Are You the Cream That Rises to Catch a Publisher's Eye?

I call my editor "Sam." That's not her real name, but it's what I call her. Long story there, but it's not relevant, so I won't go into that now. At any rate, Sam reads a lot of indie work as part of her job, and she also does market research and reads what's out there in the indie world, but recently, she re-read Interview with a Vampire by Ann Rice, as well as one other book that was well-written, a YA called If I Stay by Gayle Foreman. Basically, reading two books back-to-back that were well-written and grammatically correct was so refreshing that she made a decision tonight, and she filled me in as we were texting earlier. I won't use her exact words, but she more-or-less said she was going to go through her Kindle and archive all the junk and start reading only quality books from now on, even if that means spending $7.99 per book. She suggested that there's got to be a better way to weed through all the cheap and free reads on Amazon to find the quality material, because she was tired of reading crap that didn't entertain her and prevented her from learning and seeing how authors are supposed to write. In other words, she was done with books that were poorly written and were full of errors. They're frustrating for her to read, do nothing to teach her how an author should write, and they're keeping her from being a better editor.

This gave me pause, and I replied back to her that I wondered if we're heading for a general reader backlash against indie published books because there are so many books that get published that are nowhere near publish ready. They're full of errors, poorly crafted and structured, and break all sorts of author/reader trusts. And I'm beginning to see a lot of reviews where readers complain about poor editing, poor writing, and overall poor workmanship, and it makes me wonder if it's only a matter of time before readers get fed up and stop spending their hard-earned dollars even on cheap books for fear that even $.99 is too much money to spend on a book they'll only mark as DNF (did not finish).

This backlash would be unfortunate, because I'm an indie author, and I know a lot of indie authors who work hard on their books and publish good, quality material. Would those of us who strive to produce quality, error-free novels fall victim if such a backlash occurs? Would we be lumped into the generalization that "indie authors can't write"? [Don't get mad at me. That's what I hear and read in publishing circles, in reviews etc., so I'm simply emphasizing that this is what is being said. It's up to indie authors, as a whole, to change this perception and stereotype by putting out better quality books.]

Months ago, I read an article where a big six representative talked about the changes in the writing world and the perception that self-publishing was tearing down the big business of publishing. He said that while self-publishing is where the future is heading, print publishing will still continue, because too many people still want print books. And, like it or not, being picked up by a big six publisher is still highly prestigious. The rep said that big six publishers pay attention to the self-publishing world, and that e-publishing and print publishing can work hand-in-hand to provide win-win scenarios for all parties. When it came time to talk about the quality of work and the fear that poor quality books would saturate the indie market and overshadow those who have true talent, the representative made a comment that stood out above all others. He said that cream will always rise to the top. People will take notice of those who have talent and write well, and those authors will be rewarded.

More recently, I read statistics that showed that most indie authors only stick around in the business for two years, if that. They get in, publish a book or two, figure out it's not for them, and get out of Dodge. Those who stick with it generally find more success as their back lists grow. However, just because a writer passes the two-year test does not mean they are cream. These authors typically do make more money and have a fan following, though, but the point is that the problem of authors with poor workmanship partially takes care of itself by these authors leaving the business anyway, so there is a natural weeding process that does take place. Logically, authors who stick with their writing should see their writing naturally improve.

That said, big six publishers scout the ranks of indie authors, looking for new authors to pull out and push into the ranks of the elite. I just saw this happen to an author two months ago. I bought her book weeks before a publisher picked her up, made over the cover of her book, and re-published the book with their big marketing machine behind her. She's doing quite well now. And we've all heard the stories of the authors who have been discovered and pulled from the self-publishing ranks to be offered contracts with the big six machines.

More and more talented indie authors will be picked up by publishers who will make them literary stars much in the way American Idol and other reality shows have created stars from relative unknowns. Chris Daughtry worked at a shipping office, performing his music in small venues, before his talent was discovered on the large scale. And look at him today. He's one of the most popular Idols to ever perform on the stage, and he didn't even win. And his success naturally causes those around him to take him seriously. Whereas before people might have looked at him and said, "Eh, if he had talent, he would have been discovered by now," those same people can't say that anymore. He has been discovered. The man has talent. This is what a big six publisher can do for an author with talent: Take them from obscurity to stardom, as well as cause people to stand up and take notice.

