Social Networking vs. Writing

So. Wow. Did you see how many people commented on Friday's post? And did you see how longwinded eloquent everyone was? If I didn't know better, I'd think you all LOVE giving your opinions about social networking!

So the upshot is: some of us love it, some of us hate it, many of us are ambivalent or trying to decide. Amongst those of you who read my blog, the most popular social networks are blogging, Twitter and Facebook. And whether we love social networking or hate it, we all recognize the potential hazards, i.e. the TIME aspect. The question we each have to answer is: How can we use social networking to the extent that it's positive and helpful, but no more? I can't answer it for you. We all need to grapple with it ourselves.

But I'm going to go out on a limb here and say one thing. It's hard for me sometimes, on this blog, to strike a balance between teaching that building a platform is important and encouraging writers to place their writing first. There's no question, building an audience is important.

BUT.

If you are writing fiction. And you are unpublished. You really MUST be putting your writing first. Spend most of your discretionary time learning to write. You do this by continuing to write, and by reading high quality fiction, and by using crit partners, and reading books on craft. But mostly from writing, writing, writing.

Dabble in social networking for fun and leisure, and to get a head start on what you'll need in the future. But you should keep in mind a 90/10 ratio. Spend t 90% of your free time on your writing, and no more than 10% on platform building.

Things change when you're published. And things are different if you're a NON-fiction writer.

But again, if you're an unpublished novelist, improving your writing is top priority. If you don't do that, all the rest will be irrelevant anyway.

So get off this blog and get back to work!

Q4U: Social Networking Anyone?

What do you say we blow the lid off this whole social networking thing once and for all. I've got questions, you've got answers. You ready?

What do you LIKE about Twitter, Facebook, or other social networks?

What do you DISLIKE?

What scares you about them?

If you are NOT using Twitter or Facebook, why not?

How do social networks improve your life? How are they helping in your business or career?

And finally, how do you deal with the issue of the time that social networking takes?

Whether or not you use Twitter, Facebook, or other social networks regularly, take the poll at the top of the sidebar. You can choose as many answers as you like.

I want to get some honest answers from writers about how social networking fits into the writing life, and what the perceived value is. Looking forward to the discussion!

Hope you all have a great weekend.

Rachelle Gardner, Christian Literary Agent, Colorado

What is ICRS?

I'm spending most of this week preparing for my meetings at ICRS, so I thought I'd explain it to you in case you're wondering.

ICRS stands for International Christian Retail Show. If you're familiar with BEA (Book Expo America), ICRS is a smaller version for the Christian publishing and retailing world. It's a trade show, basically. The original purpose, like the original purpose of BEA, was to bring together publishers and booksellers. These trade shows eventually became large industry-wide events, bringing together people from all areas of publishing: publishers, authors, agents, booksellers, publicists, etc. There are parties, workshops, speakers, panels, readings, booksignings, and lots and lots (and LOTS) of meetings.

So ICRS is next week, in Denver (yay!) so I don't have to get on a plane. I'll have something like 40 meetings with editors, publishers, and even a couple of my clients. (One year at the Frankfurt Book Fair, the world's largest book convention, in one week I had 90 meetings. And a lot of sausage.)

Agents typically spend considerable time gathering the projects they're planning to pitch at ICRS, and I'm no exception. I have a killer line-up of new proposals to show, both fiction and non-fiction, and ICRS will give me a chance to hear first-hand what the editors think of them.

Unlike a writers' conference, where editors often try to be polite and spare writers' feelings, the editors are pretty blunt with agents when we're pitching face-to-face. They're usually quick with "No, that's not for me," or, "Hmm, that sounds interesting, tell me more." So we come back from ICRS with a good read on how our projects were perceived, and a ton of follow-up to accomplish.

And in case you sometimes think that agents can't possibly know how it feels when you're trying to prepare a verbal pitch for a conference... take note: I'll prepare verbal pitches for about 20 diferent projects. So yes, I know what it's like!

One more thing... like BEA, the ICRS convention has been rapidly shrinking in size and importance the last few years. Several major publishers no longer exhibit at these conventions. There are always rumors that the conventions themselves are coming to an end, but they haven't yet. Like everything else these days, they're going to need to change with the times, but I don't think anyone has figured out what that means.

In any case, you know where I'll be next week! (Not sitting here in front of my computer, that's for sure.)

Any questions about publishing industry trade shows?

When Three Agents Have Lunch

Before I get to the real post, just wanted to mention that Mary DeMuth posted an interview with me yesterday on her blog. She asked some interesting questions! Read it here.

A couple of weeks ago, Kerrie Flanagan of Northern Colorado Writers hosted a lunch for three Denver-area agents: Kristin Nelson (Nelson Literary); Kate Schafer Testerman (KT Literary); and me (me). We met at a downtown Denver restaurant and sat out on the patio watching the world go by, including a panhandler who asked us for money at least five times.

We got to talking about the state of the industry and I have to say, part of me was relieved that I'm not the only one noticing how slow things are lately. Publishers are still acquiring books, but everything seems to be taking longer, and the expectations seem to be higher. It's not uncommon for it to take two or three months to hear back from publishers once we submit—and that's for projects that are pretty darn strong. In addition, some publishers are putting less money into editing their books, so they're looking for a higher level of perfection than they might have expected previously. I'm not happy things are this way, but I'm happy it's not just me!

Our gabbing was interrupted by the waiter taking our order, and the other three rolled their eyes when I ordered a salad. We were at a noodle restaurant, where apparently it's only okay to order noodles. I'm such a renegade.

So then we got into this really convoluted discussion about all the changes to publishing contracts because of the evolving electronic rights situation. (Any normal person would have been totally bored by this.) Electronic rights are really on agents' minds right now, as the publishers are scrambling to get appropriate language into their new author contracts, and we (agents) keep pushing them to make their language more fair to authors. Authors are not being heavily affected by this yet; but some of the contracts being signed today will still be in effect five or ten years from now and the electronic situation will surely be different then. We're trying to anticipate this and get language that protects authors for the long haul. Nice to know that all agents are in the same boat.

Along about then a rogue thunderstorm decided to pass over (not surprising, since this is Colorado). We abandoned our patio table for the très chic lounge inside.

Speaking of Colorado, that was another interesting topic of conversation—the fact that we're all pretty far from the New York City publishing scene. We agreed that it hasn't hampered us a bit in our work. (This is especially true for me since I work with a lot of Christian publishers who aren't in New York anyway.) Technology has made geography practically irrelevant. Even if we live right across the street from a publisher, we're still doing everything by email and phone. Of course, face-time is important, so we travel and meet with editors in person regularly. But in general, I think it's so cool that technology has made it possible to do business equally successfully with people all over the country.

You're probably wondering if we ever got to gossiping about clients or bad queries or the challenges of being an agent. Well, to tell you the truth... no! We love our jobs and while there are challenges just like in any business, none of us are the complaining type. We had a blast talking about the industry and we could've gabbed all afternoon, but alas, we all had actual work to do. And blogs to write.

Back to the grind!

My Comment Policy

One of the most helpful blog posts I've read in awhile was yesterday on Michael Hyatt's blog: 8 Blog Tips from Tim Ferriss. I'm going to try harder to put some of the tips into practice.

But it was tip #6 that really got me thinking and re-examining. "Practice zero tolerance for negative comments."

I've always tried to make this a friendly, welcoming place for everyone. I've intentionally allowed, even encouraged, differing viewpoints. We don't all see things the same way, and I'm very interested in other perspectives. In the vast majority of cases, my readers are a smart, kind and funny bunch, and your comments make this blog great!

Yet once in awhile the tone in which an opinion is expressed can be harsh, overly critical or even intended to wound. I always had trouble figuring out what to do with these comments, because I didn't want to seem "intolerant" or unable to take criticism.

