Top Tips for Prospective Authors (Write Well Wednesday)

As Boskone this past weekend, I went to a terrific panel for prospective authors called "My Top Ten Picks for Prospective Authors."  Panelists included David G. Hartwell, Joshua Bilmes, Patrick Nielsen Hayden, Toni Weisskopf, and John Scalzi.  Needless to say, I came out with more than ten tips.  Here's a quick run-down (in no particular order).  I didn't list who brought what up because everyone on the panel contributed to each tip.

1.  Be a good writer.
No brainer, right?  Apparently not, lol.  Be the best writer you can be, kids.  It pays.

2.  Get used to sucking.
There's always going to be someone better than you.  You'll always have critics.  There's always going to be something to fix about your manuscript, so just learn to swallow your pride.

3.  Divest yourself of all attachments.
Be able to write where and whenever, without any props.  The life of a writer is hectic, don't get your muse into a habit of needing your special spot, your special mug, and Chopin playing in the background.  You should be able to write anywhere, no matter what.

4.  Know the difference between storytelling and being a published author.
Are you writing just to have a story published or are you writing to become a professional?  This may change how you choose to edit, publish, and market your book.

5.  Write to entertain somebody else.
 Know your audience and what they want.  If you are a professional writer who wants to make money, learn how to cash this in.  You're not selling out if this is what you do for a career.

6.  Write a practice novel.
Don't let your baby be your first novel.  It's going to suck.  For your first novel, write about something you don't care about.  Learn how to write by writing this practice novel.  Then, forget it exists.  Now, go do your baby some justice.

7.  Pitch the book that you love.
Ever hear that song Passion Leaves a Trace?  Agents and Editors can smell enthusiasm, pitch what you care about and leave the stuff you don't care about in the sock drawer.  Half the time, they take a book because YOU care, and that makes them care.

8.  Look at acknowledgements in published books.
Find an editor/agent that handles a book similar to what you write and personalize your query around that point.

9.  Write the book that you want to read.
This goes back to the passion thing.  The market is a moving target.  Don't try to follow the market because by the time you get your book out there, the market will have moved.  So, write what you want most and give up writing the book that bores you.

10.  Don't rely on money or time as a writer.
You're never going to have time, and if you're 95% of writers, you wont have the money either.  Just make it happen because if you don't, it's not going to.  Also, remember that most of the money you make is going into taxes and other annoying things, so don't count your chickens or overspend before you understand where it's all going.

11.  Have a partner with a stable job.
This goes back to the money thing.  Some years your stuff just won't sell.  Don't rely on writing to pay the bills or feed you.

12.  Your writer friends will do better than you.
Some will get the agent before you.  Some will get contracts before you.  Some will become USA Today Bestsellers and others will win awards.  And you might still be revising your first novel.  Yup, I've been there, so just suck it up and let it go.  The Little Green Monster is an evil one.

13.  Luck is HUGE.
Wanna know why that crappy author got the big contract and no one will sign you?  They were just lucky.  I'm not kidding or saying that just to make you feel better.  Timing and luck are everything in this industry.  You may get an editor on a bad day or just after a big sale.  You may be the first manuscript to fit the desires of a moving market.  You never know, so just keep trying your luck.

14.  You will not make enough money to live on.
The likelihood of being able to support yourself as a writer is very low.   Take a vow of poverty and start investing in Win For Life tickets.

15.  Are you in it to publish or make money?
Ask yourself this question.  It will completely re-shape how you approach yourself as a writer and how you go about publishing and promoting yourself.

16.  What is your return on your investment?
We never have time or money, so ask yourself if everything you do is worth the return on your investment of time and money.

17.  Don't overwork your manuscript by going to too many workshops.
Take criticism, but remember that it's your work and you'll never be able to satisfy everyone.  Shoot for the middle ground and ignore the outliers.

18.  Don't stay in the same workshop.
Variety and new eyes and opinions are a good thing.  Always seek something new.

19.  Submission manuscript should be your final manuscript.
Don't submit one manuscript and then give a revised one after you've signed the contract.  When an editor or agent gives you a contract, they are contracting you for what they read and they will work with you on that piece.  Likewise, don't re-pitch something eight times because it's a newer, better version.  Do it right the first time.

20.  Little side projects help build readership.
Yes, you've got a contract for your epic trilogy.  Now, how about a couple of e-book shorts or a piece in an anthology?  Maybe you'll reach someone who may not have readily picked up your trilogy?

21.  Don't be a Dick.
Yup, I said that on national internet, lol.  That's what they said, verbatim.  You need to understand that there is an arc to your career, you're going to suck one year and be a NYT Bestseller the next.  Don't burn your bridges by acting like a diva.  Treat newbies well, don't be lazy and pay attention to what you say and do.

22.  Esteem of peers comes from writing as well as you can and using the Golden Rule.
Just be a good person and try your best to be a good writer.  Other writers can't help but respect that.

