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Writing discipline (or putting butt in chair and getting it done)
Discipline is probably the biggest problem for aspiring authors (and published ones, too). Just because I have books sitting on bookstore shelves doesn't mean I'm not prone to procrastinate the heck out of my writing time while sitting at my computer. I do it on a daily basis; however, I also write on a daily basis. There's "writing business" stuff that has to be attended to like answering emails, writing my blog, and posting over on Raine's Rangers. But being in the vicinity of a computer also tempts me to read my friends' blogs, check out the news (aka: who did what to whom today), surf my favorite sites, and check my Amazon rankings (hangs head in shame). These things aren't bad, in fact they're necessary (with the exception of the Amazon rankings). But like all things, moderation is key. I set aside half an hour at the most in the morning and again in the evening to take care of business, and then I tell myself that it's time to get down to business -- writing. I no longer have a problem with putting my butt in my chair in front of my laptop and writing until the work gets done. But I used to. I've been writing since I was about six, but it was only in my college days that I decided I wanted to be a published author. Back then I'd write only when I felt like it or when I felt inspired. I thought this would be enough. Well, it wasn't. I wasn't getting anywhere, but more importantly, I wasn't becoming a better writer. Then I read in one of the many writing books that were crowding my bookshelves, that if you wanted to get better, you had to write more often, like every day. You had to write regardless of how crappy you felt, regardless of your mood, regardless of your workload. The authors of those books (who also happened to be the authors of many other books) said there was always time to squeeze in a few minutes. They were right. I have a full-time job, so carving out time to write wasn't (and still isn't) easy, but I really wanted to be published, so I found the time. I started writing on a more regular schedule, and I could see the improvement. And when I saw the improvement, I wanted to write more. With that came confidence and a determination to reach my goal. I'd still be writing even if I wasn't published, because writing isn't just what I do -- writing is who I am. It's like an addiction, you can't stop, and you don't want to. When I'm not writing, I'm thinking about writing. When I'm writing, I'm happy. When I'm between projects, I can get a little cranky. Just ask my fabulous (and patient and supportive) husband. So writing dicipline isn't something you have, it's something you have to grow. It all boils down to one question -- how badly do you want it?
Coming up tomorrow (possibly) for the Saturday Fun Pic: My new headshots are back from the photographer, and Webmaster Todd will be posting them this weekend, possibly tonight. I chose five photos, and Todd will be posting all five. One will be on the banner that's at the top of each page, one will be on the Events page, two will be on the Meet Lisa page, and one will be on the Contact page. So when they're posted, cruise around the site, check 'em out, and let me know what you think. ; ) I'll also post an update tomorrow of how the edits are going for The Trouble With Demons.
Coming up next week: Writer's block, 1st person vs 3rd person, writing & critique groups, music I listen to while writing, and how I plot a book. Happy Friday, everybody! Lisa
2009 Romantic Times Booklovers Convention
This is me just before they opened the doors to the Giant Book Fair at last year's RT Con -- 350 authors and 3,000-5,000 fans.
