'Getting Published' - by Brian Clegg

I’m a non-fiction author, writing books as my primary source of income. These days I write popular science books, but it didn’t start like that. This post is an answer to ‘how did you get your publishers?’ but it comes in three stages.

My first books I sold direct to the publisher. This may be an alien concept to the fiction writer, but for non-fiction there is absolutely no need to have an agent to get published. This started back in 1995 when my first book, Business Creativity was sold. It wasn’t going to make me rich. The advance was £700, and as the book was co-authored I only got half of it. But it was a start. How do you get noticed by a publisher from nowhere? I’d say there were a handful of essentials:

• Research your publishers. Don’t send a business book to a romantic fiction publisher. It really does happen (and the business publishers get sent romantic fiction too).
• Produce a good proposal. With non-fiction you sell the book before it’s written. For a first timer this will include a cover letter, one page summary, market and competitor analysis, chapter-by-chapter outline and one or two sample chapters. Make it exciting and interesting. The outline should be interesting to read, not a chore. This is the hardest job in the whole writing business, but it’s essential.
• Have some reason for writing this book. You don’t have to be an expert, but there has to be a good reason why you are the right person to write it.
• Have sales opportunities – this really helps with non-fiction. Do you give talks where you can sell the books, for instance?
•  Make it a topic that will interest a strong audience – it doesn’t have to be for everyone, but if you write a 500 page book about the lesser spotted tit warbler, and there are only two people in the country interested in this bird, you won’t sell many and a publisher won’t buy it.
• Build useful experience. I had written a lot of articles for magazines before my first book and this both helped me with basic writing skills (and how to meet a deadline) and was a good selling point to the publisher. I wasn’t totally untested.

In all I wrote 24 business and IT books, all published by mainstream publishers without an agent. It was while I was writing one of these that I accidentally acquired an agent. The book was Mining the Internet, so search engines played a major part. This was pre-Google (yes, there was a time) – the biggest search engine of the day was called AltaVista. I emailed altavista.co.uk with some questions and got a response saying ‘Hi, we’re actually the AltaVista Literary Agency – why don’t we meet up?’

As a result of that I acquired an agent and moved into popular science. Agents don’t tend to do business books – there simply isn’t the money in them – but at the time popular science was a hot topic, and it was something I had always wanted to write, having a physics degree and a wide interest in science.

So I can’t give a lot of advice on getting an agent, because it was a total accident. I did benefit hugely from the relationship, but now we have mostly parted company, and I am selling books direct to publishers again. In part this reflects the changing nature of popular science, which has dropped out of the big payment league (unless you are Stephen Hawking or Richard Dawkins). But it also reflects an increased confidence and expertise on my part. I know publishing a lot better than I did 10 years ago. And in many ways, at my stage of a writing career, an agent is more of a drain on my efforts than a benefit.

That might seem unlikely if you are desperately seeking an agent. But the trouble is that an agent can act as a significant delay in the process. If (s)he is engaged on somebody else’s large project it might be a month or two before you get a reply to an email. This is both frustrating and costly.

Obviously one advantage I now have is being published already. That in itself provides exposure and gives me contacts. It’s much easier to sell a book to a publisher with which you’ve already had a success. (Not so easy after a couple of flops.) But in my time with my agent I have also expanded my electronic platform (I was trying to avoid the ‘P’ word, but it crept in.) I blog, use Facebook and Twitter (@brianclegg) and inevitably have a website. But the most useful electronic tool I’ve had in getting friendly with publishers is something different.

A number of years ago I realized that only a tiny part of the market for my books were ever going to be interested in a Brian Clegg website. But a lot more people would be interested in a Popular Science website. I set up www.popularscience.co.uk as a popular science book review site, and it has built up a good following, with about ¼ million unique visitors a year. This means I have good relations with the marketing departments of most publishers. It doesn’t mean every editor pays any attention to me, but I do find it easier to get access to them and get a positive response.

So if you’re writing non-fiction don’t feel you have to pursue an agent. Get a great proposal for an excellent book, send it to the right publishers and you have every chance of getting published. Chances are it won’t make you rich, but you can have a lot of fun.

Brian’s books include Inflight Science, The God Effect, Before the Big Bang and A Brief History of Infinity. See more at www.brianclegg.net

Posting Extracts - by Kate Kelly

Sarah has kindly invited me over to this blog and has asked me to say a few words about posting your work online.

