Category Archives: Stacey

May 16, 2013   Stacey   advice, checklists, Stacey, writing  
1

Good advice from a cheapskate!

Those of you who read our blog regularly know that I often share articles from Writer’s Digest. I was so pleased  when I saw my own client, Jeff Yeager, aka The Ultimate Cheapskate, show up in my inbox!

I think the advice he offers in his piece to writers about questions to ask before quitting your day job is worth sharing with our readers. For many aspiring writers, writing remains a hobby for an often lengthy period of time until you break through to the next level. Even after th are published, there are many writers who still maintain a day job (including  bestselling ones like Jane O’Connor and Colin Harrison, both of whom are editors at major publishing houses).

Jeff interviews many writers and the anecdotal support he shares is educational and enlightening. I particularly like Ellyn Spragin’s comment that she is a full-time entrepreneur whose business is built around writing. Because writing in this market really is now about so much more than writing.

And even if you do not have the luxury of being able to choose to write full-time, Jeff’s advice is as always sound, accessible and practical which offers valuable food for thought. And much of it can be applied to anything you do, like coming up with a Plan B. That’s always a good idea, no matter what your job or financial situation!

May 01, 2013   Stacey   advice, book ideas, brainstorming, ideas, Stacey, writing  
5

Let the storm(writing) begin

The idea of brainstorming is one we talk about all the time. For everything, not just in books. But certainly, if you are trying to come up with a book idea or developing a concept for an author, brainstorming is a critical part of the process. Just this morning, I had a brainstorming session with an author and his editor to try to think of ideas for the next book, which will be his fifth.

But sometimes the brainstorm isn’t enough and you’d be better served by digging deeper and finding ideas that come from your “heartbrain”. That’s what guest author on writersdigest.com Elizabeth Sims talks about in this piece adapted from her book You’ve Got a Book in You.

Sims describes your heartbrain as your whole, deepest self. When you bring this to your brainstorming, it takes on a new life. Thinking about it from a more personal and heartfelt place gives you an ability to reach deeper for your big ideas. She compares it to improv for actors: “In practically any stage of writing, when you’re brainstorming, trying to create new material, it’s like doing improv. And just like improv, it requires more than your head. It requires your heartbrain.”

By starting with a couple of key phrases that work as activators for your heartbrain – “Yes, and…” and “What if?” you are setting yourself up to have a successful stormwriting session.

Take a look and hopefully this idea will help you better develop new work that comes from your heartbrain and through the process of stormwriting rather than just relying on the rather dated and  overused notion of more general brainstorming. Good luck, and let us know if you come up with anything great!

April 17, 2013   Stacey   fun, future of publishing, selling, Stacey  
2

Where else can we buy books?

I just got back from a wonderful week in Los Angeles visiting Disneyland with my family. It is such a magical place.

Of course, being the book person I am, it struck me as surprising that there were so few books available for sale at Disney. They have a gazillion shirts, mouse ears, key chains, and tons of other Disney-marketed paraphernalia, but where are all the books? I recall seeing one shop that had a few books. My goodness, they should have a bookstore at Disney! I would have gladly bought a few keepsake books for the kids.

It got me to thinking about other places that should sell books and don’t. I mean, the market has changed so much that traditional bookstores, although they still provide an important sales outlet, are not the only place successful books are sold. Over the last few years, books have made their way into Costo, Target, Crate & Barrel, and Anthropologie, to name a few. These additional outlets are incredibly helpful from a sales perspective.

And I think we all need to start thinking outside the box to find new outlets to sell books. What about movie theaters? I’d totally buy the book version of a movie I loved if I didn’t already own it.

I recall years ago a client of mine who wrote a cookbook about rotisserie chickens called Rotisserie Chickens to the Rescue had the brilliant idea to sell the book alongside rotisserie chickens at supermarkets. If ever there was a place to sell cookbooks, supermarkets are an obvious choice!

So, Disney, A&P, and Clearview, can we work on selling books to your customers? And where else would you like to see books sold? I bet we can come up with some really great ideas.