So, I guess the answer to the question is, no, I don't think talented authors will get lost in the mire of writers who are publishing less-than-top-quality books. Those with talent will be the cream that rises to the top. They'll be the next Chris Daughtrys of the fiction world. And even if it takes years, they'll be noticed one way or another.

Happy Writing and Reading.

-D

Into vs. In To - Which Should You Use? #WriteTip

Have you ever been merrily typing along and suddenly stopped when you got to a word that could be spelled in more than one way? Some words, such as you, your, and you're are pretty easy to discern with just a quick glance, but others aren't so easy.

Take "into" and "in to," for example. Which do you use for what type of circumstance? Or are they interchangeable?

The answer is no, they are not interchangeable.

According to Quora.com, "into" is a preposition that refers to motion (he walked into the room; she climbed into the bath), whereas "in to" is a construction that arises from a phrasal verb ending with in (for example, "be in," "break in," "come in," "hand in") being followed by to as either a preposition:

• You should hand the form in to your teacher

or part of an infinitive verb:

• The plane came in to land

Whoa, whoa, whoa! Wh-What? Hold the phone on the grammar speak, woman! Yep, I can feel your heads spinning. Mine did, too, but being that I'm committed to learning the distinction between these two words (they're one of my trouble pairings), I force my head to stabilize and hunkered down to figure this bad boy out.

So, here's the skinny:

If you can replace "into"/"in to" with "out of" and the sentence still makes sense within the context of the sentence, use "into." If you can't, then the choice is "in to." Additionally, where you can break a sentence down so that it's still a complete sentence will give you a clue as to which version to use. Let's look at some examples (and I apologize up front, because I'm going to make you think with these):

He walked into the room.
I could easily say he walked out of the room, so "into" is the correct usage here. Also, "into the room" modifies the verb "walked." Consequently, we could say "He walked" by itself and it's a complete sentence, but "into the room" gives us more information about where he walked.

Janice climbed into the bath.
Again, since "Janice climbed out of the bath," makes sense, "into" is correct. As with the above sample, saying "Janice climbed" still works as a complete sentence, but "into the bath" tells us where. This is another prepositional phrase modifying the verb "climbed."

You should hand the form in to your teacher.
Obviously, "You should hand the form out of your teacher," doesn't make sense, so "in to" is the correct version to use. With this example, "You should hand the form in" is a complete sentence. It works. But let's take a look at other ways we could write this. "You should hand the form." Nope. That doesn't work. It's a fragment. "You should hand the form into." No again. This doesn't work as a complete sentence. You might be saying, "Well then add 'your teacher' and it's complete and 'into' works." The problem with that is that "your teacher" is not a prepositional phrase and can't stand as a modifier. So, "You should hand the form in" is the only functional, working version of this sentence, and "to your teacher" is the prepositional phrase that modifies the verbal phrase "hand...in"

Oh my God! That was tricky even for me to flesh out, but the point is, if you break down the sentence, you can figure out whether to use "into" or "in to." Yep, this is where all those horrific exercises in English class come in handy, where you break down a sentence into all its different parts.

Tricky Sample
Okay, so what about: "Tell him to come in."?

This is one of those blurry areas. Technically, the sentence is "Tell him to come into my office," (or my room, my house, or wherever) but that's not how we speak. So we stop at "in." This is okay. Just know that if you tack on the additional ending, you will need to use "into" and not "in to."

Keep in mind, one version of the into/in to pairing refers to motion and is a preposition, while the other is part of a verb phrase and could be modified by a prepositional phrase starting with "to." Also keep in mind where the sentence can stop and still be considered a full, complete sentence. If you stop before "into," then "into" is the right choice. If you stop at "in," then "in to" is the right choice.

I know. This is still tricky, but at least it's a start to understanding this confusing word pairing.

