WDB AUTHOR Q&A
What message do you find yourself repeating over and over to writers?
It’s all about a great idea mixed with characters that readers can really
relate to. And your theme must be universal enough to attract a wide
audience. Idea is only half of the battle, though. The best writers I know
are always learning and working on their writing craft, so execution is also
important.
Would you mind sharing a recent self-publishing success story?
I’ll do a traditional publishing client story:
It’s fun to sell big books. One of my titles, Through to You by Emily
Hainsworth, went in a three-house action for six figures and in a two-book
deal to HarperCollins. There was a two-studio bidding war in Hollywood
the next week and, as of this writing, the novel has sold in 10 foreign
territories. What made it such a hit? A really high-concept light sci-fi
parallel universe premise, a strong market for YA, and impeccable
character and writing craft. This is a great success story for the author, and
a lot of fun for the agent!
What piece of advice have you received over the course of your career
that has had the biggest impact on your success?
It’s all about story. No matter what the medium (print, digital), no matter
what the writing style, no matter what the genre. Ideally, all of these will
line up into something you love, but if it’s a great story, everything else
pales in comparison. And story is all about emotion—about touching your
readers, reflecting their struggles and dreams, and giving them a common
theme and value to resonate with.
What's the worst kind of mistake that new writers, freelancers, or book
authors can make?
Not working seriously on their writing craft. Also, I’d say that I see a lot of
people jump the gun on self-publishing a book because they’re fed up with
rejection…when all they really wanted was traditional publication. Guess
what? The book is already published, and not there’s little that agents and
houses can do for something that’s already online. Impatience kills a lot of
promising careers because writers don’t want to put in all those years of
hard work on their craft. So they flame out, pull the trigger too early, and
get discouraged because they’re not seeing the kinds of sales figures that,
say, Amanda Hocking had.
What does a typical day look like for you?
Agents are always on their toes because very day is different. One day, I’m
reading and commenting on a client manuscript. Another, I’m negotiating a
book deal or looking over a contract. Yet another, I’m pitching a project
around. I also spend time reading books that are published or coming out
soon in order to stay abreast of the market. In a similar vein, I take a lot of
editor meetings to see what houses are looking for. No two days are the
same.
If you could change one thing about publishing, what would it be?
I don’t happen to think that “commercial” is a dirty word. A lot of writers and
literary types do, and a lot of people in my MFA program did. I always put a
premium on writing quality—my entire book is very rigorous in its focus on
craft. But it’s also wonderful to sell a big book that goes on to generate film
interest and foreign sales and that you know will reach a wide audience.
That’s the goal, isn’t it? Plus, I’ve never heard an author complain when
their property does well. The reality is that books are a product and
publishers want to make money (as do authors). There’s pressure to come
up with commercial ideas, and that isn’t conducive to creative thinking
sometimes, but overall, a book that has a shot at the big time is the dream,
and there’s nothing wrong with writing one.
In what way (if any) has your writing/publishing life changed in the past 5
years?
I’m learning more about digital publishing now because I believe it’s
important for the future—both mine and that of my clients. It’s uncertain,
sure, but I see it as an opportunity rather than the end of the world.
Do you have any advice for new writers on building an audience?
Think about yourself as a brand. What kinds of stories interest you? What’s
your personal literary talent, whether it’s snappy dialogue or gorgeous
description or rip-roaring action? Don’t just build yourself title by title…build
yourself up as the kind of writer that delivers something specific, whether
you’re unpublished and writing for online journals or on the tenth book of
your career. That’s called your authorial voice, and it should span every
book you do.
What about advice for writers seeking agents?
Whenever you think your manuscript is ready, run it by a critique group,
revise, put it away for three months, and then revise again. Only .01% of
people will follow this advice and actually DO IT. While I can’t guarantee
that they’ll gain representation, they’ll learn what a difference a new set of
eyes and then new perspective can make. This is a very important writing
lesson to learn firsthand.
What do you see as your biggest publishing accomplishment?
What really lights up YA novels for me is the idea of those electric teen
first—I love seeing characters who are experiencing all of these
complicated and emotional life events (first love, first heartbreak, etc.) for
the first time on the page. So one of my proudest publishing
accomplishments is the first book that I really developed with a client and
went on to sell well. My initial few sales came from clients who already had
editor interest. But Lindsay Ward, who happens to be my first client, and I
worked on When Blue Met Egg from the ground up, tweaking the idea,
going back and forth on the dummy, and finally placing it with a wonderful
editor at Penguin. I feel like it was my first book sale that genuinely went all
the way from idea to contract, with my input at every stage of the game,
and I’m still very proud every time I see it on shelves. Another
accomplishment for me is the blog and all of the wonderful readers who
follow it, ask me questions, and otherwise make my life interesting. Without
them, Writing Irresistible Kidlit would simply not have been possible, and
I’m really proud to be at the center of such a great community.
Any final thoughts?
This seems pretty complete to me, but you can be the judge of that!
Thanks!