Hi, friends! So since it’s now the middle of July, I thought I’d post the results of my spring quarterly goals and my new (or old) ones for summer. The results of the spring quarter are as follows.
1. Have MS ready for next round of edits
-Done and done! The Moon-Eyed Ones has already been copyedited and is actually ready for the next step and possible representation at this point. I went above and beyond on this goal and couldn’t be happier.
2. Find formatter
-This was for if I decide to self-publish The Moon-Eyed Ones. I did technically find one formatter that I would get a quote from, so this goal is technically a win.
3. Find cover designer
-Again, not sure if self-pub is the way I’m going yet, and I did narrow my cover designer choices down to two, so it’s technically a win but also a fail, I guess?
4. Put free previews on website
-Win!
5. Facelift website
-Also a win! Though I’m looking into getting an author logo made so my website is more personalized.
6. Get a mailing list
-Fail. I didn’t do this.
7. Increase social media presence
-Eh…I count this as a fail because I didn’t do as much as I wanted with this.
8. Eat healthier
-Win. But this is only a win because I was recently diagnosed with some medical issues where eating healthier was a requirement. I wasn’t eating terribly before, but I wanted to improve. Turns out I had to.
9. Create yoga and meditation regimen
-Didn’t do this. Fail.
10. Look into traditional publishing options
-I did this! Yay!
11. Finish outline for next MS
-Nope. Got a little less than halfway. Fail.
And now for my goals for the summer quarter! I want to have these complete by October 1st:
1. Have The Moon-Eyed Ones ready for representation
2. Decide whether to go traditional or self-pub
3. Increase social media presence
4. Create yoga and meditation regimen
5. Finish outline for next manuscript
6. Complete at least 25,000 words on next manuscript
7. Get a mailing list
8. Practice (and maybe submit) query letters for The Moon-Eyed Ones
9. Manage medical issues better than before
10. Research more on self-publishing and costs of cover designers, formatting, and publishing
While you are worrying about whether beta readers will steal your ideas, there is a more genuine threat on the horizon.
When offered a publishing contract, please do all your research before you sign. There are a number of fakes and scammers out there, as well as good-intentioned amateurs that don’t know how to get your work to a wide audience. I won’t tell the heartbreaking stories here – there are too many.
Being published badly is worse than being never published.
It can destroy your career and your dreams.
The quick check is to google the publishing house name + scam or warning.
But, to be sure, check with these places first. They aren’t infallible (nothing is) but they can help you protect yourself. They are written and maintained by expereinced writers, editors, publishers and legal folks.
This is really important, so if you are a writer or have writer friends, or you are a writing blog, please reblog it.
Just to let you know, PublishAmerica changed their name to America Star Books.
HEAD’S UP, WRITER TYPES: THIS IS AN IMPORTANT PSA!
Also applies to many so-called freelance sites that are just content mills, and may not pay unless your work is used, even if the contract seems designed otherwise.
Listen, reading these is like legit reading horror stories. When it comes to publishing your writing, always, always, ALWAYS do your research. Not only will it help you avoid scams, but it will also be likely to help you land a much better fit for an agent/publisher/whatever. Knowing more is never going to hurt.
Yesterday I walked into a bookstore and saw this display and got really choked up. A lot of people lately have called me an overnight success, but here’s some context: THIS SAVAGE SONG is my 11th book.
Here’s some more:
My first book, THE NEAR WITCH, got almost no press aside from the fact it was a debut. It was in a select number of stores for a very short time, 1-2 copies max, and disappeared by the end of its first season. Out of print at 18 months.
After that, I wrote a sequel, which my publisher decided they didn’t want.
My second book, THE ARCHIVED, and its sequel, THE UNBOUND, did well, but not well enough for the publisher to finish the trilogy. I remember being terrified it wouldn’t get shelf space, then being terrified it wouldn’t sell, then being terrified of a hundred different things, half of which ended up happening. The hardcover of TA was just officially taken out of print.
[ETA: And because I just got an actual flurry of asks about
TA3–I made a promise and I will keep it; THE RETURNED will be made
available, in one format or another, whether through a publisher or
online, when it’s ready.]
My fourth book, VICIOUS, was a total risk at a new publisher, and a surprise success, and my first book to come out in the UK. Nearly 3 years after release, it’s still selling strong.
My fifth, sixth, and seventh books were Scholastic Clubs and Fairs titles that sold more than 600,000 copies in Scholastic Book Fair, and STILL got turned down by Barnes and Noble. I never got to see them on shelf.
My eighth book, A DARKER SHADE OF MAGIC, was probably the one that launched my ship. It got decent store placement, great reviews, and is still selling strong–the paperback has been a Barnes and Noble bestseller for 4 months. Also the UK put up posters of it on the London Underground, and that’s pretty damn cool.
My ninth book was part of a multi-author platform at Scholastic. I hope I didn’t tank that series. It feels like I might have, though I’m really, really damn proud of my book.
My tenth book, A GATHERING OF SHADOWS, was my first book to hit the NYT list. It was the first time I got to go on a national book tour, and see hundreds and hundreds of readers, some who were new, and some who’d been with me since the beginning.
And my eleventh book, THIS SAVAGE SONG, just came out in the UK, with the US release to follow next month.
So when I walk into a book store, and see my books on tables, on displays, when I have booksellers approach me in their cafes and ask if I would mind signing some stock, it makes me pretty f*cking happy.
It doesn’t make me mad when people call me an overnight success, but it doesn’t paint a true picture, either. So here you go.
AUTHOR | HISTORIAN | ARTIST 