Happy Writing and Reading!
-D

Earning and Losing Reader Trust - The Author/Reader Contract

Have you ever read a book that you wanted to throw against the wall? It made you so angry that you just wanted to go Nolan Ryan and pretend the book was a baseball and you only needed one more strike to win the game? When this happens, it means the author broke their contract with you.

Contract? Yes, there is an unspoken contract between author and reader. Whether an author likes it or not, when she writes a book and a reader buys it, she has entered into a contract with that reader. Many call it "trust" instead of a contract, but call it whatever you want, there are expectations (terms) on both sides.

This is why when I hear a writer say she writes for herself, I get a little frustrated, because if an author is selling her books, she is NOT writing for herself. She is writing as a means to generate income, and as with any income-generating venture, she has an obligation to her customers, who have certain expectations. So, she is NOT writing for herself. She is writing for others. She may personally enjoy writing, but she can't say she is only writing for herself (which would be called journaling) when she expects people to buy her work. Okay...horse beaten dead, but if I hear one more publishing author say, "I write for myself," I think I'll throw something, especially if they follow up that statement with complaints about their books not selling or that they're not getting enough good reviews.

So, what constitutes the author/reader contract? If you do a Google search, you'll find all sorts of information about this vital agreement authors would be wise not to ignore. Below, I've expanded on the basics I found here and added a couple of my own.

1. Know the material.

If you're going to write about present-day Middle East, you need to know about present day Middle East. What's the desert ecology? How do people live? When is it cold and when is it hot? What do the people drive? What do they eat? How do they speak? What are their customs? Nothing is more embarrassing than writing about a topic and having an expert on that topic say, "Um, no. That's not how it is." If you're going to write about a window breaking, make sure you know how different types of glass break. If you're going to write about painting restoration, you need to know what chemicals are used, how to use them, when to use them, and how long the restoration will take. If you're going to write about a character who goes blind after an accident, make sure you understand what types of accidents and injuries cause blindness, whether or not the blindness is permanent, and if there are surgical corrections to the blindness. In other words, do your research.

2. Know how to write.

That speaks for itself. I already discussed this topic in a couple of previous posts, but serious readers will not take authors seriously if their books are riddled with mistakes in grammar, spelling, punctuation, content, and story structure. If an author is content to continue selling only to a relatively small group of friends or niche readership who don't care about the mistakes, that's fine, but if an author wants to attract a wider readership, agent, editor, or publisher, knowing how to write well is crucial. An author who can't write won't be taken seriously by serious readers, wider audiences, and industry "scouts" looking for new talent.

3. The author will respect the intelligence of the reader.

This means the author won't dumb down the story to the most minute detail. While it's important to give your readers enough so they can build a picture in their mind, you don't have to tell them every last detail. For example, we know that people reach with their hands, so to say, "Angelo reached with his hand to caress Jana's face," is redundant. Just say, "Angelo caressed Jana's face." The reader knows he caressed her with his hand. There's no need to tell them so. And this also means you don't have to tag every piece of dialogue. Readers can follow along pretty well if you give them a couple of key dialogue tags.

4. The reader will be entertained.

This goes without saying. A reader's expectation when they buy your book is that they will be entertained. If you fail to entertain them, you've broken the contract. How do you fail to entertain? One way is by presenting them with a story that is full of errors that impede their ability to become fully immersed. I mean, when you're reading a book and trying to immerse yourself in the story, if you can't get past all the missing punctuation to understand exactly what's being said, how can you immerse yourself? Nothing is more disruptive to story immersion than a sentence that has to be read over and over before the reader understands what's being said. Imagine you're watching a movie that keeps stopping and starting, or where the sound cuts out and comes back on at random intervals. Is the movie entertaining or aggravating? That's what bad grammar and punctuation do to your writing.

Breaking any of the other clauses in the contract can also prevent readers from being entertained.

