SueHarrison.com

St. Patrick’s Day has put me in the mood to celebrate all things Irish, and since my corned beef brisket recipe is from the corned beef brisket package and my soda bread is pitiful (Any good soda bread recipes out there to share?), let’s talk about Irish music. In the past few years, my husband and I have begun a love affair with stringed instruments. Our experimentation has extended into Celtic music. Although we are not accomplished enough to really play it, we certainly appreciate it and have worked a bit with pentatonic scales in various modes, which are believed by many to be the basis for the most ancient Irish melodies.

Sit down at a piano and plunk out A-C-D-E-G.  No F or B, no sharps or flats.  Mix them up a bit, just those five notes.  Amazing. You are there -  Ireland.  Today’s popular music and the music of classical composers are based on a seven-note scale.  Irish music charms and haunts us with a mere five notes.

Hmmm… There has to be a life lesson there somewhere, don’t you think?

Blessings, Sue

The dog ’s name was Ichabod. He was a good boy as shih tzus go, a little full of himself, but a courtly fellow, and a great companion to our high school aged daughter. One day Icabod fell asleep in a sunny spot on an oak stairstep.  During this sleep he flipped over and sent himself rolling down the stairs.

He survived his tumble without injury, but afterwards, he was afraid of the stairs, particularly coming down the stairs.   Down was bad.  Down hurt.   

After a few weeks of indulging his paranoia (carrying him down the stairs), we realized we had to teach him to overcome his new fear.  Here’s what finally worked.  One of us would stand near the stairway and say, “Come on, Icabod, you can do it. Just take one step. Just one step. “  Then Icabod would take one step. We would congratulate him for his bravery and say, “Now, one more step. Just one more step.” And finally one step by one step he would reach his goal.

If you are a writer or artist, you know that down is part of the business - down being rejections and/or realizing that what you have created is not as good as you thought it to be. If you are not a writer, rejection is still part of the package. Families squabble, co-workers shun, bosses yell, systems break down and so do we.

I want this Blog to be a happy place, but sometimes to get to the joy we have to negotiate a stairway. So I thought perhaps a little encouragement via Icabod’s story might help us all.

My inspiration for this particular post (besides Icabod) was a gentle rejection of my current novel by a very encouraging agent.  I am not her client, yet she took the time to tell me what was wrong and how I might go about making the needed changes.  Her encouragement was so strong that the stairway down hardly seemed down at all.  And the stairway back up doesn’t look that scary either.  Usually.  Most days.

Are any of you experiencing a difficult “down” time in your life?  Please imagine all of us standing beside the stairs encouraging you to reach out to God, grab His hand and face the next step, all of us saying to you, “Come on. Just one step. Don’t look further than that. Just one step.”

Your kind words about my novels have been so important to me.  Thank you for helping me find the courage to negotiate that next step.  And the next.  And the next…

Blessings, Sue

When I was a child, my favorite story book was about a little boy and his sister who discovered a key that opened a door into a magical world. I remember thinking how incredible it would be to discover a key like that. A few years later I realized that that key was any book I chose to read!  I still love to walk into a library and catch the wonderful “smell” of books and know that journeys await.  As Emily Dickinson so aptly put it, “There is no frigate like a book.”  (Bookstores are great, too, but most of them smell like coffee nowadays!)

I have the privilege of belonging to a reading group. “The Pickford Reading Group” consists of six women of eclectic tastes.  We have found great joy in sharing books and learning to trust one another with our thoughts and friendship.  Each month (except for a summer break) we select a book to read and discuss. Our February selection is WATER FOR ELEPHANTS by Sara Gruen.  If you ever wanted to run away and join a circus, this is the book for you. And if you aren’t so much into circuses, but enjoy quirky characters (including animals), who come alive through the pages, this is also the book for you. The Pickford Reading Group was six thumbs up on WATER FOR ELEPHANTS.  Our March book is THE MEMORY KEEPER’S DAUGHTER by Kim Edwards. 

Do any of you belong to a reading group? If so, will you share your name and current book choices with us here on the Blog? We’d love to know what you’re reading and  your opinions on your latest book.   Each month I will post any Reading Group that reports.  Just let me know your name, the book you read or are reading and, if you’d like, what your group thought of the book: great, good, not so good, or a mixed review. 

Hope to hear from you!

Blessings! Sue

Jody Hedlund, a novelist whose first historical romance was just picked up by Bethany House for a Fall 2010 release, posts a couple of great articles about marketing fiction. Check them out at http://short.to/16u09.

Blessings, Sue

Last Saturday, I had the privilege of being interviewed by Ray Case, the editor of “Encompass Magazine.” The magazine is regional to the southwestern area of Michigan, but Ray and the staff have wonderful plans for expansion, and I’m very excited that they chose to interview me for one of their articles. I will let you know when it is published.

