May 2011

How to Get to Editors

Published on

Dear Editor…

How do you get a manuscript to an editor when so many are not taking submissions at all?

Sincerely,

Sally

Dear Sally…

Get to editors by getting in the loop. Join the main writer’s group(s) for your category/genre, then actively monitor the group’s online forums and newsletters and attend its events. Suddenly you’ll have chances to connect with editors. At group chapter meetings, guest editors may invite attendees to submit a manuscript, bypassing their houses’ “no unsolicited submissions” policies. At group conferences, faculty editors do one-on-one critiques (for a fee). At small group workshops, faculty editors work directly with the attendees on their manuscripts. And in group newsletters, editors post alerts whenever they suspend the “no unsolicited submissions” policy (usually when they’re switching houses). Get in a loop.

Happy writing!

The Editor

Smoothing a Choppy Synopsis

Published on

Dear Editor…

I had an editor comment that my synopsis doesn’t read as “smoothly” as my sample pages. Have you got any ideas for how I should rework it?

Sincerely,

Sue

Dear Sue…

The choppiness may result from jumping around in an effort to account for all the details and characters. Synopses aren’t exhaustive, particularly if the story is a complicated one with a large cast. When the editor is ready for the full skinny, she’ll read the manuscript itself. For now, she’s looking for a summary of your main plot and main character arc. That’s it. So, in two or three pages, tell her what the main character needs or wants to achieve, what threatens the MC enough to kick-start the story, what steps the MC takes to achieve that goal, and what challenges the MC overcomes to get there. Walk the editor through those chapter by chapter, using direct statements. You’re telling at this point, not showing: “In this chapter, MC does X and it worsens her problem by X.” If you’re well short of 2 to 3 pages, you can trace a subplot through the chapters, too. But only do that if the subplot is essential to understanding the main plot’s path. After that framework’s in place, go back and massage the chapter rundown into a smooth story of your story. A hint of your narrative tone can sneak in now, and you can work in sentence variety. The result is a synopsis that does its job and shows off your writing mastery at the same time.

Happy writing!

The Editor

Which Tense Is Best for Synopses?

Published on
/

Dear Editor…

What tense should be used when writing a synopsis?  Does it matter what tense is used in the manuscript?

Sincerely,

Mary

Dear Mary…

No matter which tense you use in your story, apply literary present tense to your synopsis. Literary present describes your story as if it were happening right now: “When Khalel’s secret is revealed, he assumes his night daemon shape and escapes into the darkness.” Feel free to inject a hint of your story’s narrative voice into your synopsis, but don’t get wonky with the tense. Sticking with this standard lets your prospective agent or editor focus the content instead of the form.

Happy writing!

The Editor

What Does It Take to Be an Editor?

Published on

Dear Editor…

I’m interested in becoming an editor and I would like to know more about the job scope. What skills would I need and should I major in English at university?

Thanks,

Sarah

Dear Sarah…

A successful editor is a market-savvy businessperson with innate creativity and a mastery of language and storytelling. A BA in English or journalism sets the stage for this career, but any communications-related degree is fine for fiction editors; technical/nonfiction editors may have degrees in science or other specialized fields. Bottom line: Be able to not only assess when a manuscript isn’t working but also articulate why it’s not working. Learn project management skills because editors handle multiple projects in various stages of development on tight deadlines. You need people skills, too, as you must cultivate productive relationships with creative teams (including authors), production and accounting staff, and agents and lawyers. Business acumen is necessary for negotiating contracts, working with profit-and-loss grids, and positioning your books in the marketplace. Don’t count on your college degree to develop these skills; experience is a must for landing an entry-level editorial assistant position. Take paid or intern positions with local magazines and papers, handle publications for large companies, work on the college paper or yearbook, intern with New York publishers, or volunteer to create/edit marketing materials for non-profit charities. You’ll learn and network simultaneously. If you can, get a copyediting or proofreading certificate from a university or attend a publishing institute such as the University of Denver’s Publishing Institute to learn manuscript mark-up, specialized jargon, bookmaking, and overall industry knowledge. Bookselling experience can help with industry and market awareness, especially if you take on buying, stock management, or event-planning positions. The path that opened the door for me was a BA in English, a copyediting certificate, and a job writing and editing video game instructions for a local information publisher. My masters degree didn’t come until later.

Happy writing!

The Editor

Guest Editor Katie Davis re: To Podcast or To Video?

Published on
/

Dear Editor…

I’m thinking of including either podcasts or videos on my blog. Is one better for an author blog than the other?

Michael

Dear Michael…

The Editor asked me to answer your question because I create videos for my site on a regular basis and produce a podcast called Brain Burps About Books.

You ask which is better, videos or podcasts. But “better” could mean anything! Would one be better for your time input than the other? Better for SEO (Search Engine Optimization)? Better for your readers? And what kinds of video would be better? What kinds of podcasts? I’ll try to cover it all here and hope you didn’t mean just “better for my Aunt Sadie’s enjoyment!”

One thing before we begin: while podcasts can be audio or video, most people think of them as audio. For this discussion, I’ll be referring to audio podcasts.

