On Chasing the Dream

You start with a little inkling of a dream. I want to write a book, you tell yourself. That little dream plants itself at the base of your mind and begs for attention. You nourish it and it grows. Pretty soon you are consumed by this idea. You want to write a book.

How do you even start? Writing a novel is a huge, daunting task. It scares you. But you still have the dream, so nervously you sit in front of your computer and you start writing. At first it is hard. Every word seems like a chore. You are terrified you won’t make it. How will this ever be long enough to be called a novel?

You keep at it. Letter by letter, you write words; word by word, you write sentences; sentences pile up into paragraphs, then chapters. And suddenly you realize: I can do this!  Before long, you are looking at a finished draft of your very own novel.

Take a minute to pause and let that sink in: you wrote a book!

It might not be pretty, that’s true. So you head back to work. You pull it apart, edit it, rewrite parts, change things up, improve, improve, improve. Will you ever be done? Every time you think you are close, you find something else to fix. You keep at it, doing the work.

Then that magical day comes. You have a real, honest-to-goodness novel. A book you are proud of .

Congratulations! You reached your dream!

You ride on that high for a few days, but then that little voice creeps into your mind. Well, it says, maybe you did write a novel, but what good is that if you can’t get it published?

So you jump on to your next dream. You query agents, and get a handful of full requests. YES! You ride along, your head in the clouds, and send the manuscript off. You wait, sure that your book will be the next big thing. Then the rejections roll in. And then some more. Your book isn’t marketable, they tell you. I like it, but it’s just not right for my list. I’m sorry, better luck elsewhere.

You try not to take it personally, but this book is like your baby. How could you not? The rejections start to wear you down. Suddenly you find yourself bitter…

A bloggy friend announces the she got an agent! Another just signed a contract on her three-book deal! You want to be happy; you should feel elated for them. But you can’t help but wonder: why not me? What is wrong with my book, and why can’t I get those things? Try as you might, you can’t help but to feel a little hostility toward those other writers.

STOP! BACK UP!

Remember your dream. Your dream was to write a novel. And you DID IT. Celebrate. Praise yourself. Let the rest be a bonus, not what makes it worthwhile.

Don’t let your dream of publishing a book overshadow your accomplishment of writing one. And never forget that original dream; it is the most important one.

Now go write another book. You’ve done it before, and you know you can do it again.

The most positive thing I see about the publishing industry is the people. Seriously, where do some writers get this idea that agents and editors are heartless fiends out to crush our dreams? I have found all the publishing folks I have come in contact with so far to be just delightful.

Agent and editor blogs have helped me so much on my writing journey. They really are an invaluable resource. And they are created and maintained by people who really want me to succeed. The agents and editors do not get paid to dispense all this information. They don’t get paid to answer all writers’ random questions. They don’t get paid to be so kind and helpful. But many of them still do it, and I am incredibly grateful for all the wonderful people who take time out of their busy lives to help me succeed.

My fellow writers also help me immensely and are just so fabulous! Since I put myself out there as an official aspiring author and really got into researching the business, I have met a ton of great writers, both agented/published and non. I meet them through blogs, the BlueBoards, the Absolute Write forums, and Twitter. I meet them when they randomly show up and leave me comments here. Some of them, though we have never met outside of the blogosphere, I consider friends.

I adore my fellow writers and love to see them succeed. When a writer friend of mine puts up a SUCCESS!! post on their blog or Twitter–whether it be about finding an agent, selling a book, or just finally nailing that scene that has been causing so many problems–it thrills me.

I love the writing community and the people in it. The internet and blogs have helped to make this group of (possibly certifiably insane) people incredibly tight-knit and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Also, as long as I am gushing here: I love my blog readers and commenters. Thank you all so much for taking the time out of your day to follow me on my little journey!

A hug for all my new buddies!

(For a list of great agent, editor, and writer blogs to check out, see the sidebar———–> )

This is a no-good situation for a writer. See, publishing is S.L.O.W. It takes time to write a book, it takes time to revise a book. Once a book is ready, it takes time to query agents and get their responses. It takes time to hear back from publishers once your agent starts submitting your work. And once a book is sold, it takes a lot of time to get it on the shelves.

Things don’t move quickly, and even this is a perfect example. What happens when a writer doesn’t move from step A to B to C to D to E in a nice sequential order? What happens when one moves from A to B to C (C, in this sequence is finding an agent, just so we are still on the same page), only to experience failure?

Writers need to be persistent little buggers. This is a business that is largely subjective and setbacks and failures along the way are par for the course. I fear that too many people have so subscribed to the fast-food ideal of life–expecting everything to come quickly–and will give up when the path is no longer easy.

