Sincerely,

Aimlessly Acquiring An Agent

Dear Aimlessly,

Yours is a loaded question, with an even more loaded answer. Before I get to that, though, something I always encourage writers to do is define what success means and looks like to them. It’s important to revisit this question often, in all stages of the writing process, and brings me to the first part of my multi-layered answer to your question:

Paths to Publishing

Now, more than ever, there are so many different ways to publish. So, to answer your question with another question: why traditional publishing?

Traditionally, I consider traditional publishing to be publishing with one of the Big Five (Penguin/Random House, Hachette, Harper Collins, Simon and Schuster, and Macmillan). If you are looking to submit to any of these houses, chances are yes, you will need an agent. 

However, the imprints of these houses may open submissions for unrepresented authors periodically throughout the year (but don’t quote me on that). 

At the same time, there are also a number of independent and hybrid presses, along with self-publishing options, that don’t require you to have an agent in order to submit your manuscript for consideration.   

So, I’d ask you to consider why you believe traditional publishing is the right path for you, but more than that, if traditional publishing is truly where your book belongs.

Great Expectations

There’s a common misconception that once an author signs with an agent, their life becomes infinitely easier: their book gets purchased for a boatload of money, eventually topping the bestseller list before being optioned for a multi-film deal. The truth is, an agent isn’t a guarantee of publication. When it comes to books, there are no guarantees.

There are benefits of having an agent—someone to advocate on your behalf and to share the heavy lifting (and the misery of rejection) with. At the end of the day, though, an agent isn’t a one-way ticket to publication. 

It’s a Numbers Game

Getting rejected is part of the deal when it comes to writing. I’m not a believer in word or page counts, and I don’t subscribe to the idea of X number of rejections equalling a particular badge of honor. 

That being said, a hundred rejections almost tells you the same thing as fifty—something isn’t working or resonating.

Ask yourself if your query is clear, if your characters, and their motivations, are coming through. 

Another thing—and this is important—is to consider where you’re querying and WHY. When I was starting out, I submitted my work everywhere that was accepting submissions. It wasn’t until I got an email from an editor with a simple question, “Why do you think this piece is a good fit for us?” A quick scan of their website told me they already knew the answer: it wasn’t. 

Make sure you’re querying with purpose. 

Good luck, and keep writing!

What other questions do you have about getting an agent, writing a novel, or getting published? Drop them here and Lauren might answer them in a future column!

Lauren J. Sharkey is a writer, teacher, and transracial adoptee. Inconvenient Daughter is her debut novel, and loosely based on her experience as a Korean adoptee. You can follow her at ljsharks.com, and on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

The post Aimlessly Acquiring an Agent appeared first on DIY MFA.

Even these days, where most conferences are being held online, you can gain a lot from the experience. But still, all good things must come to an end. When the last class has ended, the closing ceremony has inspired, and you pass out the last good-byes, then it’s back to the real world.

Enter the real world.

Time to get back to work. Only sometimes getting back to work after a writers conference is difficult or even impossible. Why? You learned so many new skills, you have so many new exercises to try on your WIP, you’re so inspired by the successes of the people you’ve met. But you can’t write.

Having all of this new awareness leads to over-thinking, to over-criticizing. Yes, you have notes on a new skill or ten, but you haven’t practiced them, haven’t internalized them. You haven’t made them your own. You look at this cool new skill and you go to use it—and you don’t know how. Yes, logically you know (you have notes!), but your writer’s intuition needs practice first.

You are not alone.

Believe it or not, this is a common occurrence. Basically, a writers conference increases your awareness of writing and the writing world very abruptly. Suddenly you have pages of notes of new skills, new goals, new aspirations. You’re aware of things you could be doing (or even ‘should’ be doing) with regards to your writing. And your writer’s intuition hasn’t had time to catch up.

