Ashley R. Carlson: How to be an award-winning self-published author

I first happened across author Ashley R. Carlson in the magical world of Twitter, where I heard that she was writing a steampunk fantasy book called The Charismatics. 

The words 'steampunk fantasy' will never not grab my attention, mainly because that's the genre I've written a novel in myself and I love the potential that it offers. And so it transpired that I followed Ashley's journey as she decided to self-publish - and so far has been doing an AMAZING job, to the point where she's even picked up some awards.

I must admit that I've been against the idea of self-publishing my current novel for a long time, but watching authors like Ashley kick all kinds of ass is making me rethink my (probably rather stupid) stance. So I figured I'd have a chat with her about the whole thing, from her decision to avoid the traditional route to her writing and marketing processes...

 

Amazing author Ashley R. Carlson

You say on your blog that you considered traditional publishing for about two hours before deciding it wasn’t for you. What were the key aspects of self-publishing that sold you on that route?

Ah, yes, I remember saying that. Now, after meeting Chuck Wendig at Phoenix Comicon 2015 (and chatting with him for a solid hour, which was AH-mazing), I have mixed feelings about traditional publishing versus self-publishing.

However, when I first started writing seriously, the reason I was so drawn to self-publishing was that I liked how easily (in a sense) I could get my work out there into the world. Yes, I had to hire a cover designer, formatter and editor. Yes, I did do over six drafts altogether of my debut novel, “The Charismatics.” But a book that I started in May of 2014 was published and in the hands of readers by that December—and to me, that was intoxicating. The publishing gates were opened SO much wider with the popularity of the e-reader and KDP, and I think that it’s exciting. It *did* allow for a lot of sub-par content, but I think that when a self-published book is of a certain caliber, it will find an audience. The most important things to do are to keep writing, and to keep writing well.

Plus, when you’re a self-published author with a built-in readership and strong author platform, traditional publishing houses will probably give you a much better chance to wow them—they are in the business of making money, so if your work has proven to be successful as a self-published author, it’s a win-win for you both.

These days even traditionally published authors have to get their hands dirty with those things most introverted writer types hate – namely marketing and having to be social! Yet your approach to this side of the business is quite fantastic (with guest post blogs, interviews, video blogs and even motivational speaking). What's your secret?

By nature I am a pretty extroverted person, so this hasn’t been hard for me to delve into (the social media side of building my author brand). The other thing that’s really important to me, just as a person, is being authentic. I’m very open (as you can see from my “Dating Fails” YouTube video), and I never want to be “spammy” about my books or an annoyance. I want people to enjoy reading my tweets or Facebook posts because I make them laugh or show my personality, not because I’ve screamed BUY MY BOOK ON AMAZON at them twenty times that day through Hootsuite.

Social media marketing is a delicate matter—yes, tell people about your books. Be proud of your work. But also just be a fun person; if you do that, people will check out your website and your books anyway. I tweeted something funny recently to my friend and author Jenny Bravo, and a reader responded, “If your book is as entertaining as this tweet, I’m buying it.” And I’m pretty sure they did.

My heroes along the way have been Chuck Wendig, Ksenia Anske and Hugh Howey—all amazing writers and self-published authors paving the way for us, writing inspiring and informative blog posts, and doing what I try to emulate: being real people.

You self-published The Charismatics in December last year and you’ve already picked up an award for it. Congratulations!  How did that come about – is submitting your work for awards something that’s key to raising your profile in the world of self-publishing?

Thank you! I’ve gotten two distinctions/awards so far (Self-Publishing Review’s Grand Prize/First Prize in Fiction 2015 Awards, and the Indie B.R.A.G. Medallion for excellence in self-publishing), and yes, I submitted to both of them. I’m fairly certain you always have to submit your own work to contests to be considered (or your traditional publisher has to), and I think it’s a great way to receive validation of your work. It’s not necessarily going to bump sales, at least not right away, but I think it gives a self-published author that “leg up,” like “Hey, my stuff is REALLY GOOD!” (according to those people/organizations).

Just keep in mind that all of these contests cost money, and sometimes upwards of $100 to enter. So I always weigh the pros and cons before submitting, and don’t spend a LOT of time or money searching for contests. If a promising one comes my way, then I do it, but otherwise I’m writing.

Most self-published authors (hell, most authors generally) have day jobs they have to write around. But you’re also an editor and motivational speaker. How do you juggle all these things with the actual process of sitting down to write? 

When I was working at a restaurant until this past April (the terrible day job you were referring to), I did have a hard time writing, mostly because I was very tired. It took me six months to write my recent novella, “Misery and Marlene,” while working full time, whereas I published a 93k fantasy novel in the same amount without a job last year.

But now that I have my own business, Utopia Editing & Ghostwriting Services (contact me for possible hire!), I have the freedom to make my own schedule—and that means writing comes first. Currently I’m rereading The Charismatics in preparation for writing the sequel, but once I get started I’ll plan on doing my required 2k words every morning before diving into my editing projects for the day. It’s a balance, but if you want to be a writer, then you have to WRITE. Whenever I talk to people who say “I’ve always wanted to write a book” (and you wouldn’t BELIEVE how many times I hear that, it’s hilarious), I just say, “What’s stopping you? Start writing! Now! Go!” And then I push them towards a computer. Just kidding. Maybe.

Let’s say you’re a writer with a pretty solid draft and you want to self-publish. What do you need to consider before you hit the upload button?

There are several main issues. Here is my timeline for reference, in chronological order:

1. Beta feedback for 2-3 drafts (or hiring a content editor for this).
2. Editor for proofreading/copy-edits.
3. Book formatted for ePub, MOBI, and paperback if you’re doing one.
4. Cover designed, and deciding whether this will also be paperback. That affects what sort of cover you want, and you also need to know your final page count so the designer can size the spine. Also keep in mind that CreateSpace for paperbacks take several days to link up to Amazon when selling copies, so if you have a “publish date” and want both paperback and e-book for sale at the same time, then you need to coordinate appropriately.
5. Book launch (if you’re doing one). That could include paid advertising, blog tours, posting on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/wherever, giveaways, and even an actual book signing.
6. After all that is said and done … write the next book!