But this is my blog, right? So I've decided to set some ground rules for comments. And here they are:

• Differing opinions are welcome and valued.
• I expect all comments to be respectful of me (as your host) and of the other commenters. If you disagree with another commenter, please do it without being rude or your comment will be deleted.
• I don't mind criticism of me or agents in general, but please do so respectfully and in a constructive manner, or I will delete it.
• Obviously I don't say anything anonymously; if you have something important to say, perhaps you shouldn't either. (But it's your choice.)
• I delete comments that use profanity.

So there it is... pretty simple.

Readers... what do think? Fair? Are there any other "rules" I should consider adding?

Should You Try to Write What's HOT?

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the difference between good projects and hot projects; and I followed it up with a post about why your project can sell even if it's not "hot."

So that begs the question (which many of you asked): Should you try to write what's hot? Should you be following the trends and trying to write to them?

In general, I don't think so. Write what you're good at. You could be the one to start a new trend, or help a genre to start trending "up" when perhaps it had been flat for awhile. If you try to chase the trends, by the time you write a good book in that genre, it might already be so glutted that it's not hot anymore.

If you happen to be writing in a genre that everyone is saying "isn't selling right now," then it might just be a timing issue. These things are cyclical; you never know when that genre might start selling again.

That said, there are times when it's helpful to be aware of what type of books are doing well. If you happen to write more than one genre equally well, and you're unpublished, you should choose the genre that would give you the best chance of breaking in. Write the less popular genre later when you're established. Even in non-fiction, being aware of what's selling can help you strategize your entry into the market. Either way, you always want to choose the path that seems to hold the least obstacles (because there are already so many obstacles to getting published, you don't need any more!)

So what do YOU think? What kinds of books do you see trending up? What's not so hot?

Rachelle Gardner, Christian literary agent, Colorado

No Post Today, Sorry!

Drat, I simply couldn't come up with a post for today. But I have a cool fireworks picture right? And ten really good excuses reasons for no post.

10. Way too busy Twittering and Facebooking.

9. Negotiating deals for four of my clients this week... it's taxing, you know!

8. Sunshine beckons. Must. Get. Outside.

7. Expending superhuman effort to get my inbox under 20.

6. Nathan Bransford always writes terrific end-of-the-week posts so I figure I don't have to.

5. American Idol isn't on right now so I didn't have a fall-back position.

4. Kids had friends over for two slumber parties this week. Can anybody say t-i-r-e-d?

3. I live at 7,000 feet elevation - the air's kinda thin up here. (I know, that doesn't have anything to do with anything. So sue me.)

2. Extremely obsessed with checking my eBay "for sale" items. I have eight auctions closing today. I'm totally gonna be rich.

And the number-one reason I didn't write a post for today:

1. I always wanted to write a "reasons I didn't write a post" post. Checking THAT one off my to-do list. Woot.


Happy Independence Day Weekend! Rachelle Gardner, Christian literary agent, Colorado

How to Build Traffic on Your Blog, Part 2

Another Guest Post by Jennifer Fulwiler!

Last week we talked about how to create a blog that will entice new visitors to become loyal readers. However, that probably left many of you wondering, "How do you get those visitors there in the first place?" I've been asking that same question for more than 10 years as I've worked to get the word out about both personal and professional websites, and in this post I'll share my thoughts on the main options for pro-actively driving traffic to your blog.

Commenting on other blogs
Leaving comments on other blogs is the only thing on this list that I would say you must do. Not only is it a way to get new readers, but it's just good etiquette to show an interest in other people's sites. In order to make sure your comments have the most impact, I recommend the following:

- Use a unique name: Even if people don't click through to your site, commenting on blogs can help you build name recognition—but only if your username is unique. For example, if your name is Jessica Jones and your blog is called Writer Musings, if you leave comments as "Jessica" you're not doing anything to build name recognition or to entice people to check out your blog. Leave comments as "Jessica Jones" or "Jessica @ Writer Musings" so that people know which Jessica they're hearing from every time you comment.

- Be careful about linking to your own posts: It's fine to leave a comment referring to a post you wrote if it would really add value to the comment thread, but don't refer to your own blog in every comment you leave. Also, learn a little basic HTML so that when you do link to a post you can embed a clickable link. (Here's a helpful tutorial on that.)

- Be sincere: As we discussed in Part 1, it's all about generosity. Going out into the blog world with the goal of building up fellow bloggers and offering sincere encouragement is not only a nice thing to do, but it will get more people to click through to your site than half-hearted comments with the sole aim of getting traffic to your own blog.

Social media
Social media networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Plurk, etc. can be a great way to find new readers for your blog and keep your current readers engaged. If you're not familiar with social media, I recommend signing up for accounts on the two big sites, Twitter and Facebook, and trying them for a week to see if you like them.

The bottom line on social media is this: It's social. If you can find a network that you truly enjoy using to interact with others, you will end up reaching new people and driving traffic to your blog without even trying. But if you find yourself reluctantly participating in one of these sites just to throw out the occasional link to a blog post you wrote, not only will it be unlikely to drive much traffic to your site, but you may alienate existing readers as well. Don't feel pressure to get involved in social media if it's not for you; there are plenty of other ways to build traffic to your blog.

Search engine optimization
Search engines can provide a surprisingly significant source of traffic to your site if it is search engine optimized. All the major blogging platforms take care of the basics for you, but in order to write search-engine-friendly posts it's helpful to understand which words search engines value most:

- Words in links: Search engines track which words show up in links to any given page on the internet, so if you're going to link to one of your own posts, make sure descriptive words are part of the link. For example, "See my post about developing fiction characters" will help people searching on that subject find your post better than "See my post about developing fiction characters."

- Words in titles: Search engines pay more attention to words in titles, so make sure each post's title is descriptive of the subject you're covering.

- Words in linked titles: If your blogging platform doesn't automatically create a clickable link to the URL of your post from its title, check the support documents to see how you can add that feature. Not only is it more user-friendly for your readers, but it will make search engines value the words in your title even more.

Product giveaways
Giving away free products, even if they're inexpensive, is a great idea for attracting people to your blog. I would recommend waiting until you have at least 50 visitors per day to make sure that you get enough of a response to make it interesting, but after that you may want to try hosting a giveaway, offering extra entries for people who tell others about it. Also, if you're using social media, you can be a little more forward about promoting your giveaway posts since you're offering something in return.

Carnival participation and blog directories
A blog carnival, broadly defined, is where one blogger creates a collection of links to individual blog posts on a specific topic (e.g. Menu Plan Monday). Submitting your blog to carnivals is not only a way to bring in a little traffic, but you often end up "meeting" new bloggers with similar interests as well.

Blog directories are sites that collect links to blogs, arranged by category (e.g. Blogflux). Submitting your site to directories can't hurt, but don't spend too much time on it since it's unlikely to bring in much traffic.

Paid advertising
If you're hoping to build traffic quickly, consider purchasing advertising. Even if you don't have the budget to take out a billboard, you might be surprised at what you can afford when it comes to online ads. If you're not sure where to start, I recommend Google Adwords. With Adwords you can have your custom text ad show up on search terms of your choice, and you only pay when people click through your link; you can also set a cap on how much you want to pay per day so that you don't spend too much. Another good bet is to contact the big bloggers in your genre and ask if they sell advertising on their sites. You can often find great deals when you work one-on-one with site owners.

Guest posts and interviews
Guest posts and radio or podcast interviews can work wonders for getting the word out about your blog, and those opportunities are more accessible than you might imagine. First, define some areas in which you have expertise: Are you a published author? Did you help someone battle cancer? Do you have the best garden on the block? Be sure to cast the net wide and define your successes not only in terms of professional accomplishments.

