Category Archives: Stephanie

June 14, 2011   Stephanie   about us, agents, authors, Stephanie  
0

World enough and time

The journey from concept to actual book is an interesting one, in large part because of just how long the road really is—a book sold tomorrow could be scheduled for publication as many as three years in the future. This means, for the author, that a book you are querying right now might not appear in bookstores for at least two years, but could take as many as five or more years.

There are plenty of reasons why this time gap is an important thing to consider for an author looking to find the right agent and/or editor.  Catching a genre trend early, or covering an important political or historical event requires a certain amount of foresight and predicting the unpredictable. Seems simple enough, no?

The point is, as agents we have to do the same amount of predicting when deciding what projects to take on. We can’t necessarily choose a project that is just like what’s on bestseller lists right now, but rather something that we believe will be there in two or three years from now.

So for authors, alternating between being hard at work and waiting on everyone else must become the norm. I certainly don’t envy you—I’ve said many times before that I don’t think I would have it in me to do the same work you all do.

So this is yet another reason why I have a considerable amount of respect for the process, especially the part that writers and authors must endure, and the craft to which you all devote your time.  In the end, it’s not just the writing, but also the journey from the written work to the published book that makes it all worth it.

June 07, 2011   Stephanie   advice, authors, characters, editing, Stephanie, writing  
2

Diving right in

In this age of the Internet, social networking, BBM, Twitter pictures (ahem), and ever-shortening attention spans in general, it isn’t surprising—unfortunate, but not surprising—that the same effect has somewhat permeated the book realm.  It was only yesterday, as we met with film agents, that an admission was made that film rights to a book had been purchased by a production company based only on the title. How is that even possible? The title, and nothing else?

Anyway, this means that aside from giving books heart-stopping titles, writers need to grab the interest of readers, agents, and publishers from the very first page—even the first sentence—of their story.

So how can a writer achieve this? I’ve said before how much I love lists. Some thoughts on making your novel compelling right from the start:

  1. In the simplest sense, get right to it. Introduce your protagonist in the first paragraph and start right away with dialogue and action as opposed to long descriptions or background information.
  2. Develop the main character quickly by putting him or her in the center of conflict as soon as possible.
  3. When developing the main character, do so through interaction and dialogue with other characters rather than through inner reflection.
  4. But don’t introduce too many characters in the very beginning.
  5. Lastly, don’t forget that when drafting, you can always start the story where you feel most comfortable. Revisions will then bring the opening action to the forefront, drawing the reader in from the very beginning.

Yes, the query letter may be everything when pitching a book. But it is just as important to make sure the story itself will draw the reader in right from the start.

May 31, 2011   Stephanie   fun, lists, reading, Stephanie, suggestions  
8

Summer reading

I have to echo John in hoping that everyone had a nice Memorial Day weekend! There’s just something about a three-day weekend that really recharges things. And who can begrudge the unofficial start of summer. In true form, I managed to give myself my annual Awkward Uneven Starter Sunburn—yes, annual—so it looks like things are off to a solid start!

Aside from vacations and warm weather and sunburns, the best part of summer is the ubiquitous summer reading list. I’m a sucker for a good beach read, so I’m on the lookout for a bunch of new titles I can put aside for my summertime reading. I thought I’d also share this list from Entertainment Weekly of eighteen books they recommend for the summer. For myself, there are a few titles I’m interested in reading: Aimee Bender’s The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake, Jeannette Walls’s The Glass Castle, and Lauren Oliver’s Before I Fall, to name a few. There are also a couple of series I’ve been meaning to dive into.

How about you? In contrast to Lauren’s post from last week, I want to know what YOU plan to read this summer. Are there certain titles that have been sitting on your shelf (or that you’ve been meaning to purchase) that you hope to finally pick up? Or maybe you plan to revisit a classic? Let me know!

May 24, 2011   Stephanie   agents, BEA, collecting, fun, galleys, Stephanie  
2

BE At BEA (Too much?)

I thought I’d briefly add my own thoughts John’s post about BEA earlier today.  As it was my very first time at BookExpo, I will admit that it was a lot to take in—but in a good way. The crowds were a tight squeeze at times, the mood was good, and I can’t say no to free stuff! Easily one of the best parts of BEA is collecting the many galley copies publishers give out. By the end of our perusal, I was sure my shoulder muscles were all but destroyed from carrying my treasure, and I found myself blithely forgetting about the long walk I faced from 11th Avenue back to civilization (or the nearest subway).

Having made it back alive from the convention, I know it will be exciting to dive into the new and unfinished novels I collected, and then hopefully watch some go on to fabulous sales and notoriety.

Will any of our readers out there be attending BEA this year? If so, what books or events are you looking forward to?

May 10, 2011   Stephanie   advice, authors, optimism, Stephanie, suggestions, writing  
3

Try, try again

There’s a reason for the saying “practice makes perfect.” Nobody ever said “just try it once, it’ll probably work out.” So it’s no surprise that the same goes for publishing. Because for the most part, almost no writer gets their first book published. In fact, with very few exceptions, first-time authors have quite a few books written, sitting on a shelf or hard drive perhaps, by the time they sign that contract.