A little bit about the author:

Ashley R. Carlson grew up wanting a talking animal friend and superpowers, and when that didn’t happen, she decided to write them into existence. She lives in Arizona with four (non-talking) pets and one overactive imagination. She is the owner of Utopia Editing & Ghostwriting Services LLC, a company that makes editing, content creation and marketing easy and fun. Her award-winning fantasy novel, “The Charismatics,” can be found on Amazon and her website. See more of Ashley R. Carlson’s writing or editing services at: www.ashleyrcarlson.com.

You can find Ashley at:

Website: https://www.ashleyrcarlson.com

Email: ashleyrcarlson13@gmail.com

Utopia Editing & Ghostwriting Services LLC: https://ashleyrcarlson.com/editing-services

Twitter: @AshleyRCarlson1

The Magic of Soundtracks

It's always struck me as a little odd that the success of a film - whether critical or financial - always seems to rest solely on the actors and director. For me, a truly great soundtrack is the key to everything. Get that right and you can build worlds and establish emotional connections with the audience regardless of what is actually happening on-screen.

I think this applies to writing as well. Of course, we can't provide soundtracks with our books (yet - I'm sure Amazon are working on it), but we can infuse our writing with the same magic that a truly great soundtrack offers. Music opens portals to other universes we can barely even imagine. Allows us to feel the story we want to tell, as we pull the words from our head and put them down on paper.

As most writers of fiction will tell you, a good playlist is almost a necessity when writing.

Sadly, a couple of weeks ago we lost one of those genius portal-openers. James Horner was a legend, a magic-making giant of the industry. Even if you don't know his name, you'll have heard his music - Aliens, Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan, Titanic, Field of Dreams, Braveheart, Apollo 13, Avatar, Willow... the list goes on and on.

But my absolute favourite (and one of the best soundtracks ever) is The Rocketeer. A dream score that I find myself searching out whenever I want to write pretty much anything.

So I wanted to say a belated thank you, Mr Horner. For allowing us to travel beyond this world and bring back some of the magic that we so badly need. You'll be truly missed.

And to anybody who hasn't yet heard The Rocketeer soundtrack, click below and enjoy the ride...

Michael J. Martinez: Inside the editing process of a professional writer

A couple of weeks ago we discussed all things editing with a professional editor. 

For part two of Editing Month (which we'll have to do again next year, so please remind me), I wanted to get a writer's view on the revision process. Not just any old writer, mind you, but a multi-published author who's been in the game for a while and thus would undoubtedly have wise words to share. Thankfully I knew just the man for the job!  

Michael J. Martinez is the writer responsible for launching 18th-century sailing ships into space, and in doing so "seamlessly blends popular elements from science fiction and fantasy, producing a work that raises the bar for both..." (Publishers Weekly, March 2015). His first two novels - The Daedalus Incident and The Enceladus Crisis (the latter of which I had the pleasure of beta reading) - have met with much critical fanfare, and the trilogy wraps up in spectacular fashion today with the launch of The Venusian Gambit!

Though busy with his book release tour, Michael kindly took a little time from his schedule to chat to me about his editing process and about editing in general...

   

Michael J Martinez (photo by Anna Martinez)

You're a fairly prolific writer. Yet whether you're blogging or spinning yarns across the universe, the quality is consistently top notch. Tell us about your editing process - do you edit as you write or amend at the end?

First off, you're way too kind. I certainly don't give my blog posts the same care and feeling as my fiction, so that's nice of you to say. As for my process, it's very much informed by my years as a wire-service journalist. I typically don't edit as I go. For longer works, I outline extensively, then write to that outline. If things wander off course, that's fine - I'll let it wander. Then, I go back and do a full revision. Then another. And possibly another after that, time permitting. I try not to circle back in media res. Ever forward. It gives me that sense of accomplishment I need to keep plowing through the draft. 

DAEDALUS was your first published novel. What happened at the end of that all-important first draft - did you dive straight into revisions yourself,  let it stew for a while, consider hiring a freelance editor to help, or enlist the support of friends and family to critique?

 

Remember, The Daedalus Incident was my debut novel and, frankly, I had no idea whatsoever what I was doing. It never really occurred to me to seek help. If I remember correctly - it's been a while! - I stewed on it for a week or two, then printed it out and went to work on it with a red pen. I did a full revision, then started querying. Of course, this was a mistake, since the book was nowhere near ready and, frankly, I'd never actually written a novel before. It took a very patient agent in Sara Megibow and a series of intensive revisions before she offered representation. But with my background and a relatively rapid turnaround time, I managed to convince her that, at the very least, I could be taught! 

You have so many complex plot threads running through your books, how does the editing process allow you to tie all that together? 

I'm very much an outliner. I make a virtual corkboard in Excel before I write a single word. By the time I draft, I know the scenes, know how they weave between each other, how they come together. The editing process is helpful in cleaning things up, especially when the story takes a turn away from what I outlined. And yes, you can't be a slave to the outline. If I'm on a roll and coming up with great stuff, I'll run down that thread, keep going and revise later. By the time I'm done, the draft has already diverged from the outline, but I'll leave notes for myself in comments (I write in Word) to make sure I tie up those threads on revision. 

Was any more work required on that first book once you'd landed your agent? And what about after you got the book deal - was there still some knocking into shape to be done between you and the publisher/editor? Have you found the amount of work has lessened with each book?

Well, yeah. It took several revisions before Sara took me on, and I think two more before we were ready for submissions. That was all just to get the book into shape to make the sale. From there, any publisher/editor is going to want to make changes - as much as publishers would really like a ready-for-prime-time novel to plop in their laps, that never really happens. Ross Lockhart, my original editor at Night Shade Books, was pretty awesome. I don't think he had a heavy hand, but there were a few large-ish things that, I think, made the book immeasurably better. 