Now, do some searching to find blogs, talk radio shows or podcasts that deal with those subject areas, preferably ones that already do regular guest posts or interviews. Email the person in charge to offer your expertise, and be specific about how you could add value to their project: For example, if you email a blogger about doing a guest post, include a bulleted list of the points you would touch on in the post as well as a paragraph about why you're qualified to write it. You might be surprised at how many people would be happy to take you up on your offer!

Almost all of these options are free, though they do take time; and the more time you can commit to spreading the word about your blog, the more quickly your traffic will grow. However, I recommend following an 80/20 rule here: Spend at least 80% of your time working on the tips from Part 1 to craft a fantastic blog, and no more than 20% of your time marketing it. A great blog will eventually get traffic no matter what, whereas all the publicity in the world will do little to help a blog with poor writing or major usability flaws.

I'd like to close with a word of encouragement: The world is always hungry for good writers. If you love the craft of writing and are serious about using your blog to build a platform, you will almost definitely succeed. It might take longer than you'd like—it usually takes about two years for a blog's traffic to start gaining momentum—but if you follow all the tips from Part 1 and utilize even a couple of the ideas from here in Part 2, I have no doubt that you will create a successful blog.

Jennifer Fulwiler is a computer nerd and writer who lives in Austin, Texas. She has more than 10 years of web development experience and her websites have been mentioned in USA Today, Slate, National Lampoon and The Washington Times. She is writing a memoir based on her blog, ConversionDiary.com, and is represented by Ted Weinstein Literary Management.

Writing Contests

First off (and before we get to today's post)...

HAPPY RELEASE DAY to Deborah Vogts, author of Snow Melts in Spring (Book 1 in the Seasons of the Tallgrass series). This is her first novel... and my first agented novel to be released. We're both excited!

Click the picture to buy the book, and visit Debbie's website to say hi and extend your congratulations.

Now on to the post...



A reader asked: If you enter a major contest, can you still look for an agent or is your ms. tied up until the winner is announced? Of course it's a long shot but I hate to mislead potential agents...I'd like to hedge my bets and try for both. What's the protocol? Help!

I think it's a good idea to be querying agents and entering contests at the same time. You never know when lightning is going to strike, and like you said, it's smart to be covering all the bases.

You said you "hate to mislead potential agents" but I can't see how this would happen unless you were purposely withholding information. But you'd never do that, right? Just include a line in your query that says, "My manuscript is currently entered in XYZ contest."

Make sure the contests you enter don't have any stipulations preventing agented authors from being eligible to win.

If an agent agrees to represent you, then you and the agent will determine how to proceed. The agent may want to begin submitting your book to publishers right away; if it gets a contract, then you'll probably have to withdraw from the contest. Or, you and the agent may decide to wait and see if you win, especially if you're a finalist.

So, readers, how many of you are entering contests? Are you querying agents at the same time? What have you heard about the protocol?

Rachelle Gardner, Christian literary agent, Colorado

How Much Editing Can An Agent Do?

Before I became an agent, I'd been editing and writing books for years, so I naturally approached agenting from an editorial perspective. Meaning: I look for excellence in the craft of writing, and I also use my editorial skills to help polish a proposal or a manuscript before we send it out to publishers. Because I was confident of my ability to do this, I started off more likely to take on books that were "not quite there" and try to edit them into perfection.

However, this quickly became overwhelming. I realized I was giving away thousands of dollars worth of editorial expertise, with no guarantee of ever recouping it. I can't charge clients for editing. (Ethically, agents can only profit from their clients by selling the rights to their books, not from any other services.)

I finally realized that there's a limit to how much editing an agent can and should do. I can't get out there and sell books if I'm spending most of my time editing (for free). Bottom line, it's the author's job to come to the agent with a publishable book. As much as I want to help everybody get there, I simply can't do it, and I had to acknowledge that since I'm no longer an editor by trade, it's just not my job.

I think I'm finding the balance, and it looks something like this:

For most clients, I'll make some suggestions for improvement in a manuscript or proposal, but nothing so deep as a full macro edit (sometimes called developmental or substantive edit), for which editors charge upwards of $3000. I'll also go through and generally polish—fix formatting, do some line editing and typo corrections. That's normal.

For a select few clients (maybe 2 or 3 a year), I'll spend more time, even providing a full macro edit. These are writers in whom I see tremendous potential, yet I know that their manuscript won't sell in its current state. For those few, I'm willing to take the risk, spend extra time on the editing process, and see if we can get their manuscript to a publishable level, because I see them as someone I'd like to partner with for the long haul. I'm banking on my experience, my instinct and my editing skills. It may or may not pay off. But since it takes so much time, I must severely limit how much I do this, and choose these clients carefully.

For the most part, if I see projects I really like but still feel they need too much work before being publishable, I won't offer representation. Instead, I'll try to give some brief direction for revisions, and suggest the writer work with a professional editor or book doctor, or at least a critique partner, to improve the book and then resubmit.

This has been an interesting learning curve for me... a predictable one, I guess, considering I was a full-time editor before. It's hard for me to say no to writers in whom I see potential, but sometimes, you just gotta do what you gotta do!

Do you have expectations of an agent about editing? Have you even thought about it?

Rachelle Gardner, Christian literary agent, Colorado

Have You Written More Than One Book?

Katie asked: I have written three books that I'm hoping to finish revising this summer, all in the same genre. When I'm ready to start submitting, how do I decide which one to submit? And let's say I submit a book to an agent, they say no. Can I query the same agent with a different book? And if they say no to that, can I query again with my final book? Or is that just beyond annoying? Is that unprofessional?

and...

Shen asked: I am currently about finished with two books. They are of entirely different genres. Would it be wise to submit them under different names, or are my chances of being read by an agent greater if I submit them under the same name?


***
Let's start with the obvious. Why are you writing two or three books at once? Don't you find your focus is hampered? Are you sure that writing more than one book at a time is the way to do your best work? Personally, I think multi-tasking is over-rated and I believe people do their best writing when their focus isn't divided. This is especially true when you're unpublished and still learning the craft of writing for publication.

I understand many people are still trying to find their place as a writer, and much of the writing at this point is experimental. Am I a historical romance writer or am I better at contemporary suspense? What do I enjoy most? Is my heart more in fiction or non-fiction? These are valid questions and it takes some experimentation to find out the answers. The part that makes me worry is when writers assume all their "experiments" are worthy of publication. You're probably better in one genre than another.

But I'm probably wrong about all this, since so many people send me these same questions. So let's answer the questions. Here's the most important thing to remember: Query each agent with only one book at a time. Wait for a response before sending anything else to that agent.

How do you decide which book? Start with your best one. Get objective input from others who will be honest with you, and decide which one represents your very best work. You should also take a look at the market and try to determine which of your books is most saleable right now. Lastly, consider platform. If you have two books, one fiction and one non-fiction, take into account that your non-fiction might require a platform in order to be desirable for publishers, whereas your novel just needs to be a terrific book. Where is your strength? Start by querying in the area of your strength, and meanwhile, work on building your areas of weakness, whether it's platform or writing ability.

If an agent says no to one book, there's no law against submitting a different book to the same agent. But please, wait at least a couple months, maybe more. It's definitely beyond annoying when I pass on a book, and the very same day, the author sends me another one. It just comes off as desperate or too eager or something. In that second query, mention that you'd previously queried a different book (otherwise the agent may go crazy with some weird sense of déjà vu from recognizing your name but not the project). As for a third book to the same agent, well, it's up to you. It might be annoying, but it's not against the rules or unprofessional.

