How long is long enough to submit your MS?

by Diana McCollum

 

Should you give up on submitting a MS that has 5, 10 or 20 rejections?

If you believe in your work and have had it edited to within an inch of its life, I say no, don’t give up.

 

There are many writers who don’t want to self-publish and take on all the jobs the publishing house normally does. They just want to write books that people can buy and enjoy. These writers work hard on their babies and when they send them out to agents or publishing houses and the MS’s are rejected, maybe 1, 5 or 20 times they give up and move on to the next story.

 

Don’t give up! If you’ve made the book the best you can and you believe in it, keep sending it out.

 

I used to critique with three other ladies around 1997.  One of the ladies was Sue Grant, a three time Rita finalist and one time winner. In the 1990’s she had yet to publish a book. I remember her telling us that she was papering the one bathroom wall with rejection notices. She felt the one she wanted most, the letter buying her book would eventually arrive in her mailbox. And it did. After 23? Some rejections. 

 

She sold her first two books in 1999. She is now a NY Times best seller with many books written and bought by publishers. And with a big fan base she ventured into self-publishing too.

 

In 1973 horror writer, Stephen King sold his first novel, Carrie, the story of a bullied teen who gets revenge on her peers.

 

He sent Carrie to over 40 agents and publishing houses and then threw it in his office trash can. In his book on writing the novel he says his wife picked Carrie out of the trash and sent it in one more time. That was when it was bought and sold and he was able to quit his job and write full time.

 

I guess what I’m saying is if you believe in your work, and you’ve polished and made the MS as good as possible, don’t give up on it. If your dream is to be published by a publishing house keep trying, keep sending don’t give up.

 

Are you self-pubed or are you sending to agents and publishing houses?

If you are a reader, do you buy a mixture of self-pubbed and publishing house books? Or just one or the other?

Now, off to finish my work in progress and start sending it out!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do you see how I write book blurbs…by Kristin Wallace

The theme this month on RTG is "Do you see how I..." with a focus on something related to the craft of writing. I chose a topic that leads to cold sweats and terror in many authors...

If you polled authors asking what one thing they hated most about the publishing business, I bet a majority would say…writing the blurb for my book. Blurb writing is one of those things that many authors dread. The thought of trying to take their 80,000-word novel and tell the story in a paragraph or two is terrifying.

That would not be me. I may be the one author on the face of the planet who LOVES writing them. 

To understand the joy of blurbs, you have to know that I am an advertising copywriter. The majority of my job is literally taking large, complicated subjects and breaking them down into a headline and a paragraph of copy to “sell” a product or service. Well, a book is another “product” authors are trying to sell. Once I figured that out, I understood writing blurbs. 

So how do I write them? I came up with a workshop called, “Blurb Writing Doesn’t Have to Suck”. I presented it at RWA Nationals a couple years ago and I’m doing it again at my local writer’s chapter (Florida Romance Writers) in October. 

Here’s a breakdown of what I teach. And hey…if you can get to Fort Lauderdale on October 12 you can come to the workshop!!!

Why blurbs matters

A blurb is one of your most important selling tools for your book, whether you’re going the traditional or indie route. If you're targeting agents/editors you'll need a blurb for your query letters. Indie authors need a great blurb for their sales pages. Once you have a long version of your blurb, you can adapt it for ads (Facebook, Amazon, BookBub), social media posts, your author newsletter, and printed marketing materials like bookmarks or postcards.

The flavor of a blurb

First, ensure the blurb reflects the tone of your book as well as your author brand. (If you don’t know your author brand or haven’t created one yet that’s a whole other workshop, which I’ve also presented.) 

If you write dark, your blurb must show that. If your books have humor, reflect that. It also needs to showcase the genre of your book, whether it's contemporary, historical, paranormal or YA. Erotic romance will have a completely different tone versus an inspirational romance. 

Elements of a Blurb

1. The Introduction

·      First, introduce your heroine & hero. You want to let the reader know *who* they are. 

·      What is their occupation? This can reveal a lot about them. How would you describe a Navy Seal vs. a college professor? A chef vs. an athlete? 

·      Your language should reflect their personalities. If your heroine is snarky and bold, your description should show that. 

2. Plugging in your GMC

The key to writing your blurb is to remember your GMC. Of course, GMC is vital to develop when you're plotting your book, but those same elements can be applied to your blurb. 

Hopefully, you are already familiar with GMC (Goal, Motivation & Conflict). 

·      Goal - WHAT does your heroine/hero want? 

o  If your blurb has a paragraph for both characters than you will need to do this twice.

·      Motivation - WHYdo they want it?

·      Conflict - WHATis standing in their way? 

So now plugin the goal, motivation, and conflict for both your Heroine & Hero.  

REMEMBER: Be mindful of your genre and tone of your book. Enhance GMC with words that reflect this. If your heroine is a chef, pepper in words or phrases that reflect this world (cooking, things come to a boil, heating up in the kitchen, a recipe for disaster, etc.)

3. Romantic Tension

After you have introduced your main characters and GMC for both, it’s time to focus on the romance.

Introduce the main romantic conflict

o  What is going to keep your characters apart for the entire book? Are they from rival businesses? He’s a wealthy Duke and she’s a penniless commoner? 

o  Do they succumb to the attraction? (If this is a spicy or erotic, chances are the answer is yes.) 

o  What is the result of their romantic interlude? Does it set up even more conflict or change the direction of the story?

o  Again, be mindful of your genre and tone. If you write “sweet” the words used to describe the romance will be different than ones you’d use for spicy or erotic. Same for a historical vs. contemporary vs. paranormal

4. A Big Reveal and the Dark Moment

Expose (or at least tease) at a secret or important information that will be revealed. Your story NEEDS this in order to drive the action and lead up to your Dark Moment and Climax. 

·      Give a hint about what the secret and dark moment will be. 

·      You don’t have to reveal every detail of the secret, but give enough of a clue that the reader wants to find out. 

·      How will this drive your heroine/hero apart (maybe forever)? Can they make it in the end?

5. Hook ‘em at the end

Now, you need to craft a closing line that entices the reader to want more. 

·      Write a cliffhanger or question… “Can she let go of her bitterness in order to claim a lasting love?” “Can they save the world in time?”

·      Restate the ultimate GOAL in a more dramatic way. Give them a “dun, dun, dun” moment. “Together, they must steal the ancient artifact…and if they fail the world will never be the same.” 

Okay…sounds easy, right? Actually, it’s not, but you can develop the skill with practice. These 5 tips will help.

If you’re an author struggling with blurb writing I can help. 

Kristin Wallaceis the USA Today Best Selling Author of inspirational and sweet contemporary romance filled with “Love, Laughter and a Leap of Faith”. Her latest book, SECOND CHANCE HERO, is available now. 

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