Friends: we cannot do this! Remember that not everything in life comes as quickly and easily as pushing a meal through a window. We need to take the time to nurture our craft, to write the best books we can, and to fight to see them on the shelves. If a book fails? We need to spend time working on the next one. And the next, and the next.

This business takes time and persistence. Don’t let yourself get discouraged and give up because things aren’t moving as quickly or as smoothly as you hoped. Keep working, keep pushing, and eventually you will make it!

You are a Mormon who writes young adult fiction. When you tell others this, it is only a matter of time (often only a couple seconds) before they ask the inevitable question:

So you’re going to be the next Stephenie Meyer?

Um, no. As much fun as it would be to be part of the Mormon Mafia, I am not going to be the next Stephenie Meyer. Just no. (Nothing personal – I enjoy Meyer’s writing and admire what she has done, but no.)

I am not going to be the next Stephenie Meyer, the next Orson Scott Card, the next Aprilynne Pike, the next JK Rowling (had to have at least one non-Mormon on this list), or the next anybody. I do not want to be the next anybody.

I will just be the only me, thank you very much.

Stephenie Meyer, Ally Condie, Aprilynne Pike - thanks YA Highway for the great picture!

And now (this is where the eye candy comes in), behold:

It is a thing of beauty

This will be added to my Russian Books shelf as soon as I can get my grubby little mitts on it. I loved the book in English and can’t wait to experience it in Russian. Plus, the cover is so pretty I will even forgive the brunette head on it (which, while beautiful, does not match the pale blonde main character at all).

What’s that? Not everybody reads Russian and I should probably explain what this is? Okay. Wings by Aprilynne Pike (um, does she have a great name or what?). Go check it out; it is a seriously good read.

The rest of this might be slightly eye-glaze inducing for you if you are not a writer, but it is way too fun for me not to share. The talented Jackson Pearce (have I mentioned yet how much I love her book) corralled 28 YA authors to give their best advice for this great video. It is a must watch for any aspiring author. Also, it is probably a lot funnier if you remember the original.

Jackson’s Description and Participants:

28 YA Authors give you advice on writing, publishing, and everything in-between. And they do it TO SONG.
(This is yet another reason why YA authors are the coolest subspecies of author.)

Authors, in order of appearance:
Jackson Pearce (AS YOU WISH, SISTERS RED)
Kristina Springer (THE ESPRESSOLOGIST)
Aimee Friedman (SEA CHANGE)
John Claude Bemis (THE NINE POUND HAMMER)
Cyn Balog (FAIRY TALE, SLEEPLESS)
Barry Lyga (GOTH GIRL RISING)
Ally Carter (GALLAGHER GIRLS series, HEIST SOCIETY)
Aprilynne Pike (WINGS, SPELLS)
Shani Petroff (BEDEVILED)
Carrie Ryan (THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH)
Neesha Meminger (SHINE COCONUT MOON)
Jaclyn Dolamore (MAGIC UNDER GLASS)
Brenna Yovanoff (THE REPLACEMENT)
Margaret Stohl (BEAUTIFUL CREATURES)
Erin Dionne (THE TOTAL TRAGEDY OF A GIRL NAMED HAMLET)
Maggie Stiefvater (SHIVER)
Jennifer Jabaley (LIPSTICK APOLOGY)
Michelle Zink (PROPHECY OF THE SISTERS)
Jessica Burkhart (CANTERWOOD CREST series)
R.J. Anderson (KNIFE, REBEL)
Kami Garcia (BEAUTIFUL CREATURES)
Jenny Moss (WINNIE’S WAR, SHADOW)
Tessa Gratton (BLOOD MAGIC)
Lauren Bjorkman (MY INVENTED LIFE)
Becca Fitzpatrick (HUSH HUSH)
L.K. Madigan (FLASH BURNOUT)
Sarah Prineas (THE MAGIC THIEF series)
Saundra Mitchell (SHADOWED SUMMER)
Javier Ruescas (CUENTOS DE BERETH)

Original song performed by Baz Luhrman, written by Timothy John Cox and Nigel Andrew Swanston. Parodied by me with the help of a microphone and a karaoke track!

***

I should go back to my last post and add heed the advice in this video to my list of goals. This is some seriously good stuff here!

I do, however, re-evaluate my goals and what I am doing to achieve them occasionally. I have spent the last couple of days doing just that. How is that different than a New Year’s Resolution? you might ask. It is all in the mindset. New Year’s Resolutions=setting up for failure. Goals=totally achievable. Yay for achievable!

Nicholas Sparks says that when he reached his mid-twenties, he began to feel a little empty. He had a good job and a great family-all around a pretty good life-but something was still missing. This is kind of how I am feeling now. Bubba and I have a wonderful marriage and love being together. We both have good jobs (seriously, have I mentioned how much I love my job yet?). We live in an adorable house in a great town. We are very blessed. But something is still missing-and it is something I can fix.