If you're writing in multiple genres, make your decision about whether to use a pseudonym based on your long-term career plans, not on some idea about it being easier to get an agent to read it. The work stands on its own, regardless of your name. The same principles apply: submit your best work first. One at a time. And if you submit twice to the same agent, say so in your query.

So let's just get this out in the open: How many of you are unpublished and working on multiple projects simultaneously, with an eye toward publication for all of them? Are they the same genre or different? Why are you doing this? Inquiring minds want to know.

Rachelle Gardner, Christian Literary Agent, Colorado

Friday Self Promotion Party!

Once again, my blog is all about YOU. We've been talking a lot about self-promotion lately. Here's your chance! Today's assignment:

Tell us about ONE book you're writing, or have written.

If your book is available for purchase, go ahead and include a link.

Please stick to a maximum of 100 words per comment in this post.

Have a terrific weekend!

P.S. Remember, if you want people to click through, you have to provide a link using HTML. (Self promotion 101.) Go to this post to get the HTML code.

How To Build Traffic on Your Blog (Part 1)

A Guest Post by Jennifer Fulwiler

A lot of writers have mixed feelings when they hear about the importance of using blogs to build platforms. On the one hand it sounds nice to have a popular blog, but on the other hand it's daunting: How do you go about getting traffic? Isn't it mostly just luck anyway? I have good news: Attracting a loyal readership to a blog is not just blind luck. After more than a decade working as a web developer, I've learned from some exciting successes (and a few spectacular failures) that there are concrete steps you can take to grow traffic to your site.

When I give advice on this topic I usually spend most of my time talking about how to write well; after all, if a blog is not well-written there are no tips or tricks that will make people want to read it. But since most of you probably have that part covered, here are some practical steps you can take to make sure your blog effectively highlights your writing and draws in a loyal audience:

It's all about generosity.
If you only remember one thing from this post, make it this: It is a spirit of generosity that brings traffic to a website. As I know from personal experience, having a blog can tempt you to become a black hole of attention. However, the more inwardly-focused you become, the fewer readers you will have. Ironically, it is when you stop asking questions like "How can I get people to link to me?" or "Why don't more people comment on my posts?" and start asking questions like "Who are some other great bloggers I can link to?" and "How can I better serve readers through my blog?" that your traffic will begin to grow.

Write scannable posts.
Internet readers have notoriously short attention spans, and they tend to briefly scan a post first to assess whether it's worth their time to read the whole thing. Use things like pictures, bolded section headers, varied paragraph sizes, bulleted lists and indented quotes to make your posts appealing from the first glance.

Make your blog easy to read and follow.
I believe that a lot of blogs don't have the readership that they could simply because of design problems. You don't have to hire a professional designer to do anything fancy, just make sure that you keep an eye on these things:

- Value prime real estate: The part of your blog that is "above the fold," i.e. what first appears in a reader's browser without him having to scroll down, is precious space. Avoid mastheads that are so tall that a reader has to scroll down to see your content (Rachelle's is the perfect size, for example) and put the most important sidebar elements at the very top.

- Use a readable font: Use one of the standard, easy-to-read fonts; make sure it's big enough (a good rule of thumb is to look at the size of online newspapers' text); and watch out for harsh color combinations like white font against a black background.

- Check your blog in different browsers: Your site will show up differently in different browsers. You don't have to go crazy checking all possible options, but just take a glance at your blog on friends' computers to make sure it doesn't look strange.

- One of the best ways to build a loyal readership is to encourage people to subscribe to your RSS feed. Check your blogging platform's support documents to find out how to add a "Subscribe to my RSS feed" link in your sidebar. (If you're not familiar with RSS, here's an informative video.)

Decide on a theme (but don't stick to it rigidly).
It's important to identify a loose theme for the subject matter of your blog. If you write a description of a family picnic one day, an analysis of the stock market the next day, and a lesson on Chinese history the day after that, readers are going to get whiplash from so much jumping around. A good litmus test for how well you've clarified your theme is if you could summarize your blog within the 140-character limit on Twitter.

That said, don't forget that what draws readers to blogs is not just the information itself, but the unique personality behind the great content. Don't be afraid to throw in some posts about topics near and dear to your heart, even if they're off-topic from your usual subject matter.

Help people get to know you quickly.

- Introduce yourself: New readers immediately want to know who is behind the blog they're reading. Put a two- to three-sentence bio in a prominent place on the front page of your blog.

- Remember that every post you write will be the first post someone reads: The other day I stumbled across a blog with a stirring post about how life was different after Sara left. You're probably wondering the same things I did: Who's Sara? Where did she go? I spent a few minutes looking for the answers but eventually lost interest. Make sure that in every post you either explain necessary backstory or link to where it's explained elsewhere.

- Include a "best of" list: I can't recommend strongly enough that you list a few of your best posts as permanent links in the sidebar. (If you're uncomfortable self-identifying which posts are great, just do a "most popular" list.)

Don't give up.
Website traffic grows geometrically; it's much easier to go from 1,200 to 1,400 visits per day than it is to go from 200 to 400. There will be periods where it seems like it's taking forever for your traffic to increase, but don't give up. Just keep having fun and pouring genuine love and passion into each post; before long, you'll find that you've been too busy engaging with readers and practicing the craft of writing to notice that you finally have a platform.

Next week: Part 2 with more ideas for bringing readers to your blog.

Jennifer Fulwiler is a computer nerd and writer who lives in Austin, Texas. She has more than 10 years of web development experience and her websites have been mentioned in USA Today, Slate, National Lampoon and The Washington Times. She is writing a memoir based on her blog, ConversionDiary.com, and is represented by Ted Weinstein Literary Management.

Why You Should Help Sell Your Book

Every time I post anything about building a platform, blogging, or creating an online presence, I inevitably get a few grumbles and complaints about why this is necessary. Some people want proof that all these activities can actually sell books. I also get "what-if" and "but-I" and every possible argument from writers who don't want to do this.

Well, here's the thing. If you manage to get a contract with a mainstream commercial publisher for your first book, that's awesome. But if your book doesn't go on to have strong sales to consumers, your publishing career could be over. Just that quick. Even if your publishing career isn't over at that point, it's definitely handicapped, and you might have to work even harder than you did with your first book to sell a second one to a publisher.

In the golden days of publishing, it was common for publishers to put a book out there, then expect it to slowly build. They'd allow time for readers to find it. Even if a first book didn't sell very well, publishers took the long view of an author, understanding that it might take two or three books for readers to find them. They'd stick with that author and build them over time. But today it's rare to get that kind of treatment. We don't have the luxury of "waiting" for an author to find an audience.

There are exceptions. Occasionally there's a writer that the publishing house believes in so strongly that they'll put out a second and even a third book, despite poor sales, especially if it was a multi-book contract to start with. Hopefully by then, the sales will begin to meet the publisher's expectations. If not... doom.

In general... the latest wisdom from the current publishing industry is this: It's easier for a first-time, never-published author to sell a book to a publisher than it is for an author who's had a book that tanked.

What's the definition of "tanked?" It depends on what the publisher's expectations were to begin with. Your book could sell 75,000 copies, but if the publisher projected 150k, the book may be seen as a failure. Or, your book could sell 20k, but the publisher expected 12k so you are considered very successful, and they'll want more books from you.

What's my point?

In this environment, wouldn't you want to do everything humanly possible to drive up the sales of your own book? I'm talking about sales to the end-user, the reader purchasing your book from the bookseller. Wouldn't you want to be looking at ways that you could find an audience for your book, and at least try to help it fly off the shelves at Barnes & Noble? If your publishing future depends on your sales, it makes sense.