April 03, 2013   Stacey   bestsellers, memoir, nonfiction, opinion, recommendations, Stacey  
7

Addicted to memoirs

No matter what the season, I am always drawn to the latest memoir. It’s been an ongoing interest of mine my entire adult life, and since becoming a literary agent almost 15 years ago, I have always tried to mix my list up with the occasional I-can’t-believe-how-amazing-this-story-is memoir. I tend to like dark, psychological memoirs. I’ve sold books about sexual abuse, autism, and bipolar disorder. They always have some measure of redemption, and the journey is often painful but inspiring.

So, this spring season is no exception to my memoir craze. Right now, I’m really enjoying Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In (I know, I’m not the only one riding that train as evidenced by its #1 NYT bestseller status). Although it’s not a memoir, there’s a lot about her own history in there that I find compelling.

Other memoirs on my reading shelf at the moment are Emily Rapp’s The Still Point of the Turning World. This one is difficult reading. It’s about her son’s diagnosis with a fatal genetic disorder. He died just a couple of weeks before the book’s release. But Rapp is a transformative writer, her prose is gorgeous, and it is worth it to check this one out.

Being the mother of identical twins, I am fascinated by all twin stories. There is a new memoir, Her, by Christa Parravani, an identical twin who lost her sister at twenty-eight to a drug overdose. It’s a fascinating look at the identical twin connection and the intense grief when one sister loses not just a sibling, but a part of herself.

I’d love to hear from our readers what memoirs you love, old or new, that I can add to my large and growing collection. Until then, I will be reading the memoirs on my shelf and looking for new projects in this category to blow me away.

March 21, 2013   Stacey   advice, bestsellers, inspiration, Stacey  
3

Thoughts from Ann Patchett

I’m a big Ann Patchett fan. Her books are always so good. She is a one-of-a-kind talent who writes nonfiction as well as fiction, a rare accomplishment. And she is also someone who has mindfully decided to refrain from social media and even television, making her success in this market that much more notable (although it’s also worth noting her success came long before social media).

So I’m always happy to discover an article by or about her. I came across this recent interview from denverpost.com where Patchett shares candid advice about her own reading and writing habits. It’s short but there are a few golden nuggets of takeaway in there. Like the fact that she doesn’t have a regular writing routine and it’s ok, her favorite book last year and one she learned about novel writing from was J.K. Rowling’s A Casual Vacancy, and that she doesn’t care about how people read or what they read, only that they are reading. Her last line: “I’m all for trash” to illustrate her point made me laugh out loud.

Enjoy this piece, and hope it’s useful as you think about your own writing style and inspiration.

March 06, 2013   Stacey   advice, bestsellers, inspiration, Stacey, writing  
7

The moment you became a writer

I like learning about writers and their lives outside of their work. It’s always interesting to read about how a writer whose work we love got started and what compelled them to begin writing. When I came across this lovely essay from the incredibly talented author Ron Rash, not only did I order his book Serena, which sounds amazing, but I felt the need to share his words of wisdom with our readers. It also follows my recent post about Quiet and I am once again reminded of the power in observing and listening in our daily lives.

Rash’s story is so personal, but I think there is a focus on looking at things in a different way, as a writer, that also got me to thinking about life-changing moments. Do you remember the moment when you decided you would become a writer? Was it never a question, but rather instinctual? Or did something happen that took you on the road to writing? Please share with us your thoughts on your own gift of storytelling. And I hope you find some inspiration from Rash’s story.

 

February 20, 2013   Stacey   bestsellers, first books, ideas, recommendations, Stacey  
3

Let’s all learn something by being quiet

This is something I think about often surrounded by kids, extended family, friends, and colleagues. We live in a loud world that moves way too fast. I’ve always been a naturally social person, and most people who know me would say I’m an extrovert (with a capital E). But, I have also tried to learn to be comfortable with myself, and enjoy what little quiet time I can find.

I’m really into Susan Cain’s book right now: Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking. It’s her first book, it took her seven years to write, and it’s been a huge bestseller. She’s not a doctor or a journalist. She’s a former lawyer turned writer with a long history and love of reading who wrote about a subject that she can relate to from experience. I admire what the author has done with Quiet, and from a publishing perspective that she has taken a seemingly simple subject and turned it into this interesting, accessible, and highly commercial book that so many people are eager to read.