For example, just because someone explains their own winning strategies for chess does not mean you simply go out and start winning games. It doesn’t even mean you would suddenly play better games. You would need to play many games of chess, and even do poorly, so you can improve your ‘chess intuition’. It’s the same thing with writing.

So what should you do?

First off, understand that you did not get worse at writing. Let me pause and say this again: you did not get worse at writing. You’re at the exact same level you were before the conference. It’s the sudden increase of awareness that makes you think you’ve gotten worse. The good news is that you now have the opportunity to grow into that new awareness. Since you’re aware of places you’re lacking, then you go to work training yourself. Try the exercises, poke at the skills, play with the advice, and forgive yourself for a lack of perfection.

And as you thank about what you learned from the writers conference, find the bits that work for you and throw away the rest. Don’t try and internalize everything. You are at the perfect point in your writing journey, and you can expand your writer’s intuition, but that doesn’t mean you need to (or should) take everything. Some of it will not work for your style, and some of it is not what you need to work on at this time. And that is perfectly alright.

What you want to do is go back to writing the way you always do, and work on incorporating the new skills where you can. You’ll make mistakes, and your writing might make you cringe. But remember: this is normal, you will get past it, and you will be a better writer for it. Growth and learning do not happen when things are beautiful and easy. You will get to a place where you are again happy with your writing. And then it will be time to go to another writers conference and the process will start all over again.

Laura Highcove has a degree in computer science, which is obviously why she is a fantasy writer. She is influenced by anime, video games, table-top gaming, programming, horses, and Norse mythology in no particular order. She currently lives in beautiful Blacksburg, Virginia with her computer, two cats, and husband. Her psychic abilities have not yet developed, but she remains hopeful. If you’d like to learn more about her, head over to her website and sign up for her newsletter (and get a free short story) here.

The post Why Does it Feel Like You Can’t Write After a Writers Conference? appeared first on DIY MFA.

Voice is a story element that no one can quite put their finger on. Readers either connect with our voice or they don’t. There isn’t much in between. While at SCBWI LA summer conference in 2014, I listened to a panel of reputable, high-powered agents discuss what they liked and disliked about manuscript submissions. When the moderator asked them about voice, their clear-cut advice suddenly became vague. They all agreed voice isn’t something they can teach. Voice is there or it isn’t. So how do you go about finding your voice?

Practice at writing.

You don’t have to write every day, but you should set goals and meet them. Whether they be daily, weekly, or monthly, write when you can and meet your self-imposed deadlines. The more you write, the more experience you have honing your voice. You don’t have to always finish what you start. Not every story will sing to you. Try to finish drafting the ones that do resonate. Practice every stage of your process, including revisions and line edits. Finding your voice will happen as you become more in tune with your methods for storytelling.

Read many genres.

Finding your voice can come from researching books that do voice well. Usually these books connect with a wide audience or serve their niche in the market. The main character doesn’t necessarily need to be a mouthy teenager or have a Scottish accent or drawl. Their voices should feel relatable, accessible, and build the narrative. If you write chapter books, your voice will be different than if you write YA contemporary. Compare and contrast. Get a feel for where you think your own voice fits in the market. Be mindful that voice is also about sentence and paragraph structure, word choice, point of view, similes, purple prose, etc. What do you do well? What could you improve?

Try different genres.

Before I found my sweet spot in fantasy, I wrote a YA paranormal, a YA contemporary, a YA thriller, and a MG fantasy. My middle-grade received a lot of attention from agents, but every one of them said my voice was “off.” I had the genre right but not the readership category. Not to say I won’t switch genres in the future, but it’s usually best to settle upon one until you’re established in the marketplace and build readership.

Get feedback from critique partners, betas, and agents.

Listen to your early readers. If they aren’t connecting with your main character, you might have an issue with voice. Perhaps you character should be younger or older, or your storytelling is better suited for sci-fi than fantasy. Whatever feedback you get, listen before you discard it. Thoughtful, constructive critiques can steer us toward honing our voice.

Find your theme.