A blog can help you build an audience, but maybe a blog isn't your vehicle of choice. Maybe you have access to 5,000 people or 50,000 people another way... through an organization you work for, or a newsletter you distribute. It doesn't matter. The point is, if you want a career as a multi-published author, that first book really needs to sell. It's in your best interest to find an audience and do what you can to boost sales of your book.

Sure, you could leave all the marketing to your publisher. But then if your book doesn't sell very well, who are you going to blame? Your publisher, of course. You'd be abdicating your own responsibility and the power you have to impact the sales of your own book.

This article is about Bookscan, but the first paragraph gives a bit of crucial information. A publisher is giving the reason for declining to pick up a third book from an author who has published two highly praised books. "...sales of his two titles have been modest in comparison to the great praise and attention his work has received, and in this economy that’s a very difficult obstacle for us to overcome with our accounts and booksellers." The point is, publishers base these decisions on previous sales; more importantly, so do booksellers. Even if the publisher picked up a book from this author, the booksellers may decline to carry it. Bummer.

I'll admit, this isn't an easy road. But you do have some power, and you get to decide: Help sell your book to consumers, or not. It's that simple (and that hard).

Rachelle Gardner, Christian Literary Agent, Colorado

It Doesn't Have to be HOT

Yesterday I said that even if your project isn't one of those "hot" ones that everyone's jumping all over immediately, that doesn't mean it can't sell. There are plenty of projects that are very strong and would make good books; but because they aren't perceived as a "sure thing" they simply take longer to find an agent, and often longer to find a publishing home.

I sometimes have a project on my desk that I really like. But as I sit there assessing its likelihood of selling (both to a publisher and to consumers) I shake my head and think, "oh man, I just don't know." So I set it aside, wanting to think about it some more. Time passes... I continue staying in touch with editors as always, and I'm always learning more about the market and who's looking for what. The next time I pick up that project, I might have learned that there are a couple of publishers looking for something similar. Or I may have learned the opposite - that the chances for that project are even slimmer than I thought. Still, I like it and I'm hesitant to say no. I hang on to it, to keep it under consideration.

Now, many agents probably don't do this, but I know for a fact that most editors do. They have stacks of things that aren't "hot" but they're not bad so they don't get an immediate "no." The projects end up sitting there a long time.

This became obvious last week when, in a period of two days, I received emails from three editors at different publishers, each asking about a project I'd submitted eight months to a year ago. (Three separate projects.) Clearly those projects have been languishing in stacks along with other "maybe" proposals. The editor may have some slots to fill and so they're looking through their stacks to see if they have anything good enough to take to the editorial meeting.

I go through cycles. Sometimes I simply don't have time for any new clients. Then I'll go through a phase when I need to refresh my client list, so I start going through the manuscripts I already have.

When I was an acquisitions editor, there were a couple of instances in which I contracted a book a year after it was initially submitted to me by an agent. The timing was finally right.

So, don't despair if your book is good but not hot. Everything happens in its own time.

Rachelle Gardner, Christian Literary Agent, Colorado

Good, Great... or HOT?

If you follow me on Twitter, you may have noticed that I've taken on a few new clients in the last month or so. And if you have a query or a partial in my box, and I haven't responded yet, you're probably wondering... what gives?

Why do some projects sit in my box and take longer to get an answer, while others seem like they get jumped on right away?

Well, the plain truth is that your project may be good. It might even be very good and I might love it. But the projects I jump on and move quickly with are the ones that are hot.

What's a hot project? It's a project I not only believe in, I'm also confident I can sell it relatively quickly. If it's non-fiction, it's a fresh new idea, has a super high felt need and the author has a strong platform and/or an obvious media hook. If it's fiction, I absolutely love both the story and the writing, it has a strong hook, and is a genre that's selling well. With a hot project, I can immediately think of several editors who would like it. It doesn't need editing or reworking. The proposal is nicely done and I don't have to rewrite it. The author appears to have long-term potential. Basically, this project looks like a sure thing. It's also likely that other agents are considering it, so if I want it, I need to move fast.

Since I run a business (I love my job but love doesn't put food on the table), I try to make good business decisions. I jump on hot projects. Other projects... those I like but they aren't hot... usually have to wait until I have more time in my schedule to assess them, and more carefully weigh the likelihood of selling this project and how much of my time it might take.

A project that's very good (or even great in some respect) may still present challenges for me. The genre might be tough to sell right now. The market might already be glutted with that particular kind of book. If it's fiction, it might show incredible potential and I might love the first few chapters, but then I realize the book still needs a lot of work. I have to weigh whether I'm able to put that kind of work into an author, or whether I need to recommend they get their writing up a notch, then come back to me. If it's non-fiction, I might absolutely love the idea and the writing, but the author might have a small or non-existent platform, meaning a lot more work for me to sell it, plus a bigger chance that it won't sell at all.

Unfortunately, you may not have total control over the factors that define the difference between very good and hot. Maybe just knowing how it works can make the process a little less mysterious. If agents and editors aren't jumping on your query or proposal or manuscript, then for whatever reason, it's not being perceived as hot. There may or may not be anything you can do about that, depending on what you're writing.

Now here's the important thing: Just because your book isn't "hot" doesn't mean it won't sell. More on that tomorrow.

Rachelle Gardner, Christian Literary Agent, Colorado

Thanks for Coming to the Party!

I'm amazed at how many party animals showed up at my little shindig on Friday... and kept coming all weekend! Thanks for coming, and thanks for leaving your contact information. I hope you take advantage of it, visit blogs, follow people on Twitter, and make those connections with other writers! That was a fun party.

Now to clean up this mess...

It's a Blog Party!

So, it's Friday and I just feel like hanging out, shootin' the breeze, and getting to know everyone. Doesn't that sound like fun?

Come on in, grab a beverage (cooler's over there) and start mingling.

How do we do that on a blog? It's easy. In the comments, leave your blog and/or website URL, Twitter name, and Facebook URL. Then you can say whatever you want... it's open conversation today. Maybe you can tell us a little about yourself.

To create a link in the comments so people can click right through, use HTML. Type the following, replacing the red with your own information.
Don't forget to come back later and check out other people's blogs, follow them on Twitter, or otherwise stalk them.

Have a terrific weekend.

P.S. Today's blog party is courtesy of blog-reader and famous zoo-visitor Marla Taviano, who made the suggestion in the comments this week. Thanks, Marla!

Do You Need a Blog Mentor?

Yesterday I was talking to one of my clients, the uber-talented Patricia Raybon, about building an online presence and using blogging and social networking to build a platform (all the things we've been discussing on the blog lately). She said she'd been reading all the recommended websites about blogging, and even got the book Blogging for Dummies. But it all still seemed so overwhelming. Can you relate? I think many people feel this way.

Patricia said, "I'd love to be able to work closely with a cyber counselor - that's what I call it, anyway. Someone who could work with me, step by step, as I'm starting my blog and trying other social networking. Someone to talk me through designing my blog - not just the look of it, but the concept behind it - then help me get it up and running."."

I said, "You mean like a blogging mentor?"

We talked about it for awhile and I realized, a cyber-counselor is a GREAT idea (not to mention that I think we coined a couple of great terms, blog mentor and cyber counselor). People who'd be perfect at this are those who are already published authors, are successful bloggers, and already run some kind of editorial or consulting service where they work with authors. They could expand their businesses to include counseling authors in building an online platform.

Of course, the downside for authors needing this kind of service is that it will cost. Many writers won't be able to afford a service like this. But... many people can afford it, especially those who work full time, plus write books, and don't have the extra time needed to teach themselves all the ins and outs of blogging and social networking. This kind of person may have more money than time available, and might well benefit from working with a blogging mentor.

I put out a call on Twitter for blogging mentors and got a few responses. Here are some you might look into:

Camy Tang

Blogging with Beth

Kelly McCausey

Blogging Bistro

Anne Wayman

Lori Widmer

Kristen King

Thomas Umstattd Jr.