As for The Enceladus Crisis and The Venusian Gambit, there were definitely fewer revisions - a first draft and maybe three revisions for each book. I pretty much learned for the first time how to write a novel when I wrote Daedalus, so applying that learning made it easier to write the next two. I'm currently drafting a new novel and, let me tell you, even I'm surprised at how well it's going. I've learned a lot, and I credit Ross and my current editor, Cory Allyn, for whipping me into shape. 

What did you learn about editing with that first novel that you've since applied to your other books - and how has it helped?

I think the biggest thing I've learned is that the demands of the form can't really be dismissed or avoided. Your book needs a strong hook to draw the reader in within that first chapter or two. It needs to be constantly moving, either in terms of action or character arc. Sometimes, I would sit there and think, "Well, logically, they would just do this," wherein "this" would be incredibly boring. Sara would keep saying, "More mayhem!" Now, you still need your characters to make sense and for the plot to be logical and such, but stories aren't about things proceeding normally. They're about things hitting the fan. As a storyteller, you're constantly working to keep the reader's attention, and you have to do it in such a way that it's not a parlor trick, but a compelling part of the story. Basically, I learned that writing a story needs to take the reader into account and entertain that reader as you go. It's not art in a vacuum. 

An all round great guy, you can find Michael at: michaeljmartinez.net or follow him on Twitter: @mikemartinez72. (And if you haven't read his books yet, I highly recommend you rectify that immediately. In fact, I'm about to dive into the third, just as soon as I set this post live...)

Abigail Nathan: Hiring a freelance editor

First up in our self-titled Editing Month - which we are totally going to make a thing - is freelance editor Abigail Nathan of Bothersome Words.

I came across Abigail when I went looking for an editor myself. I'd spent a gazillion years writing and then revising my manuscript, before sending out to all the rejections - at which point I figured (obviously belatedly) "hey, maybe I'm not the best person to be editing my own work because clearly I'm missing what's not working". So I started a search for the editor to end all editors, and was quickly referred to Abigail. 

A supremely talented (and tactful) editor, who has worked with some of the biggest names in Australian publishing - from Hachette to Penguin to Random House - Abigail has kindly offered to answer a few questions about the amazing world of professional editors. If you're a writer thinking about getting in some outside help for you manuscript, this is for you...

Abigail Nathan of Bothersome Words

So, I'm writing a manuscript. At what point in the writing process can I approach an editor for help?

At whatever stage you like! But my personal recommendation is not to try hiring an editor until you have done as much work as you can on your own. That means going back over the first draft to self-edit it - and, if possible, maybe even getting some friendly/critical feedback from friends or family.

You’ll get the best value out of an editor if you’re not paying them to spend time picking up things you could have caught yourself. The more accessible you can make your work to the editor – that is, clear of obvious errors and mistakes – the more time and effort they can spend digging deeper.

Of course, “as much work as you can do on your own” is different for everyone. It depends on what sort of editing you’re after, and whether you want the editor to act as a kind of teacher and/or mentor as well. It also depends how you feel about your own writing – not everyone is comfortable showing their writing to people they know, and they might not have a writers’ group they trust either. Some writers really struggle with confidence and need an editor who can step in at a fairly early stage to give them some kind of guidance and support. Other writers just don’t realise how much of a difference it can make to let the work rest for a bit and then go back and self-edit. It’s amazing how many obvious typos and silly plot errors you can find doing this.

The most important thing is not to rush. It’s tempting to think that once the first draft is finished, that’s the writer’s job done: the words are on the page and now someone else can be paid to do the clean-up. The reality is that editing is a collaborative process and you don’t save any time by giving an editor very raw text.

I've known writers who've lost money to people masquerading as professional editors. What’s the best way to find reputable editors you can trust?

The best way to find an editor you can trust is through recommendations from other writers. This can be a personal recommendation if you know people who have been happy with their editors or, if you don’t know any authors yourself, it can be helpful to check the acknowledgements pages of books you enjoy – specifically those in the same genre you are writing. Most countries will have a national organisation of editors which also includes a directory of members. Depending on the country, there may be separate branches for each state/territory/county, etc. There may not be any guarantee there, depending on the organisation’s requirements, but it’s a good start.

In the UK that organisation is the Society for Editors and Proofreaders (SfEP): http://www.sfep.org.uk

In the USA, you can try the Editorial Freelance Assocition: http://www.the-efa.org/

In Australia the national organisation is the Institute of Professional Editors (IPED): http://iped-editors.org/

Similarly, your state or country’s Author Guild is likely to have a list of recommended service suppliers. Writers’ centres, either your local or national branch, or one of the online versions, can also often recommend editors and may even have their own on-hand.

When you find an editor, make sure you ask them questions – you should soon get a good feel for whether they have any idea what they’re talking about. Most will be willing to give you an idea of who or what they’ve worked with before. They may have an online portfolio or list of people you can check, too.

Just as all writers have different styles, so do all editors. How can any writer be sure a particular editor is a good fit for their manuscript?

This follows on from the above. Editors all have their own style and approach to edits, and while I think we all try to adapt to the preferences or requirements of the writers we’re working with, some approaches will be a better fit than others. For example, some writers are happy to let the editor make all the changes they think are necessary, and they will just read over a clean version of the edited document and only check things that they have a problem with. Others prefer a more hands-off edit, where the editor makes queries and suggestions but doesn’t change too much of the text themselves. Still others prefer every edit to come with a full explanation.

Some writers need to be edited softly because their feelings are easily bruised, others have thick skin and want you to be as blunt as possible with them.

A lot of writers aren’t sure what sort of edit they even need. The best approach is to discuss expectations, requirements and process with the editor, to find out what they do and how, and decide whether that fits with what you hope to get from the process. Most editors will also be willing to do a sample edit for you if you ask – just be aware that this may or may not be free, depending on the editor, the edit required, and the sample size. A few pages should be enough to see whether the editor is on the same wavelength as you.

