Hello, writers. A propos of last week's diary on hiring editors, this just appeared on Writer Beware. I'm sure you'd see through someone who is making absurd claims about her experience. But it's a useful reminder that the writing business does have its scammers, and they mainly take aim at writers trying to get their foot in the door. Because that door can be so hard to shift and so full of competing feet, it can sometimes seem worthwhile to spend money to buy an edge. And that's where the scammers come into play.
With a situation like the above, Google is your friend. I mentioned before that if you're hiring a freelance editor, it's a good idea to go with one who's worked for a major publisher. If your prospective editor says, e.g., that she worked for Random House for 14 years... you might as well Google that. It's find-out-able.
Also, it's been a while since I said this, so here's my (slightly revised) list of what a writer should expect to spend money on:
If pursuing traditional publication, you might spend money on:
- books to help you improve your writing and editing skills (and you should expect to work on improving these till you die)
- classes and workshops to help you improve your writing and editing skills
- little promo doodads, if you want them (postcards, bookmarks, business cards; publishers rarely supply these)
- traveling to events if you want to do them and if the publisher isn't sending you (publishers tend to pay travel expenses only for big names or, rarely, authors they're hoping to turn into big names)
But you should not spend money on:
- editing services
- book design and cover illustration
- an ISBN number
- the publisher's marketing and promotion scheme
Everything on the second list above is the publisher's responsibility. And if you find yourself with a publisher who tells you that authors always pay for these things nowadays, that Steven [sic] King pays for these things, that this is a new and innovative model in which you pay half their costs in order to share the risk, then they are telling you that which is not true. If it's a choice between dealing with them and self-publishing, I'd recommend the latter. At least you'll know where your money's going.
If self-publishing:
You should expect to pay for all of the things in the second list above. If your goal is something small, such as a book for family and friends or for a group to which you belong, you probably don't want to bother with all of the above expenses, and a simple do-it-yourself job should be fine. But if you're self-publishing with a view to selling to strangers, then you'll probably need to find people to provide editing and design services, you'll need to do some marketing, and you'll need to purchase an ISBN number.
Anyway. It's been a while since I said all that so there it is.
In other news, let's talk about
Audience
I'm still in the throes of copyediting Jinx's Fire. This is probably the stage of the writing process where I think most about audience. I think about two things:
1. Who is going to read this book?
2. With what purpose will they read the book/What do they need from me?
The answers to these questions will vary depending on your genre. I'm going to tell you my answers, and then it might be helpful to you to think about the answers for your own genre.
For middle grade fantasy, the answer to #1, at least in my experience, is:
a. critics, reviewers and librarians
b. parents and teachers (some overlap here with a)
c. adults who like to read middle grade fantasy (some overlap here with a and b)
d. the children aged 8-14 for whom the books are nominally intended
The answer to #2 is
a. The critics, reviewers and librarians will read to evaluate the book. They'll compare it to others published now and in the past and decide how it measures up.
b. The parents and teachers will decide whether the book will interest the children in their care, but they'll also be concerned about whether it supports or undermines the moral values they're trying to instill, whether it will frighten or upset the children, whether it contains graphic descriptions of violence or swear words, and whether it is educational.
c. Adults who like to read middle grade fantasy will expect the story to respect an adult perspective, not talk down to them, have jokes that are funny by adult standards, and contain complex characters with plausible motives and a believable plot.
d. The children for whom the book is intended will expect adventure, a main character they can relate to, funny stuff, scary stuff, and lots of blood and gore.
You can see why I don't think about this while I'm actually writing.
Still, at some point, if you're writing for publication, you have to think about your audience and aim your book at them. So who's your audience?
Tonight's challenge:
You're a stout companion who's about to leave on a quest to help a callow youth recover the lost Jewel of Togwogmagog and save the realm. Write two brief notes explaining your absence. Address each one to a different audience. Some possible audiences:
- your SO, whom you were supposed to marry this coming Saturday
- your boss, who is also the evil wizard from whom you expect to steal the Jewel
- the person from whom you borrowed money so that you could go on this quest
- the warden of the Grebe Reserve from whom you need permission to cross the Endless Swamp
Write On! will be a regular weekly diary (Thurs 8 pm ET) until it isn't.
Before signing a contract with any agent or publisher, please be sure to check them out on Preditors and Editors, Absolute Write and/or Writer Beware.