I attended the LIVE and took notes, here they are! 5:05 Writing - Write the book that ‘haunts’ you, not to the market - You need a premise (helps communicate what your book is about) - Write the skeleton blurb 08:47 After the draft - First chapter: Start in the middle (not description) of the problem or inciting action - First chapter asks a question (Jaws example: will the town survive); Last chapter (Jaws example: the town survives) - Line editing (what you do with the language): distill everything to it’s most powerful - Show not tell (unnecessary adjective and adverbs) - see if you can replace it with a strong verb 12:10 Before the agent - Have someone else read it (beta readers = not friends/family) like writing group, published authors - Novel sweet spot 60.000-95.000 words; anything over 100K is too long (increases cost to publisher and reader) 13:12 Hire a development editor - To get a set of fresh eyes - They’ll check pacing, characterisation 14:35 Self publishing - Recommend for certain genres (bodice rippers, sci-fi, romance, self-help); not really for literary fiction - No gatekeepers - No agent to self-publish - Complete control - More money back - Competition is higher (anything can be published) - Harder to book events 17:16 Big 5 Publishers (USA) Random House, Hachette, Harper Collins, Simon & Schuster, MacMillan - Big 5 have smaller imprints - You need an agent - Name recognition - Bigger advances - Less control 19:44 Smaller Publishers - Need an agent - Prestigious - No huge advances 20:20 Hybrid Press - You pay them: 5.000-10.000 dollars to get published - They’ll do your publicity - Make sure they’re not vanity press (get transparency) 21:00 Agent Search - Make a list of 60 agents (recommended to query all at once) - you can start making list before book is finished - Agent Query (website) - Poets & Writers have a literary agent database - Read acknowledgements in books - Google search the agents (Twitter) - Publish short stories/essays to increase visibility - Social media - Website - You don’t pay agents (except sometimes a reading fee) 24:55 Query Letter - 1st paragraph: about the agent, personalise - 2nd paragraph: pitch the story / comp titles - 3rd paragraph: about me - 4th paragraph: thank you - Wait time: more than 3 months you can check on the status - Send it on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday 28:57 What kind of agent do you want. 29:25 The Book Deal - Expect further editing - It takes about a year before it’s published 32:09 Publicity (book ahead of time); get blurbs (reviews from well known people); publishing houses don’t do this like before; they’re expensive and research them. 34:47 Rejection 36:05 Writer’s community - Write personal message to a writer - Show up at readings - Help other writers, praise their work - Your writing career will not look like anybody else’s
Thank you so much for this information! Can't professionals in the publishing industry figure out your comp writers? It's agonising to compare yourself to a high-selling author as an unpublished writer! (rhetorical question)
It's best not to think of it as "I'm the second coming of James Patterson," but more like, "readers of X will love the protagonist and readers of Y will enjoy the humor and tone". Agents tend to prefer authors with an understanding of the book market and where their title fits in it - in part because they know it'll be easier to communicate with those authors and have similar expectations.
I'm sorry but her info on self-publishing is mostly off. Indie romance authors are absolutely huge. The vast majority of authors making six and seven figures are self-published romance writers. On top of that, TikTok has caused a massive boom in dark academia and romantasy, largely with indie books.
So many of my favourite authors would not be published today because of today’s culture of censorship and political correctness. Self-publishing is probably a better pick for free thinkers.
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I attended the LIVE and took notes, here they are!