A writer contacts you but isn't sure what kind of service they need. What would your suggested plan of attack be?

First of all – don’t worry that you’re not sure. Your editor should be able to guide you. Contact more than one editor, and if they’re amenable, ask questions. You want to know what services they provide and what they personally include in each one. Some editors will do most of the work on the manuscript, others will include a detailed letter or report as well. Some will be willing to meet or phone afterwards to answer any questions, others will set limits on additional time or may charge for extra consultation.

In order to help you, an editor will need to know what you’ve written and how much work you’ve done on it. Is this your first draft or have you already worked with some other writers to develop and polish this seventh draft? Is it a book of poetry or the third novel in a fantasy epic?

The editor will also need to know what you want. What are you hoping to achieve from the edit? Are you trying to get the manuscript to a publishable standard with one editing pass or are you using the editing process as a way to learn and develop more slowly?

Your editor will also benefit from knowing your future plans – are you hoping to self-publish or will you be submitting your manuscript to agents and publishers?

Once the editor has all that information they should be able to give you an idea of your options. The editor might ask you for a sample of your work so they can provide you a quote. This is also an opportunity for them to see what stage they think your writing is at. If you have already told them what you hope to achieve and how much work has already been done on the manuscript, they should be able to advise you as to what sort of edit would best suit your work as it is now.

Okay, I've hired you! What should I expect to receive in return? 

This depends on the type of edit you signed up for and your editor’s particular approach! Editing services differ in title and approach in each country, and individual editors sometimes tailor their own process to suit either their working style or a particular author’s needs. Again, make sure you clarify what your editor means by each editing term.

Generally speaking, structural, substantive, or developmental edits will probably be supplied as a letter or report, rather than as a marked-up manuscript. These edits focus on the big picture; they give a general overview and may cover things such as plot inconsistencies, character flaws, or structural problems. This is the stage where you might discuss whether the story starts or stops in the wrong spot, or that the middle lags, or that a character doesn’t work. Suggested changes may result in major rewriting or moving around of text, so any mark-up on the manuscript is likely to be minimal. However, sometimes a structural edit or content edit may delve a bit deeper and then you could expect a lot more mark-up, but you’d probably get a letter/report as well.

A manuscript assessment or appraisal will usually take the form of a report. This is essentially a readers’ report but also includes considerations of style, structure, publishability, audience, etc. It is unlikely to involve any manuscript mark-up, but more detailed appraisals may use sample text from the manuscript to highlight and illustrate specific areas of interest.

Copyediting and line editing are more micro edits. They will focus on word choice and sentence construction, as well as, possibly, small plot details. These edits are completed as mark-up on the manuscript – usually using track changes in Word but sometimes in hard copy on the manuscript. You may also receive a letter or report detailing some of the changes made, particularly if there are repeated errors, or plot and style considerations that require more space to explain than is available in the comment function.

Proofreading is the final stage. This is always carried out on the manuscript, often in hard copy, but often on-screen. Ideally this is a check of the final layout, so it may be completed as mark-up on a PDF or in Word. Because this is a final check, you may only receive an email or letter confirming the tasks undertaken. Ideally there are no major changes at this point, so a report or proper letter should not be necessary.

Of course, this question specifies you have paid and received the edit! Some edits will be completed in stages, so you may have a back and forth with the editor – the edit may take several passes with each of you accepting, rejecting or querying changes before the edit is “final”. As mentioned above, once you have paid for the edit, your editor may be open to answering queries and giving advice about the manuscript as part of their service. Alternatively they may consider further advice and assistance to be additional work, so check whether you need to pay them by the hour or whether it’s an included cost.

You've finished writing your book... now what?

What's that? You've finished writing your book?! Holy shit, great work! 

You've just accomplished what most people in the world aspire to do 'one day', but never actually do because they have yet to discover just how hard and potentially soul-destroying it can be - banging away day after day on a keyboard, locked away from any semblance of civilisation, as your life slowly ebbs away into the ether.

"...I've been writing for HOW long?!"

But you're a rockstar. You pushed through all those social event invites and opportunities to shower and eat and be outside in the human world. You learned to live without knowing what day it was. You wrote your little bottom off. And consequently you totally deserve the wild night out (or in) filled with all kinds of wonderful drunken debauchery to celebrate. Because YOU BLOODY WELL WROTE A BOOK! 

*cartwheels*

Cut to: 

The morning after. Or (for some of you energetic types) the month after. You pick your head up and try to focus. What were you celebrating again? Oh yeah, YOU WROTE A BOOK! 

All is good. So good, in fact, that you immediately stand up, put your hands on your hips and survey the world before you like the writing god that you are. 

Then two little words cross your mind.

"What now?"

For most people - me included - this next part was easy. OBVIOUSLY the 'what now' involved sending the hot little manuscript out to agents and publishers as fast as possible. Because these guys have been waiting their whole lives for this story. They've suffered the Harry Potters of the world only because they had nothing else to run with. They simply can't go another day publishing such dross. Wait 'til they get a load of you - lord and saviour of storytelling! 

And even better? Today you don't even have to include other people in your publishing dream. Simply sign your soul away to the mighty Amazonian Overlord and upload it for immediate global gratification. Cue media attention, 'the next big thing' news stories, blogger groupies, film deals, and lifelong happiness.

Ahem.  

<dials back sarcasm>

<pushes glasses up nose>

<looks serious>

Okay, look, it's not that it CAN'T happen that way. It has obviously been done. But for most of us - those who offer the craft a little more respect and/or those of us without such gigantic balls - there's a totally different 'what now' that comes after writing a book. A 'what now' that might make you cry at the very thought of it, but one that is essential, can actually be damn good fun, and will ultimately MAKE YOU A BETTER WRITER.

Which is revision. And rewriting. And editing. 

Because it's a book. You bled into it and gave it life, but now you need to sew up the wounds and clean it up a bit. Although you might well have a great first draft, I guarantee you it isn't perfect - it will never be perfect - and you can and should make it better. 

