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New Writer’s Digest Webinar!

January 21, 2011 in Etc., Events | 7 comments

Hey all! My posts this week have been short on content and big on housekeeping and I apologize. But I have had a very busy week and next will be even more crazy. Oh well. It’s a great thing to be busy, but it does cut into the blogging time!

This post is to announce that I’m doing another Writer’s Digest webinar! If you took my webinar last time, know that the content for this one will be the same. You can take it again to hear different Q&A and get critique from me, but the meat of the presentation will be stuff you’ve already heard. After this one, I will probably work with WD to create a more specific talk, so stay tuned.

If you haven’t taken my webinar yet, this is the perfect time to do so! It’s February 3rd at 1 p.m. Eastern but you don’t have to listen to it live to benefit from it. If you’re not available at that time, just register anyway and then you’ll get a recording of the event to listen to for up to a year after.

My webinar last time was packed with a great audience and a lot of fun. I can’t wait to do it again! You can find out more about it and, more importantly, register by clicking here.

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Upcoming Events

January 17, 2011 in Events | 11 comments

There is lots and lots on my plate for these next few weeks, but it will include some opportunities to meet up with writers! The first chance for NYC locals is tonight. I’m teaching my final class for the Learning Annex in midtown Manhattan, starting at 6:45 p.m. You can get more information and register for the class here. It’s the same class I’ve taught several times already, so the content won’t be different, but it is my last one for them, so do come on down if you haven’t had the chance to attend before.

This weekend I’ll be at the Pitch Slam for the Writer’s Digest Conference. If you are in New York or have flexible travel plans, I would suggest you register for this one. I can’t wait!

Next week, I’ll be at Digital Book World, and I can’t wait to find out more about all the opportunities that exist for digital books, games, and apps, per last week’s article, which you can find here.

Next weekend, I’ll be at the SCBWI NYC national conference! I’ll be doing the Writer’s Intensive roundtable workshop critiques on Friday, January 28th. As far as I know, those sessions have sold out, and you can’t pick your preferred critique leader, either way. However, I know a lot of my blog readers will be at the conference, so I wanted to open myself up to meeting people who are in town.

I’ll post more information next Friday, but I’m thinking of parking myself at the Grand Hyatt, or choosing another location nearby, and holding a meet and greet salon type of thing for anyone who wants to come by and chat, maybe on Saturday the 29th at 5 p.m., after the day’s last keynote. I don’t really want to hear pitches at this time. That would be dreary after a long day, when I’m trying to meet and be social. Plus, I prefer written pitches and a writing sample anyway, because I can’t tell about your writing from your verbal pitch. With that in mind, if you want to come by and meet me and chat and share your impressions of the conference, I will be happy to see you!

These opportunities are all NYC-based, I know. I’m still firming up my travel schedule for the year. My next few events are the Big Sur Conference in Monterey, CA in March, then SCBWI Indiana, in Indianapolis, in late April. Check my Events and Conferences page for more details. I’m still getting conference invitations for 2011 (and would love some more, if you’re a SCBWI RA or a conference organizer), though, so you never know where I’ll pop up next!

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Belated Inspiration for 2011

January 7, 2011 in Etc., Events | 10 comments

I promise not to get all weepy and new-age-y on you — I am Tough Agent Lady! (Some of the time…) — but there’s this amazing photographer called Meg Perotti who works in the SF Bay Area and she posted a wonderful, inspiring image on her blog to ring in the New Year. (MK trivia time: I love photography. I have written for a photography trade magazine called Rangefinder. I’m better at appreciating it than doing it myself, but I am an absolute sucker for a stunning photograph, especially portraiture, which is how I fell in love with Meg Perotti’s blog in the first place!)

It’s a bit small here but if you click on it, you can blow it up, print it out, and look at it often, because that’s what I’m doing. I know that New Year’s Eve was, like, a week ago, and everyone is already over it and back to work and slogging through and waiting for the next vacation, but, dang it, there’s too much that’s good and creative and powerful about life to let it streak by unnoticed!

Plus, it doesn’t hurt that the bottom of this picture is the beeeeeeautiful city of San Francisco, which I will be visiting next week.