In addition, you could click on the websites of the editors listed on my Freelance Editors page. Many of them are published authors and successful bloggers as well as writing consultants, so they're used to working with authors and could probably expand into blog-mentoring.

If YOU are (1) a published author, (2) a successful blogger, (3) already running a consulting business, and (4) would be willing to be a cyber counselor for authors, here's your chance to leave your name and contact information in the comments.

Hope this helps!

Rachelle Gardner, Christian Literary Agent, Colorado

Two Conversations

Any of you who write a blog, or participate in blogs like this one, know that it feels like an ongoing conversation. I'm having this conversation with all of you; you're talking to one another as well. It's pretty cool the way we're all sort of hanging out talking to one another every day.

I have another ongoing conversation here at my computer... the one in my query box. This one's not quite so interactive. People send me queries and I respond. Only in a few cases does the conversation go further than that. Still, it's a daily interaction for me, responding to queries.

What feels sort of surreal is the difference between these two conversations. There's a bit of overlap - many of you who read my blog also have submitted queries. But for the most part, it feels like these are two distinct conversations, and never the twain shall meet.

Here on the blog, y'all are like, "Okay Rachelle, we get it, we hear you, we know everything there is to know about querying and publishing and how not to annoy an agent, and we will try our best to do this right."

Over there in the query box, the general tone is more like, "Hey Ms. Agent, whoever you are, I don't know you, never seen your website, don't have a clue that you write a blog, don't know what you represent, but HERE'S MY BOOK."

So. To all of you reading this... thanks for being in the conversation! I realize that most of what I say here is pretty much preaching to the choir because the fact that you're here means you already know a lot, and you're working hard to learn even more. I appreciate it!

Don't be scared by all the warnings I give about how NOT to come across like a hopeless ignoramus in your correspondence with publishing professionals. You're not going to do that, because you're here.

Bottom line, the people who most need to read agent blogs are probably not reading them. But we persist in writing them, because maybe, just maybe, those writers who really need to read this will one day find their way here... and then they'll be one of YOU.

And not to get all sappy or anything, but I really do enjoy this conversation with you. Thanks!
Rachelle Gardner, Christian Literary Agent, Colorado

How to Scare an Agent

Today I want to briefly tell you about a certain kind of statement that strikes fear into every agent's heart. It goes something like this:

"I'm going to be finished with my first novel in the next couple of months, so I'll be looking for an agent soon."

If that doesn't make all the agents in the room duck and run for cover, I don't know what will.


Here's the thing. If you're about to finish your first novel, you probably don't need an agent yet. You might need a critique partner who will give you feedback on your book. You may need some books on self editing for help with revisions. You might need a couple months away from your manuscript, during which you read some excellent novels as well as books on craft, to prepare you to go back to your manuscript and begin the rewrites. You may need to attend a writers conference and take that completed manuscript to one of the multi-day fiction clinics. You may need a professional evaluation of your manuscript.

If it's the first novel and you haven't done any of these things, trust me, you don't need an agent yet. Please, please, please... do everything you can to make sure that novel is as good as you can make it. Spend months or even years if that's what it takes. THEN look for an agent. And while you're querying and waiting, do yourself a favor. Write another novel.

Rachelle Gardner, Christian Literary Agent, Colorado

The Dreaded Author Platform

Last week at the Write-To-Publish conference, the one topic that kept coming up in conversations, panels, and workshops was AUTHOR PLATFORM. Yes, the hated p-word!

I explained again and again that publishing just ain't what it used to be. Gone are the days when publishers were solely responsible for the marketing of a book.

Today's audience is more segmented than it has ever been before. People have more options for their leisure time than ever before - 600 channels on television, movies on demand, video games and Wii, and then of course, the Internet. It's harder than ever to attract people to books. The way to do it is increasingly through personal connection, and that means YOU, the author, making connections with your readers.

(This discussion applies mostly to non-fiction writers, but you novelists, take note. It will help you, too, if you want strong sales on your book.)

It has never been more crucial for authors to play a major part in marketing themselves, BUT it has never been easier. Where are readers hanging out these days? The Internet. That's the best place for you to find readers for your books.

The Internet has leveled the playing field. With a well-written and compelling blog, you have the potential to build a significant platform. If you take the time to research website optimization and do everything recommended to build traffic on your blog, you can build a sizable audience in a matter of months. Then when you begin to use Twitter and Facebook strategically, you can grow your audience exponentially.

You can, and you must.

After the conference last week, and all the conversations I had with writers, editors and agents, I almost wanted to announce that I'd no longer accept queries from anyone who doesn't already have a good solid head start on a platform. (I won't draw such a clear line in the sand, but consider yourself informed.)

If you have major credentials, teach at a university or pastor a large church, make a living as a public speaker to large audiences, appear on national television regularly, publish stories in the New Yorker, or you're a regular contributor in Esquire or the Washington Post (for example), then don't worry about what I'm saying here.

But if NOT.... then you really need to show that you are willing and able to put the time and effort into marketing yourself and building a readership online. You're competing with so many authors who already do this.

I DON'T want to see in your proposal, "I am willing to start a blog and join social networks to market myself."

I DO want to see: "I've been blogging for a year, with my readership growing steadily. I use Facebook and Twitter to create relationships with potential future readers of my books, and to drive people back to my blog. I'm currently making contact through the blog and social networks with several hundred (or several thousand) people a day."

You want to sell a book? Take this seriously. You don't have to have a television show or be on the radio. You don't have to be a celebrity. But you DO have to have a good book, AND you have to be able to sell it.

It doesn't cost money. It doesn't require special skills, besides the ones you already have: those of being a writer. What it DOES take is time. Marketing yourself as an author will cost you a serious investment of time.

Can you do it? Will you do it?

Is this dream worth it? You tell me.

P.S. Blog reader Jeanette Levellie sent this photo from the conference. It's me, Jeanette, and Mary DeMuth.

Books, Books, Books

I'm a great believer in reading. Shocking, huh? I believe that you, as a writer, should read lots of books in the genre or category in which you are writing. If you write literary fiction, you should read literary fiction. If you write suspense, you should read suspense. It's a great way to learn.

I also believe in reading informational, inspirational, and how-to books about writing and publishing. So I'd like to know your favorites. I'll compile a list for future blog readers.

What's your favorite book on WRITING?

What's your favorite book about GETTING PUBLISHED?

Leave them in the comments, and have a great weekend!

Rachelle Gardner, Christian Literary Agent, Colorado

Guest Blogger: Rachel Held Evans

Breaking In When You Break the Mold

My biggest fear when I began pitching my book to agents and editors was that they would love my writing but hate my ideas. A spiritual memoir that describes my struggle with doubt and my disillusionment with Christianity, it covers some controversial territory, both theologically and politically. I wanted to attract a Christian publisher, but without compromising the integrity of the story or glossing over the hard stuff. I knew I was in for a challenge.

Fortunately, after the first obligatory round of rejection letters, I found a great agent (initials R.G.) and a fantastic publisher (Zondervan). Through the process, I learned some things that I think might help other writers, especially those of you whose ideas might not fit the CBA mold.

1. Write well. If your topic is controversial or your storytelling out-of-the-box, it is imperative that you impress agents and editors with a quality manuscript or proposal. Only send out work that is clean, clear, precise, organized, and jam-packed with strong words and vivid imagery. This will always give you a better shot at publication, regardless of your topic.