So how do you go about editing your manuscript? 

Well, for most it's a case of doing the hard yards yourself. As we let our work settle, perhaps hidden away in  drawer for a few weeks to get it out of our system (how many weeks is really up to you, but I give mine at least a month), we can read up on the editing process, learning how to do it best - before embarking on a few rounds of revisions to bring the best out of our characters and story. Perhaps we ask for feedback from others (family, friends, or the fabled Critique Partners), or perhaps we don't. Either way, the level of eventual suckage/brilliance is all on us. 

But others know that sometimes writers aren't always the best judge of their work. Even after a few weeks away from a project, we can still read it and 'fill in the blanks' where everyone else would disappear down an unexpected plot hole. In which case, after you've done as much as you can, a fresh pair of eyes is needed. And what better pair than those of a professional editor?

At this point I could drone about my own experience with these paths (yes I took both), but I thought it might be more fun and educational to get the inside skinny from a couple of industry pros. An author and editor who know the business of editing backwards.

So coming up we've got two interviews of editing goodness that will blow your mind. One with a (soon to be) three-time published, critically acclaimed author; the other a professional editor who has worked with some of the biggest names in publishing in Australia.

Up for it? Good. Let editing month commence!*

*This is not a thing that I know of, but I think it should be, so let's run with it for now, okay?

photo credit: idle machines via photopin (license)

Tonya Kuper: Is interning for a literary agency a good step to getting published?

Literary agents are often thought of as the gatekeepers of the publishing industry. So where better to learn about the keys that open the gate? 

With many intern roles available for literary agents across the world (several of which can be worked remotely thanks to the magic of the internetz), there is more opportunity than ever for aspiring authors to get the inside scoop of what makes a literary agency tick. Get to know how agents think, discover for yourself what stands out in the slush pile... the knowledge is all there waiting to be taken and twisted for your own evildoings / honest search for publishing stardom.  

One such writer who took this route is superstar debut author Tonya Kuper, the former intern/Publicity Manager for The Seymour Agency. Her YA novel 'Anomaly', about a teenage girl who discovers she has the power to alter reality, launched late last year and is garnering some pretty damn great reviews already.  

Being the first book in the now hotly anticipated 'Schrodinger's Consortium' trilogy, Tonya has now decided to step away from the literary agency to focus on writing. However, I was lucky enough to bag a little time in her busy launch schedule to ask a few questions about her experience working for a literary agency while on her own publishing journey...

Tonya Kuper (photo credit: Hooton Images)

Most writers have non-writing related (and possibly very dull) day jobs to support the writing. Yours was working in the publishing industry for a literary agency! How did you end up there?

I was an educator turned stay-at-home-mom and began writing as a hobby. Eventually, I took the writing more seriously and wrote my first full-length novel and began my second when I started considering an internship to learn more about the publishing industry. So I was already writing, and had queried my first and second book by the time I finally landed an internship at a literary agency. 

Of course, I had to let my position of intern and Publicity Manager at the agency go eventually in order to devote more time to writing once I was sold to a publishing house. So, technically, I'm no longer working for the agency - I'm now one of their authors - which is pretty crazy-cool!

What did your role with the agency involve?

I dealt with clients (signed authors) by helping them promote their books and events and organizing agency events. I also dealt with querying authors via email and social media on behalf of the agency.

A literary agency seems to me to be the perfect place to develop your writing knowledge and confidence (especially if you get to dive into the slush pile). What have you learned there that’s helped get you to the stage of being a published author?     

For one, it helped me figure out what works and what doesn't as far as execution goes. For example, what vital information, action, and reaction needs to be included and when. Also, it helped me realize just how subjective this industry is and how hard an agent works. And, yes, I did read slush! And it taught me so much about the importance of those first few pages.

It just so happens that your agent works at the same agency. How did you get signed up?

My agent actually asked for an R&R way before I started working at the agency. She eventually offered me representation after I took the position. 

There are probably a lot of authors out there writing bestsellers, but who are put off taking their work further thanks to a rather daunting query process. As an author who's worked on ‘the inside’ what would you say to encourage them to start querying with agents - is an internship with a literary agency a good step to take?  

As writers, you can't let self-doubt or fear rule you. If you have dreams about landing an agent, tackle querying with the same passion that motivated you to write in the first place (after you polish that manuscript ;D ). If it were easy, everyone would do it. So it's up to you to take that next step and not give up.                     

An internship definitely gave me great experience and practice in figuring out what worked and what didn't, but I should say that getting such a gig isn't necessarily going to help a writer get agented or become a better writer. Great writing lands agents. And great writing comes from reading and writing. A LOT.


Tonya Kuper is a young adult author living in Omaha, Nebraska with her two cool boys and husband. ANOMALY, the first in the Schrodinger’s Consortium trilogy, is her debut novel by Entangled Teen. Tonya is a music junkie, Star Wars dork, and Sherlock lover.

Sarah Townsend: Living the dream as a freelance copywriter

If you read my last post you'll know I've just taken the leap from full-time employment to freelance copywriting.

Two days in and you're probably expecting me to be still dressed in my PJs, cultivating a wild writerly beard, and typing the same sentence about 'all work and no play' over and over again. Because freelance is a crazy, chaotic thing, right? A rebellious path that veers away from the straight and narrow of everyday life. Where freelancers hide in the shadows, with a look of reckless abandon in their eyes.

Well... no. It turns out that freelancing is actually something that very sane people do - and can do very successfully. And, as I've had the good fortune to know some of these amazing people over the years, you better believe that I chatted to as many as possible about working in a freelance capacity before I made my decision.

Sarah Townsend is one of these well-respected freelancers and, to be honest, one of my favourite people on Twitter. She has operated her own freelance copywriting, copy editing and proofreading business for over 15 years, so she knows a thing or two about how to make it work.   

With that in mind, it seemed a great time to ask her a few questions about a career I'd wager more than most writers dream about at some stage. And she was generous enough to answer...