I got a nice month’s break from traveling in December and now it’s back to the skies. I’m flying to ALA in San Diego today for some fun, meetings, and face time with my Southern California colleagues Kelly, Jen, and Jamie. Then on Monday I’m up to San Francisco to see family and friends and to meet with my NorCal colleagues, Andrea, Laura, and Caryn.

For a belated Christmas present, I’m taking my mom to go hear Elizabeth Gilbert speak next Friday. (I think this Gilbert lady wrote a book? Something about eating? Just kidding. It’s pretty hilarious, actually: my mom just discovered EAT, PRAY, LOVE. I’m all like, “Remember that whole collective ommmmmm hovering over 2006? No? Oh well!”) Then it’s back to NYC for a whirlwind!

On January 17th, I’m doing my last Learning Annex class for now. It’ll be in the evening, somewhere in midtown Manhattan, and you can find a link to the event here. If you’ve already gone to one, this will be the same material: an overview of the children’s publishing marketplace. Come out, see me, and get your work critiqued! Next weekend is the Writer’s Digest Conference (see you at the Pitch Slam!), then Digital Book World (more on this next week), and the NY SCBWI. (I’m not speaking or giving a workshop, I’m doing the roundtable critiques on Friday, so I’ll be around all weekend, but I’m not doing any Saturday or Sunday sessions that people can show up for. You’ll just have to find me. Hint: I’ll be near the coffee…) That’s all within two weeks, folks!

Whew! It’s no wonder I’m finding so much calm, solace, and inspiration from Meg’s lovely thought for 2011! I hope you all enjoy it. See you next week with ALA updates.

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Simple Advice, Hard to Follow

January 3, 2011 in Advice, Publishing, Writing | 34 comments

A few weeks ago, I got an email from Joni, an email like the kind I’ve gotten from many writers before her. It dealt with frustration and impatience. The “all dressed up with nowhere to go” pain of just wanting to have a book out. This past weekend, while I was supposed to be away from the computer and having a life (ha!), I got a similar email from a client. Sorry, dear, but I’m going to quote it:

Okay, so I am working on my book, and I keep getting so worried that I’ve got SO FAR to go that I just close the document. I’m worried that after this round, it still has readers to go, and then another round of other readers and then I am so slow with revisions that it will be 2013 before it will be done.

My advice for Joni and for my client is: dig in, get your eyes off the calendar, and do your work. Getting published isn’t a matter of course. And it’s certainly not a matter of speed. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that publishing is slow in most cases. Slow. Sloooooooooow. Slow as molasses. Slow as frozen molasses. Slow as a cube of frozen molasses frozen inside a bigger cube of even slower frozen molasses. You get my point, I think.

When publishing finally decides to move — or if it moves quickly — it’s out of a writer’s control. Which house will buy what, which editor will love what, how much they’ll invest in a project, how much marketing they’ll give it, what the sales will be like, which readers/librarians/booksellers will respond to what and how, what will win awards, what will take off up the bestseller charts and what will quietly blip off the radar screen, etc. etc. etc.

If you think you’re freaking out now about just getting your work published, imagine the full-scale neurotic meltdown that awaits you once you have royalty statements to read, bookstore events where you always feel like the nervous hostess, wondering if anyone will show up, Goodreads/blog reviews to stress over, school visits and public speaking engagements, 24/7 access to your Amazon ranking and, now, BookScan numbers for your sales, organized every which way!

Conversely, learning and practicing and revising are the only things you can do to take control of the process. If you’re just honing your writing, it’s probably a good thing that you’re not out there as a full-fledged author yet. Think about not just the shiny publishing contract and the spike in Twitter followers and the glory of realizing your dream. There’s a whole career and business element, too, most of it amazing, some of it challenging and anxiety-making. It’s okay that you haven’t gotten there yet. You have to really be ready for this sort of thing, and thinking you’re reading and actually being ready are two different things.

This is as much of a pep talk for me as it is for Joni and for my client and for countless other writers out there who are feeling similar frustrations. Do you think I sit around saying, “Well, I think I’ve sold enough books. Time to pack it in and rest on my laurels.” Absolutely not. I am the most impatient person I think I’ve ever met (my mother would definitely agree with me here).

