As promised here is the second entry in my “trust in publishing” series.  The author’s road of trust is perhaps the most perilous. There’s only so much an author can do to research a publisher before sending in the manuscript. Once the contract is signed, often times the author is locked into it until certain thresholds in time or copies sold are met. And if the book is one that has legs, well, it can lock an author into a contract with an undesirable publisher for years. Definitely not a road for the faint of heart.

However, the good news is that there is plenty an author can do to research the publisher prior to submission. There are also some red flags to look for when placing feelers out on the web. So let’s get started by listing what an author trusts, or needs to be able to trust, in a publisher. Read more »

A couple of things have happened this week that made me think again about trust in the publishing industry. I’ve been on the author side, and now on the publisher side, and I can tell you, trust is a two way street. When it’s there, both parties experience a synergy of ideas, inspiration, and a shared vision. When the trust isn’t there, it creates a frustrating, worrisome environment.

I’ll admit that on the publisher side I’ve been blessed with wonderful authors and staff members with whom I work. I can’t think of a better group of people. On the author’s side…well let’s just say publishing, like most things in life, also has a school of hard knocks. I’m going to break this topic into a few different posts. And right now, I’m going to talk about the roads of trust. We’ll travel down each of them in subsequent posts.

Read more »

I know I’ve talked about this before, and I try not to get involved in the “write to market”, “write what you love argument.” I believe each author has to find his or her own way and do whatever works. That said, in looking at my own writing (putting my author hat on here), I’ve noticed a trend and some changes that have happened, and for me, it’s clear that I need to write the stories that move and inspire me, not what is “hot” or popular. And frankly, a lot of that isn’t even fiction. (Again, this is what works for me.)

So my intent in writing this is simply to speak as someone who needs to write from the heart and to help encourage those who say, “but I can’t write _____”. It’s all right that you can’t write “fill in the current trend or money maker here”, and that you’re moved to write something different. Is it true that you might not make the money? Sure, to some extent it might be, but as someone who believes that you create your own reality, it’s also true that when you write from the heart, there’s a level of enthusiasm in promotional efforts that doesn’t go unnoticed. If you are passionate about something, then that is going to show when you talk about it, share it, etc. (And no, I’m not saying that those who write to market aren’t as passionate. They can be too.)

So how do you reconcile writing from your heart with the knowledge that you “should” be writing to market? Read more »

In their Things I learned from RWA 11, Jane at Dear Author mentioned that readers still love the sweet, small town contemporary romances. The responses, understandably so, ranged from what about cities and urban areas to those who love those stories. I have to admit, as someone who grew up in a small town (population under 800) and spent most of her childhood life in the small town, I am of mixed thoughts about these books. Now before I continue, the last small town contemporary sweet book I read was recommended because of the heroine’s chronic illness, and it’s not my usual reading genre. However, I understand the appeal (and the unappeal) of these books, and as a small town girl, well…frankly, I couldn’t keep quiet.

(We’ll also skip the sociological impacts and analyzing that could happen from these, too. *smiles*)

I like small town romances only if they’re realistic. What does this mean to me?

First of all, small towns are notorious for everyone knowing everyone else and everyone’s business. (Living in a trailer court in a suburb, I think this also applies for apartment complexes, and smaller communities within a larger one quiet easily.) That means if Molly, our heroine, decides to dye her hair red, then by golly everyone in town is going to know. I used to joke that if someone farted, the news would be across town in five minutes or less.

The small town news is also usually fueled by the “old ladies’ gossip network.” (One little old lady hears everything and so she calls all her old lady pals (or thirtysomething pals if they’re not “old ladies”. LOL!), who then calls everyone they know. In the small town where I grew up, I pretty much know the news within twenty four hours because I talk to my gran every day, and she tells me. So nothing, and I do mean nothing, is secret. (Facebook is also awesome for making this happen, because now I call gran and say “I heard or I saw such and such on Facebook” so then SHE has the news to spread. *big grin*)

I often joke with gran that if all the little old ladies in town had Facebook or cell phones, or back in the day AOL Instant Messenger, then news would travel much more quickly.

It takes a rare person who grew up in a small town who doesn’t want to get away from it at some point. Some of us never go back. (Some of us look for small towns in other places, because we like the laid back life without all the gossip.)

There is a lot of people helping people, but there’s also a lot of the not so good side of humanity. It’s a melting pot, just like the rest of America.

Does this sound like any where else? I mean seriously, there’s a lot of small town = good and wonderful in these books, that frankly, could be found in a close knit community in NYC or in a midsize town.

I promised I wouldn’t go all analytical, but really, I think what I liked about the book I read is how the characters cared for each other. There’s a real sense of “It takes a village” whether they’re dealing with one character’s chronic illness, or another character’s single parenthood. That’s the connection, and that’s what I liked. And honestly, that’s what I liked about the small town where I grew up. I know people pay attention. If gran wouldn’t get her mail for a few days, or someone else like a relative get it for her, then someone would check on her. Someone shovels/snowblows her sidewalk when winter gets bad. It’s a sense of caring for each other, and honestly, that can happen wherever you live, and it’s something that should probably happen more often.