23.  Don't get distracted by social networking.
Don't spend twenty hours a week on the internet trying to network if you haven't even finished your novel!  Non-monetary or follower building efforts are not always worth the damage they can do to your career.

24.  Learn how to apologize and do it seriously.
You're going to make a mistake or offend someone eventually.  Just learn how to smooth things over and sound like you actually mean it.

Panel Etiquette

                                      This picture was yanked from my buddy P.J. Schnyder.



“Panels?”

“Yes, panels.” 

“What are those?” 

“Things you should be doing.” 

“Why?”

“Because you are an author.”

It’s the truth.  So many authors think, “Okay, I wrote the book, I got it published, now I just need to sit back and collect royalties.”  Wrong.  Getting published is a very small step in a long list of things you need to do if you want to have a successful career as an author.  What do you need to do after you get published?  Sell yourself.  That’s right.  With the advent of e-publishing, self-publishing, and the YA boom, there are so many people who are published these days that promoting yourself is the only thing that will get you noticed.  What’s one of the ways to do that?

Be on a panel.

That means going to a convention and volunteering to be put up in front of a room full of people to talk about you, your writing, and everything that is related to your writing.  Usually you have other people up there with you.  Usually the people running the convention have designated someone to be the "moderator."  There might be a clock, there might be water, you may have to make your own fire and trap your own lizards.

Once you are put on a panel here are some things to think about.

1.  Make sure you show up.  Don't volunteer to do something and then cop out on it. ESPECIALLY if you are the moderator.  People are coming to see and hear YOU.  The other panelists might sit there waiting for YOU.  And if you show up, people are less likely to like YOU.

2.  Be on time.  Be there when the panel starts.  This might mean investigating where the room you are doing your panel in is BEFORE the panel starts.  Make sure the panel ends on time.  Panels that run over their designated time just make life harder for the next set of panelists.  Bring a watch with you to every convention!

3.  Take care of business before going in.  There is nothing worse for someone trying to concentrate on the panel than someone who is everywhere but.  Arrange your stuff ahead of time, bring a drink, go to the bathroom before coming in, turn off your phone.

4.  Go in with some idea of what the panel is about and how you feel about the topic.  If you are the moderator, make sure you have a clear idea of how you want to run the show.  Make a list of questions or comments that you could make to jump-start a stale conversation.  Often, I've seen moderators set up ground rules at the beginning of the panel.  This may sound childish, but people tend to let down there hair at cons and sometimes that lets their snakes lose too!

5.  Be polite and courteous to your fellow panelists and the people watching the panel.  Wait your turn to speak.  Don't get so passionate about how much you hate sparkly vampires that people make a point to avoid you in the future.

6.  Be professional.  Have your brand face and clothes on.  Treat people the way 'John Doe' the author would talk to people.

7.  Bring your outdoor voice.  I can't tell you how many time I've gone to watch a panel and can't hear the panelist over the heavy breathing of the guy sitting in front of me.

8.  Bring promotional material.  This could be a couple of copies of books, covers, bookmarks, business cards.  Anything people can pick up and take home is good -- preferably it has some way for them to connect to your social networking sites.

9.  Plug yourself.  This is not just fun times talking about your favorite horror scenes.  This is a chance for you to make an impact in the buying habits of those 10-50 people watching you.  Have some kind of mini-pitch lined up.  Usually a moderator will ask panelist to introduce themselves, make sure you introduce your work along with yourself.  Also, try your best to plug your work as you are speaking about the topic.  Don't go overboard by continually picking up your book and saying "buy this."  You want to say things like, "The horror scene in movie X was great because ABC, I wanted to capture that in this particular scene in this particular book.  These are the issues I had."  This type of dialogue is much more interesting and far more likely to get someone curious about your work because it shows you CARE about the work itself, not just selling it.

10.  No matter how much 'that guy' bothers you, don't make it obvious to the onlookers.  There's always that one person who either goes on forever or can't seem to make a point or just argues for the sake of it.  Often you and everyone else in the room want to clobber him, but try to look cool and patient.

11.  On the flip side, don't BE that guy.  Try to give everyone a chance to speak and don't speak until you know what you're trying to say.

12.  Handle jerks in the most diplomatic way possible.  Sometimes people butt heads, it's inevitable.  How you handle yourself in one of these tough situations will be how people remember you in the future.

13.  Give the audience some love.  The people are coming because they are interested in the topic.  Don't forget to let them ask questions or add valuable commentary.  Just because someone gave you a seat at the front doesn't mean you're King of the Panel.

14.  With #14 in mind, stay on topic.  You're all in the same room for a reason.  It's to talk about the panel topic.  Keeping on topic is the moderator's job, BUT if you find the discussion getting off topic and no one is doing anything about it, try to gently steer it back in the right direction.