It’s very tempting for a new writer who has just started their first blog or website to want to showcase their work. I see it often – a synopsis – the first few chapters – or a complete short story posted for anyone to read.

Sometimes the person is asking for feedback. Sometimes they are trying to promote their self published book, but often these sample chapters are part of a Work in progress – or something that is currently doing the rounds of agents' desks.

If you have self published and are posting extracts as part of your book promotion then that is one thing. However, if it is something that you are hoping to sell then you should think twice about posting online.

Here are some of the reasons why:

1. If you post something on your blog you are effectively publishing it. In the case of a short story you will have relinquished first rights to that story. You will no longer be able to sell it to a magazine or anthology as technically it is already published.
2. You will also have made the story ineligible for most competitions.
3. There is no copyright on ideas so do you really want the entire world to share in yours?
4. If what you are posting is a WIP then it probably still needs work. Do you really want the world to see your mistakes?
5. Agents do not trawl round writers' blogs looking for new clients. They have enough in their slushpile to keep them busy. (I’m sure someone will chime in with an exception to this but in general it is true).
6. If an agent or publisher is interested then the first thing they will do will be to visit your blog. If they see a large portion of the work you have submitted to them that could very likely be a deal breaker.
7. If you are looking for good quality critique on your work then a blog is not the best place. Join a good online writers' community such as Litopia instead.

Thank you Kate for a most informative post, which I'm sure will have many novice writers rushing to their blogs and removing material they've unwittingly 'published'. You can read more about Kate and follow her at http://scribblingseaserpent.blogspot.com

William Caxton-ites, welcome to the internet

I've noticed something very interesting of late. If I mention the word "Facebook" or "Twitter" amongst an assembly of unpublished writers, I might as well have let out a loud fart in public for the effect it has on a large number of those present. They fidget uncomfortably in their chairs, mutter comments to each other behind their hands about its dangers, snigger, or ignore what I've said altogether. The concept of "blogging" follows close behind in their little book of suspect practices.


It's all part of the "it-was-better-in-the-good-old-days" mentality, which is synonymous to shooting yourself in the foot if you want to gain global attention for your writing. How do I make these Caxtonites realise that tweeting on Twitter is an opportunity to build up a wide following of people who like your writing style before you're even published; also, that these followers will most likely stick around to become fans of your books after publication, as well as telling their friends about you, and that sometimes an unpublished writer's creative tweets can come to the attention of a publisher, as in the case of Simon Sylvester (@simonasylvester)? 


There is an excellent article titled 'Build your profile on Twitter' in the February 2011 issue of Writing Magazine (www.writingmagazine.co.uk). It stresses the importance of connecting with a community, as well as having the opportunity to practice your writing within the very tight 140-character constraint of a tweet.  


Facebook is more about connecting with people you know, although it also provides an excellent opportunity to share writing news amongst your friends, or send them invites to literary events and book launches. As well as this, you can start a facebook group for your writing circle and, if you like, make the information it contains more widely available to other facebook users than you might with your own personal information or status updates.              


I'm at a loss to know what do about the Caxtonites, some of whom even go as far as objecting to emailing or to word-processing. Perhaps it's one of those cases of my needing to show by example rather than ramming a concept down people's throats with evangelical zeal and ending up being blacklisted or lynched. So often, rejection of something new is based on fear of change, or of appearing an ignoramus because you don't understand how it works.


Who knows? Maybe I spend too many hours on the internet while those other aspiring novelists are secretly penning a masterpiece that will - um, dare I say? - end up as a published novel available for sale on Amazon or for download on an e-reader.   
         

Lift-off: my first story in print

In my previous post of November 09, I spoke about making it through to the finals in the Fiction Category of the Aesthetica Creative Works Competition 2010. To my further excitement, I have now discovered that my selected entry has been published in the Aesthetica Creative Works Annual 2011. 

Aesthetica is a British-based art and culture publication that engages with contemporary art and culture both in the UK and internationally, combining dynamic content while exploring the best in emerging and established contemporary arts and design. Established in 2002, Aesthetica Magazine is stocked in WH Smith, prestigious locations such as Tate Modern, Serpentine, and National Portrait Gallery, and in March 2008 the company added a second publication to its fold, the Aesthetica Annual.

The Aesthetica Creative Works Annual 2011 is available in galleries and independent retailers nationwide. It can also be purchased or downloaded from www.aestheticamagazine.com,  and will showcase the very best in new artistic and writing talent. The Annual has been comprised of the winning entries of the Aesthetica Annual Creative Works Competition, which received an astounding 4000 entries.