Last night I was talking with the girls about introverts and extroverts explaining the differences which members of our family fall into which category, and Alea (who is six) blurted out that she thinks my dad is a “sleepovert” because he likes to sleep a lot. That got a good laugh!

I came across this article in biographile.com which discusses her TED talk last year that has now been viewed almost four million times. It is one of the top ten TED talks of all time. It’s worth watching to learn more about her subject, but also to see an example of a little book that has struck a chord with the general public in a big way.

It leads me to wonder what other untapped subjects are out there that are poised to be the next Quiet. Anyone have any ideas or subjects you’d like to see explored in this way?

February 06, 2013   Stacey   advice, bestsellers, fun, opinion, Stacey, writing  
6

Welcome to the writing club

We’ve talked a lot about the difficulties that come with a writing career. With the market changing as it has the last couple of years, rejection and disappointment has become an even bigger part of our reality. In some ways, all the rejection makes success feel that much better. In others, it feels like a punch in the gut after running a marathon. Why does it have to be so hard? Talented writers who are penning wonderful books with dedicated agents and supportive publishers still often face challenges making it all work.

So, let’s all just give up now, right? I mean, did you read the piece in The Paris Review about the writer who approached Philip Roth in a deli on the Upper West Side with his just-published novel, and was told he should quit while he was ahead? That’s not the most inspiring story to share with our blog readers.

But this one is. Perhaps you’ve heard of Elizabeth Gilbert, bestselling author of Eat, Pray, Love, one of the biggest books of, well, all time. She read the Paris Review piece and has something to say to Roth, and about being a writer. Let’s just say she puts a more positive spin on the subject than Roth did. It’s entertaining and hopeful, and pretty funny.

So while the gloom and doom scenarios about publishing abound, and all of us in the business will face inevitable rejection (repeatedly), writing and the business that surrounds it will always be a place we can go to find creative energy and inspiration in the art of creating something from nothing. And how many jobs can you say that about? Not many so chin up, keep writing, and welcome to the club!

January 23, 2013   Stacey   advice, awards, children's books, fiction, fun, mentors, middle grade, Stacey, writing, YA  
0

What happens after you win a Newbery or Caldecott?

The Newbery and Caldecott award nominees are being announced on Monday, January 28th. Each year I look forward to seeing who is chosen for these prestigious awards. Children’s literature has exploded over the last decade and the quality of material being published in this category is outstanding. When I create my reading lists for pleasure, there are always at least a few middle grade or young adult novels on there. Recent additions include  the much-hyped bestselling FAULT IN OUR STARS by John Green and CODE NAME VERITY by Elizabeth E. Wein, which I recall receiving starred reviews when it was released from all of the major trade publications.

So I loved coming across this piece in Publisher’s Weekly recently which interviews previous recipients of this award to ask about how winning has impacted their lives and careers. The answers vary considerably, but it’s always interesting and can be insightful to learn about how writers respond to this type of rare positive attention to their work. Most seem to agree the media outreach and public speaking present a new and unexpected challenge. It’s like becoming a literary celebrity overnight!

I’d love to know if you find any helpful advice for your own work in these interviews, and also if there are books you think or hope will be nominated next week. Please let us know.

January 09, 2013   Stacey   advice, articles, grammar, Stacey, writing  
2

Starting 2013 off right with some help from writersdigest.com

I know we are well on our way to forgetting all about our new year’s resolutions, and is it me, or does the holiday break already seem like an eternity ago? So, instead of complaining about all that work that is already piling up, let’s try to focus on good intentions for the new year, and reminders of ways to do better.

This post from my favorite go-to site for writing advice, writersdigest.com, collects in one great piece the most popular 19 writing articles from the site for all of 2012. It’s so nice to have a bunch of cool pieces collected in one place. Many are about grammar. I mean who hasn’t wondered about the usage for who vs. whom, and aren’t you dying to read about the 12 Clichés All Writers Should Avoid (the comments are particularly entertaining – anyone ever attend a cliché party?)?

It also includes some free downloads and motivational tools like the 12-day plan of simple writing exercises which seems just perfect for, well, right now. Enjoy, and hope these pieces give you the inspiration you need to be your best writing self in 2013 and beyond.

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