Sarah Townsend

You’ve got an extensive copywriting background, covering both agency and client-side work. What made you decide to start out on your own all those years ago?

I was working as an editor for a magazine publisher in Bristol when I became pregnant with my first child. I’d had enough of the commute from Gloucester, and wanted to work part-time when the baby – now my 15-year-old daughter – was born. Deciding to work for myself was the perfect solution.

How did you prepare for starting your own business – was this something you had experience in previously, or were you starting from scratch?

With a shocking lack of planning and a huge amount of enthusiasm! I had no business plan, I just knew what I wanted to do. I designed myself some stationery (apologies to any designers reading this) got some business cards and letterhead printed and sent out a few letters on spec.

Freelance work from my previous employer kept things ticking over while I looked for new clients, and I was fortunate enough to gain regular editing work for a local book publisher the month after I started. They recommended me to another business, who recommended me to another business… and so it’s continued for the past 15 years.

Everyone can write (or so they might think). How do you convince people they need your services as a professional copywriter?  

The best clients are those that appreciate the value of good copy and compelling content. They might not fully understand the benefits until they start working with a professional copywriter, but they’re open to the idea.

Because I get all of my business through recommendation, the clients who approach me have already identified a need for good copy. I might need to talk them through the process and the benefits, but thankfully they don’t require too much convincing.

What do you love about working for yourself? And is there a downside?

The things I love the most are the flexibility and the variety. I can spend the morning meeting a new manufacturing client, the afternoon writing a training workshop for a health charity and the rest of the week writing a website for a coffee company. You can’t beat it.

As a parent, the flexibility means I’ve never missed a school play or sports day, even if it means finishing work later that night once the kids are in bed.

Negatives… I guess if you’ve worked in a busy office, like I did, you can miss the banter and the buzz. Social media and networking events can help to fill the gap, but you have to like your own company.

Money can be an issue to begin with – leaving a job with a monthly salary and benefits can be hard. I quickly began earning more than I had when I was employed, but I was fortunate, and it can take years to get used to the unpredictability and the occasional quiet times.  

What are the qualities a freelance copywriter needs to be successful?

You need two types of quality to be a successful freelance copywriter: those that enable you to be a successful freelancer, and those that enable you to be a successful copywriter.

Successful freelancers are motivated, focused, tenacious, organised, ambitious and single-minded. You won’t get far if you get distracted by daytime TV or spend hours on social media (though the latter can help to build your business if you use it wisely). You also need to be great at time management and able to work well under pressure – there’s plenty of that!

As for being a successful copywriter… where to start! Aside from the ability to write concise, engaging, sparkling copy, it helps to have creativity, versatility, attention to detail, curiosity, imagination, a good understanding of business, and a genuine love of language.

The one with chicken pox and a change of career

Have you ever considered giving it all up to write full time?

Where you might sneak away to a cottage in the mountains, or by the lake, where an antique desk and comfy chair await by a log fire. And there are no distractions (or at least your kids and dog are quiet), and you've got all your best characters for company?

No... *cough*... me neither.

One day. Oh yes, one day YOU WILL BE MINE Lake District Cottage.

Okay, so yeah, we've all done that. And no, I know what you're thinking. "Is this leading into that post where you tell us amazing news about literary agents and multi-million pound book deals?"And I'll go, "No, but it IS a pretty cool blog post all the same. So read it." And you'll be all disappointed, but you'll be polite and respond, "Okay, sure."

At which point you'll probably shrug to yourself. But if you DO read on, you'll see that I'm actually about to live out at least part of that dream. Because I'm giving up the 'day job' to become a full-time writer.

So yeah. Not bad, right? Consider yourself undisappointed.

The mystical work/life/family/writer balance

It's been on the cards for a while. I've been back and forth on the logic of swapping job security and working with people I like for sitting in my pants at home writing my ass off, trying to earn money. And, until now, the less risky (and better dressed) option always won.

Then my youngest got chicken pox. It meant a week at home, unpaid, while still paying child care. Not ideal.

Yet despite the fact that he was a little poorly, it was hella fun hanging out with him. Plus I got more writing done than I would normally after a hard day in the office.

It made me realise that some moments in life are fleeting and need to be embraced as much as you possibly can, while you can, and certainly if you can. More time with the kids. More time to write. And (mostly) offsetting lack of regular wage with lower child care costs. It suddenly seemed possible.

So I made my decision. And in a week's time I will open my own freelance copywriting business.

WELL IT'S ABOUT DAMN TIME!

Oh yes, truly. This move represents the end of one adventure and the beginning of the next. A turning point some 38 years in the making, which started with ripping off Temple of Doom set-pieces in my stories and writing my own Spider-man comics, to actually finding myself scriptwriting for Lara Croft, having my own movie/comic in development, and finally becoming a copywriter - like my father before me.*

And the best part is: I now get to tie all those things together as I move forward.

What my copywriting business will be called, and how it relates to all my side projects, will soon be revealed. (Sign up to keep posted. You know you want to.)

But for now I'd simply like to thank the amazing writing community I'm a part of for all their support and inspiration in leading me to this point - even if you didn't know that's what you've been doing all along. Your passion for writing, all those publishing deals, all the rejections, the lonely nights where you're #amwriting and think you're just tweeting to yourself but I'm actually sitting here nodding and admiring your ballsy spirit... it's all part of why I'm taking the leap. (That and a kick-ass supportive wife, obviously.)

You are all wonderful. Thank you.

Now. Bring on the future.

* Sorrynotsorry. It was there to be said and I said it. Plus it's actually true. He was. And I am. (A copywriter, not a Jedi, just FYI.) 

photo credit: Ennor via photopin cc

Alis Franklin and Sara Megibow: Diversity in fiction (and how we redefine 'normal').

Diversity in fiction has been a bit of a conversation piece of late. The fact that we have to talk about it at all isn't ideal. However, by talking about it at least we're working towards a point where one day we don't have to talk about it, and that can only be a good thing. 