I'll be speaking on a panel and signing at the book fair at the Romantic Times Booklovers Convention at the Wyndham Orlando Resort in Orlando, FL, April 22-26, 2009. Yeah, I know it seems a little early to talk about convention appearances for next year, but in case some of you are interested in going, it's not too early to put it on your calendar. Rooms in the convention hotel get snapped up quickly. Here's a link to the convention's "pre-website" where you can sign up to get notified via email when convention registration opens. I consider myself to be a fantasy author, but since my book has what the industry calls "romantic elements," I've been enthusiastically embraced by romance fans. Thank you!! Last year was my first time at the RT Con, and I had an absolute blast -- and as an added bonus, I got to speak to Fabio in a hotel hallway (apparently we were staying on the same floor). FYI -- I'd never been a Fabio fan before then, but for the record, he's very tall and extremely yum. And heck, blonds aren't even my type. ; ) Once again, Linnea Sinclair (romantic sci-fi author extraordinaire, mentor, and author gal pal) has invited me to speak on her panel STARSHIPS & SORCERY. It'll run for 2 hours, and here's the session description: Explore the best of both universes with today's top science fiction and fantasy romance authors. Learn how these bestselling authors build their worlds and craft their characters in the most imaginative of genres. What are the five worst mistakes a science fiction or fantasy author can make? What were these top authors' scariest moments in writing? And why are men now flocking to read science fiction romance? Have questions about these authors' books or characters? Bring 'em! Don't miss this out-of-this world panel, and, oh yes, there will be a door-prize drawing. MODERATOR: Linnea Sinclair PANELISTS: P.C. Cast, Stacey Klemstein, Cindy Holby/Colby Hodge, Lisa Shearin, Robin D. Owens, Ann Aguirre, Eve Silver/Eve Kenin, Karen Miller, Michele Lang. More authors to be announced. Upcoming topics through next week: Writing discipline, writer's block, 1st person vs 3rd person, writing & critique groups, music I listen to while writing, and how I plot a book. Lisa
Book promotion & advertising
Back when I was a brand-new, under contract, and about to be published author. . .I had visions of bookstores with promotional posters of my book covers, plenty of local press coverage, splashy ads in glossy industry magazines, etc. If you're working on your own books, I'm sure you entertain yourself with the same visions. Okay, prepare for a wee bit of cold, hard reality. Unless you're a celebrity author or have been anointed as the next JK Rowling, the vast majority of your advertising and promotion is up to you. Your publisher will send out Advance Reader Copies (ARCs) of your book to reviewers, industry pubs, bookbuyers, etc. to drum up reviews and orders. (BTW -- ARCs are the typeset and bound copies of your book before the final corrections are made. They're generally larger than the actual paperback version of your book, because the pages aren't trimmed down to size yet. The covers are generally white and have the text your cover will have, but without the art.) I've always imagined framed posters of my book covers in my office (and you probably imagine the same). Well, you'll have to have them made yourself. I was fortunate to have a friend who is a professional photographer. Jimmy told me what kind of file he needed of my covers (I believe it was a really high-res TIFF). I asked my editor for that, who relayed my request to the art department. Jimmy did his magic, and sent the file to a vendor he uses to output large prints, et volia -- I have framed posters of my covers on my walls. Point is, chances are you're gonna have to do this (and pay for it) for yourself. Local press coverage. After working for about 20 years to attain my dream of publication, I thought I'd have local press all over me. Wrong. For the past two years, my publicist at Ace Books has done a splendid job of getting the word out to all of my local newspapers and magazines. We've had a few nibbles, but no takers. My area is literally swarming with authors, quite a few of them famous. The news that there's another author in town has apparently been met with yawns. We'll keep trying , but quite frankly, local press might get you a few more book sales, but mainly its an ego/affirmation thing. To see yourself and your book in your local media gives you that little thrill that you've "arrived." If you can get local press coverage in your area, bravo! : ) Advertising. Ads in industry publications are expensive, and guess what? The cost comes out of your pocket. My publisher's art department will design my ads for me for free, and I took them up on it once. But since I work in an advertising agency, I just asked our senior designer (also a fantasy/sci-fi fan) to