We all have causes that are close to our heart. These beliefs and unique viewpoints sneak into our writing. We aren’t out to teach or preach. Our upbringing and how we view the world naturally leaks into our stories. These themes connect us with readers who share similar ideals. Your theme may be general, such as death in the Harry Potter series, or more plot-focused, such as gender equality in The Handmaid’s Tale. Always be thinking of ways to insert your authentic self into your story. Whatever is near and dear to your heart is worth exploring. You don’t have to be a bad guy to write one, but some piece of you is that villain. Do you know what piece it is? That’s part of voice.

Find your passion.

Do you like to create complex magic systems? Cozy mysteries? Fast-paced thrillers? Slow-burn romances? Write what makes you happy and what draws you back to your keyboard time and time again. Writing isn’t easy. It’s even harder when you’re ambivalent about what you’re creating.

As you can see, voice belongs to the individual. Honing it takes a combination of practice, reading, open-mindedness, and understanding why you write in the first place. We all have something to share. Don’t write for the market or to please your critique partners. Be authentic. Your voice will emerge, and readers will connect with your work.

Emily R. King is the author of the Hundredth Queen series, as well as Before the Broken Star, Into the Hourglass, and Everafter Song in the Evermore Chronicles. Her latest novel, WINGS OF FURY, will be released March 1, 2021, the first in the Wings of Fury duology. The second book, Crown of Cinders, will be released October 5, 2021.

Born in Canada and raised in the United States, she is a shark advocate, a consumer of gummy bears, and an islander at heart, but her greatest interests are her children and three cantankerous cats.

For more information, visit her at www.emilyrking.com.

The post Finding Your Voice appeared first on DIY MFA.

Comparable titles (also known as comps) can be extremely helpful when writing and pitching your book to a literary agent or editor. 

They are also a huge way to ensure your book is marketed in the right place on Amazon or in the bookstore—and better yet, they’re good practice to learn how to read with a purpose. 

Finding bad comps for your books is worse than no comps. 

To avoid this, I’d like to share five must-knows to picking your comps, as well as a better idea about what makes a comp and how to use it in a pitch.  

Why Comparable Titles Are Important (But Not Mandatory) 

When I worked as an editorial intern at P.S. Literary Agency, finding comps was an important task. Comps could help the agent I reported to decide if a book was worth representing. It could also strengthen a pitch for a client’s new book to an editor.

Comparable titles, or books/stories that have certain similarities to another story, can be extremely useful when convincing an editor or agent that a story is worth investing in. It hints at certain story preferences and tastes, and identifies with what has worked in the market before. 

Plus, it attracts an ideal readership! 

In the first months of my role, finding comps was a challenging task. 

While businesses like Amazon make the research easier (Amazon, in fact, first gained success because of their brilliant move to recommend additional books a customer would like after purchasing a title), there are certain details I needed to keep in mind in order to find a good comp. 

I mentioned above that finding bad comps is worse than no comps. And the agent I worked for told me multiple times that comps weren’t mandatory in a query letter, although when good ones came along, they helped. 

You see, there’s a trick to finding good comps—if you know what good means.

I’d like to clarify this with five must-knows covered in this post.  

Must-Knows When Picking Your Book’s Comparable Titles

There’s a lot of great places to look for comps for your manuscript. 

Libraries are the underdogs of all story archives, and I’m always a huge advocate for local bookstores, especially since booksellers really know their titles, and will have loads of recommendations when you describe what you’re looking for in a book.

Keep in mind, comparable titles aren’t exactly like the book you’re writing (if it was, then why are you writing a book that’s already been done?), but they are similar (and different). 

For instance, you might be looking to make a connection with your story that an agent mentions they like on their #MSWL (manuscript wish list). 

Take for example a story that could be described as smart fiction that involves a startup business in today’s society. A good comp for this might be Doree Shafrir’s Startup: A Novel. 

