Why I Don't Tell People I Write: A Sample Conversation

Every time I tell someone I'm a writer--you know, in person, not online--I get looks from the very impressed to the very disinterested. I generally don't tell many people I'm a writer because sometimes it's still hard for me to believe myself. There's this level of self confidence that I just don't have yet when it comes to announcing to people that I spend all of my free time writing books that may or may not see the light of day.

Just as I never know how the publishing industry worked before I began writing, most non-writer people don't know either. So I thought it would be fun to show you a sample conversation I have when I actually do tell someone I write.


Let's call the person I'm speaking to "Jane" and I'll just be me.


***


Jane: "Wow! You wrote a book? What's it about?"

Me:  *blushes furiously and stares at foot, cursing self for even mentioning it* This is where I fumble for at least fifteen minutes to describe my novel, trying very hard to make it sound interesting, but all the while sure I'm failing miserably.

Jane: *lots of nodding and smiling--or is that grimacing?* "Where can I get a copy?"


Me: "Umm...You can't get it anywhere at this moment. It's not published yet."


Jane: "Oh. When will it be coming out?"



Me: *more internal cursing* "First an agent has to agree to represent it. And after that happens, I'll probably have to work on revisions and then hopefully a publisher will want to buy it. And, well, if that happens, it will probably still be over a year before the book is available."


Jane: "Oh, huh." *levels of interest are seriously waning here* "That sounds like a lot of work, but it will all be worth it when you're rich and famous and have movie deals from it."


Me: *nervous laughter* "The whole rich and famous and movie thing almost never happens, but that would be nice."


Jane: *insert looks of confusion here* "I thought authors got paid a lot of money for their books?"


Me: *internal cursing turns into internal kicking of the arse* "Some authors do, but most don't. It's highly unlikely I'll make very much at first."


Jane: "Wow." *spots someone else in the crowd and grabs his attention* "Hey, Mark! Did you know that Cindy wrote a book?" *makes excuse to leave conversation as soon as Mark begins talking*

***
Of course, not every conversation goes this way. Some people get really, really interested and want to talk about it for hours. Either way, there are always looks of confusion and my guaranteed fifteen minutes of stumbling over my words trying to describe my book, but wishing I could just pull up the synopsis and read it out loud instead.

What about you? Do you tell people you write or do you mostly keep it to yourself as well? How do you handle it when you do tell people?

WANTED Blog Tour: An Interview with Agent Stephen Barbara

I'm thrilled to be part of the blog tour for Heidi Ayarbe's latest novel WANTED. Her super awesome agent, Stephen Barbara, is here with us today for a special agent interview. Hope you enjoy it! 

 

CT: Heidi's books are hard hitting and honest, always pulling me, as a reader, into the world she's created instantly. I'd love to know at what point she had you hooked. Was it in her query or in the early pages of a submission? Can you remember exactly when the moment was that you knew you wanted to represent her?

SB: Heidi sent me a query letter, I think back in 2006, for a novel about a teenage boy who accidentally kills his best friend with a handgun he finds in his father’s tool shed. That novel became FREEZE FRAME, her debut, published in 2008 by HarperCollins. I don’t remember the query letter but the first chapter was unforgettable. It’s a very poignant example of dramatic irony, this teenage kid acting like a jerk to his sister and his friend while they’re having breakfast on an ordinary autumn morning. But you, the reader, know what he doesn’t know, that he’s only minutes away from killing his best friend. It’s a devastating piece of writing.

So I signed Heidi after I finished reading that manuscript. I was surprised by how nice she was over the phone. I guess I expected something different—her writing was so dark and unflinching!

CT: Do you have a favorite line or moment from WANTED? If so, please share it with us.

SB: The six-word memoir which ends the novel. But you’ll have to read the book to get to that line.

CT: What are some of your favorite YA reads that are not books written by your clients? What types of books would you like to see more of in the YA market?

SB: I like everything M.T. Anderson has done in the YA space. FEED and the OCTAVIAN NOTHING books, especially. From last year, I liked Laini Taylor’s novel a lot. E. Lockhart comes to mind for her distinctive voice and style. And Rebecca Stead’s WHEN YOU REACH ME was a favorite—we all read it around the office. It’s depressing to think of all these great books and writers I don’t represent, though. (laughs)

I don’t have any big headline on where the YA market should go. I’d just like to keep seeing authors and publishers trying new things, being creative, putting their faith in good writers, and good story-telling. There’s maybe a little too much copy-catting in the market right now, a little too much desperation to replicate someone else’s success. It’s good to see publishers taking chances, despite how tough the market is. I liked CHOPSTICKS, for instance, the Jessica Anthony and Rodrigo Corral book which Razorbill published last year. I think people in the industry are always finding themselves surprised by what the market will bear. We just don’t know what the next hit will be. It often comes from completely out of left field.

CT: Have you ever disagreed with a client on what their next project should be? In your experience, what has been the best way to handle this?