do mine. After doing a little research, I determined that advertising in Realms of Fantasy magazine would give me my biggest bang for the buck. If you're going to run ads, do your research, identify your target market, and determine which publication will reach the most of that market. I generally go with the issue before my books come out and the issue after. It works for me. The Internet. It's just about the best way to get the word out about your books, and it's free. (except for your Internet provider bill every month, which by the way is tax deductible). I love the Internet! I can't imagine trying to reach out to my fans without it. The Internet lets you talk to anyone, virtually anywhere. What did authors do before websites, blogs, forums, review sites, chats, etc.? I get to talk to fans from all over the world, which is just too cool! Word of mouth from fans online is hands down the best way to spread the word. So if you loved MLTF and A&M, tell your friends, your family, your everybody! Conferences and conventions. They can be pricey to attend (registration, travel, hotel, etc. -- all tax deductible), but the networking with industry people (fellow authors, editors, agents, reviewers, etc.) is priceless. I'll be at the Romantic Times Booklovers Convention in Orlando April 22-29. My mentor/author fairy godsister Linnea Sinclair (I don't know what I'd have done without her) has again graciously asked me to be on her SciFi/Fantasy panel. Thank you, Linnea! So if any of you are planning to be there, please look me up; I'd love to meet you! Coming up tomorrow: I have the information on the panel session I'll be doing at the Romantic Times Convention at the Wyndham Orlando Resort in (of course) Orlando, FL. The title of our session is "Starships and Sorcery." Tomorrow I'll give you details and tell you which authors will be on the panel. Upcoming topics through next week: Writing discipline, writer's block, 1st person vs 3rd person, writing & critique groups, music I listen to while writing, and how I plot a book. Lisa
Update on The Trouble With Demons
Tomorrow, I'll continue my series on "Things I didn't know until I got published." Today, it's a quick update on how the edits are going on The Trouble With Demons. I say "quick" because thanks to the generosity of the advertising agency where I work, I don't have to be in the office until 10:30 (I'm usually there at 7:30). They let me use my vacation time in snippets when I'm under the gun to get a lot of writing done. Yes, this place is workplace Shangra-La. : ) I'm in the toughest part of the edits now. It's going great, but hot & steamy scenes ain't easy to write -- at least they ain't easy for me. Got a demon running amok in police headquarters? No problem. The words flow like water. Get a hot & steamy chapter just right? Jeez, brain cells die by the thousands. ; ) You guys are gonna love this book when it hits the shelves. And it's like you all are standing over my shoulder while I'm writing -- yes, my office is a triffle crowded. I know what you want; and I'm doing my best to deliver. ; ) Tomorrow I'll talk about advertising for your book, but for now, the clock's ticking and I've got to get back to the writing. Coming up this week: I'll continue my series on "Things I didn't know until I got published " with advertising and book promo that you have to do for yourself, and more. Lisa
Amazon rankings -- The good, the bad, and the meaningless
One of the first things newly published authors do is go "gaga" (aka "crazy, nuts, obsessive") over their Amazon rankings. The rankings change hourly, which makes it even more tantalizing to just go take a quick peek. And for the truly ranking-crazed, Amazon has sites for the U.S., UK, Canada, Germany, France, Japan, and China -- giving an already procrastinating author limitless opportunities to waste their precious writing time checking their ranks in seven countries. This can quickly deteroriate into a ratings-checking addiction. I've heard checking Amazon rankings called "crack for authors." It's true.
What it boils down to is that Amazon rankings are like an auto accident -- you know you should keep moving, and don't slow down to look, but you do it anyway. Basically, Amazon rankings don't mean diddly-squat to your sales, it's merely a ranking of how your book sells versus other books, not how many books you've sold -- which is the number that your publisher cares about.
One of the best explanations of what Amazon's rankings mean (and more importantly, what they don't mean) comes from the venerable (and much missed) Miss Snark. As always, she's priceless. ; )
Coming up this week: I'll continue my series on "Things I didn't know until I got published " with advertising and book promo that you have to do for yourself, and more. I'll also give you an update on how the edits for The Trouble With Demons are going. Lisa
Fun stuff and fabulous news!
