exploded over and over, at a complete loss to wrap my thoughts around what had happened. There was nothing to recover, no one to save. Nobody could do anything to help.
For the longest time this is what space meant to me - danger, chaos and helplessness. I couldn't believe that anyone would ever try to go into space again, after seeing the shuttle explode.
But people did... and my perception of space began to change. As I grew older it represented amazing courage and human ingenuity. It meant that there were people brave enough to strap themselves onto a rocket in the name of science, secure in the knowledge that the people who had built it were confident that it was safe.
I'm still never going to get on a shuttle, I admit. Even if that option were open to me, my fear of heights has ruled space travel out. I think the experience of seeing our planet from space would be so surreal that my mind couldn't grasp it in any case, and so I'll settle for subscribing to National Geographic...
... until we use up all our freshwater and have to go find another blue planet.
Inspired Openings: The Truth about Opening a Novel with Life or Death
As writers there’s nothing more terrifying than File>New Document - except maybe that big white space underneath the words “Chapter One.” Filling that space with something meaningful, gripping, and full of voice will be our biggest challenge, much greater than finally being able to type “The End.”
So how do we do that? There is no magic formula or easy route that any writer can point another one to for instant success. But what I can do is tell you what I’ve done wrong in the past, and some of the most common well-intended trip-ups I see.
InstaAction – We’ve all been told that we need to grab the reader’s attention with our first line. That doesn’t mean you squeeze their trachea shut and hold tight. Way too often writers take opening action so seriously that the reader is instantly dropped into a life or death situation. And while that’s definitely action, the question remains – is it compelling?
Think for a second about flipping through channels. In any given moment you can probably land on a handful of scenes where someone is dying, someone is being killed, or violence is being threatened. Do you care? Do you instantly stop on every single scene just to see if the character is going to make it? Um… probably not, or else you’d still be sitting in front of your TV right now, having wet your pants and died of dehydration.
Now think about your favorite character in your favorite show. Is Dexter on his own table? Does someone have a gun to Daryl’s head in The Walking Dead? Did you just grab the arm of the person next to you and say, “Dear God, go back to that!! I have to know what happens!!” And why is that? Because you care about the characters, you’re invested in them before we get to this point in the narrative.
Opening with a character that nobody cares about yet in a life or death situation doesn’t mean much.
Wrong Place, Wrong Time – Wow! You’ve got a stellar opening that cuts to the chase and grabs your reader right away. It’s snappy! It’s original! It’s… the beginning of Chapter Three.
I can’t tell you how often a merciless self-edit has shown me that I wrote two chapters worth of not-so-helpful drivel before I got to the point. Sometimes our beginnings are already written, but not located in the right place. Take a hard look at your first 10-20 pages and see if you need them, then look at page 21 and see what it has to offer.
The opening for NOT A DROP TO DRINK worked that way. Even though my opening line remained the same from first draft to copyedits, (Lynn was nine the first time she killed to defend the pond) everything following went through some pretty serious surgery. The final version of my opening has cut and pastes from as far forward as Chapter Four, with bits of Chapters Two and Three sprinkled in, then I passed through with a narrative needle to stitch it all back together.
My favorite opening lines:
I’m sharing three of my favorite openings. They encapsulate voice and grab me. I want to know what the heck is going to happen next.
The first thing you find out when yer dog learns to talk is that dogs don’t got nothing much to say. – THE KNIFE OF NEVER LETTING GO by Patrick Ness (Candlewick, 2008).
I've buried nearly everyone I love. – DUALED by Elsie Chapman (Random House, February 26, 2013).
Simon Glass was easy to hate. I never knew exactly why, there was too much to pick from. I guess, really, we each hated him for a different reason, but we didn’t realize it until the day we killed him. – SHATTERING GLASS by Gail Giles (Simon Pulse, 2003).
Ruminations of A Non-Psychic Librarian
Being psychic would be so useful. I would know what detours to take when roads are out. I would know without looking if the milk in the fridge expired. I could win the lottery and maybe even talk to animals.
Clearly I’m interpreting “psychic” quite loosely. If I stick to conventional parameters and say that I’d have the ability to know what’s next, then yeah, still useful. Grab the umbrella on a sunny day, make sure the spare tire is along for the ride, and be acutely aware, every moment, of what’s going to pop next in YA literature.
Oh, man. If only.
I’ve been doing this librarian thing a little over a decade. We went all vampires, werewolves, zombies dystopian, fairy-tales, classics re-invented, and dystopian. Some think the dystopian ship has sailed. I personally disagree because I think there’s always a market of people who want to read tales of humanity boiled down to it’s essence, but the question is will it always be booming?
Probably not.
Hopefully NOT A DROP TO DRINK can slide in with one last big boom.
So what’s next? Wish I knew, ‘cause I’d write it. As it is, I can look at what’s warming up and just on the verge of boiling, and give you my opinion. TWILIGHT was actually out a while before it blew up, as was THE HUNGER GAMES. I read both before either one of them had a movie cover and had spawned legions of vampire and dystop books.
My opinion? Science Fiction is about to blow up. I spotted it first with THE KNIFE OF NEVER LETTING GO by Patrick Ness and ACROSS THE UNIVERSE by Beth Revis, but since then it’s been getting aggressive with titles like CINDER and my own crit partner RC Lewis’ recent success with STITCHING SNOW being sold.
So yeah, that’s what I think. Look out for aliens and robots, space stations and droids. But don’t go writing that just because of my opinion. If you’re heart isn’t in it it’ll short circuit faster than Wookie vomit on a control panel.
Write what your heart wants. And if that’s a contemporary romance, so be it.
The Anything Goes Attitude of Post-Apoc
A lot of people wonder where the sudden surge of dystopian and post-apocalyptic literature is coming from. I’ve got a fast and quick answer – our inner psyche. But we don’t have to ruminate on that. There’s a really fun explanation too, and that’s the fact that anything goes in a world we create on our own.
Dystopian and post-apocalyptic literature moves us beyond the “what-if” to the “who-are-we, really?” as individuals, and as a human race. If there weren’t police would we obey traffic laws? If there were no enforcement of a moral code would we kill each other without regret? And even more important – are you scared of heights?