Once I get an offer, I immediately want another one. If I sign an incredible client, I go back to my slush pile the very next day and keep an eye out, because the submissions don’t stop coming. If I close an auction, well, I have a nice stiff drink first, of course, but then I want to jump in to the stress and exhilaration all over again a few minutes later. If an hour passes without an email from an editor, I start to wonder if there’s something wrong with my email client and then bang on my laptop to make sure it’s working properly.

I know it was just January 1st and that we have a bright and shiny year ahead of us. Our resolution lists are long and our resolve is screwed to its sticking place. But I think that’s also setting some writers up for a case of the crazies: “2010 didn’t do it for me, so if I don’t FINALLY achieve my goals in 2011, I am going to freak out!!!!!!”

Well, here is the number one piece of advice I can give: be patient. It goes hand in hand with the idea of resilience and not giving up and constantly generating new ideas (all discussed in my “Dealing With Rejection” post). And as much as I talk about the publishing business/agents/queries/submissions on the blog, here’s my other advice: it really is all about the book idea and the execution. In other words, the craft.

This year, I will doggedly pursue book deals for my clients, court new clients, and leverage my authors’ budding careers to get them more business. But, for my own sanity, I will also cultivate patience. 2011 is going to be a wonderful year. Keep reading, keep writing, don’t stop trying…but also spare yourself the paralyzing anxiety of the ticking clock.

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Holiday Break!

December 24, 2010 in Site Stuff | 4 comments

Hey readers! Hope you’re having a fantastic holiday season so far. For those of you celebrating today and tomorrow, Merry Christmas! In the spirit of unplugging and getting away from the computer a little bit, I’m going to take next week off from writing new posts. Instead, I will repost some of my favorites from last December, when I did Revision-o-Rama on the blog. These will be really meaty novel craft posts that I still love. I will be sending links to them on Twitter and Facebook, so if you aren’t friends with me on either one, now’s the time! (Click the links to go to my pages.) Come back for those or, better yet, turn off your Internet and do some writing.

Happy late 2010 and early 2011 and…see you next year!

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Should I Post My Writing Online?

December 20, 2010 in Advice, Agent, Publishing | 21 comments

In the last week or so, a few people have emailed to ask me whether or not it’s okay to post samples of your work online (like a few pages or a few chapters) on your blog, in forums, or whatever. This can be tricky. In the Internet age, if you post something online on a blog, social networking site, online literary journal, or public forum, it is considered “published.”

Obviously, the length of the sample you post is important. Read on:

If you are posting an entire poem or short story online, and then you try to sell it to a literary magazine, for example, the fact that is has previously been “published” is not good, as the entire work has appeared elsewhere. The editor of that literary magazine wants new, never-before-seen content. This applies both to print and online venues, as there are a lot of respectable online journals and literary magazines.

If you are posting a short portion of a novel online, and then the novel gets interest from an agent or editor, I’d say you could be okay, since the sample is short. Even though most editors and agents don’t like to work with previously published material, whether posted online or self-published, a short sample on your blog may not be enough to put them off your project. (Careful, though, as individual policies here do vary greatly.)

So when you think about posting online, consider how much of your work you’ll be exposing. Are you posting all of it? That will count as “published” and that website will be your venue for the piece, so you better make your peace with it. A sample that’s less than 5% of the total work? You could post, if you really want to, but know that you may run into some obstacles down the road.

The one exception to the “published” rule is if you post your writing in a private forum, such as the Verla Kay Blueboards. One reason to do this is if you want to get critique of your work from other writers. What you post in a members-only area of the Internet isn’t available to the general public and is therefore not considered “published” once it goes up. If getting feedback is really the reason you want to post your writing online in the first place, I’d do it behind the closed doors of a private forum.

Now, I know there are people thinking: But what if I post something and then take it down? Ah, Grasshopper, the reason is simple: online content never dies. Search engines log all new web content as it is created. If you put something online, ever, even for a short while, it will stay in a search engine’s cache and will still appear in search results.

I’m probably not going to be popular for this opinion, but I don’t think you should post your writing online as a means of attracting editor or agent interest. While some agents and editors do troll blogs looking for talent, I get most of my clients from submissions and conferences. I’m not crazy about most unpublished writer blogs, as some of you know, so I don’t go prospecting there. Don’t even get me started on sites like Authonomy and InkPop.