It has been my dream to be a published author since I was a very small girl. I love creating worlds, characters, stories, and I love writing them down. But recently I realized something: I am not moving forward. I have my website and this blog. I have my writing. But I am still stagnant. So, this year I set my goals with an eye turned to the future. I need to start trudging through the scary world of publishing if I want to get anywhere with this. I can’t continue to sit in my little safety bubble and just write for myself. Well, I can do that, but it is not all I want. I want to be published and share my books with people. I want more than I am making for myself right now. So I will go out and get it.

I have a dear friend who is always quick to remind me that people who write their goals out are more likely to reach them than those who just think of them. It makes sense. I have decided to go one step further. Today, I am sharing my goals for the year with my blog readers-putting them in a public place to help keep myself accountable for them. So, here they are:

2010 writing goals:

1. Write and edit two novels
2. Write and edit one short story
3. Continue to blog every weekday
4. Do everything in my power to get an agent*

That’s it-four things. No biggie, right? Oh, you mean those are four huge things? Wow. I guess you are right. But they are four things that I am completely capable of doing, which is important. I have broken each goal down into easy to handle chunks to help me tackle them (yes, I am one of those geeky list-lovers). I can do these four things. And I will.

Happy 2010 everyone.

*It would be all fine and dandy to just make #4 “Get an agent”, but that is setting myself up for disappointment. This is not to say I won’t get an agent, it’s just not completely within my control. Publishing is a very subjective business, so even if I write an AMAZING book, there is a possibility that nobody will pick it up. Goals should be attainable, and it is not effective to set a goal that is so dependent on other people. So instead, I am promising to do everything I can to get an agent this year.

I especially love buying and reading new books by debut authors. With each debut comes another chance at a fresh voice I will love. With each debut I buy, I support a writer who, not long ago, was at the same place as I am now. I know how hard the author worked and I want to reward them for that. So, when I am buying books, my purchases tend to skew towards debuts more and more often.

The Story Siren is hosting the 2010 Debut Author Challenge. They have challenged anyone who wants to sign up to read a set number of young adult and middle grade novels from debut authors during 2010 (they are challenging everyone to read at least 12). I am so in! How could I not jump at this challenge? I think it is great. So…

I promise to read at least 24 books by debut YA/MG authors in 2010. That’s 2 a month and totally do-able. And while I don’t normally review books on the blah-g, I will post my thoughts on each debut after I read it.

My list is nowhere near complete, but I figure I can get it started now and add more as they come up.

Debuts I know I will read in 2010

1. THE SECRET YEAR Jennifer R. Hubbard (7 January 2010)
2. DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS Cynthia James Omololu (2 February 2010)
3. THE LINE Teri Hall (4 March 2010)
4. WHISPER Phoebe Kitanidis (27 April 2010)
5. THE RED UMBRELLA Christina Diaz Gonzales (11 May 2010)
6. EVERLASTING Angie Frazier (1 June 2010)
7. SHADOW HILLS Anastasia Hopcus (13 July 2010)
8. PARANORMALCY Kiersten White (21 September 2010)
9. ANNA AND THE BOY MASTERPIECE Stephanie Perkins (September 2010)
10. THE DUFF (Designated Ugly Fat Friend) Kody Keplinger (Fall 2010)

I think 10 is a decent number to start off with. I will add to this list as I find other YA/MG debuts to read throughout 2010. I am excited to read all of these and let y’all know what I think about them!

Why is this bad? I could rant about it here, but I have found that when I rant about it, eyes start to glaze over. Instead, I will share a delightful picture that makes me smile and a bunch of links to information about Harlequin’s terrible decision. That way you can choose how much you want to know.

As for smiling at the picture? Well, that you have no choice over.

Popples...of the Ninja variety

And the linkage:

The official Harlequin Horizon’s website.

A statement where Harlequin says they will be changing the name of Harlequin Horizons to just Horizons, effective immediately. Note that the official website still has the Harlequin name attached. Also, in the same post is a statement from the Mystery Writers of America regarding Harlequin Horizons.

A nice breakdown of the new vanity line, courtesy of Writers Beware.

The Romance Writers of America’s stance on the issue.

A great breakdown of the Harlequin Horizons legalese by paranormal author Jackie Kessler. Also, her follow up post is definitely worth a read.

And, in true shark style, Janet Reid weighs in with her open post to Donna Hayes, CEO of Harlequin.

There are more. Oh boy, there are a LOT more. These should get the idea across though. Enjoy your reading!

I totally judge books by their covers. All. The. Time.

There are books out there I know I want to read solely based on the cover. And there are books out there that I would pass up on because the cover didn’t catch my eye, but have read because of recommendations (and some I have passed over because of a non-stand-out cover and never come back to).