2. Know your audience. As I read through the first draft of my book before sending it to my editor, I noticed that in several spots I seemed to veer into theological rabbit trails that distracted from the overall message of the book. After some reflection, I realized I was trying to anticipate and respond to every possible objection to my material. I wasn’t writing for my intended audience (open-minded twenty-somethings), but for my potential critics (their parents). The moral of the story? If you are writing for readers who you expect will be skeptical, make a strong argument. If you are writing for readers who you expect will be receptive, be subtle.

3. Strike the right tone. With CBA, it’s easier to get away with saying something new or taking an alternative approach if you do so graciously and artfully. Show rather than tell. Make sure your characters are multi-dimensional. Avoid inserting swear words or graphic images simply for shock value. If you are angry or frustrated with whatever it is you are critiquing, vent in your first draft and then go through and edit out your hostility. (This is a strangely therapeutic process, actually!)

4. Be upfront with potential agents. In my first phone conversation with Rachelle, I made sure that she knew parts of my book might be considered controversial. Most agents seem perfectly comfortable representing a diversity of perspectives, but you want to make sure yours will do so with enthusiasm. Don’t hide behind a soft-ball proposal in order to procure representation, only to spring your true opinions on your agent later on.

5. Choose your battles. When working with agents and editors to refine your proposal or manuscript, be prepared to let some things go, especially if it’s your first book. Experts in the industry know a lot more than you do about what might alienate potential buyers. Refusing to make changes could mean losing a contract or getting your work banned from bookstores, so decide ahead of time what is truly essential to the integrity of the book and what you can live without. Besides, you might get the chance to resurrect some of the cut material in a second or third book, after you have earned some clout.

Does your book break the CBA mold? What are you doing to get it sold?

Rachel Held Evans is a writer from Dayton, Tennessee, home of the Scopes Monkey Trial of 1925. Her first book, Evolving in Monkey Town, will be published by Zondervan. She blogs at http://www.rachelheldevans.com.

Query via Email or Wait for Conference?

Jill asked: Say I've been doing the research, investing an agent's website and following the blog for a while and I've decided I want to query that agent. Would it be better to do a cold query (following all the submission guidelines, of course) or wait for the possibility of an appointment at a conference, even if the conference is four or five months away? Is one way of querying better than the other?

I think you should go ahead and send your query. Face-time with an agent is nice and it can make your project a bit more memorable, but in the end, the project is either going to sell itself, or it's not. Meeting with an agent at a conference MIGHT give you a slightly better chance of getting more pages read, IF you give a good pitch and if you and the agent seem to connect. But if the conference is months away, there's no guarantee both you and the agent are going to be there, or that you'll score an appointment with that agent. So it's a gamble.

I know you don't want to get lost in the shuffle of the agent's slush pile. But here's the truth about those pitch sessions at conferences: they can be completely overwhelming for agents and editors. We can only retain so much, and so we might not remember much more about your project than we would if we just picked it out of the slush. Tough reality, I know. The good news: if we really like your project, we WILL remember it and want to see more regardless of whether we come across it in the mailbox or at a conference.

If you're planning to attend a conference within, say, the next two months, and the agent is going to be there, you might want to hold off on the query at least until you find out whether you got an appointment with that agent. If you do, then save your query for the conference... but remember to make the best of that appointment. There's always the chance you'll have that little bit of agent-writer serendipity, that personal connection that makes the agent want to spend more time considering your project.

I imagine there are various ways of approaching this. What does everyone else think?
Rachelle Gardner, Christian literary agent, WordServe Literary Group, Colorado.

A Funny Thing Happened...

On the Way to my Query Box

Last week, as you know, I was away at a conference. I was responding to email the best I could on my Blackberry. I have my email structured so that queries won't appear in the regular inbox; instead, they get filtered into the query box. They receive auto-replies so I can read them when I have time.

On Wednesday, emails started showing up in my inbox that were clearly queries. This happens when people don't follow my guidelines and put "query" in the subject line. After about the fourth one, I started to get annoyed. After about the eighth, I was VERY annoyed and also confused. I'd glanced at the queries and a pattern was obvious. They were all formatted the exact same way. Each had their title in the subject line, without the word "query." Most were from Arizona, several from Sedona. Finally, most were clearly New Age spirituality. They all appeared to be from different email addresses. Mysterious.

I twittered my agent friends: "Is anyone else being bombarded with New Age queries from Sedona?" Immediately several answers came back: YES. Apparently every agent was getting the same thing. A couple of the agents told me it was obviously a query service, someone who charges a fee to do your querying for you.

Now I don't know about you, but if it were ME, and I were paying someone to do my querying, I'd want some kind of assurance they knew what they were doing. I'd expect them to research agents and submit my project to agents that might be right for me; I'd expect them to be aware of agent guidelines and follow them, so that my query would have a chance of being noticed.

This so-called query service... uh, not so much. Rather than helping, I think they severely reduced these writers' chances of getting an agent.

Over a period of two days, I received a final count of twenty-one queries that appeared to be from the service. It was obvious that whoever sent these queries was mass-emailing to all agents. No attempts to match the writer with an appropriate agent. No awareness of either submission guidelines, or the fact that different agents represent different kinds of material. Not one of the queries included sample pages from the manuscript, as my guidelines clearly state. But the funniest thing of all was the clearly anti-Christian sentiments in several of these queries. I don't have a problem with people having their own perspectives; but I make it pretty clear that I don't represent books that expressly contradict a Christian worldview. I laughed out loud at the query that bemoaned all the pathetic people in this world who are forced into a "victim mentality" because they have to "look outside themselves for a savior." Horrors! All this time I hadn't realized I was such a victim.

Sadly, it's these writers who were duped by this "query service" and are now the victims.

Beyond the fact that agents weren't specifically chosen for each author and guidelines weren't followed, the query service completely blew these writers' chances by filling agents' inboxes with twenty-one similar queries in two days.

Let's say that I LOVED New Age books, and let's go futher and say I loved all twenty-one of those queries. Would I be able to represent them all? Of course not. I'd have to choose one. Maybe two. In essence, all those queries were competing against each other. Doesn't seem like a great plan.

I was curious about the whole thing, so I ended up talking with one of the authors. She told me it was some kind of writers' group, and they'd worked together to craft their queries, hence the exact same formatting. Then they'd apparently hired someone to begin sending their queries to agents, rather than each of them doing it on their own.

Bad ideas, all around. The moral of this story is: Shortcuts have a way of backfiring on you.

But of course, YOU don't need to hear this story, because you're informed. You're reading my blog and other blogs, you're reading books on writing and publishing, you're in a critique group and you're planning on going to a conference soon. You know what to do and how to do it. You're less likely to get taken in by this kind of situation.

So really the moral of this story is: Sometimes I just like to entertain you.

Are you feeling sad for those twenty-one writers? I am. I know they were innocently trying to get their projects out there into the publishing world, and they all seemed to have strong topics backed up by a lot of passion. But they need to get beyond their initial naivete, because this business is going to be hard on them.

Thankfully you've learned enough by now that none of you would EVER do anything like this.

Right?
Rachelle Gardner, Christian Literary Agent, Colorado

Recovering from a Writers Conference

I just returned from four days at a writers conference. I had something like 30 one-on-one meetings with writers, taught four 1-hour workshops, ran two late-night critique groups, had a few lunches/dinners/coffees with editors, and still managed to get out each morning for a 2-mile jog to and from Starbucks. Phew! I really enjoyed this conference but felt pretty rundown by the end of it, which is normal. It takes a lot of psychic energy to be "on" 12 hours a day!

I came away from the conference with one very strong potential client, and a small handful of others I want to consider. However, as you know, I don't really have much time for new-client consideration at the moment so I'm going to have to make these decisions slowly and carefully.