That last one might feel like a left-field question, but it nipped me in my creative bud earlier this spring. My debut NOT A DROP TO DRINK (Katherine Tegen / Harper Collins, Fall 2013) revolves around a teen girl who protects her pond in a world where water is scarce by sniping strangers from her roof. I wanted a few nice aerial shots for what I hope will eventually develop into my trailer, so I looped a camera around my neck, dug out a ladder, and proceeded to freeze up about ten feet off the ground.
Yep. Ten feet. I had another solid ten to go, and then a scramble onto the shingles before I could even pretend to be the feral creature my MC is. And it totally didn’t happen. I meekly crept back down, put the ladder away, and got some nice still shots of the placid surface of my pond.
Now, if there had been some kind of motivating favor, like say, a tiger chasing me across my yard, then yes – I probably would’ve scurried on up the ladder. But there was no tiger, and I don’t feel the need to shoot people who take water from my pond, mainly because nobody does. Who the hell drinks pond water when you don’t have to?
But what if you did have to?
What if that pond was the only thing keeping me alive?
What kind of person survives in a world like that?
This is what I like about my little corner of the writing world, and have liked about it since I read THE STAND when I was… well, when I was too young to be reading it. Post-apoc and dystopian give writers the chance to throw our characters into a place that has only the laws we set, and then see how they eek out a life within those parameters.
They’re amazing people, these fictional characters that survive the brutal punishments we put them through. They’re little glimpses of a tougher, leaner human race that are asking the same questions we are, but in a different environment. Who am I? What do I stand for?
And while it may seem that I’ve circled back around to the inner-psyche, the more relevant question in most dystopian is – will I live through tomorrow? That kind of pressure hovering over each minute refines our characters, making every movement inform the reader.
When the difference between making it to the roof is losing a good photo-op or losing your foot to a tiger, minor inconveniences like fear are overlooked. Anything goes in our brave new worlds, and the things that go leave us with a stripped person, who we build back up with the blocks of our own making.
There’s so much creative freedom in dystopian, which is why we see such a glut of titles these days, each of them with it’s own unique world and characters. Enjoy them all, but don’t dismiss any of them as “been-there-done-that.”
Chances are, you haven’t.
Summer Flings with Boobs
Summer Fling...
Even the phrase makes me get goosebumps, but not in a good way. More like when you think of something horrific and just wrong, like a dog walking on its hind legs for a long period of time.
Why? Well, a summer fling implies swimsuits – bikinis even. And right when my fellow female classmates had discovered that they looked pretty cute in them, I was discovering that I had boobs. Again though, not in a good way. Refer back to the dog walking on its hind legs analogy.
My boobs showed up way before anyone else’s. They walked onto center stage and DEMANDED attention, which wasn’t hard to get since I was also taller than everyone else and my nipples were right at their eye level. Boys in their thirties might think that’s kind of awesome, but boys that haven’t hit the actual teens yet are pretty much just terrified.
And their fear of my boobs translated into calling me an Amazon, which now that I’m older I rather take as a compliment. But it’s kind of hard to encapsulate feminine mystique and nobility when you’re head and shoulders above your friends and all the boys automatically assume you’re a lesbian because you can beat them at any sport.
Period.
(Oh yeah, that happened early too. Thanks, Mama Nature).
Wearing a bathing suit in front of my classmates happened approximately once, and ended with someone moo-ing at me and me subsequently attempting to drown them. Fast forward to me in high school and suddenly the boobs aren’t so much a drawback anymore. People kind of like them. I get a lot of, “Hey, I wish I would’ve been nicer to you back in junior high.”
Yeah, I bet you do.
Especially since Amazons have such long memories.
W.O.W. – Writer Odyssey Wednesday – Mindy McGinnis
Today’s featured author in the W.O.W. is Mindy McGinnis. Mindy is a stunning writer whose debut novel, NOT A DROP TO DRINK, will be released on September 24, 2013. One of the things I enjoy most about Mindy is her willingness to mentor aspiring authors. She does this through her work as a moderator on AgentQuery Connect, but also through a feature on her blog called, “The Saturday Slash”. This weekly series allows writers to provide their queries to Mindy who reviews them, and then gives thoughtful, yet constructive feedback. I’ve been following this feature for a while and can tell you that many of the featured writers’ queries have improved immensely due to Mindy’s help.
I think anyone struggling with the writing process will take Mindy’s odyssey to heart. She is the perfect example of someone who commits themself to the craft, and through hard work and dedication, gets a publishing deal. I also love the fact that she is a YA librarian!
So, without further ado, here is my conversation with Mindy about her writing journey.
Amy: When did you first begin seriously writing with the intent of wanting to be published?
Mindy: By the time I landed an agent I’d been querying on and off for about ten years. I would get frustrated and quit for long periods of time, and to be fair, my first two manuscripts were horrible and I didn’t have the brain to go find a decent crit partner, so I sunk myself. I decided to get serious about writing and querying about four years ago.
Amy: When did you complete your first manuscript?
Mindy: In college. It sucked.
Amy: How many completed manuscripts did you query before one garnered agent interest?
Mindy: Depends on what you mean by “interest.” The YA ms I wrote before NOT A DROP TO DRINK had quite a few nibbles, but no offers of representation. By the time I landed Adriann with DRINK I had four finished ms’s under my belt.
Amy: How laborious/frustrating was the query process for you?
Mindy: Oh, pretty horrific. I was at it for ten years, so that definitely makes you sit down and take a hard look at your goals and your accomplishments. I would stop for long periods of time (years), but never really with the intention of quitting. I knew publication and a writing career were the end goal, I just needed to make it happen.
Amy: If one manuscript was continuing to get rejected, how did you know it was time to move on to a new project?
Mindy: Good question. I’m kind of a dumbass, so I had over 130 rejections on the YA urban fantasy I wrote before I decided maybe it was time to drop that particular dumbbell and move on to writing NOT A DROP TO DRINK.
Amy: If you had bites on previous manuscripts, and then was ultimately turned down by agents, what kept you pressing forward?
Mindy: Honestly, a rejection. I was at a very low point in my life all around when I got my first full rejection. But it was the kindest, most complimentary rejection a writer could possibly receive, from a well-known agent at an established agency. In so many words, she told me I was going to make it, but not with her, and not with that ms.
Amy: How many agents did you query for NOT A DROP TO DRINK?
Mindy: I think only about ten. I sent out the first round of queries and started getting full requests right away.
Amy: Did you receive instantaneous response or did you have to wait for the requests/rejections?