Plus, your writing should change and grow as you keep at it. And first chapters are usually the most wildly revised in any book. I know a lot of writers who keep hammering at their oh-so-important openings, draft after draft. Your beginning might change, so do you really want an old draft online for all to see? Maybe that doesn’t matter to you, but it certainly bugs me. When I turned in my MFA thesis, I declined to make a copy available in the university library (what usually happens with thesis manuscripts). Why? After one revision, that manuscript becomes just another rough draft, and I don’t want a rough draft floating around. I don’t know about you, but I often look back at old writing and cringe. Unless you plan to keep updating your writing sample online, it will become stale work at some point.

If you do want to post something tantalizing about your book, post a query-like summary of the story and a tag line. That’s the same kind of advertising that a published book has: the back and flap copy that is meant to describe the story and entice the reader. Write some flap copy for your manuscript — this will be good practice to help you hone in on  your hook, too — and put it on your blog. Some writers make a short and cheap video trailer. Others pick a playlist or images that evoke their work. That should be enough marketing to get people excited.

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Holiday Book Drive!

December 10, 2010 in Etc. | 9 comments

Thanks to Siski for sending me information on a children’s book drive, just in time for the holidays. If you have picture books lying around, donate them to an organization that will send them to the less fortunate.

Here’s what Siski and LitWorld have to say:

Just one book can change a life. So imagine what a difference that one book would make if it were put in the hands of a little girl or boy who had never before held a picture book, let alone had one for their very own.

The idea is simple: people donate children’s picture books, sending or bringing them to one of three drop-off points in New York. LitWorld, in partnership with The International Book Bank, will fill a 20ft container with the books (around 3,000 are needed) and ship them to Liberia and Sierra Leone. There, the books will be put straight into the hands of children. Some of these children will never have seen a picture book before; the majority are used to sharing what they do have: one book is shared among 75 children, on average.

About LitWorld: LitWorld is a non-profit organization that advocates for global literacy. LitWorld believes stories are life-changing and sharing stories will create connections that have the power to change the world.

LitWorld works closely with teachers all over Liberia, providing professional development around reading and writing. We also provide schools with much needed books, supplies and school materials. Currently the ratio of children to books is 75:1. Our dream is to change that to 1:1!

About The International Book Bank: An organization that has been delivering free books and educational materials to developing countries since 1987, with the goal of increasing literacy and advancing education.

About Liberia: As you may know, thousands of people were killed in Liberia’s 16-year civil war, leaving the nation in economic ruin. Many places are still without electricity and running water. Unemployment and illiteracy continue to be endemic. The country is attempting to rebuild and recover from this long and arduous war. A large part of this effort is rebuilding the educational system. In order for that to be successful they need an increased supply of books and materials.

About Sierra Leone: Though Sierra Leone is well known for its diamond industry, it was ranked as the poorest country in the world in 1998. The dispute over the control of the diamond mines erupted in an 11-year civil war, which began in 1991 and ended in 2002. Sierra Leone faces the intense challenges of reconstruction, with poverty and unemployment leading the major issues. The Civil War deconstructed 1,270 schools, leaving 67% of children in 2001 without an education. Today, two thirds of the adult population in Sierra Leone are illiterate.

Where to Mail or Bring Books:

You can find information to mail (from anywhere in the US) or bring your books (from NYC and surrounding areas) on the LitWorld website.

You can also find LitWorld online at www.litworld.org, on Facebook, or on Twitter.

Thanks for sharing, Siski!

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Putting Feelers Out Before Leaving Your Agent

December 1, 2010 in Advice, Agent | 7 comments

Here’s a question from an anonymous reader:

I have an agent but I am not sure if we’re the best fit. I would like to think about changing agents, but I don’t know if it’s kosher to put my feelers out while I still have one (is that like looking for a new husband while I have one?). I’m planning to go to a conference soon, so I thought that might be a good opportunity to meet agents, but what if I wanted to put out some casual feelers to a few friends of friends or something? What’s your take on that?

The husband analogy this reader uses is apt. While some people do look around while they’re still attached, and while more than one relationship has been forged that way, it’s not something I would do or recommend. Sure, we all want to leap out of an iffy or bad situation and know that there’s something better (we hope) waiting for us, but that’s not how it works.