Now in its third year, the Competition attracts entries from across the world, and engages with 4000 writers and artists, providing them with the opportunity to showcase their work to Aesthetica’s readers.

Aesthetica Editor and one of the judges, Cherie Federico had this to say:

“This year’s competition was incredible. I was thrilled by the quality of entries, equally, I had to make some tough decisions, and I spent a considerable amount of time contemplating each piece of work. The work included in this year’s Creative Works Annual is compelling, and acts as a signifier of our times. There is so much to take away from it. I would like to offer my warm congratulations to the winners and finalists.”

With three categories for artwork, poetry, and fiction, the Aesthetica Competition was judged by Cherie Federico, Creative Writing lecturer Dr Kate North, and writer and editor Rachel Hazelwood. Cherie Federico says: “I think I can speak for all the judges when I say that the entries were of an extremely high calibre. We actually had to extend the judging period for a week and a half because whittling the works down to a final 96 proved a huge deliberation, but it’s really encouraged me to continue championing new talent and encouraging creativity in everyone. There was huge potential in so many of the works which Rachel, Kate and myself saw and I would like to urge all the competition entrants to continue developing their considerable talents.”

• Aesthetica Magazine is published bi-monthly and is available through WH Smiths, University Bookshops and Galleries.
• The 2011 Aesthetica Annual Creative Works Competition will open later this month for entries of poetry, fiction and artwork.
• Cherie Federico, Editor of Aesthetica Magazine, is available for comment on behalf of the Competition judges.

Leaving your work to marinade

I have just received the best email notification ever, telling me that I am a finalist in the Fiction category of this year's Aesthetica Creative Works Competition, out of 4000 entries. The winner will be announced on December 01, so everybody keep their fingers crossed.

I'm telling you about this, as its an example of how you should leave a piece of work to marinade for anything from a few weeks to several years, and then go back to view it afresh. The story I entered for the above competition was originally 2,700 words in length, written in the third-person past tense, with an ending that didn't seem quite right and yet had no obvious alternative.

Fifteen years on  - yes, that long - it "called" to me from a drawer. Shaking the dust off it, I carried out a savage revision on it, knocking it down to 1,600 words, rewriting it in the first-person present tense, and giving it a completely new ending that I really liked.

And the moral of this tale? ...That following years of hard work and numerous knock-backs, success starts happening when...

1. You take on board constructive criticism from people whose expertise you respect.
2. You resist the temptation to enter the first draft of a piece of work into a competition, also applying this same rule to submission of work to publishers and agents.
3. And you don't let yourself be misled by stories in the press about writers who are overnight successes, as it's unlikely you're ever being told the full story.

Fitting your novel into a niche

When people start comparing your creative works to those of best-selling published authors -- especially the ones whose novels end up regarded as classics -- you know you're on the right track.  


Before publishers or agents takes on a novice author's work, they like to know that it will fit into a niche in the market and sit comfortably on bookshop shelves alongside published works of a similar ilk. People prefer to know what type of book they're buying as they resent wasting money, especially in a recession.


If the dust jacket of your unknown work has an endorsement on it from an established author, or a review comparing your writing style to that of someone famous, this acts as an added incentive for readers to take a punt on it.


When pitching your novel to a publisher or agent, don't be too shy or too humble to draw a comparison between yourself and a well-known author, especially if the comparison was made first by others whose judgement you respect. If you keep this bit of information to yourself, hoping a busy editor will come to the same conclusion without prompting, you will have left it too late. You must mention it in your initial proposal or covering letter to that editor.     


Having recently emailed a submission without doing the above, I've decided from now on its imperative to practice what I preach. Therefore, to engender interest in my children's novel, I must draw a parallel between the imagery inherent in my Zyx-dimension and and the fantastical world portrayed by C.S. Lewis' in the Magician's Nephew (his pre-sequel to his Narnia series). And when selling my short-stories, I must mention that my dark humour has shades of Roald Dahl and Terry Pratchett.


In a highly competitive market there is no room for false modesty, unless you want your typescript consistently returned to you unread and to find yourself passed over by others who are less shy about selling their product. Whether you like it or not, a novel is a product and not a precious baby to wrap in cotton wool, preventing it from ever seeing the light of day.


(Look out for my next post which will detail how to make a study of your favourite authors and learn from their writing...)    