Liesmith by Alis Franklin is a debut novel set to embrace the concept head on. Out today, it's an urban fantasy that concerns a "queer Loki" and... yeah, that's all I needed to say really. You've all rushed out to buy a copy, haven't you? Don't blame you.

Anyway. I'm humbled to have both the brilliant Alis and her wonderful agent Sara Megibow on the blog tonight, to talk more about the issues surrounding this important and often contentious topic. Specifically, why 'normal' in fiction is anything but, and how we can possibly redefine it...        

(Hydra 2014)

1. There has been a lot of talk of the need for more diversity in mainstream entertainment, for example with the recent WeNeedDiverseBooks campaign.  For the sheltered soul out there, what exactly is this discussion all about?

Alis: Mainstream entertainment, and culture in general, has a nasty insistence on universalising a very narrow demographic—white, straight, cis, male, and so on—and assuming that viewpoint speaks for the entire audience. I think what we’re seeing with movements like WeNeedDiverseBooks—and similar pushes in comics, video games, adult fiction, and so on—is that, for the first time, groups of people who feel excluded from pop culture are able to come together en masse on places like Tumblr and Twitter and realise they’re not alone.

It’s incredibly validating, if you grew up never seeing yourself reflected anywhere in pop culture, to have other people actually come along and say, “You’re right, that does suck, and you do deserve stories both created by and featuring people who are like you.” And not just to have them, but to have a multitude of them, presented front-and-centre in the mainstream, not just one single narrative pushed to the back in some dusty “special interests” corner.

Sara: I couldn’t have said it better myself! As a literary agent, one might consider me to be one of the (many) gatekeepers between art and “mainstream entertainment” aka “reader.” Gatekeeping is a topic for another time, but here’s how my role pertains to diversity: I am actively looking for diverse voices to champion to the publishers. What is this discussion all about? For me, it’s about bringing international distribution and worldwide publicity to diverse voices in literature. 

I am Diversity, my family is diverse, my friends are diverse and many of the voices that have touched me over the years are diverse. So, I’ll do what I can to bring these voices to readers and the WeNeedDiverseBooks campaign has helped give my vision a platform. I’ve been Pro-Diverse since before the campaign, but the campaign has helped so much because of its wonderful, passionate advocates.

2. Liesmith has been pitched as "an exiled Loki, disguised as the CEO of an Australian tech company, unleashes the Wrath of Asgard by falling in love with a man in his IT department." Sara, what exactly did you think when you saw the submission?

Sara: As always, when I read submissions for potential representation the most important qualification is that the quality of writing is superior. Alis is a brilliant wordsmith (as you can tell already by reading her words here) so I knew right away that the quality was there.

My secondary qualification falls under the “can I sell this?” category. LIESMITH stars non-white queer heroes and that was a bonus to me. However, it's also urban fantasy and that particular genre has suffered in the past several years (for debut authors) due to shelving challenges. I ravenously love books by Chloe Neill, Patricia Briggs and Jocelyn Drake and I think those established authors do well in bookstores. But, too many debut authors end up in paranormal romance or spine out in SF/F and I struggled with that while considering whether or not to offer representation on LIESMITH. No one wants to debut a book only to be told that Barnes & Noble didn’t take any copies or that a retailer shelved it weakly. So, my reaction to this submission was: Brilliant Writing! But…Can I sell it?

As a side note, LIESMITH came to me before WeNeedDiverseBooks, so the non-white queer elements were personally compelling to me but didn’t (yet) have the commercial platform that they have now. I fell in love with the writing and the diversity, but struggled with the genre.

3. Alis, you wrote an article on ‘writing a queer modern version of the sagas’ which Random House have helpfully put in the back of your book (it’s a fantastic essay that everyone should read). In it you mention that gay couples (and other minorities) don’t generally get the fluffy happy ending that others do. In fact, they usually end up dead. Why do you think this is?

Alis: First of all, thank you for taking the time to read my rambly endnotes… and thank you to my publisher for giving me the soapbox to put them in, hah. To answer your question, this is complicated, so I’m going to give the Extreme Teal Deer version, stripped down to just the portrayal of queer romance.

Essentially, what I think’s happened is that we’re sitting in the third phase of a cultural shift. The first phase has been with us for a long time, culminating in the mid-20^th century or so, when homosexuality was criminalised and pathologised, and depictions of it in media tended to be associated with either sadistic, sexually rapacious villains or, at best, “camp gay” figures of ridicule. The second phase started in the late 70s, as a pushback triggered by things like the Stonewall riots and the gay rights movement, and focused on reversing historic prejudices. 

In film and literature, this included attempts to humanise queer people by portraying them in a more sensitive light. Unfortunately, that “sensitive light” often tended to be about the tragedy of being gay, largely, I think, because it was an easy way of guilting straight audiences out of homophobic attitudes. So you end up with films like Philadelphia, which is about a gay man but is really aimed more at using dead gay bodies to provide Teachable Moments to straights than it is about providing queer people with actual representation. I think most readers looking for queer characters in SFF from this era will have stumbled across Mercedes Lackey’s Last Herald Mage books, which are sort of the same: the main character is queer and he’s sympathetic, but a non-trivial chunk of that sympathy is engendered because all his boyfriends keep dying on him and his queer-coded traits keep him from being fully accepted by society, no matter how powerful or important he becomes in other ways.

And, unfortunately, no matter the individual merits of these works in isolation, there’s a sort of vicious cycle that’s gone on where, because tragic depictions of queer characters get all the praise and recognition from the straight mainstream, the Tragic Gay becomes the depiction. Which, yanno. If you actually are gay, is maybe not necessarily showing you the hero you want to grow up to be.

I’m simplifying hugely here, of course, and there are whole books and essays that can and have been written about this subject (and a bucket load of exceptions to the narrative), but the point is I think we’re finally at a place where queer audiences are standing up and saying, “Well, it’s great y’all no longer keep typecasting us as rapacious villains and all… but can we please stop dying all the time now? And can maybe some of our lovers survive occasionally?” So while the place we’re at may have been well intentioned, it’s not the place we need to be. We’ve done the films and books trying to get straight audiences to chill on the homophobia. Now it’s time for the films and books (and comics and video games, etc.) that show queer people for the sake of queer people, instead.