I really enjoyed doing an interview again after so many years of silence. In some ways I feel like a new writer, just learning the ropes. (Lots of changes since the whirlwind days of my Alaska Trilogies, mainly in technology.) Many familiar names are still out there, but I am also making the acquaintance of other gifted people who help bring book dreams to fruition and make possible the freedom of speech and communication that has blessed our country since it was founded.

So my thanks to Ray and “Encompass Magazine”. May your horizons be wide!

Blessings, Sue Harrison

I’m a member of a book group, and our selection for February is WATER FOR ELEPHANTS by Sara Gruen (Algonquin). It’s a great book. What are you reading? Any recommendations?

Blessings!  Sue

Your Question – Justin Knabe asks: Do you write what you are passionate about or what is selling?  I have a lot of great ideas, but that is as far as it goes.

Sue’s reply:   I am currently trying to jump-start my career after a hiatus due to family caregiving needs and also after the bottom fell out of the market for books set in prehistoric times.  Six of my seven published books were of this “prehistoric” genre, so it has been a matter of testing the waters and regenerating my passion for other genres.   I am currently writing in a genre that is selling (mystery).  I weave each novel around characters that I care passionately about.  That passion is  the often overlooked secret to a successful book.

Concerning your own ideas for books or stories, Justin, my advice would be to center a character within the framework of an idea that really sparks your enthusiasm.  Before you write even a page, get to know that character like a best friend.  Not just what the person looks like, sounds like, walks like, but what makes him or her tick.  What is the most important thing in that character’s life?  What gives him or her self-esteem, a feeling of self-worth?  Then within the framework of your idea (which should be something that is currently marketable), take that inner joy away from your character.  It’s gone; it’s kaput; it’s lost.  The rest of your story or novel will be about how your character, through toughness and ingenuity, reinvents his or her life, or wins back what is lost or (often in the case of a literary novel – which usually isn’t quite as marketable) gives up and self-destructs.

A couple days ago, I received a great email from a reader, Ada Jarvis, who beautifully summed up what reading books and stories is all about.  With Ada’s permission, I append her quote.  ”I want my children to love and appreciate the things in life that I feel should not be taken for granted.  Reading is one of those gifts I value most of all.  I want them to grow up understanding that just because this is the age of technology, that doesn’t mean that every adventure should be watched on a television screen.  I want them to have the same excitement as I did growing up, living adventures through books.  To me, imagination is everything.”

There you have it.  Imagination.  Excitement.  Passion.  In readers and in writers.  And that’s what books are all about.  Using imagination to feed the passion, and then sharing our excitement with others!

Blessings,

Sue Harrison

Your Question: Milly Balzarini asks,”The Lost Road Home” became a book because my husband suffers from PTSD due to combat in Vietnam. Writing the book was easy compared to selling it. I am not a salesman and I need some help marketing this book . Any suggestions would be helpful to me. Thank you!

Sue’s Reply: First of all, Milly, I’ve checked out your website (www.thelostroadhome.com).  It’s great, and a terrific start.  (It convinced me to order a book!)  Plus I see that THE LOST ROAD HOME is available through Amazon.  You’ve taken some very positive steps.  So some of what I say here will not really apply to you, but maybe it will help others with the same question. 

I remember being totally blown away when I realized that I had to be a salesperson for my first book (and all books after!). For crying out loud, wasn’t writing it enough!  Nope.  And that was in the good old days when publishers allotted more for book promotion than they do now.

So whether you self-publish or even if a large house brings out your book, once that book has covers and an ISBN, You the Author suddenly have to morph into You the Salesperson, You the PR Guy and You the Marketing Maven.

The good news is that there are so many more resources out there now, and a lot of them are free.

1. The first step is to convince yourself all over again that your book deserves an audience.  

2. Second, in the case of non-fiction, as Milly’s book is, the author must have a platform - a legitimate connection to and knowledge about the subject. 

3. Third get very brave.  Ask for airtime, for presentation opportunities, for book table space.  The worst that can happen is a “No”, “No thank you”, or a door slammed in your face.  None of that is fatal.

Go out there and volunteer your time and speaking abilities to libraries, focus groups and volunteer organizations. Tell them you’ll speak for free, but would like to bring books to sell. Be alert for any programs on radio or television that are currently hosting discussions or programs that highlight your subject.

One that comes to mind right at the moment regarding Milly’s subject matter (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) is the new season of Kiefer Sutherland’s television hit “24″. One of the main characters (a woman) is dealing with PTSD. It’s time to call a few radio stations and even television stations and pitch your book. FOX affiliated station managers can be reminded that one of their prime time action dramas is all about PTSD, and you can explain to an audience what that’s all about.