Or maybe you’re looking for a book that takes a hard look at Islamophobia in American for young adults. Samira Ahmed’s Love, Hate, and Other Filters would be a fantastic fit. 

How about nonfiction? Perhaps you want a comparable title that explores female entrepreneurs and the gender gap in business. I’d highly recommend Sophia Amoruso’s #Girlboss, which I suggested as a comp for Susanne Althoff’s amazing book Launching While Female.  

All of these examples are good picks for the scenarios paired with them, but pulling these titless out at libraries, bookstores, Amazon, or Goodreads might seem overwhelming. At first. 

To ensure you find a good title for your story’s comps, turn to one of the four story providers above, and then use these five must-knows to make sure they’ll work. 

Note: While I linked to Amazon above, because Amazon is easiest for research, I deeply encourage you to consider buying local, if it’s in your means. I don’t always buy local, but if I can I do because bookstores and booksellers are awesome, and seriously worth talking to about stories.

I also thought you might enjoy this resource, which I’m passing along from Oprah’s magazine (I first saw it on Jodi Picoult’s social media), as it can help you locate and support black-owned bookstores: FIND THAT RESOURCE HERE. 

Recently Published

Agents and editors need comps that have been recently published, or published within the last three (maybe five) years. 

Why? 

Because they need to know that your book will sell in today’s market, and if there’s a good comp that has done this, they will probably have more success when using it in their pitch to an editor or publisher. 

However, there is an exception here. If you have two comps and one is older, or a TV show or movie, and the other is more recently published, it will work. 

Just make sure at least one of the comps you pitch has been published in that last one to five year mark. 

Published by the Big Five

This one is important, and what tripped me up most in my earlier months as an editorial intern. 

The Big Five are considered the largest five publishers in the publishing industry, and the agent I worked most closely with emphasized the importance of pitching comps published by the Big Five when pitching a debut author’s book. 

To check if your comp is from a Big Five publisher—and not a small publisher or indie publisher (or self published)—Jane Friedman created this phenomenal infographic. 

Another good place to cross your t’s is from almossawi.com. It’s amazing. Bookmark this page in your browser. Or print it out and pin it to your wall: Big Five Infographic. 

Performed Well in Sales

A good comp isn’t good unless it’s performed well in sales. Remember, comps are used to prove to an editor or publisher (or agent) that your book has what it takes to attract and please readers. Sales are evidence of this.

Of course, you’re probably not going to find a spreadsheet of a title’s finances online.

But you can discover if a book has done well by turning to best-seller lists, awards, options, and news about the book’s performance. 

Not Ubiquitous 

Another important must-know that you might not think about! 

This is also the number one reason why nobody should use a book like Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (or any Harry Potters) as a comp. 

Just don’t do it. 

Of course everyone wants to be as successful as J.K. Rowling’s series, but Harry Potter has really become something more than a book. It’s a brand. 

And when books are ubiquitous, they don’t work well to pitch as a comp because there’s really no guarantee that any new title will reach that level of success.

Although we can hope! 

(Some other example not to use, although great masterworks for you to read and analyze: Eat, Pray, Love, Gone Girl, The Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia—I’m sure there are others, but these for sure, in addition to the fact that they’re not recently published (see must-know number one).)

Clear Aspect on Back Cover That is Similar to Your Story 

Last on the list is the number one detail you should include in your query letter when pitching to an agent. 

What do I mean by a clear aspect on the back cover that is similar to your book? This is the similarity that makes your book the same but different to your comp. 

I mentioned a few of these examples with the books aforementioned: Startup, Love, Hate, and Other FIlters, and #Girlboss. 

Where (and How) to Use Your Comparable Titles

Once you do find a good comparable title for your story, it’s important to understand where and how to use them. 

If your heart is set on the traditional publishing route, the perfect place to pitch one or two of your comps is in the first paragraph of your query letter. 

Here, look for what the literary agent your querying is interested in representing (research their manuscript wish list or interviews), and then identify the aspect (must-know number five) that they mention.  