Mindy: Things moved really fast with DRINK. I had eight fulls out at one point, and whenever an agent requested I let them know there were other fulls out, and lots of interest, which inspired them to read a little faster
Amy: Can you give us a short summary of your call with your agent, Adriann Ranta?
Mindy: Adriann and I talked for about an hour, and totally clicked. We had the same vision for DRINK. She didn’t want me to lighten the tone or take away any of the harsher aspects. She *liked* the darkness of it, and that worked for me. I also ran a basic synopsis of my other finished projects past her to see if they sounded interesting to her as well, especially because the voice in one of them is so drastically different from DRINK. She seemed like a good fit all around for me, not just for this book.
Amy: What parting advice can you give other aspiring writers who may be on the cusp of giving up on their writing dream?
Mindy: Be absolutely sure this is what you want, and accept the very real possibility that it may not happen for you from the beginning. I was starry-eyed and convinced I was a genius ten years ago, but I was an idiot sending out badly written queries for a horrific ms. Do your homework, get good crit partners, learn how to take criticism. Develop very thick skin. It is not an easy undertaking, but sometimes it’s the unexpected things (like a kind rejection) that will make you keep going to that end goal.
My sincere thanks to Mindy for taking time out of her busy schedule to answer my questions. You can find more on Mindy at her blog Writer, Writer, Pants on Fire. She also contributes to the group blogs From the Write Angle, Friday the Thirteeners, and Book Pregnant. She is also a moderator for the writing community at AgentQueryConnect under the screenname bigblackcat97.
Mindy’s story has inspired me to keep writing and I hope it will do the same for you.
Getting the Call: Mindy McGinnis
As a long-time member and newly minted moderator of the AgentQuery Connect forum, I knew exactly where to get my information to prepare for the call. I had my laptop fired up and my browser on this thread, my questions at the ready. It's as indispensable as oxygen when that moment comes for the aspiring writer.
My palms were sweaty and I think the butterflies in my stomach had butterflies in their stomachs when Adriann answered the phone. She talked first, telling me how much she lovedNOT A DROP TO DRINK, which I lapped up like a kitten in a swimming pool filled with cream. After that, she told me a little about the background of her agency, and what they had to offer me.
Then it was my turn, and I ticked off the questions. What changes, if any, did she foresee for DRINK? What houses did she think it would fit in best, and what was her approach as an agent to them? What was her revision process like, and how heavy-handed or light on the reins was she in it?
Adriann had all the right answers, and after we'd exchanged the business side of things we had a little side-talk about how great The X Files was in its heydey, and what books we were reading at the moment. Even though I had another offer of representation, I knew right away that Adriann was the one for me.
Hey, she likes the X Files.
Query Series: Mindy McGinnis and Adriann Ranta
In our Query Series, writers share the query letters that helped land an agent—and why the letter worked, from the agent’s point of view. Today we hear from YA librarian and debut author Mindy McGinnis and her agent, Adriann Ranta, of Wolf Literary Services. Mindy’s dystopian novel, NOT A DROP TO DRINK, will be published by Katherine Tegen/Harper Collins in 2013.
From Mindy:
At what point in the process did you write your query letter?
I didn’t write the query until I was finished with the book, which is my usual process. I was incredibly fortunate, though, in that the first line of the novel was an incredible hook that I could use for the query as well. So the hardest part was already done!
Can you describe any research that you did or resources that you used in order to learn how to write a strong query?
By the time I was querying NOT A DROP TO DRINK I was a pro at writing queries, but unfortunately, I was even better at getting form rejections. I used the excellent forum over at AgentQueryConnect, where I also moderate, to help streamline the query. I also used QueryTracker to keep track of what I’d sent to who in regards to queries, partials and fulls.
What was your querying strategy? What was the process like for you on an emotional level?
I typically send out a round of ten queries at a time, pulling from my lists of A and B agents simultaneously so I don’t burn through all the A-listers with a sub-par query on the first round. I was lucky in that the query for DRINK was strong enough to garner four full requests on the first round, so I knew I had a winner.
I was cautiously optimistic though. At one point, on an earlier YA ms, I had 8 fulls out at the same time, none of which ever amounted to anything. The four full requests off the bat for DRINK had me excited, but reality had punched me in the trachea a few too many times at that point, so I knew better than to celebrate.
How did you find Adriann and what made you decide to query her?
I purposely went after newer agents who repped YA. I knew that the newer agents are usually more open to previously unpubbed writers, and are building their client lists. I always try to find candid interviews with agents if possible, to see if our personalities would be a good fit beforehand. Adriann seemed like we would click, so I sent it off.
How did she respond and offer representation?
Adriann had the first 50 (pages) along with the query, then upgraded to a full over email. I let her know that I had other fulls out and she said to keep her in the loop if I got any offers. She read the full in two days and came back requesting a phone call. It was my first agent call, so I was a nervous wreck. Sweaty palms, the whole deal. We ended up talking for an hour and really clicking. At the end of the conversation she offered rep, but as I had other fulls out I told her I needed to let the other agents know before I could accept. I ended up having another offer of representation, but after our personality-meld on the phone, I knew Adriann was the one for me.
And here's the query:
Lynn was nine the first time she killed to defend the pond. Seven years later, violence is her native tongue in a time when an ounce of fresh water is worth more than gold and firewood equals life during bitter rural winters. Death wanders the countryside in many forms: thirst, cholera, coyotes, and the guns of strangers.
Mother and Lynn survive in a lawless land, where their once comfortable home serves as stronghold and lookout. Their basement is a lonely fortress; Father disappeared fighting the Canadians for possession of Lake Erie, the last clean body of water in an overpopulated land. The roof offers a sniper’s view of their precious water source – the pond. Ever vigilant, they defend against those who stream from the sprawling cities once they can no longer pay the steep prices for water. Mother’s strenuous code of self-sufficiency and survival leaves no room for trust or friendships; those wishing for water from the pond are delivered from their thirst not by a drink, but a bullet. Even their closest neighbor is a stranger who Lynn has only seen through her crosshairs.
Smoke rises from the east, where a starving group of city refugees are encamped by the stream. A matching spire of smoke can be seen in the south, where a band of outlaws are building a dam to manipulate what little water is left.