There are several reasons why this is a good thing. And today I wanted to link to this blog post by Rachelle Gardner from one of my favorite agent blogs, Rants & Ramblings, to help explain why. I think what Rachelle says makes perfect sense—the writing process undoubtedly teaches a considerable amount about what works and what doesn’t. And beyond the business aspect of her argument, up-and-coming writers can only benefit from spending as much time as possible exposing themselves to the craft.  One of the best things for aspiring authors to remember is to not only write every day, but also read every book they can get their hands on. Improved skills can only improve those chances.

How about you? Do you fall into this category of having multiple manuscripts floating around, whether in your head or on paper?

May 03, 2011   Stephanie   authors, optimism, questions, Stephanie, writing  
22

Staying Strong

There are certain things in life that I realize I will never understand. Corporate auditing; veganism; the Neti Pot. It will just never happen. And that’s okay–honestly it is. It’s a fact that I’ve accepted, and I’m ready to move forward with my life.

Now that that’s taken care of.

If there is one thing that I still do not understand—but that I am actively trying to gain a better understanding of—it is how you, as writers, keep your focus, keep your drive. How do you do it? When you enter the revision process and realize that certain things do not work and you will need to cut characters or scenes you’ve painstakingly developed and come to adore; When you feel as though the query process has you running around in circles—between the rules, the do’s, the don’ts, the waiting, the wondering; When you come across someone who has multiple agents vying for their attention after submitting their first novel, yet you’ve been in it for what feels like forever; And don’t even get me started on the amount of rejection that can potentially hit one inbox.

I’m just not sure I could do it, quite frankly.

So I wanted to turn it over to you as I have in the past, and ask: What do you do to keep your head in the game? What do you do when you get that feeling that maybe it’s time to give up?

April 26, 2011   Stephanie   advice, agents, authors, fiction, Stephanie, writing  
2

I really love lists

Evaluating a manuscript is always an interesting thing.  The fact is, when an agent or an editor considers a novel, every detail really does matter. This is an important thing for any hopeful writer to consider, because in the end it could affect that final answer: yes or no. Some thoughts:

  1. In keeping with what John spoke about earlier today, make the premise of the story clear from the beginning, and throw conflict in early on. If it takes too long for the reader to become invested in what’s happening, or even know what the story is about, they likely won’t continue reading.
  2. Give your characters desire and agency. Understandably, characters that are not driven—either positively or negatively—become boring fairly quickly.
  3. On the topic of characters, avoid introducing everyone all at once.
  4. Be mindful of your point of view. Often, a story is stronger when the action is experienced through the perspective of the main character. This is certainly not imperative, but something to consider.
  5. Most importantly, try to avoid over-writing.  Making your writing stand out is important, but can also be tricky. Don’t let your writing get in its own way.

Can you think of any other important tips to keep in mind?

April 19, 2011   Stephanie   culture, fun, optimism, Stephanie, trivia  
2

Boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past

I read today that, over the weekend, the house that some believe to be the inspiration for F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby was torn down. The property, located on Long Island’s Gold Coast, will be subdivided and replaced by five houses, each with a ten million dollar price tag. The 25-room mansion, sitting on thirteen acres of land, belonged to a Gilded Age of the roaring twenties, a period of artistic and cultural vivacity, and was the site of countless parties, many as described in Fitzgerald’s fantastic novel.

I’m a sucker for period architecture, so it’s sad to see a beautiful house with a storied history get reduced to rubble. But at the very least, it’s nice to see it live on in the pages of a novel that certainly claims a firm spot within American literature.

April 12, 2011   Stephanie   characters, opinion, Stephanie, writing  
8

Likeable?

Over the weekend, I came to the sudden realization that the manuscript I was considering wasn’t working for me for a specific reason: I found some of the characters to be completely unlikable. Of course, I admit that this is a pretty subjective reason to turn down a book. I don’t think that characters should be entirely free of unlikable qualities, necessarily, but I do think that characters need to be likable in order for the book as a whole to work.

I wouldn’t say this is an easy fix, though. There has to be something about that character that allows the reader to be connected emotionally to their story. There also has to be a certain complexity to a character’s personality, one that allows for gradually revealing different traits and characteristics over the course of the story. There has to be a certain vulnerability to the character. I think the perfect character is one who is far from perfect, but for whatever reason we as readers can’t help but be drawn to them.

So for a writer, if a person comes back to you, having read your manuscript, with the critique that your characters are unlikable, how do you fix something like this? Admittedly, you could just take your manuscript to someone else, who hopefully does like you characters, but if the goal is to improve the story, how do you tackle this? Writing strong characters can be tricky, and I’m curious to know what techniques, if any, do you as writers utilize to clear a hurdle like this.

April 08, 2011   Stephanie   children's books, fun, Stephanie  
1

Sam I Am way too busy

It’s been a really busy Friday, today, which makes the coming weekend all that more inviting. Such is the inevitability of leaving the leisurely days of childhood behind. Of course, as a kid everyone thinks it’s the grown-ups who have it easy. They can do anything they want! Ice cream for breakfast! TV all night! DRIVING CARS.

Of course, the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. In light of the heavy workweek that I’ve had—and maybe you have too—I thought I’d share this news I came across that brings me back to the simpler days of picture books and being read aloud to. Dr. Seuss has long been a staple on children’s bookshelves, and now that seven new stories have been unearthed, we can all rediscover the ease and wonder of youth.

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