Not only will your comps work as a fantastic way to personally connect with the agent you hope will represent you and your work, but it shows you understand the market, your story, and how to research. 

All major pluses in future clients! 

If you’re not hoping to traditionally publish, comparable titles are still great ways to find your ideal readers and write your back cover. 

We all have select tastes when it comes to stories, and knowing how to find comps will help you find your groups. 

Why Good Comps Will Help You Read With a Purpose

As a fellow word nerd, you know that DIY MFA is all about reading with a purpose. And for good reason! 

If you can’t read with a purpose, you won’t become a better writer. Writers have to read in order to strengthen their craft, voice, understanding of story structure, and style. 

Writers also need to understand why a story works—or as I like to define this, advances the plot and develops characters with meaning. In addition to providing exceptional, unique settings, prose, and messages.

When you find a comparable title that works for your book, you should read it. Then, using your writing craft knowledge, start to decipher what makes your story the same but different. 

Hopefully you’ll pick up a few tricks to make your writing better along the way—without repeating the exact same ideas of other authors, of course. 

If you want to become a better writer, learn how to read like one. 

Do this by finding comparable titles that work. 

Thank You to DIY MFA, and a Bittersweet Farewell (for Now!)

For the past three and a half years I’ve had the great privilege to write as a columnist for DIY MFA. 

I first met and was inspired by Gabriela Pereira in 2015 at a Writer’s Digest Conference in New York City, connecting after a seminar she gave on characters. 

Enlightened, I started to follow her career, and later came across an opportunity to pitch a column for the reading portion of DIY MFA’s pillars, which became my Let’s Talk Books series.

Because of DIY MFA, I have grown as a writer, reader, educator, and advocator for stories in immeasurable ways. 

I have cherished my time with you fellow word nerds and the DIY MFA team, and am sad to write this farewell post (for now!), but am excited to focus on my burgeoning editing and storytelling career and growing family. 

As an editor and writer myself, I cannot encourage you enough to support the DIY MFA team. They are fun. They are smart. And they are supportive. (Not to mention nerdy!) 

I hope that you have benefited from this final, farewell post—and hopefully all the posts I contributed over the years.

I wish you well, and happy, purposeful reading. 

Abigail K. Perry is a Certified Story Grid Editor with professional teaching, literary agency, and film production experience. In addition to writing masterwork guides that help people learn how to write, read, and edit like a writer, she works as a freelance developmental editor/book coach and diagnostic editor. Abigail also teaches Genre-Focused writing workshops for the genres she specializes in, which include Women’s Fiction, YA Fantasy, Upmarket Fiction, Historical Fiction, and Scripts. Visit Abigail’s website if you’re a writer looking for an editor who will help you grow as storyteller, and who has experience in differentiated instruction, traditional publishing, and film.

The post Must-Knows When Picking Comparable Titles appeared first on DIY MFA.

Today’s episode is extra-awesome because I’m speaking with not one, not two, but three fabulous ladies, who have had hand in bringing a truly buzz-worthy novel to life, on the show!

First we have author Samantha Downing, whose debut novel My Lovely Wife has been getting a lot of attention. When she was a kid, Samantha’s mom brought her to the library every two weeks, where she would check out a stack of new books that she couldn’t put it down. She walked around with a book in front of her face, often walking into walls and stubbing her toes because she never watched where she was going. In her adult life she decided she wanted to be the one telling stories that would make people walk into walls and My Lovely Wife, is one such book.

Next we have Samantha’s agent Barbara Poelle who began her publishing career as a freelance copywriter and editor before joining the Irene Goodman Literary Agency in 2007. Barbara also did a brief stint as a standup comic in Los Angeles and if you’ve ever bumped into her at a conference or literary event, you know she is hilarious. Barbara has found success placing thrillers, suspense, young adult and upmarket fiction, She is actively seeking her next great client in those genres, but is passionate about anything with a unique voice.