When Mother dies in a horrific accident, Lynn faces a choice - defend her pond alone or band together with her crippled neighbor, a pregnant woman, a filthy orphan, and a teenage boy who awakens feelings she can't figure out.
NOT A DROP TO DRINK (69,000 words) is dystopian YA. I have been a YA librarian in the public school system for seven years, allowing me to spend forty hours a week with my target audience.
From Adriann:
On the query: I love the punchy first sentence, which hooked me immediately. Otherwise, I think this is the perfect query. Succinct, visceral and spare--all characteristics that capture the sense of the novel perfectly. The scene is set, the world the novel occurs in is clear, the main protagonist is obvious, and presents the main conflicts of the novel simply: the innate tension of protecting their water source, Mother's death, a love interest, and antagonists manipulating a main water source.
She also included a short bio paragraph, and I liked that Mindy mentioned that as a YA librarian, she spends 40 hours a week with her target audience. She must know what she's talking about! I'd request this novel all over again!
After reading the first 50 pages that were included with the query, as per our submission guidelines, I requested the full, and read it in something like two days. Once I got Mindy on the phone, I offered representation after gushing rather profusely. We worked on several rounds of revisions before I sent this out on submission, so I'm sure we discussed some of my editorial suggestions, which Mindy was a champ about. She's been a pleasure to work with, and proof that amazing projects are discovered in the slush pile!
What Diversity Means to Me - Featuring Mindy McGinnis
Today I have something a little different for the diversity series. I have my fellow Friday the Thirteener, Mindy McGinnis on the blog today. And it's special because even though she is a YA author debuting in 2013 with Not A Drop to Drink from Katherine Tegen Books, HarperCollins, she is also a YA librarian. So I asked Mindy if she wouldn't mind talking a little bit about diversity from her perspective as a librarian.
Ellen - Hey Mindy! Thanks so much for being willing to talk about diversity. As a librarian, do you think there is enough diverse books in YA?
Mindy - They're out there! But you do have to search sometimes. Matt de la Pena writes some excellent books like Mexican White Boy and a fellow Ohioan, Sharon Draper, writes excellent books about minority teens. Angela Johnson is another example. Also the Bluford series, which is written by multiple authors and written for lower level readers is always popular. These are just examples off the top of my head, so yes, the titles are out there - you just need to grab a knowledgeable librarian ;)
Ellen - How important do you feel diversity is to our youth?
Mindy - It's important. We live in a shrinking world, and while students in many rural areas live in a "white bubble," that won't always be the case. Especially my kids who are going to college, it's important for them to at least be aware of other cultures and have experienced them through reading, if they don't have any other exposure.
Ellen - Do you think kids would read books with diversity if there were more of it or more prominently displayed?
Mindy - Kids go for a good cover, period. Anna Banks new title Of Poseidon is a great example of a gorgeous cover where many readers don't blink at the fact that the MC is black - I'm not sure they even notice.
We do have a wonderful non-fiction title "They Called Themselves The KKK" which has a striking cover. I had a student check it out who makes no bones about his racist leanings. When he returned it, he warned me against giving it to younger readers. He was shocked at the content, and it had an impact on him - no doubt. Unfortunately I think a lot of my male students adopt racist leanings because of their home environment, without realizing what they are embracing. That book opened his eyes about what he was promoting, and his actions have changed.
Ellen - So my final question. What does diversity mean to you?
Mindy - Diversity to me isn't just about having choices and options available. Diversity is about actually celebrating the differences, not just accepting them.
Ellen - Thanks Mindy for stopping by the blog! It's great to get a perspective from the "front lines!"
Interview with Mindy McGinnis YA Writer
So, tell us about your book.
It's set in the rural Midwest in the not-so-distant future where freshwater is scarce and people kill to defend backyard ponds and hand-dug wells. My main character, Lynn, has never known any other life than killing to survive. Her mother is the only person she's ever spoken to, and she's been raised as a nearly feral human being. When her mother dies in an accident, Lynn must decide between defending her pond alone or banding together with a crippled neighbor, a pregnant woman, a filthy orphan, and a teenage boy who awakens feelings she doesn’t understand.
What motivated you to write this particular story?
I saw a documentary about the very real possibility of a global freshwater shortage. I do have a pond in my backyard and that night I dreamt about defending it with a high-powered rifle. I woke up and was like, "Hooray! A novel!"
How important is it to have critique partners and beta readers?
How important is it to have a functioning frontal lobe? Um. Very. I have two excellent partners that I use consistently in all my writing - Skyval and RC Lewis to AQC users. We compliment each other very well in our strengths and weaknesses. I refer to us as the Critecta.
Did you take their advice?
On overarching themes, yeah. If they see something that needs addressed as far as continuity, motivation, character development, etc., they're probably right. Do I always, unquestionably, take their advice in line edits? No. As RC likes to say, I'm not the boss of her, she's not the boss of me. In the end, it's my story.
Was it hard to read the critiques?
Ehh... kind of. Even though I trust my crit partners completely, it's still my baby being eviscerated. But in the end, that's a good thing. It makes a stronger, hardier cyborg baby. OK, not really. What I do is read my crits through, then let it set a day or two and return to it. Then I implement what I agree with.
Did you like what your beta readers had to say?
Without fail, whether I like it or not, they're right.
I know your query letter helped to land your agent, what was it in the letter that worked?
I'd like to say the whole thing? I do know that my hook is what gets 'em, and I'm fortunate in that my hook is also the first line of the book.
Once you found an agent, and the agent a publisher is the work getting ready to publish harder than writing the book?
I don't have my editor letter yet, so I can't say. What I can say is that I've made a definite push to get myself "out there" more now that I have a pub date, blogging more often, tweeting, etc.
Did you have to do a lot of rewrites to get ready to publish?
Not sure yet.
How has blogging helped you with your book?
Blogging, like query writing, is an entirely different animal from novel writing. I love blogging because it's a great outlet for those little thoughts that I want to toss out there that have no other outlet. And obviously, it's helped build my audience.
Was the fact that you use twitter and blog help with getting the publishing contract?
The editor who ended up signing me hit my blog and Twitter up before making the offer. Because I had those two avenues of social media in place to broadcast myself, she was able to get a feel for me as a person. If I hadn't participated in either of those activities, the only thing Google would've popped on my name would be some articles on cyclical vomiting disease (which btw, I'm really not sure what's up with that).
What is your source of inspiration?