4. Okay, so we can all agree we need more diversity. Is this something writers should now be more aware of when casting their characters or should everything serve the story first and foremost, and diversity is something that should just happen naturally? (Could it be that the lack of diversity in books is a failure of the writing process, or more a lack of diversity in the writer’s own life experience, or both?)

Sara: I think poorly-represented diversity is worse than no-diversity. I’ve seen submissions with criminal misrepresentation of about every kind of human out there and that turns me off faster than a lightbulb. So, to answer your question, I think authors should write the books of their hearts and write them authentically. We don’t need anyone adding in diverse characters trying to earn brownie points with an agent or publisher. That being said, most authors have diverse backgrounds – use them! Bring the beautiful color and variety of life to your stories! No one is being turned away from my slush pile for diversity (please note, that doesn't mean I can represent everything of diversity – the book still must be crafted in a superior manner in order to be commercially viable). 

I’m actively looking for authors and stories with religious, racial, cultural, socio-economic diversity and authors/stories involving diversity of ability, age, sexual orientation and gender. Bring it on!

There are diverse books on the shelf – lack of diversity is not (in my opinion) a failure of the writing process. What we need is to buy diverse books, read diverse books and talk about diverse books. Read Malinda Lo and N.K. Jemisin. Buy their books or rent them from the library, read them and talk about them. There are two steps to bringing diversity to the forefront – one is to publish more and two is to buy/read/talk about those that are already published.

5. Part of the writer’s journey is to get inside the head of strange characters and understand what makes them tick. We do this a lot with sci-fi/fantasy, conjuring up elves and aliens and everything in between. So why is it seemingly so hard for writers to get into the head of someone of the same species, who simply exists on a different part of the sexual spectrum?  Are we subconsciously veering away from traditionally taboo subjects?

Alis: I think most of this is just the self-reaffirming nature of queer erasure and stereotyping in media in general. Writers, both queer and straight, don’t see queer characters in the books they read—and genre books are particularly guilty of this—so it doesn't occur to them to put the same sorts of characters in the books they write. It’s something that I think is changing, particularly as queer characters whose sexualities are part of the story rather than being the story become more prevalent, and awareness of the issues around erasure get discussed more widely.

6. How did the NY editors initially respond to Liesmith? Is traditional publishing open to diversity in its offerings?

Sara: The NY publishers responded very favourably! We had multiple offers for publication and we had those offers very quickly (two weeks if I remember correctly). I can honestly say, from this experience and hopefully many more, that traditional publishing is 110% open to diversity in its offerings.

As I said above my biggest hesitation about this book was that it was urban fantasy. We circumvented that issue by choosing Hydra/Random House whose publishing strategy is ebook-first (meaning no worries on shelving issues). Random House gave us a wonderful, non-white hero on the cover (very representative and accurate…no white-washing here). Our editor, Sarah Peed, has been an advocate from day one. Now, we’re in the hands of the consumer. We’re bringing it to the table and gauntlet is thrown…you wanted diversity in SF/F, well here it is! Happy reading!

7. Alis, what’s been your biggest surprise with the feedback you’ve received for the book?

Alis: That people like it, hah!

8. And how has the WeNeedDiverseBooks campaign affected this debut?

Sara: I’m so proud of the author community for stepping up last spring to create WeNeedDiverseBooks. This campaign brings a tremendous platform to the voice of diversity and it has helped this debut tremendously. If nothing else, there is a voracious following on WeNeedDiverseBooks and, as an agent, I can throw my hat in the ring and say “I’m looking for diverse books!” and can also say, “and here is one now in fact…LIESMITH!” A genuine and heart-felt thank you to the WeNeedDiverseBooks campaign!

9. Game of Thrones has done a lot of redefining of how things should work in fiction lately. I’d argue that diversity was one of them. Are fantasy readers/viewers in particular more open-minded do you think?

Alis: Honestly, I think fantasy as a genre has historically been very conservative, whether it’s in its depictions of women (would you like some rape with your rape before or after you’re sold into marriage?), people with disabilities (if you didn’t want to be the villain you shouldn’t have been born with such a ubiquitous marker of Generic Fantasy Evil), people of colour (evil or non-existent, take your pick!), queer people (a winning trifecta of evil, non-existent, and/or raped!), trans people (who?), and so on.

When I was a kid my dad read a lot of fantasy—our house was stacked with SFF paperbacks—and I tried desperately to get into them as well. I think I gave up somewhere around Generic Patriarchal White Pseudo-Medieval-European Fantasy Land #38, which was also coincidentally around the time I discovered urban fantasy (mostly thanks to table top RPGs, rather than novels). UF was such a great relief, in that I could have all the swords and spells and dragons I was aching for, and could do it without having to slog through the antiquated reconstructionist cultural baggage that was used to justify people like me being relegated to, at best, perpetual victims and background decoration in the lives of men. If the explosion in popularity of UF and its spinoff genre of paranormal romance—and, tangentially, the rise in popularity of shōjo anime and manga in the West—is anything to go by, I wasn’t the only one.

Thankfully, as with everything, full-blown high fantasy is shifting into something more diverse, with voices like N.K. Jemisin, Saladin Ahmed, and Kameron Hurley. But there’s still a lot of pushback going on by conservative cultural elements who consider both the genre to be “theirs,” and the increase in diversity to be threatening; the 2014 Hugos being a recent case-in-point.

There’s still a long way to go, in other words. No pre-emptive back-patting on this one.

10. How can the rest of us better strive to redefine ‘normal’ in fiction?

Alis: Recognise that “normal” and “diverse” are different words for the same concept, not opposite ends of some imaginary spectrum!

Sara: By buying, reading and talking about books with diverse voices (both by diverse authors and about diverse characters).