Jen Monroe is the editor behind this fabulous book. She joined Berkley in November 2016 and edits psychological suspense, upmarket fiction, speculative fiction, and narrative nonfiction. Previously, Jen spent two years at HarperAudio where she handled all editorial needs, and produced the in-house podcast HarperAudio Presents. Jen also pursued journalism interning for places including The New York Times and The San Francisco Examiner.

So listen as Samantha, Barbara, Jen and I chat about the amazing novel MY LOVELY WIFE, and the teamwork involved between an author, agent, editor to bring a book into the world.

In this episode Samantha, Barbara, Jen and I discuss:

• The matchmaking experience of publishing.
• Why communication is vital to a successful author-agent-editor relationship.
• Crafting an unreliable narrator while still maintaining your readers’ trust.
• Advice to help navigate disagreements in the editorial process.
• The most important thing querying writers need to know.

Plus, each of these lovely ladies’ #1 tip for writers.

About Samantha Downing

Born in the Bay Area and now living in the Big Easy, Samantha Downing considers both to be home. When she was a kid, Samantha’s mom brought her to the library every two weeks, and she would check out a stack of new books and new worlds. The best thing to her was becoming so absorbed in a book that she couldn’t put it down. She walked around with the book in front of her face, took it to the bathroom, the kitchen, the book came with her wherever she went. She tripped, ran into walls and stubbed her toes because she never watched where she was going. So in her adult life she decided she wanted to be the one telling stories that would make people walk into walls.

Along the way to this discovery she went to school, worked a few jobs and learned a thing or two. Throughout it all, she wrote. She never studied writing, it was just a hobby that grew into a passion, and a dozen books later (eleven of which she declares were truly terrible), her first novel, My Lovely Wife, is now available.

To connect with Samantha check out her website at www.samanthadowning.com.

About Barbara Poelle

Barbara Poelle began her publishing career as a freelance copywriter and editor before joining the Irene Goodman Literary Agency in 2007, but feels as if she truly prepared for the industry during her brief stint as a standup comic in Los Angeles. She has found success placing thrillers, suspense, young adult and upmarket fiction and is actively seeking her next great client in those genres, but is passionate about anything with a unique voice. Barbara also writes the column “Funny You Should Ask”, in Writer’s Digest.

To learn more about Barbara check out the Irene Goodman Literary Agency website at www.irenegoodman.com.

About Jen Monroe

Associate Editor Jen Monroe joined Berkley in November 2016. She edits psychological suspense, upmarket fiction, speculative fiction, and narrative nonfiction. Previously, Jen spent two years at HarperAudio where she handled all editorial needs, spearheaded original programming, and produced the in-house podcast HarperAudio Presents. Before publishing, she pursued journalism interning for The New York Times, Upfront and The San Francisco Examiner. Originally from San Francisco, she has an English & Creative Writing degree from Sarah Lawrence College.

My Lovely Wife

Dexter meets Mr. and Mrs. Smith in this wildly compulsive debut thriller about a couple whose fifteen-year marriage has finally gotten too interesting…

Our love story is simple. I met a gorgeous woman. We fell in love. We had kids. We moved to the suburbs. We told each other our biggest dreams, and our darkest secrets. And then we got bored.

We look like a normal couple. We’re your neighbors, the parents of your kid’s friend, the acquaintances you keep meaning to get dinner with.

We all have our secrets to keeping a marriage alive.

Ours just happens to be getting away with murder.

If you decide to check out the book, we hope you’ll do so via this Amazon affiliate link, where if you choose to purchase via the link DIY MFA gets a referral fee at no cost to you. As always, thank you for supporting DIY MFA!

Link to Episode 245

(Right-click to download.)

If you liked this episode…

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Until next week, keep writing and keep being awesome!

The post Episode 245: The Author-Agent-Editor Collaboration — Interview with Samantha Downing, Barbara Poelle, and Jen Monroe appeared first on DIY MFA.