In general, my own brain. I know that's a crap answer but those cogs keep turning, and I'm thankful.
What keeps you going?
My Irish tenacity. Seriously. I. Never. Quit. Moving.
Have you decided on your head shot yet?
See link here for her video blog entry Ha! Um... no. Sadly I'm still an #authorphotofail story.
Is your book available for pre-order?
Not yet. Believe me, you'll know when it happens.
Is the cover art ready yet?
Nope. You'll know when that happens too ;)
COSCBWI Meeting March 2012: A Chat with Mindy McGinnis
This month's COSCBWI meeting featured author and librarian Mindy McGinnis and a chat about her road to publication. Mindy's YA debut novel, currently titled, Not A Drop To Drink, is slated for release Fall 2013 and came after ten years of hard work pursuing publication.
Mindy's story was inspiring and very informative, and boy is she funny! (We were laughing for most of the meeting!) She told us that she always knew she wanted to be a writer and started her first book in college. Then she made the newbie mistake of thinking it was publishable right away (who isn't guilty of doing that?) and sent it off to agents, promptly receiving scores of rejections. After a while, she put that first novel away and wrote a second one, only to earn more rejections. But she wasn't ready to give up yet! When she decided to invest her time in online groups and critique partners, she learned what she was doing wrong, figured out how to make her book kick-butt, and finally scored an agent! (Hooray!) She was offered representation by Adriann Ranta at Wolf Literary, but her journey wasn't over yet. After many rounds of submissions to publishing houses, more rejections, and some more revisions, her book earned multiple offers and went to auction on its last-ditch submission round. (What a relief!) And if that wasn't awesome enough, she scored a two-book deal with her new publishing house!
Now, Mindy is eagerly awaiting revision notes from her editor at Katherine Tegan/Harper Collins and will soon begin the oh-so-long process of actual publication. Her Dystopian novel's premise about a future without plentiful water sounds spectacular and you can read her teaser here.
So how did Mindy escape the slush pile to score an awesome agent and two book deal? She attributes her success to two things: the reading revolution and her online network. As a librarian, Mindy saw the massive effect Stephanie Meyer's Twilighthad on today's teens. Before, only nerdy bookworms (like myself) frequented the school library. But now, reading is cool and teens gobble up books left and right, including the Homecoming King at her school. This change has created a big demand for great MG and YA books, and therefore a demand for great writers. (See? There is hope for the rest of us!)
Mindy's online network was essential in her path to publication, too. Mindy takes part in a number of online blog groups and sites such as Agent Query Connectand From the Write Angle. The sites helped her learn about the publishing world, craft a winning query, and put her in contact with the critique partners who ultimately made her book ready for submission. Mindy encouraged everyone in our group to get out there and network. There are countless wonderful sites to explore and connections to make all just a mouse click away. She encourages blogging and Twitter, too, to create an online presence for yourself. (Just be careful what you post, she warns. Whatever you say can come back and haunt you...)
Blog Tour: Interview With Mindy McGinnis
Your short story, "First Kiss," in the new Spring Fevers anthology is amazing! What inspired this story?
Great question. I live in a sprawling old farmhouse situated on five acres. I found no less than four uncovered wells when I first moved in. I was just a kid when the famous Baby Jessica incident happened, but it made a lasting impression. A mix of that, and a random idea I had floating around my head about someone who had a Poison Ivy (Batman character) type ability coalesced into this weirdness.
What are some of the challenges of writing short stories vs. novels?
Less space, less time. You've really got to punch your reader in the face in a nice way that they'll love you for. They know there are other stories behind yours that might appeal to them more, and flicking a couple pages to move away from your story is a lot easier than putting down a whole book and going to pick your next one.
How do you approach writing a short story vs. a novel?
Impact is of utmost importance, always. I think with a book you need to focus on getting that impact into the first page, or paragraph. In a short story, you've gotta get them with the first line.
Is there anything else you wanted to cover on the topic of short stories vs. novels?
I love writing shorts. I think they're a wonderful outlet for those stories inside of me that don't have enough meat to them to justify a novel. There are plenty of characters in my head who have *something* to say, just not necessarily a lot. I also think shorts are an important way for a writer to pull readers to them as an author, and sell themselves as a writer as opposed to selling their book, if that makes sense. If I can make you like me, and my style, in a few pages, that's great. A short that draws a reader in to my voice will (hopefully) make them look to see if I have a book. As a reader of short stories myself, I can honestly say I do that all the time, and it's the best avenue I've found to discovering new voices.
Not A Drop to Drink Preview
For my spotlight on upcoming dystopian/post apocalyptic fiction series, I interview authors with novels coming out in the genre in 2012/13. These are exclusive first looks at exciting new works. Enjoy!
Debut author Mindy McGinnis introduces us today to NOT A DROP TO DRINK. It's set to come out Fall 2013 from HarperCollins.
Here's the summary:
Lynn was nine the first time she killed to defend the pond. Seven years later, violence is her native tongue in a time when an ounce of fresh water is worth more than gold and firewood equals life during bitter rural winters. Death wanders the countryside in many forms: thirst, cholera, coyotes, and the guns of strangers.
Mother and Lynn survive in a lawless land. Their roof offers a sniper’s view of their precious water source – the pond. Mother’s strenuous code of self-sufficiency and survival leaves no room for trust or friendships; those wishing for water from the pond are delivered from their thirst not by a drink, but a bullet.
Smoke rises from the east, where a starving group of city refugees are encamped by the stream. A matching spire of smoke can be seen in the south, where a band of outlaws are building a dam to manipulate what little water is left.
When Mother dies in a horrific accident, Lynn faces a choice - defend her pond alone or band together with her crippled neighbor, a pregnant woman, a filthy orphan, and a teenage boy who awakens feelings she can't figure out.
And the interview:
Why do you think people are drawn to "dark" stories?
I think everyone has a dark side of their personality, and some of us are more open to exploring it. Fiction offers us the ability to do that without, you know, breaking the law or hurting people. DRINK has a dark voice, but in the end it’s a survival story, and I think that type of fiction can transcend the lines of dark and light preferences in terms of style and voice. Whether we admit it or not, I think a lot of people ask themselves if they could survive in the face of catastrophe. Tales of survival give readers the chance to play with that question.
If NOT A DROP TO DRINK had a theme song, what would it be and why?