Google author events in your own and adjoining states, and in any state you happen to be visiting, and invite yourself along.  Many of my relatives and friends have opened doors for me where they live (and provided me free room and board for a couple of days) for library presentations and bookstore and media events.

Here are a couple of websites of interest, but remember that the folks at these sites are trying to sell something in addition to giving away free information. Buyer beware! With that in mind, check out John Kremer’s site and his book “1001 Ways to Market Your Book”. Check out www.WritersServices.com. Again, they have free stuff, but also services for sale. Don’t buy anything unless you’re absolutely sure you are willing and able to make this investment EVEN IF IT GIVES YOU NO RETURN! (Personally, I’ll stick with the free stuff, other than an occasional purchase of a how-to book.)

Marketing is hard work, but it’s something that every author has to do.  As you know, Milly, it’s part of the package.  Good luck!

Blessings, Sue

Your question: Lynn Emerick asks – Is editing – reshaping a book – the job of an agent or an editor at a publishing company?

Answer from Sue: Reshaping a manuscript is ultimately the author’s job, but, in the case of a manuscript being readied for publication, both agents and editors are highly involved.

I have worked with two agents (not including agents in Europe and Asia). One gave me very specific changes that needed to be made. The other was more idea/plot/characterization oriented. That experience (plus what I have read and heard from other authors) leads me to believe that an agent’s approach to editing is dictated by his or her personality and whether or not they enjoy – or at least can tolerate – the process of editing. I also suspect that the best agents are also very good editors.  Whatever editorial changes an agent recommends, it is still the author’s duty to make the changes and do most of the problem-solving involved in making those changes.

Good agents are about the busiest people out there (and if your agent is NOT busy, you need to find someone else to market your work). Most agents are handling multiple projects, as well as sifting through large quantities of queries, reading manuscripts for their clients and for each of us who dream of becoming a client, and are doing all this while running a business (taxes, forms, contracts, filing, all that fun stuff.) If an agent comes across a manuscript that has promise but needs major editing to be marketable, that agent is probably too busy to take it on, although the agent may make suggestions and ask for a re-submission.

An editor who works for a publishing house knows that the manuscript in his or her hands is already considered to be highly marketable. Otherwise the editor’s company would not have purchased it in the first place. The editor wants to improve that marketability even further.

In the case of fiction, the editor will make suggestions, often very detailed suggestions, about plot, characterization, back story, and even check into your background research. In the case of nonfiction, your editor will check your sources and facts and, of course, your presentation.

Whatever changes an editor decides are necessary will be made by the author, not the editor.  It’s like making a movie (well, sort of).  The editor directs; the author acts.  

If the author’s corrections are acceptable to the editor, the editor will pass the manuscript to a line editor, who will edit concerning word choices, small inconsistences and so forth. Then the manuscript will be vetted by a copy editor, who checks for grammar, spelling errors and typos.  After these two edits, the manuscript goes back to the author who okays or nixes the suggested changes. 

Anyone who edits a manuscript, including your pre-submission readers, is doing the author a huge favor. It’s a lot of work to read a manuscript and even more work to make editing comments or suggestions.

Check out these great Blog posts about editing:
Rachelle Gardner’s CBA-Ramblings.blogspot.com ”10 Things to Expect from an Agent” (on the sidebar on the right of the Blog); also check out “Editing,” particularly the first Post by Terry Brennan.

Bookends, LLC  Blog, “Stages of Editing.”   I’m sorry, but I can’t get a direct link to Bookends (a literary agency), but you can access them from the Rachelle Gardner site.   Just check out her “A Few of My Agent Friends” sidebar. 

I look forward to hearing your suggestions and questions on this Post. What are your experiences with editors? Anybody out there ever hire a freelance editor?

Blessings, Sue

I remember when my dream was to become a PUBLISHED AUTHOR, with READERS and even maybe, perhaps, possibly earning money for what I wrote. I am fortunate. That dream came true for me, but not until I had learned as much as I could about how the book business worked. What agents do; what publishers do; what authors are supposed to do. (I’ve still got a lot to learn!)

If any of you are pursuing that dream, in the midst of that dream or have achieved that dream you may be interested in our February Give-Away Book. It is JEFF HERMAN’S GUIDE TO BOOK PUBLISHERS, EDITORS, AND LITERARY AGENTS 2010. To be eligible for the drawing, simply post a question or a comment about writing, publishing, editors or agents on this Blog, January 19 through February 19.  The book drawing will be February 20.  I will notify the winner who will receive the book via USPS book rate shipping.

The February Book Give-Away is in honor of my brother Bob.

Good Luck!  Sue