If you make the decision to break with your spouse or your representation, you do have to get it over with, and only then can you go out into the uncertain world and hope to get someone else lined up. You may have contacts from when you were first querying, you may have contacts from conferences you’ve attended or people who you do want to reach out to, but the time for that is after you part ways. I don’t know of a lot of agents who will be enthusiastic to talk to you while you still have representation. It may make them think…hey, would this writer go behind OUR backs in times of trouble, if they’re going behind their current agent’s back?

It would be nice, of course, to have the safety net of other interest, but it is a bit sneaky and underhanded to put feelers out before you terminate your relationship. That’s life, though. You have to make the hard decision and do the right thing before moving on to the better situation that you want.

Sure, you can read blogs, follow Publisher’s Marketplace, and do research while you are still represented. You’ll want to be prepared once you’re free from your existing agent, and I understand that. But I wouldn’t make contact, nor would I start combing your network or discussing this with writer or Internet friends. Keep your situation on the down-low until you have a chance to end things in a professional way with your current representation. Keep your integrity and be honest throughout the process. Not only is it good karma (for those of us who believe in that sort of thing), but it will make you feel good about the whole situation and keep any possible guilt at bay.

This is always a tough process. Still, you’ll want to do this the right way, or it could end up being even more difficult than it has to be.

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Marketing Intern Wanted

November 29, 2010 in Etc., Site Stuff | 7 comments

I’m very excited to put out feelers for a part-time publicity intern, and I hope my faithful network of blog readers will play a big part in helping me find the right candidate. Please forward this post to all the young and talented marketing minds you know! (Unfortunately, this is not an internship for a slush or manuscript reader, though you will be the first to know if I ever need one.)

The internship is part-time, with a weekly commitment of about five hours. It is also unpaid, but I will sign for university credit, if applicable. The ideal candidate for this internship is a current student or recent graduate who is a Communications or English major and wants to go into marketing, PR or publishing. Recent graduates of publishing programs, MA programs or MFA programs could also be a great fit, as long as they enjoy the practical and business aspects of the industry. This internship will not focus on the writing, agenting, or editorial, but rather on what happens after a book is published: the marketing, PR, touring, and readership-building aspects of what authors have to do every day in order to keep their careers alive.

Why is an agent looking for a marketing intern, in particular?

My clients’ books are going to start hitting shelves soon and I want to do as much as I can to help these books get attention, garner sales, and gather readers. Getting that book sold is just part of my job. Supporting my authors as they launch their careers is a huge slice of the work.

What tasks will the marketing intern do?

This internship will be research and outreach heavy. Initial projects will focus on researching media outlets (blogs, podcasts, magazines, etc.), people (librarians, teachers, booksellers, etc.), and venues (festivals, conferences, bookstores, etc.) that showcase children’s and YA books and authors. Then the intern will develop marketing plans, strategies, ideas, and more, all while learning about publishing, especially book marketing. The intern will take a leadership role on press releases, outreach to key marketing outlets, follow-up, and more. This is a great way to pick up practical, real-world experience and play publicist, all while working toward a PR or marketing career. The ideal intern will be very, very skilled with the Internet, social media, and web 2.0.

How long will the internship last? Where is it located?

I’m looking for a six month commitment from my intern, from January to July 2011. The internship could last longer and turn into other opportunities for the right candidate and the right fit. The intern can live anywhere and work remotely, as long as they have computer and phone access. Most work will be done via email, with some phone or Skype meetings, when necessary.

How to apply:

Write a letter (one page maximum, be succinct) that emphasizes why you’re interested in publishing, marketing, and/or children’s books. Tell me what experiences you’ve come from, what you’re doing right now, and, most importantly, your goals for the future, both short-term and long-term. Give me a sense of your schedule and how much free and flexible time you have. Finally, what qualities do you have that you make you a great, outgoing, rigorous and self-motivated intern?

The letter should be pasted into the body of an email. Please include a work, education and publication (if applicable) resume, also, and attach it in Word doc format. Address your letter to me (Mary Kole) and email it to mary at kidlit dot com with the subject line “Marketing Internship.”