Great question! I know a lot of writers have certain playlists they like to listen to while writing. I don’t necessarily do that, but I will often hear a song and think “Yeah, that song and my ms would get along.” Definitely “Thistle & Weeds” by Mumford & Sons, as well as “Waiting For the End” by Linkin’ Park. Both songs have a solitary feel to them, along with a heavy thread of defiance. And that is a lot of where Lynn’s personality comes from – she will survive, no matter what.
What fictional character from another book would your main character choose as his/her best friend and why?
The idea of having a friend at all would be very alien to Lynn. The only person she’s known her entire life is her mother, so asking her to pick a bestie would be difficult. Though I think she would totally get Cathy from WUTHERING HEIGHTS in the sense that you do what you gotta do, and squash your heart in the process if you must.
What are your top 5 Dystopian lit recs and why?
THE STAND by Stephen King – because this is where I learned to speak dystopian.
THE ROAD by Cormac McCarthy – I read it right before writing DRINK, and I very much wanted to emulate the isolation and dehumanization that becomes a part of someone in a survival situation.
THE HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins– because I really can’t tell you how much I wish I would’ve had that idea first!
THE LONG WALK by Stephen King – It’s a short story that pounds the reader’s face into the gravel and makes you like it. Astounding.
THIS PERFECT DAY by Ira Levin – in all of the long lists of dystopian that I see being resurrected here and there in the wake of HUNGER GAMES, Ira Levin’s awesome book is still not getting the credit I think it deserves.
What's on the top of your to-do list before the world ends?
My blog readers are going to kill me when I admit that I have yet to ride a mechanical bull.
How does your novel stand out from others in the genre?
Again, it’s very much a survival story as much as a dystopian. The dangers that Lynn faces are very real, palpable threats that any reader can identify without having to stretch their imagination. Starvation. Dehydration. Hypothermia. Illness. Accidents. Feral animals. Strangers with guns. In the end, the darkest thing about DRINK is how easy it is to believe.
Showing the Real Mindy
Mindy McGinnis stops by Unedited today. She's fabulous and everyone should know it! She's the owner of the awesome blog Writer, Writer, Pants on Fire. You all know when someone stops by we don’t ask the usual questions. That’s right, because I’m an unusual being (once seen as a negative, now viewed as a positive). So let’s get started on all things random.
Showing the Real Mindy
What guy’s name do you find sexy?
Jack. It’s a ROMANCING THE STONE thing.
Do you like that manhole covers are always round? If you were to be more creative what shape would you choose and why?
A triangle. It’ll add to the whole Illuminati mystique.
If Hollywood made a movie about your life, what would be the plot?
No idea on plot, but I can say genre-wise it would definitely not be a romantic comedy. And it would have be animated. Just cause I say so.
If you were a salad, what kind of dressing would you be?
Ranch. Yum-yum calories!
If you were forced to steal something, what would it be?
Why would you choose it? A book. A really old one that there was only one copy of or something. Because I’m qualified to care for it much better than whatever museum it’s in.
One-Word Randoms
Elevator or Escalator: Escalator
Black or Striped Cat: BUH-lack
Writer or Reader: Ouch
Dancer or Singer: Neither
Query or Synopsis: Query!
Pardon our French...
One of my good friends, Mindy McGinnis from the Writer, Writer, Pants on Fire blog, has recently escaped the burning pit of submission hell (those of you who have been there, or are there still, know the truth behind that phrase) with a fantastic 2-book contract with Harper Collins, due out in Fall 2013.
Here's Mindy's Publishers Marketplace Announcement:
Mindy McGinnis's NOT A DROP TO DRINK, the story of a teenage girl surviving in a rural America where an ounce of fresh water is worth more than gold and death wanders the countryside as thirst, cholera, and the guns of strangers; when her mother dies in an accident, the girl must decide between defending her pond alone or banding together with a crippled neighbor, a pregnant woman, a filthy orphan, and a teenage boy who awakens feelings she doesn't understand, to Sarah Shumway at Katherine Tegen Books, in a good deal, at auction, in a two-book deal, by Adriann Ranta at Wolf Literary Services (World).
Mindy's not only a talented author, she's also a blogging WIZARD. She's come up with a whole slew of blog series ideas, and finds the funniest and most creative acronyms to represent them. One of my favorites, and most irreverent (but somehow even more fitting for that reason) is the S.H.I.T. (Submission Hell – It’s True) Interview, where she invites authors to talk about their submission journey once they've finally sold.
How much did you know about the submission process before you were out on subs yourself?
I knew quite a bit, due to the excellent crowd over at AgentQuery Connect, quite a few of whom are agented and / or published. I knew what to expect as far as the waiting process, although honestly it wasn’t all that bad in terms of length of time for feedback.
Did anything about the process surprise you?
A little. I had some passes from editors who loved the book but couldn’t get enough enthusiasm from others to actually make an offer. It was odd to think, “Wow, someone important loved this, but that wasn’t enough.” It takes more than one to get that cart rolling.
Did you research the editors you knew had your ms? Do you recommend doing that?
I did. I don’t know that I recommend doing it though, because it’s not like it helped me out in any way. Mostly it just made me antsy. Once I had some offers, THEN I did research. I needed to know what the best fit was going to be.
What was the average amount of time it took to hear back from editors?
Some were SHAZAAM fast, and those were all negative. So, I learned that waiting was a good thing.
What do you think is the best way for an author out on submission to deal with the anxiety?
Stay busy, in all things. I wrote, I cleaned, I read, I blogged. I didn’t let myself think about it.
If you had any rejections, how did you deal with that emotionally? How did this kind of rejection compare to query rejections?
Oh, I had rejections. It definitely hurt more than a query rejection, because it was like, “Not only do I reject your premise, but I reject your WRITING!! BWAA HA HA!!” *throws lightning bolt* OK, not really. My rejections were actually all very complimentary and explanatory about reasons for passing, which I did appreciate.
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?
It was hard to process because some of it was directly contradictory to feedback I’d received the day before. My agent and I sat down in a phone conversation and culled through all our feedback at one point and we decided that a lot of what we were seeing was personal preference. However, there were one or two consistent points that weren’t working for editors, and we took that seriously.
When you got your YES! how did that feel? How did you find out – email, telephone, smoke signal?