Podcasts

The Black Hole Time Suck Info: Depending on whether you’re interviewing someone or just sharing information, your level of experience, and how long your episodes will be, a podcast can take anywhere from 60 minutes to more than four hours to produce, starting with interviewee correspondence to writing show notes and the accompanying blog post to recording the thing, editing, tagging, uploading, and promoting it.

Cost: It varies greatly, but if you plan on creating a lot of episodes, you’ll need to pay for a server, as audio files are approximately 1.5mg per minute. I use Liberated Syndication and find them very helpful and supportive whenever I have a problem.

Benefits:

  1. Podcasting is a great way to help people by sharing your expertise, they’re terrific passive marketing, and they entertain.
  2. Podcasts are portable, which means people can listen to them while they do other things. (Listeners can subscribe to podcasts via iTunes or download an app that will load the podcast automatically into their mp3 players.)
  3. There are many outlets for podcasts, so you can attract a global audience very quickly.
  4. Podcasts are easier to record and edit than videos.
  5. You can tag podcasts for SEO, just like videos.
  6. Podcasts add regular content to your site, which you want because it affects your ranking.
  7. One of my personal fave perks because I interview a lot of authors and illustrators: I receive books for free!
  8. And the best part: it’s fun!

Negatives:

  1. The word “podcast” confuses many consumers. They’re unsure of what one is and when, where, and how they can hear it, so they run from them. I usually describe “podcast” simply as a “homemade radio show accessed via the internet.”
  2. The internet is a visual medium; podcasts don’t really take advantage of that as well as videos.
  3. It’s hard to listen to a lengthy show that has really terrible audio quality, so you need good audio equipment if you want people to subscribe. Though sites such as BlogTalkRadio seem to be quite popular (I assume because they’re free), I personally have a difficult time listening to them because of the tin-cans-connected-by-a-string sound.

Suggestion: You could do 15-minute jobbers and not include a blog along with it. Design podcasts to work for you, your readers, and your purposes.

Videos

The Black Hole Time Suck Info: Videos can take an enormous amount of time if you want to produce a quality product. Obviously, there are many low quality videos out there that have gone viral, so I may know absolutely nothing! Still, the virals have something in common: mass interest for one reason or another. Therefore, you will want to consider your subject matter and what you want to put out there (see suggestions, below).

Benefits:

  1. You don’t have to commit to creating them regularly the way you do with podcasts. Though if you start creating helpful weekly videos, your visitor numbers will start growing, as people will begin to expect them. A podcast is, by definition, a series. People don’t think of videos as a series so you can do one-off videos. (You can certainly provide a video series, such as my video F.A.Q.s which I recently started hosting on my FAQ page as well as my Youtube channel.)
  2. Most people, by this time, know how to watch a video on a computer.
  3. Again, the web is a visual medium, so video is a natural way to show things like your writing process, who you are, where you live, etc., which many fans love to see.
  4. Properly tagged, videos are great for SEO. I suggest reading this or listening to this podcast with Darcy Pattison, author of The Book Trailer Manual.
  5. The longer a visitor stays on your site, the better (search spiders love longer stays), so watching a mesmerizing video increases the chance he or she will stay.
  6. You will get a lot of new readers through Youtube (because you’ll post your videos on your personal Youtube channel which will lead back to your site).

Negatives:

  1. You need video equipment. Luckily, equipment is much more available these days, what with cell phone HD video capabilities, iSight, etc.
  2. A video podcast is less portable, so your audience must find the time to sit and watch it.
  3. Talking heads are boring. Set your Bore Alert on high!
  4. One can easily be tempted to make long videos, which will then fall into the I-Have-No-Time-To-Watch-This category and then production time is wasted.

Suggestions: There are many ways an author can include videos on his or her site: book trailers, animotos, interviews, Skype visits with kids or teachers, informational videos, funny videos parodying books…the list could go on for many virtual pages. The one thing I advise, no matter the subject, is that you make the video short. Personally, I think three minutes at the extreme outside is the way to go, although there are those who think a five-minute video, if it’s instructional, hits the sweet spot. Make sure you create a Youtube channel, which will bring in more people from a completely different venue.

I’ve given you two sides of the story because you asked as though there were two sides to this decision. Michael, my question to you is, why chose one over the other? There is a reason the phrase “content is king” is ubiquitous. The more you put on your site or blog, the better you will be serving your readers and fans, and the more people will be coming to see what you’re offering. I do both, and so can you! And by the way, everyone who sees your videos probably won’t also be listening to your podcasts and reading your blog, so you’ll be covering different groups, potentially.

Suggested Reading: Blog post: Are YouTube Videos and Podcasting Worth the Effort?

Good luck, and I hope this helped!

Katie Davis

Katie Davis is the author/illustrator of nine books for children and is the producer of “Brain Burps About Books,” the #1 kidlit podcast in the iTunes store under Children’s Publishing. She also appears monthly on the ABC affiliate show “Good Morning Connecticut,” recommending great books for kids. Visit Katie’s website to get more tips and to sign up for her monthly newsletter filled with great information and chances to win stuff.