Time to Write

Great Time to Write Stuff

My first merchandise for writers is now available at the Equisto store for UK buyers (a US site will be up soon). Just go here to see the T shirts and mug available now: merchandise Shop
">here

Click on the item that might interest you, then on the "motif detail" to see the design:

Don't Believe Everything You Read

In today's (Sept. 24, 2006) Sunday Times, the Arts Editor, Richard Brooks, writes: "An unknown British author has topped America's fiction bestseller lists after news of her debut novel spread over the internet..."The Thirteenth Tale" had few reviews in conventional media and seems to have taken off because media bloggers recommended it. 'I suppose it's a new form of word of mouth,' said Setterfield...The development of Setterfield's fan base on the internet is similar to that which gave a kick-start to musicians such as the Arctic Monkeys, Lily Allen and Sandi Thom."

Intrigued, I decided to investigate a bit more. It took only one click to find out that the book had received a $1 million advance from the U.S. publishers (and another £800,000 from the UK publishers). No publisher is going to invest a million dollars in an unknown book and then rely on bloggers to spread the word.

Furthermore, tucked away in Richard Brooks's article is the fact that "The book had already been bought in a film deal by Robert Redford before publication, giving it a signficant headstart." My bet is that the huge advance and the Redford deal bred a large amount of media coverage (if it didn't, the publishers should fire their P.R. department). Mind you, spreading the idea that the internet is what's behind her success is another good media story...good enough to make it into the Sunday Times.

Writers and Agents

I wanted to share one more tip from illustrator Megan Jeffrey (see previous post) that I think applies to writers just as much as to illustrators:

"Don't be under the misguided notion that an agent will work magic for you. Maybe they will, I don't know. But don't think that once you have found an agent that is willing to take you on, that this will instantaneously bring you in truckloads of work. I would also suggest that you still 'keep on top of' your business. Do not abdicate your role as CEO of your company to your agent, or your accountant, or to whomever else has a piece of your business. Know where the numbers are coming from. As my dad says, 'Trust but verify.'"

(And for my own take on agents, whether you need one, what they really do, how much they charge--all in under 3 minutes of recording time, scroll about 3 messages back and click the Play button.)

Is Your Writing Easy to Read?

Maybe I'm the last person to find out about this...but Word includes a tool that can help you to determine how easy people will find it to read your prose. To access it, go to the "tools" section of the menu, click on "spelling," then click on "options" and check the box that says "show readability statistics."

When the program has finished checking your spelling, a screen will pop up that gives you three statistics. One is the percentage of passive sentences (e.g., "the test was taken by ten people" rather than "ten people took the test"). Another is the Flesch Reading Ease percentage, which tells you what percentage of people who can read at all would understand what you've written. And the final one is the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, which shows which U.S. grade level someone would have to have attained in order to understand what you've written. If you're a non-U.S. reader, let me point out this is based on 12 grades, with the 12th grade being completing high school, usually at the age of 18.

To give you an example, I've just run this post through the program, and it shows that passive sentences make up 11% of the post, 57.3% of all readers would understand it, and the grade level required is 12.

Obviously these kinds of statistics are not so helpful for fiction writers, but if you're writing for newspapers, magazines, or for kids, or instructional materials that have to be easily understood, this could be a valuable resource.

How to Motivate Yourself to Write

Freelance illustrator Megan Jeffrey (www.megillustrations.com) recently celebrated 17 years in her profession by sharing 17 things she's learned along the way. I thought you might be interested to read what she wrote about motivation:

"I often hear the comment, 'I could NEVER be self-employed! You must be so disciplined!' I don't think I'm any more disciplined than the next person, and my answer usually is something along the lines of, 'There's nothing more motivating than bills to pay.' I think that there is a misconception that artists have to wait until there is a 'muse' who will inspire them towards creativity and industry. Nah. You work until 'it' comes, and THEN you ride the wave."

A New Old Way to Sell Writing

Penguin U.K. is trying a new variation on an old method of selling fiction: the instalment release of a novel called The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters. The book comes in 10 segments, one sent out each week. There is a limit of 5000 sets to be sold this way, each at the price of £25 (about $47). If they sell all 5000, that's a take of £125,000 ($235,000), which isn't bad, even taking into account the extra expense of postage and handling.

It will be interesting to see how this experiment works. I think it has some potentially fatal flaws, the most serious of which is that the book will be published in one volume in January (it is already out  in the US, priced $26). If the author, Gordon Dahlquist, were famous and had a big fan base of people eager to get their hands on his book before everybody else, the 'must-have' factor might apply. As it stands, however, it's only the sheer novelty of the delivery system that might motivate someone to go for this. Still, it's good to see the publishing industry try something different, and I'll post the results when I know them.

Product Placement Comes to Writing

I'm sure you've heard of (and seen) product placement in movies and TV. Now it's spreading to writing. Procter & Gamble made a deal with the authors of Cathy's Book, a teen novel. Along with the teen-age angst, readers will be finding out about Cover Girl's Shimmering Onyx eye shadow and Metallic Rose lipstick.

As I was sipping my can of Red Bull, I realized this is the continuation of a trend, not a first: novelist Fay Weldon had a deal with Bulgari and Carole Matthews with Ford to promote the Fiesta in her novel. Electrolux actually commissioned a book called Men in Aprons, about a man who has to figure out how to do the housekeeping when his girlfriend leaves him. (I imagine he drank a can of Red Bull whenever the work got tough.) There's no mention of Electrolux in the text, but one of their machines is on the cover. Oh, look at the clock, time to stop writing and have a refreshing can of Red Bull...

(note to Red Bull representative: please contact me re address to which to send the case)

All About Agents for Writers (in under 3 minutes)

Things Writers Hear (#9)

How to Get Addicted to Writing

Fitness experts Brian Sharkey and Steven Gaskill suggest that the way to get fit is to get addicted to exercise. When I looked at their strategies for doing this, it hit me that essentially the same could be used to get addicted to writing--that is, to get into the habit of writing. Here they are, with brief notes on adapting them to writing. Sharkey and Gaskill say choose an activity that:

1.Is not competitive. [When you write, don't compare your work to that of others--it's often the cause of insecurity and then writer's block.]

2. You can do for one hour a day. [Block out one hour a day, or even half an hour a day and make it as much a part of your schedule as brushing your teeth. You will be amazed by what you can accomplish over a relatively short period of time as long as you are consistent.]

3. Is easy for your to do without much mental effort. [Break your writing down into small enough chunks so that you are not intimidated. A book breaks down into chapters, chapters break down into key points, for example.]

4. You can do alone or at least don't have to rely on others to do it. [Sometimes collaboration works well, but if you choose to do it, be sure that the other person really is as committed as you are. Do a small trial project together before starting a large one.]

5. You believe it has some physical, mental or spiritual value. [Write what you are passionate about, not what you think might be part of a trend. To stick with it, you need to feel strongly about it.]

6. You believe your performance will improve if you persist. [As you write, also read books on writing and take part in some classes if you have time, and keep applying what you learn to what you're writing.]

7. You can do it without self-critizing. [When you're writing a longer project, don't keep going back and reworking what you've done. Finish it, then go back over it.]