 Does Felicia look like Raine, or what? ; ) Actress Felicia Day (who is a big fan of my books -- how cool is that?) stars with Neil Patrick Harris of How I Met Your Mother, and Nathan Fillion of Desperate Housewives in Joss Whedon's new online megahit project: Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. The first two episodes are up now, and they are hilarious! The third posts today. Watch, enjoy, and pass on the link to your friends and Blog buddies. Felicia will also be in an episode of House in September. Here's a promo clip for Season 5 (Felicia is a patient, and Hugh Laurie has a meat cleaver. Priceless.) Now for my cool news: My query letter for Magic Lost, Trouble Found will be featured in the book The Writer's Digest Guide to Queries which will be on bookstore shelves in December! I'm thrilled and honored to be included. As all of you who are writers know, Writer's Digest Books is the place to go for books on virtually any and all writing-related topics. I've accumulated a ton of their books over the years. And while I was agonizing over my query letter way back when, if someone would have told me that not only would that letter lead to me getting a top agent, and signing with a top publisher, but that the folks at Writer's Digest would want to feature it in a book -- I'd have told them that they were stark-raving loony. It just goes to show that in the writing business, you never know what's gonna happen next. ; ) Have a great weekend! Lisa Coming up next week: I'll continue my series on "Things I didn't know until I got published " with Amazon rankings, advertising and book promo that you have to do for yourself, and more.
Buying gifts for your publishing team
As a writer, you write alone -- but you don't get that book to the bookstore shelves by yourself. It takes a team. And when people bust their butts for me, I want to make sure they feel appreciated. In today's post, I'll give you some links to places that have wonderful gifts for the publishing people who matter the most.
My core publishing "team" consists of my agent (Kristin Nelson), her assistant (Sara Megibow), Chutney (the agency wonder dog), my editor at Ace Books (Anne Sowards), her assistant (Cameron Dufty), and my publicist at Ace (Valerie Cortes).
I have favorite websites I use for buying and sending gifts: The quality of all three sites is incredible. ProFlowers runs some wonderful sales. My favorite from ProFlowers is the two dozen assorted color roses. A vase is a little extra. My advice is to get the vase, not everyone keeps a flower vase sitting around the office. And then there's shipping (which varies according to the location). Pop over to their site; they have some wonderful prices, and their flowers are magnificent. And believe me, two dozen perfect roses make one heck of an impression. Last year when Kristin and Anne finished negotiating the deal for The Trouble With Demons and Bewitched & Betrayed, I sent them both roses. They didn't expect it (which made it even more fun) and both of them were completely blown away. ; ) I wanted Kristin to know that as an agent, she walks on water; and I wanted Anne to know how thrilled I was to get to continue to work with her. ProFlowers helped me make my gratitude loud and clear.
For Christmas last year, I went with See's Candies. A coworker of mine who knows her chocolates, raved about them. She was right. Their taste, quality, prices, and selection are much better than a lot of the expensive chocolates you could buy. Of course, I bought a box for me and Derek to do a taste test before giving them as gifts. YUM!! And you can tell that they're incredibly fresh. Anyhoo, last Christmas I did chocolates for my entire publishing team (except Chutney who can't have chocolate). I'll think I'll go with a Christmas dog treat assortment for Kristin's office wonder dog. *Important note about sending Christmas presents if your publisher is in New York: Send your gift to arrive no later than the second week of December. The NY publishing industry essentially shuts down during the holidays. BUT if you send your gift to arrive the first week in December, your gift might be the first one that they get. ; )
And in my post on Monday, July 14, I talked about giving gifts to the bookstore manager or event coordinator who made all the arrangements for your booksigning.
Wine Country Gift Baskets -- I've used them during my time in corporate life, and send them as personal gifts as well. Again, wonderful quality, arrives in pristine condition. And it's much more than just wine. They offer gourmet food baskets, bath & spa baskets, coffee & tea baskets, and "welcome the new baby" baskets.
BTW -- All gifts related to your writing business are tax deductible.
A gift for important occasions makes the people who help your career on a daily basis feel appreciated. I always try to make sure those ladies feel appreciated. And when you're emailing them for one reason or another, include thanks and kudos. You never need a special occasion to say thank you.
Coming up tomorrow: I'll have a special Saturday Fun Pic along with some REALLY COOL AND EXCITING NEWS! Then next week, I'll continue my series on "Things I didn't know until I got published " with Amazon rankings, advertising, your literary legacy (your will), book promo that you have to do for yourself, and more. Happy Friday! Lisa
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