One of the cool things about this conference was that I ended up pretty impressed with writers in general. I mean, I knew I liked you already! But I think I reached a whole new level of awe in the last few days. I'm amazed by writers' dedication and perseverance and willingness to learn. If you've ever taken the time, effort and money to go to a writers' conference, or you're planning to in the future, I salute you. I think you're doing a wonderful thing for yourself, and I applaud your courage. I truly hope you find your conferences helpful and enlightening and fun.

A couple of random conference tips came to mind while I was there:

1. If you're pitching a project, definitely bring a couple of printouts of a one-sheet, a proposal, a synopsis, and a first chapter (or whatever you have available). You never know when an agent or editor might want to look at them. We're visual creatures; we sometimes need to look at something written while we're listening to your verbal pitch. Also, there are often opportunities to have your work critiqued, and you don't want to lose out. (Let me know if you want me to talk about one-sheets here on the blog.)

2. If you want to leave an agent or editor with something, always ask them if they want to take it or if they'd prefer you email them. Whatever they say, respect it and don't push! For me this is a practical issue; I sometimes travel with only one small carry-on bag, and there simply isn't any extra room.

3. Make a point to stop and talk to anyone you see standing or sitting alone, especially if they have that "lost" look on their face. Conferences can be so intimidating and everyone needs a friend. (If you see a faculty member sitting alone, feel free to join them! Especially if you just want to have conversation rather than give them a pitch.)

4. Remember that one of the reasons agents and editors like going to conferences is to see their friends, i.e. all the other faculty members. We often only see each other at these events. Therefore if you see a couple of faculty members hanging out and talking, consider whether you might want to give them some time rather than interrupting to give your pitch.

I really want to thank everyone for being so nice to me at the conference; for making me feel welcome and for at least acting like you got something out of my workshops. It's truly a pleasure working with writers who sincerely want to learn the business.
Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent

Q4U: Advice for Literary Agents

Remember a couple weeks ago when we had Help Your Fellow Writers Day? Well, you stepped up to the plate and it was a rousing success. Since you all did such a great job of offering advice, I decided to let you do it again. This time, the theme is "Help your local literary agent."

The agents who take the time to blog are committed to helping you understand the publishing business, and helping you understand us. We try to explain what the business is like for us and what we need from you.

So writers, help agents understand you. What do agents need to know about you? What do I need to know in order to be able to serve writers better?

Let's be honest, I already know you hate the waiting aspect of publishing, whether it's finding an agent or waiting for responses from publishers. I already know you hate it when agents don't respond to queries. Let's go beyond that, deeper than that. What do I need to know about you?

Leave your answers in the comments, and have a good weekend!
Rachelle Gardner, Christian literary agent, WordServe Literary Group, Colorado.

Guest Blogger: Dan Case

Try Quitting

About five years ago, a tribe of Barn Swallows set up housekeeping under the covered patio behind my office building, finding the open-sided steel support channels an ideal place to nest. Most of my coworkers found the chirpy little family a charming addition, until the day someone complained about bird droppings on the concrete patio. After enough people complained to outweigh the bird-lover vote, we decided to encourage our little friends to nest elsewhere in the future by removing their little mud nests after they vacated.

The following spring, the nests reappeared in exactly the same locations, complete with egg-sitting mama birds and a squad of overprotective attack swallows. Over the protests of the anti-bird-poop coalition, I allowed the nests to remain until once again vacant. On that round of bird-bomb prevention, we installed heavy-gauge 1/4″ wire mesh over the open channels to prevent the birds from entering their nesting zone. Problem solved—or so I thought.

A year later, the Barn Swallows returned in force. In exactly the same spots, the returnees built new mud nests using the 1/4″ wire mesh for structural support the way a plasterer uses wire lath. Birds three, humans zero.

No matter what we do, we can’t get rid of those blasted birds. After years of trying, I’m convinced that we could have a nuclear holocaust and they’d be back the following spring wearing little radiation suits and building glow-in the dark nests for their multi-headed offspring. No matter how hard we try to discourage them, they simply refuse to quit.

How does this apply to us as writers?

One thing I’ve found along the road to publication is a plethora of reasons to quit. Rejection. Critics. Discouragement. The interminable wait for what could be the world’s slowest moving industry. We think we’ve had a breakthrough, take a giant step forward, and stand there for months unable to move a single inch further.

If I had a dollar for every time I’ve thought about quitting, I’d have enough to equal a decent first advance. I used to think that selling my first novel would end the torture. I’ve spoken with enough published novelists—even best-selling authors—to know better now. For most authors, the battle never ends.

If that’s the case, why do we keep on writing?

We write for the same reason those birds build their nests. We have to. The need to create fictitious people and places, chronicle events, and share vital information is in our DNA, driving us to write. Take away our computers, and we’ll write on napkins. Take away our napkins, and we’ll write on stone slabs with chisels. Tie our hands, and we’ll write in our heads. Discourage us all you want, we’ll never quit writing.

Published or unpublished, old pro or neophyte, here is a simple test you can take to determine if you’re a true writer: Try to stop. Go ahead and quit—I dare you. Take a month off. Try to live one full month of your life without seeing a situation and thinking, “Hey, I can use that in a story.” Try to live one full month without hearing a unique name and envisioning a character with that name, or waking up at night with a story or article idea in your head. See if you can go a whole month without writing one single word, whether in your head or on the page.

If you can really quit, then by all means please quit. If, however, you can’t quit no matter how hard you try, then welcome to the family. You’re a Writer. There’s only one known course of treatment: Write, Rewrite, Repeat.

For the record: I tried to quit, and I didn’t last a full day. How about you?

Daniel F. Case is a broadcasting geek, a blatant Christian, and a victim of Novelism.

You can read about it on his website, here.

Memoir Guidelines

Alexis Grant asked: Would you consider a post on memoir guidelines, since memoir falls somewhere between fiction and nonfiction in many ways? For my travel memoir, should I query when I have a proposal and several sample chapters, like nonfiction, or wait until the manuscript is complete, like fiction? What's the usual word-count window for memoir? Are there any other areas—aside from reading like a novel—where I should follow fiction guidelines instead of nonfiction?

Great questions! I think memoir requires the most out of a writer, because it's non-fiction, so platform matters. But it's also story-driven and the writing is the most important aspect, so it requires the level of attention to the art and craft of writing that fiction does.

I don't think there's a hard and fast rule about whether to query with sample chapters or a complete manuscript. With a first-timer, I always prefer to read the whole thing before I make a decision whether to take it on. At the very least, I want to read three or four chapters, and perhaps rough versions or outlines of the remaining chapters.

I DO recommend finishing the manuscript before you query. Like with a first novel, you are going to discover so much in the writing process. I believe your book will morph and evolve throughout the writing, and so those first few chapters, though written, will not actually be complete until you've finished the book. A memoir is a work of art much more than the typical non-fiction book.

Think of it like a sculpture, such as The Thinker by Auguste Rodin. Perhaps he could have sculpted the feet and those muscular legs, and shown somebody his work to see if they wanted to buy it. They would certainly have been impressed with his ability to render a set of feet and legs. But they couldn't possibly understand the piece—the feel, the mood, the statement it makes—without seeing the entire sculpture in its complete form. That's how I see memoir. It's a whole that can't truly be understood in pieces.

As far as length, popular memoirs range quite a bit from about 60,000 words to 120,000 or more. If you're a new author, I'd recommend staying on the shorter side, perhaps around the 75,000 word mark. The important thing is that your length fits your book. Write as much as it takes to tell the story, and no more. (Helpful, huh?)

Rather than focusing on the fiction/non-fiction aspect of a memoir, read books specifically about writing memoir. I like Your Life as Story by Tristine Ranier, but there are many others.

Anyone else with insights about memoir, feel free to chime in!
Rachelle Gardner, Christian literary agent, WordServe Literary Group, Colorado.