I got my YES over email, as it came in late on a weekday evening. How did it feel? I literally slammed my laptop shut and took the Lord’s name in vain. Then I apologized to both the Lord and the laptop and opened it back up again. The email was still there. I was kind of freaked out. And I literally couldn’t sleep. I was up til 3 AM two nights in a row.
Did you have to wait a period of time before sharing your big news, because of details being ironed out? Was that difficult?
I had my first offer on a Wednesday, then a few more offers came in on Thursday. Adriann and I talked details and decided what the best fit was on Thursday evening, and my Publisher’s Marketplace announcement went up on Sunday. So no, I didn’t have to wait long. I told my family members, and they took my direction to keep it quiet very, very seriously. They whispered whenever they talked to me about it ☺
Listmaker, Listmaker, Make Me A List
I’m slightly OCD. It’s one of the qualifications for librarianship.
OK, not really, but I find that the hyper-responsibility side effects are valuable in all three venues of my life – home, work, and writing career.
I could spend every hour of each day on one of these aspects, but that would mean the other two falter and die. The first type of death means that no one in my household eats or has clean clothes. The second would translate into a pile of books on the bookcart and hundreds of cranky, panicked teenagers. The third means no forward motion towards my goal of publication. None. No new blog posts, no networking tweets, no AQC downtime, and definitely no additional word count on the WIP.
None of these things are acceptable.
So I give a little to all three each day, and the only way to keep myself straight on what needs to be done is by taking a very simple, yet highly effective time-management step. I make lists.
I use a Stickies program on my laptop to manage my three-ring circus. The yellow sticky lists my household duties for the day, which I try to manage one thing at a time. Monday is vacuuming, Tuesday dusting, dishes are done every other day and laundry waits for the weekend. The pink sticky directs my attention to the most pressing needs in the workplace, listed by priority. The wall above my desk serves as a big-picture amalgamation of stickies telling me what needs to be accomplished long term.
Interesting genetic factoid: my sister (also a co-worker) pointed out that the wall above our Dad’s desk at the homestead looks exactly the same.
And lastly, my green sticky tells me what I need to be doing in writing-career land. And it doesn’t say – HEY YOU! WRITE A BOOK! There are many ways to keep the literary brain cranking, and I need quiet and uninterrupted stretches of time to nail down that WIP.
So what does the green sticky say?
It has links to various web pages that are helping me out with my research, so that I can easily hit up information during short downtimes. There are reminders about critiques that I need to get back to betas, ideas for blog posts, names of people I want to contact for interviews, and titles of books that I want to read and review.
Sounds like a lot, but all of those little steps are furthering me down the path of my writing career, and they can be addressed during the brief moments during the day that chance sometimes allots to me. I guess in the end that’s the secret to my time-management; knowing to address the little goals during little moments, and constantly reminding myself that the big goal for the evening is to crack out another 1k.
The other secret isn’t such a secret – don’t be lazy.
Sure, I’d rather watch Firefly reruns sometimes, but I’m reminded of a sports t-shirt I had in high school that read – “Whenever you are not practicing, somewhere, your opponent is, and when you meet, s/he will win.”
I might not actually wear a t-shirt that says, “Somewhere another writer wants to watch Firefly too, but they’re writing instead. And they’re published.”
But you get the idea.
Mindy McGinnis In Queryland
Today is a conversation with a Queen Blogger (kinda like a queen bee but virtual). She moderates on Agent Query, contributes to The Write Angle and has her own blog she somehow manages to keep updated without breaking a sweat. If you've spent any time in Queryland, you've run into her and probably benefited from her advice/encouragement.
Because she knows a LOT about Queryland. She was a resident there for TEN - yes, that's 1-0 - years. She puts the 'e' in perseverance, she shames the Energizer bunny, she never quits...she's Mindy McGinnis!! *cymbals, confetti, happy dance*
Ten years is a whole lot of perseverance. Why didn't you quit?
Short answer: Because I knew I didn’t suck. Long answer: But that doesn’t mean I didn’t have periods when I was completely convinced I sucked. Humility is a must for a writer. I can’t tell you how many agent interviews I’ve read where they say that cocky writers are almost always bad writers, and a cocky query goes into the trash before they even get to the pages. So in a way, it’s a great thing that I went through a decade of rejections on multiple mss. I needed to learn that lesson.
Conviction played a huge part in my decision to push through the sh*t and keep going. Writing is what I do. I double-majored in English Literature and Religion, which made me pretty popular when it came to decoding LOST but other than that I’m not a useful person. My brain is a fun place, but ultimately, not a practical one.
Talk about the MS that landed you an agent. How was it different from the others?
There were a few factors at work. I’m definitely a much better writer than I was, so the ms itself was stronger. But also the market was in my favor, as it’s a dystopian title, and I also managed to totally click with Adriann Ranta over the phone so it was a big rolling ball of positive happiness that week. NOT A DROP TO DRINK is about a time in the near future when our freshwater resources have been exhausted, and people will literally kill for a drink. It’s bleak and realistic, no magic, creatures, or sci-fi elements, which sets it apart from a lot of dystopian. Adriann liked that about it, and hopefully an editor will too.
Is the writing life different with an agent? In other words, is the pot of gold really at the end of that rainbow??
At first it felt odd, I admit, when I sat down to write after being agented. I thought, “OK Mindy, this actually matters now.” But once the fingers started moving across the keyboard I was still me, agented or not. The thing that is awesome about being agented is that you don’t have to agonize some decisions quite as much. For example, if I think, “Oh man, I don’t know if this plot twist is going to totally sink the whole ms,” I can answer that with, “If it does, Adriann will tell me and we can fix it together.” Having a professional in your corner makes your corner a more comfortable place.
You are a super blogger - you have your own and you contribute to another (From the Write Angle) as well as serve as a site moderator for the writing community at AgentQuery Connect. What kind of time does that require?
Great question. I started up Writer, Writer, Pants on Fire intending to post once a week, but my brain is an active place, so it turned into three times a week, and now I’m posting daily. I tend to churn out five or six ideas at a time for blog posts, so I front load like crazy.
Team blogging on From the Write Angle is a real treat. We’ve got everything from middle school teachers to erotica writers to lawyers and a former XENA writer, so we have a good time. We each contribute once a month so it’s not a heavy load, and the return is incredible. I get so many redirects to WriterWriter off of FTWA it’s amazing.
