2006 July | Beyond the Elements of Style

The fascination of
words and writing

Archive for July, 2006

Sit, Ubu, Sit!

Monday, July 31st, 2006

On Monday nights, I host an Internet radio show called “The World of Publishing.” At the end of every show, I ask my guest what advice he or she has for writers.

It occurred to me (I’m on vacation this week, so have a little more time to think) that I rarely ask myself the question and give my own advice to people. So here it is (drum roll, please):

KEEP YOUR DERRIERE IN THE CHAIR.

It’s really that simple, but it didn’t come across to me in quite that way until I went on a writing residency this past spring to a place where there is no electricity. I brought a small manual typewriter with me, not knowing what the results would be.

The results were phenomenal. In two weeks I got 250 pages of decent material. And I have to say that had I been using my beloved PowerBook and being connected to the Internet, as I am 24/7, that wouldn’t have happened.

Why? Because research is just so incredibly easy. One writes, and then one thinks, oh, what year did that happen? And one looks it up. Then and there.

Completely destroying the flow of the writing in the process.

Writing with a typewriter was oddly freeing. When I came to a point where I would normally have looked something up, I just typed in three exes and kept going. Research? Never mind! Looking things up? Pshaw! I wrote and wrote and wrote. Which was, after all, the point of being on a writing residency.

There are a lot of reasons not to write when we’re working on a novel, an article, an essay, or anything else that requires hard work — as good writing necessarily does. The first is, obviously, that it is in fact hard. Having a difficult task in front of us is an open invitation to sloth and procrastination.

Getting out of the chair to do “one more thing,” to look up a reference, even to get just “one more” coffee, means that the work isn’t getting done. It’s that simple.

And getting out of the chair doesn’t have to be physical. Reading emails as they come in, taking time to look something up on the Net, reading “just one” newsgroup or forum entry — all this is getting you out of your chair just as much as is the coffee or the book or anything else.

So that’s my advice: you want to write? Write. Don’t talk about it. Don’t think about it. Don’t spend all your time in writing forums and on writing email lists and reading about writing: Write. Keep your derrière in the chair, and write.

And then you’ll be way beyond the elements of style!

Posted in About Writing, Process Matters | No Comments »

What do Editors Want?

Thursday, July 27th, 2006

What is it that publishers are looking for? Are they waiting for the next Dan Brown, the next Stephen King, the next Danielle Steel? Does the nonfiction proposal you craft have to be about whatever happens to be popular – next year? Or do you have a chance of getting out of the slush pile and published, even if your book doesn’t fit into any of those stereotypes?

The answer is, yes. You have a chance. But you need to play by their rules in order to get there.

The first thing that agents, editors, and publishers are looking for, before any other consideration, is marketing. They want an author who can promote his or her book. Wait a minute – isn’t that like putting the cart in front of the horse? Shouldn’t the book, first and foremost, be brilliant and original before worrying about marketing?

You’d think so. But that would mean that you’re not playing by the rules. And the first rule in publishing is Market Thyself.

Like it or not, a sale is much more likely if you are an expert writing about your subject of expertise, whether in fiction or nonfiction. Look at all of the novels about forensics experts written by forensics experts, the novels about lawyers written by lawyers. Editors and publishers want to know that you know what you’re talking about. If you’re an expert, then they assume you do, and can promote you that way. If you’re not an expert, think about taking one on as co-author.

And that is just the beginning. You need to make it clear from the start that you will do what it takes to advertise your book. That you’re ready and willing to construct and maintain a Web site, that you’re ready for book tours, that you’ll break down doors to get reviews and interviews. Show yourself to be creative, energetic, and perseverant, and you’ve come a long way toward winning your editor’s heart.

The second thing that you need to project is professionalism. Take the time to learn what is expected of you, and do it. If the publication wants submissions between October and June only, submit between October and June only. Show in your query letters that you are not broadcasting them randomly (even if you are) but know something about the publishing house to which you’re addressing yourself.

Don’t call the editor unless she or he invites you to do so. Don’t ever send anything that is hand-written. Don’t ever mention that your mother likes your work.

If you want to be treated as a professional, act like one!

Finally, be able to encapsulate your concept or idea in as few words as possible. If you can’t articulate it, no one will buy it. Try what is called an “elevator conversation” – describe your book in the time it would take you to tell someone about it on an elevator. Can’t do it? Then you’re not ready to try and get a publisher’s attention.

If you don’t know what you’re doing, it will show. This is your job now, treat it the same way you’d treat any new job: by playing by the rules, being flexible and professional, and by using every opportunity to press your concept home.

For additional thoughts on what an editor wants — and doesn’t want — check out Miss Snark and the Evil Editor (you’ll find the links to their blogs on your right).

It can be done, but not unless you’re willing to do your homework first! And then you’ll be… beyond the elements of style!

Posted in About Writing, Editors | No Comments »

Platform? What Platform?

Monday, July 24th, 2006

It’s a word you’re likely to hear a lot these days, especially if you write nonfiction. When agents and editors talk about “platforms,” what they’re saying is, in essence, “how are you going to sell this book?”

Not we, note. You.

The days are gone when having done something for ten or twenty or thirty years makes you an expert — at least in the eyes of the reading public, and therefore in the eyes also of those who cater to it. These days, you need to have name recognition, and the more instant that recognition, the better.

“What do you mean, you’ve been a ham radio operator for 40 years? Okay, do you write a column about being a ham radio operator? No… hmm. So have you been on any TV or radio shows, talking about being a ham radio operator? Un-huh. Let’s see… Do you have an advanced degree in ham radio operation? What’s that? There’s aren’t any? Oh… Well, at least you’ve taught classes in ham radio operation, right? Gosh, I’m sorry. Your book looks absolutely terrific, the outline really covers the subject area, you have a lively writing style, I’d love to publish this. Can you go and find a real expert we can add on as a co-author?”

I edited a stunning book in which a survivor of domestic violence narrated her story and drew conclusions from it about the dynamics of domestic abuse. She still hasn’t gotten a traditional publisher interested in the book. Apparently being beaten up for twenty-odd years doesn’t mean that she knows what she’s talking about: she lacks a platform.

Allyson Peletier, who is now a consultant (www.AmbitiousEnterprises.com), worked for some time at the major imprint of a major publisher. She says, “It mattered very much what an author’s background was when evaluating nonfiction for two reasons — it is generally assumed that potential readers will choose a book by an obvious ‘expert’ over a nonexpert, and our marketing and publicity departments insisted that their media contacts wouldn’t bother with an author without obvious credentials in the field in which he or she was writing.”

The platform issue has even engendered businesses. Fern Reiss, a media and public relations specialist, writes and lectures on what she calls “expertizing” (www.expertizing.com). Best advice? Buy one — or several — of Fern’s books.

You don’t have to — necessarily — go out and get a terminal degree in your field of interest in order to have a platform. Start small. A blog dedicated to the topic. A column in your local newspaper. Teach a course in your subject area, and then teach another. Do a workshop or a presentation on a local cable TV show — or, better still, host your own. Get to be a recognized “expert,” even locally at first, and you’ll be building that platform. Build up to regional and then national publications, and eventually you can start getting your name associated with your book’s subject.

And then you can approach an agent or publisher with a stunning book proposal (Customline Wordware can help you there!) that includes a substantial section on your “platform.” And you’ll be… beyond the elements of style!

Posted in About Writing, Getting Published, Publicity, Publishers, Publishing | No Comments »