5:05 Writing
- Write the book that ‘haunts’ you, not to the market
- You need a premise (helps communicate what your book is about)
- Write the skeleton blurb
08:47 After the draft
- First chapter: Start in the middle (not description) of the problem or inciting action
- First chapter asks a question (Jaws example: will the town survive); Last chapter (Jaws example: the town survives)
- Line editing (what you do with the language): distill everything to it’s most powerful
- Show not tell (unnecessary adjective and adverbs) - see if you can replace it with a strong verb
12:10 Before the agent
- Have someone else read it (beta readers = not friends/family) like writing group, published authors
- Novel sweet spot 60.000-95.000 words; anything over 100K is too long (increases cost to publisher and reader)
13:12 Hire a development editor
- To get a set of fresh eyes
- They’ll check pacing, characterisation
14:35 Self publishing
- Recommend for certain genres (bodice rippers, sci-fi, romance, self-help); not really for literary fiction
- No gatekeepers
- No agent to self-publish
- Complete control
- More money back
- Competition is higher (anything can be published)
- Harder to book events
17:16 Big 5 Publishers (USA) Random House, Hachette, Harper Collins, Simon & Schuster, MacMillan
- Big 5 have smaller imprints
- You need an agent
- Name recognition
- Bigger advances
- Less control
19:44 Smaller Publishers
- Need an agent
- Prestigious
- No huge advances
20:20 Hybrid Press
- You pay them: 5.000-10.000 dollars to get published
- They’ll do your publicity
- Make sure they’re not vanity press (get transparency)
21:00 Agent Search
- Make a list of 60 agents (recommended to query all at once) - you can start making list before book is finished
- Agent Query (website)
- Poets & Writers have a literary agent database
- Read acknowledgements in books
- Google search the agents (Twitter)
- Publish short stories/essays to increase visibility
- Social media
- Website
- You don’t pay agents (except sometimes a reading fee)
24:55 Query Letter
- 1st paragraph: about the agent, personalise
- 2nd paragraph: pitch the story / comp titles
- 3rd paragraph: about me
- 4th paragraph: thank you
- Wait time: more than 3 months you can check on the status
- Send it on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday
28:57 What kind of agent do you want.
29:25 The Book Deal
- Expect further editing
- It takes about a year before it’s published
32:09 Publicity (book ahead of time); get blurbs (reviews from well known people); publishing houses don’t do this like before; they’re expensive and research them.
34:47 Rejection
36:05 Writer’s community
- Write personal message to a writer
- Show up at readings
- Help other writers, praise their work
- Your writing career will not look like anybody else’s
Thanks!
Thanks a lot!
How generous of spirit! Talk about Writers' Community!
I appreciate your notes :)
Well she's amazing! Thank you so much, Caroline Leavitt!! I watched the video twice! And thanks to Reedsy!
I use Reedsy for my dev, copy edits and they’re amazing. I’ve learned so much from my editors for sci-fi.
This was a fantastic video! So informative. Thank you, Caroline and Martin.
This talk was interesting. Notes taken. Thank you.
Great video! I learned a lot! Thanks!
Thank you for this. Barrett Ashton Anders from Palm Coast Florida.
Thank you so much for this information! Can't professionals in the publishing industry figure out your comp writers? It's agonising to compare yourself to a high-selling author as an unpublished writer! (rhetorical question)
It's best not to think of it as "I'm the second coming of James Patterson," but more like, "readers of X will love the protagonist and readers of Y will enjoy the humor and tone". Agents tend to prefer authors with an understanding of the book market and where their title fits in it - in part because they know it'll be easier to communicate with those authors and have similar expectations.
Try TSNOTYAW podcast. You leave a message describing your book and their expert bookseller contact records an episode with suggested comps…
Great videos on creative writing.iam baited by Reeds y.
After watching this video I felt as if I was transported to 1994 before Amazon and online publishing and ebooks became a huge phenomenon! 😅
I'm sorry but her info on self-publishing is mostly off. Indie romance authors are absolutely huge. The vast majority of authors making six and seven figures are self-published romance writers. On top of that, TikTok has caused a massive boom in dark academia and romantasy, largely with indie books.
I believe she specifically addressed exceptions such as that in the indie world.
She stated that Romance was one of the genres where you can do very well with self-publishing
So many of my favourite authors would not be published today because of today’s culture of censorship and political correctness. Self-publishing is probably a better pick for free thinkers.