5. The author will not waste the time of the reader (The author will not deceive the reader).

I've read stories where the author threw in what I called bait. This bait misdirected me and made me think something else was going to happen and took my focus away from the primary plot. Then nothing ever came of the bait, leaving me thinking, "Okay, what was that about?" I recently read a story where a character had to make a trip but kept receiving signs that this trip was dangerous and that he would only find evil and despair. Such a big deal was made about this that I sat on the edge of my seat, eager to see what all the fuss was about. What was the character going to find once he got to his destination? The setup made it sound like he would be in grave danger. But the character made it to his destination, nothing happened, and nothing "evil" or dangerous cropped up. And the story ended. I felt cheated. I was like, "Okay, so why was he warned so vehemently about going? Why did he see all these signs that the trip would put him in peril?" Don't do this to your readers. Make sure everything has a purpose.

6. The writing will be clear and understood.

Again, this goes back to punctuation, spelling, and grammar. "I lost mom," and "I lost, mom," have two very different meanings. All it takes is one missing comma and we go from the character losing a chess match to the character losing their senile mother in a mall. I could probably write a whole blog post on this subject, but that's for another day.

7. What the author puts in the story will have a reason, and MATTER by the end.

As I said in bullet #5, make sure everything has a purpose. Don't make your reader think about ABC if you aren't going to do anything with ABC. According to Goal, Motivation, & Conflict by Debra Dixon, you have more leeway on this point in a series than in a stand-alone novel. If you give your readers ABC and only give a partial view of what happens with ABC in book 1, as long as your readers know that ABC will be addressed in book 2, they'll be more forgiving. Otherwise, tie everything up by the end of the book.

8. The author will provide a story and characters to care about.

I recently edited a short story where the protagonist was an awful, selfish, hateful, pretentious cuss. I hated him. I wanted to see bad things happen to him, and he aggravated me so much that if I hadn't been editing, I wouldn't have gone much beyond the first page before moving on to another story. In short, the character was a dick! I didn't care about him or his story. This is not the kind of character you want to be creating. Readers don't like dicks, and they won't read a dick's story, because they won't care enough about him to be concerned with what happens to him. Same with weaklings or characters who are "perfect." Readers like damaged, but otherwise strong characters with good hearts. They like seeing a character in pain for no other reason than he fell in love with the wrong person, and they want to see him fight back and overcome. I think this is why my characters, Micah Black and Traceon, are so popular. They are severely damaged individuals, but at no fault of their own, and they have good hearts. Readers care about what happens to them, and they've let me know how much they care through emails, Facebook messages, etc. If you want readers to continue buying your books, make your characters likable.

9. The ending will fulfill the promises made during the course of the story.

Several months ago, an indie author was complaining on Facebook that she was getting several negative reviews and comments about the ending of her book not living up to reader expectation. They had liked the story, but when they got to the end, they got upset and angry. I didn't read the book, but apparently, the ending turned out to be this big twist that went against the grain of the rest of the book and didn't give readers the happy ending they wanted. She knew the ending was unorthodox, and she readily admitted that she knew ahead of time that it wouldn't be what readers expected. But she didn't care because it was how she wanted the story to end. BINGO! Did you catch that? It was how SHE wanted the story to end.

No, no, no, no, no. As an author, it is not about her. It's about the reader. It's always about the reader. It's like I said earlier, an author is not writing for herself when she intends to sell her books. Unless you want to break that trust with the reader and risk losing fans, you will give your readers what they want. It's damn hard to get back their trust and encourage them to buy another of your books once you've lost them.

At any rate, this author knew her ending was unorthodox, and yet she was upset that readers got pissed and felt cheated. I felt like asking, "What did you expect? You knowingly cheated them. Of course they're going to be pissed." These readers sat through an entire story, perhaps 100-300 pages, and they got all the way to the end where they should have gotten their reward...and instead they got cheated.

How would you feel if, after working for a week on a presentation at work, you were told an hour before the presentation was supposed to start that it was being canceled? You'd feel like your time had been wasted and you'd done all that work for nothing. Same thing with an ending that doesn't delivery.

Readers want happy endings. Period. Be warned that if you don't give them one, you are risking losing their trust. Readers want to know they can pick up one of your books and will get a great story, free of errors. One that will entertain them and not lead them astray or waste their precious time. They want to know an author knows the material and what they're writing about. This is the unspoken promise an author commits to when she writes a book: I will give my readers what they want and expect of me.

Don't break your promise.

Happy writing and reading.
-D