It is sometimes a scary thing (as a writer) to think about book covers. The author of the book (with few exceptions) has little to no say in what the final product looks like. It is scary to send your baby out into the world without having any control over the first thing people see.

When it comes down to it, covers are about a lot of luck for an author. Luckily, the design team knows what they are doing and knows what sells. Authors are in good hands.

And, because a post is always better with pictures, here are a few covers* I LOVE:

*click on the thumbnail to see the full, awesome cover image.

Also, this is a must read post. I have been asked many times why I write young adult (and even a couple times when  I was going to write a “real book”). Someday I will address why I personally write YA. Until then, I am going to just say “what she said” to Mary Pearson’s thoughts on writing YA.

Now, finally, my intended post:

I have been reading a lot lately about the publishing industry facing impending doom (haven’t they been facing impending doom for, I don’t know, forever?). Well, if you have been paying attention to the movie business (and I will forgive you if you haven’t-it is not everyone’s job to stay on top of it), you know movies are still doing well. Movies just had their biggest summer of all time.

What do movies have that books don’t? They are both escapist, so that isn’t it. Movies do have the beautiful stars, but with a book you can imagine anyone you want in the roll. Books may be more expensive (if you don’t live in a big city), but they also last much longer. So maybe it isn’t a matter of what movies have that books don’t as much as it is a matter of what books have that movies don’t.

Returns. The publishing industry allows returns. This means if a bookstore WAY over-orders on a title, whatever they don’t sell to the public can be sent back to the publisher for a refund. I don’t know of any other industry that allows this. I think the publishing industry can learn a lot from the movie business.

***Disclaimer: I admit to knowing relatively little about the inner workings of publishing and returns. I don’t claim I can fix the system. These are just my rambling thoughts.***

What publishers can learn from movie studios

Let me break down for you how a movie is placed in a theatre (this is general-things are different in different situations, but this is basically it):

1. Theatre decides what film it wants to play.
2. Theatre orders the film from Studio.
3. Studio charges Theatre a guarantee-this money must be paid before the film is shipped to Theatre.
4. Studio presents the terms (percentage of Theatre’s revenue to be paid back to the studio).
5. Theatre grumbles about the terms being unfair.
6. Negotiations ensue.
7. Terms are finalized-generally they are exactly what Studio originally offered.
8. The film is shipped to Theatre. Theatre plays it for the adoring public and makes their money.
9. Theater sends Studio their percentage of the sales.
10. Everyone is happy.

So, let’s put this all in perspective:

Fabulous Cinemas in Fabulousville, Maine wants to play The Time Traveler’s Wife. Their booker calls up the Warner Brothers salesperson and says, “we need to date Time Traveler in Fabulousville for next Friday”.

“Great, I’ll put you in,” says the salesperson, “terms will be 51.5% with a $1500 guarantee.”

“Not a chance! That is not a 50% film.”

They argue. In the end, terms are finalized at 51.5% (this is a trend-Studio rarely budges).

The fabulous people at Fabulous Cinemas send Warner Brothers $1500, and in return Warner Brothers sends them the movie.

Fabulous Cinemas plays The Time Traveler’s Wife for all the fabulous citizens of Fabulousville. They rake in the dough.

At the end of the movie’s run, Fabulous Cinemas send 51.5% of all their profits to Warner Brothers. If they didn’t sell many tickets, well bummer, the studio is not going to cover that!

So, how does this apply to publishing?

Well, for all I know, it can’t. But, just for fun, let’s pretend it can. Here’s how that would look:

1. Awesome Bookstore in Awesometown, Illinois wants to sell Paranormalcy.
2. Awesome Bookstore orders their copies of Paranormalcy from HarperTeen.
3. HarperTeen charges Awesome Bookstore a guarantee-this is the cheapest level they can sell them to the store.
4. HarperTeen presents the terms (the percentage of each sale Awesome Bookstore has to give to HarperTeen)
5. Awesome Bookstore grumbles about the terms being unfair.
6. Negotiations ensue.
7. Terms are finalized-they are exactly what HarperTeen originally offered.
8. HarperTeen ships the copies of Paranormalcy to Awesome Bookstore. The citizens of Awesometown, Illinois rush to get their books and Awesome Bookstore makes their money.
9. Awesome Bookstore sends HarperTeen their percentage of the money.
10. Everyone is happy.

Notice how there is no #11 saying “Awesome Bookstore” sends any copies that didn’t sell back to HarperTeen. HarperTeen eats the cost of unsold copies.” That is because returning the books to the publisher is not an option! Awesome Bookstore is now held accountable for their rampant over-ordering.

Will this model work for publishing. Who knows? I certainly don’t.

And I have officially rambled for way to long. Anyone still reading this?

Bueller…Bueller…Bueller?