Applicants who don’t follow the above instructions will not receive consideration. Serious inquiries only; don’t apply if you have no time to devote to this experience. No flakes, excuse-junkies, drama queens, or whiners, please. If your application catches my eye, I will follow up with a practice task to test your marketing savvy.

Deadline for application: Friday, December 17th (candidates I’m seriously considering will be chosen and given further instructions by Friday, December 31st)

I can’t wait to hear from potential interns! Readers, please forward this to the brightest and most motivated future PR rock stars you know!

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Happy Thanksgiving!

November 24, 2010 in Etc. | 23 comments

Can you believe Thanksgiving is upon us?!

I certainly can’t. My mind is still halfway in sticky NYC August or cool, colorful September. What are these boots and jackets? What is this Christmas music piping into the coffee shop? Why are stores opening at 3 a.m. this Friday (!!!) to entice shoppers with big bargains? Where did fall go?!

Maybe time flew so fast because I’ve been doing so much flying, myself. From Florida to Illinois, from South Dakota to Wisconsin, from Louisiana to Ohio, I’ve checked off a lot of new states on my “Places to Go” map and met a lot of writers, organizers, and new friends in the process. (I’ve also eaten cheese curds, lobster, beignets, buffalo, and enjoyed a whole lot of wine!)

This week, I’m happy to be back in California for a while to enjoy friends, family, and my wonderful colleagues. The ABLit team will be congregating at Big Sur next weekend. (If you missed out on planning for December, March spots are still available for this intimate writers workshop with a great student/faculty ratio (and a gorgeous setting!). To find out more, click here. We’ve got the ABLit agents teaching, as well as big NY editors and beloved children’s book writers and illustrators. Marla Frazee’s going to be there in December! Squee!)

As for the blog, I’m taking today and Friday off to just hang out and relax after my hectic fall adventures. I’ve read a lot of great manuscripts, I’ve picked up a few great clients, I’ve sold some fantastic projects, and now it’s time to sit back and check in with myself and plan for next year.

This is, of course, the season of giving thanks, and I wouldn’t be anywhere without the love of my family, my friends (west coast, east coast, and everywhere in between!), my inspiring colleagues and amazing mentor, Andrea, and all the other meaningful relationships in my life. And Sushi, who is my little furry ray of sunshine. I’m grateful for my readers, too, who challenge me and ask the right questions and spread the word and make what I do on this website so fulfilling and interesting. I read my old posts all the time — to update them and post them as “from the archives” features on Twitter and Facebook (click the links to follow me or add me as a friend) — and it’s been really interesting to see how the blog has changed, how my opinions have shifted, how I’ve grown in the last year.

Not all changes have been for the best, though. From talking with colleagues and other friends in the agenting business, I know that the second year can be one of the most frustrating, especially with all of these fundamental shifts in the business and the bad taste of a recession still in the mouths of many publishers. I feel like I’m still finding my way, honing my judgment, getting the most accurate read on the industry and my own place in it. These are not new experiences for any agent, but this fall has seen projects I love go unsold, manuscripts I love go to other agents, and clients become former clients.

This, of course, is part of building a career, and I’m keeping my usual longview perspective. I’m also reinvesting time and energy in myself and my passion for writing, teaching, and publishing. This spring, I’ll see the wonderful milestone of the first actual books I’ve sold hitting shelves! (The months are March and May and the books are PELLY AND MR. HARRISON VISIT THE MOON by Lindsay Ward and BUGLETTE, THE MESSY SLEEPER by Bethanie Murguia.) I think that will help a lot with this odd in-between feeling.

Just like writing is a journey, and life, it should come as no surprise that agenting is full of ups, downs, lessons, and revelations. I hope to share some of those as the blog moves forward, and as I wrap my head around them!

As for December, I have loads more questions to answer from the last time I reached out for question ideas. I’ve also been reading a lot, so I will recommend some books that I think are especially wonderful from fall and from the upcoming spring season. My travel schedule in the next few months is nowhere near as hectic, so look forward to an engaging and tranquil December, with regular posts. For all of you finishing up NaNoWriMo novels…good luck sprinting to that 50k finish line!

Thank you, thank you, thank you, from the bottom of my heart, to all who read, enjoy, and support kidlit.com. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

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