And AgentQuery… I can’t say enough about that community – and obviously I’m a talker. There is no doubt in my mind that I would have never landed an agent without the support and advice of my fellow AQ’ers, and while it might sound lame, I’m all about giving back. It’s a kind, welcoming community. We host a weekly chat there on Thursdays @ 9PM (EDT) and newbies are always welcome! I’ve never clocked it but I’d guess I spend about seven or eight hours a week over there, and I don’t resent a second of it.
How do you avoid being sucked into the social media machine?
Getting swallowed by and losing my soul in the social media world? I’m not really worried about it, I’ve got so much to say I need to spread it around a little!
Explain AQ to newbies, and then share how you became a contributor.
AgentQuery is an online writing community designed to help aspiring writers tone their queries, find agent information, connect with other writers, share their thoughts on the industry… just about anything, really. I stumbled across it about three years ago while searching for agent contact information. I lurked, then joined after seeing the quality of the responses the veteran members provided for newbies. I got up some guts and approached a few vets personally and asked them to look at my query – which they did – and shredded it for me, politely. I posted the revised query on the forums, and it went through a positive transformation in a matter of days. I went from a collection of form rejections to a smattering of requests.
The site moved to a new software system about a year ago. A few of the veterans were asked if we’d like to be more involved with moderation on the revamped site. We immediately said yes and were handed a few of the keys off the kingdom’s keyring.
What are some unwritten blogging rules you've discovered over the past few years?
Don’t talk about yourself too much. Don’t treat your blog as a ME billboard. No one cares. Offer your followers something in your content that isn’t just about selling your book.
Are there types of posts that get more responses?
And now I’ll contradict myself – the posts featuring interviews, queries that worked, advice from bloggers and agents tend to get the highest traffic, but the posts with the highest comments are almost always the ones about something silly – like me falling down the stairs and cracking my head open.
Speaking of responses, in your experience, what kind of queries get good ones?
The ones that show they’ve done their homework. Yes, it’s frustrating to hear that. You want your talent to take you through to the top, not your research skills. But it is what it is.
What are some good guidelines for tailoring a query?
I always start with the hook, put my title, genre, brief bio and word count at the end. As far as personalization, if the agent has requested something of mine before, I do mention it. Other than that I’ve not had a lot of luck off queries that I put a lot of time into personalizing.
When do you know your query needs reworking?
I sent out batches of ten, and if I didn’t get at least two requests of some sort (partial, full, etc.) I’d rework. The exception to that is if I had rejections that were obviously personalized, but the agent was passing for some reason. In that case I knew it wasn’t the query, but a matter of subjectivity. If you’re getting form r’s – sign up at AQ!
Agreed - AQ and QueryTracker are the best tools on the web for Queryland. Bar none.
Fast five:
Celebrity you would marry:
Oh, I have to marry them? In that case, Edward Norton. I could have conversations with him the rest of my life.
Oh, agree! Edward Norton is totally hot in a cerebral way.
Biggest pet peeve while driving:
Being pulled over.
Um...does this happen a lot to you?
Word you hate:
Penalized – when it’s pronounced like “penal colony.” Pretty much anything with “penal” is just not a good one to toss out there often.
It's just too close to penis. There. I said it. (You were all thinking it!)
The first thing you'd wish for if you had a magic wand:
A book deal. But I also want a zero turn mower, so that’s kinda tough.
Hmmm...book deal...zero turn mower...eh, not that tough.
Favorite movie you saw last summer:
Well, I don’t get out much. I only saw one movie last summer. I’ll say that my favorite things I watched late summer were shows on streaming. I don’t have cable so I have to catch up on DEXTER and BREAKING BAD a season late.
Netflix streaming movie selection isn't great. :( But I'll definitely check out those shows the next time I sign off.
Interview with Mindy McGinnis
1) What genre(s) do you write? And why?
I write YA. I’m a YA librarian and I spend 40 a week with my target audience, plus I’m immersed in the market as part of the job, so it was kind of a no brainer to write YA. Plus, this market exploded right when I decided to jump back into writing, so it was the route to take. I found out I loved it after cranking out a few YA novels.
2) Tell us about your latest project. This is your chance to crow about being published, agented, or winning a contest.
My dystopian, NOT A DROP TO DRINK, is being subbed right now. My agent, Adriann Ranta, is doing an excellent job of getting it on the desks of people who can make it happen. DRINK is about a future where there is very little freshwater, and people kill over backyard ponds and streams. The query can be found here.
3) Other than writing, how do you like to spend your time?
I have no time. I’ve got five acres, and yes – a pond, a massive old farmhouse and feral cats that seem to flock to me. They hate me, but they love to tribute me with their babies. It’s a lose – lose. I also knit, scrapbook, read like a fiend, and blog. Sometimes I eat. Once in awhile, I try sleeping.
4) Do you have any tattoo’s, if so where? If not, do you want any?
No tatts. I’m hard pressed to think of something I want on my body for the rest of my life.
5) What is the last book you read? Did you like it?
I just finished up THE DARK AND HOLLOW PLACES by Carrie Ryan last night. It’s the third of THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH trilogy. I’m sold on these books because Ryan does an excellent job of writing with female narrators, but making the books accessible to males. I’ve got more male readers of the series in my library than females.
6) What is your advice to those who want to be authors? (I know, it’s a crummy one, but needs to be asked)
My advice? If there’s anything else you think you want to do, do that instead. No really, you do have to ask yourself how much you want this, and how much you’re willing to give for it. I was trying to find an agent for ten years before I landed Adriann. Granted, I wasn’t actively querying and looking for that whole time, but it was a decade-long slog of rejections and disappointment.
Part of the reason I failed on such a grand scale is because I was naive enough to think that talent is what lands you the contract. I didn’t do research, I didn’t know how to write a query, I didn’t want to invest the time involved in knowing how to do things the right way. I was self-righteous enough to think that someone would instantly fall in love with me, and it’d be magic.
Wrong.
Do your homework, always. Yeah, it sucks that there’s rules, and formulas, and red tape everywhere to keep you from your dream, but if you want it, you jump through those hoops. Join sites like AgentQueryConnect and QueryTracker, find crit partners, read industry and writer-related blogs, and know your market.
7) Tell us one thing no one knows about you
I can’t think of one thing no one knows about me. I’m a talker, so this one always stumps me when it comes up. Um… I’m not wearing a bra right now. Nobody knew that.