          

Showing versus telling: tread the minefield...

This is a subject I've spent the last few weeks exploring and have come to the conclusion that novice authors must slavishly stick to the rule "show and don't tell", whilst those with a track record sometimes break this and many other rules such as author intrusion (which is a form of telling), going off at tangents, shifting viewpoint etc. This is because they have an established readership, which, in theory, means a ready market for future novels.

Showing rather than telling is also a thing of literary fashion. Many Victorian writers did it with impunity. Dickens did a whole load of telling, especially of the author intrusion kind, but, in doing so, provided us with a wonderful social history of the time.

Put simply:

"telling" is desciption,
"showing" is dramatisation.

You don't write: Suzie looked really sad.  ...telling
You do write Suzie slumped in her chair and hung her head. ...showing


You don't write: 'You are so annoying, I could punch you,' James said angrily.  ...telling
You do write: James punched the wall and then shook his fist at Luke. 'I'll rearrange your face if you don't shut your fat gob.' ...showing


And now an example of a first draft extract from my novel for older children. I've coloured green anything constituting "telling", when "showing" would do better:

A smooth-talking presenter, called Denis, flashes a smile stuffed with polished dentures at a rather dim-looking woman called Bev as she coos over a velvet-lined box of cheap jewellery that Denis is holding. His hands have immaculately manicured nails emerging from pinstriped shirt cuffs fastened by gold-plated cufflinks with pretend diamonds.


Apart from having obvious examples of telling, there is also too much information in these two sentences. This holds up the story. The reader doesn't need all this detail, because the reader is intelligent enough to fill in the gaps for himself. Make it as simple as the brush strokes in a Japanese painting and leave the rest to imagination.

And now a revision of the earlier draft:

The presenter, Denis, flashes his false teeth at a woman called Bev, who has straightened hair and a fake tan. She shrieks with delight at some gold loop earrings that Denis shows her, as if they're special, when I've seen ones exactly like them in the Pound Shop. I expect Denis' cufflinks are from the Pound Shop, too.


In the first draft, the author speaks. The twelve-year-old first-person narrator, Noah, might as well have disappeared off for a cup-of-tea backstage. It is a description with all the gaps filled in and with no room left for imagination. Also, all of us have different ideas about what constitutes a "dim-looking" or "smooth-talking" person.

The rewrite is a narration from Noah's point-of-view and in terms that relate to his life experience. The word-count of the two examples are about the same but somehow the second one reads faster and is simpler to take in. This is further assisted by dividing it into three shorter sentences rather than two longer ones.

As a general rule, be sparing with adjectives and adverbs. If you're using too many of them, you're probably also doing too much telling. Especially don't use adverbs in dialogue, as above in "James said angrily".

Of course, sometimes telling is a perfectly justifiable way of building a narrative bridge between scenes. For instance, you don't want a scene dramatised with a whole load of action and dialogue, when you need to get a character from A to B and the finer details of the journey are not essential to the plot. You don't need to describe every time someone stops at a traffic light in their car, or how many trees they pass on route, or if they have to stop for a pee, and so on. But you would want to dramatise a journey in which a deer runs across the road in front of the car and causes an accident, or your wife goes into labour miles away from civilisation.

On closer inspection, often a bridge passage can be dumped altogether in the same way that scenes are cut in films.

Summarising is another form of telling and a cop-out at the end of a novel for which your readers may not ever forgive you. Novels must have a dramatic conclusion and not give an impression of the writer having run out of steam or lost interest in the project. Summaries at the end of books are for non-fiction.

How do I know all the above?

...Because I'm savagely revising my novel for older children and wincing every time I come across blatant examples of inappropriate telling, or the author standing on her soapbox moralising about some environmental or social issue, when the story is meant to be told in the voice of a 12-year-old.

...Because there's a whole chapter towards the end of the book, posing as one of the book's characters telling their side of the story to Noah, when it is really a summary.

In the above instance, the use of summary isn't because the author was getting bored with the novel, but because she was getting worried about whether publishers would consider her word-count too high for a first novel!

In conclusion, it is quite permissible for a first-draft to contain too much telling, author intrusion, summaries, over-use of adjectives and adverbs, misspellings, grammatical errors etc., as the most important thing is that nothing should interfere with the author's flow of thought as she gets her idea down on paper. But the author must acknowledge it is a first-draft and not final copy.

The majority of published authors have done numerous revisions prior to seeing their final work in print.    
        
Good luck ...