SB: Yes, of course. There’s no good way to handle that, Just straight on, I think: “Look, this isn’t working, it needs revisions, etc.” If your client trusts you, and you have a good working relationship, you figure out the best strategy, whether to revise the work, stuff it in a drawer, or revisit it at a later time. As an agent, you’re always thinking of presenting your client at their best, maximizing their value, giving them the best shot to succeed in the market. And sometimes you don’t 100% agree with your client on whether to move ahead with a project, but it’s better if you’ve been clear on your point of view, I think.

CT: What's the most exciting part of being an agent? The signing of a new client? Getting a new book deal for a client? Meeting your clients for the first time?

SB: Closing a deal, without question! I’ve heard salespeople say, “Every time I get a no, I’m one step closer to a yes,” and while I’m sure that’s a very nice and well-meaning sentiment, I never really understood this business of liking rejection. Personally, I hate it. Writing a novel is a long, grueling slog for a writer, and the business of agent-ing can be slow, hard, confounding work in its own right. So I think the truly satisfying, essential, rewarding moment as an agent, is closing the deal. I like calling a client and telling them we have a great offer, helping them realize what may be a lifelong dream. And while I also love getting into the minutiae later on and guiding a book to the moment it sees the light of day, none of that is possible if you don’t close the deal first. That’s the most exciting part for me. 

Huge thanks to Heidi and Stephen for today's tour stop!  

You can find Heidi and her books online:

Website / Blog / Twitter / Goodreads 

Find Stephen Barbara @ Foundry Literary + Media  

WANTED by Heidi Ayarbe

Release  Date: May 1, 2012 (Out now!!)

Publisher: Balzar + Bray 

About (from Goodreads): A one-word text message: That's all Michal "Mike" Garcia needs to gather a crowd. Mike is a seventeen-year-old bookie, and Sanctuary is where she takes bets for anyone at Carson High with enough cash. Her only rule: Never participate, never place a bet for herself.

Then Josh Ellison moves to town. He pushes Mike to live her life, to feel a rush of something -- play the game, he urgest, stop being a spectator.

So Mike breaks her one rule. She places a bet, feels the rush.
And loses.

In an act of desperation, she and Josh -- who has a sordid past of his own -- concoct a plan: The pair will steal from Carson City's elite to pay back Mike's debt. Then they'll give the rest of their haul to those who need it most. How can burglary be wrong if they are making things right?

WANTED will thrust readers into the gritty underbelly of Carson City, where worth is determined by a score, power is derived from threat, and the greatest feat is surviving it all.

What is a critique partner?

Try googling what a critique partner is and you'll find all kinds of answers. Generally, a critique partner is someone who willingly reads your writing and provides honest feedback that will both encourage and push you to write better. They'll tell you what's missing and what's working, and will (hopefully) be someone you can go to time and time again to discuss writing with.

 Photo found at Kristine Carlson Asselin's blog.

All of that's pretty awesome, but I happen to think that my critique partners go above and beyond that basic definition. They're the kick-butt kind of amazing that keep me going even when I'm pretty sure I'd have given up already if I didn't have them.

 Photo found at Confessions of a Twenty Something Fiction Writer.

So, when someone asks me what a critique partner is, lots and lots of things go through my mind. Below you will find just a few of those things.

To me, a critique partner is:

• Someone who will read the same scenes from your manuscript so many times that neither of you are sure of the count;
• Someone who will be completely and totally honest with their feedback, even if it sucks to hear it;
• Someone who will listen to you whine about your writing and/or lack of writing;
• Someone who knows the right moment to tell you to shut up when you're complaining too much;
• Someone who can't stop thinking about your characters and calls/texts/emails you in the middle of the night with ideas and solutions for them;
• Someone who never complains about your constant complaining and lack of confidence;
• Someone that makes you write when you just don't want to;
• Someone that will never let you give up, no matter how much you feel like it;
• Someone, that after you've connected, you just can't imagine ever writing a book without.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that finding the right critique partners can be life changing in really great ways. I adore mine, and truly don't know what I'd do without them. So, to each of my critique partners, this one's for you! 

When I'm NOT Writing

As you probably know by now, when I'm not writing and blogging here, I'm blogging with four other lovely ladies at Tangled Up In Words. Over the past three weeks we've hosted some amazing authors to share why they write. It's been a blast having them, and as a wrap-up of the "Why I Write" segment, we've decided to share a funny (we hope!) vlog with you as to what we're doing when we're NOT writing.

It's silly and sums up who we are pretty perfectly. Hope you enjoy it!

The YA Spill (#6)

 Welcome to The YA Spill! 

The YA Spill is a (mostly) weekly meme where I'll have Q&A with YA book bloggers. As a founding member of a YA book blog, I've had the pleasure of getting to know many bloggers and even though I've stepped back from blogging in that capacity as often, I'm still a huge fan of reading YA book blogs and love hearing the blogger's opinions on the hottest books out there. 

So each week I'll be spotlighting anywhere from one to three YA book bloggers with a few questions on what they're currently loving and can't wait to read next. If you're a YA book blogger, and you'd like to participate in The YA Spill, please email me at cindythomaswrites (@) gmail (dot) com. 

 Please welcome this week's awesome participant:

Gabrielle from The Mod Podge Bookshelf

(Blog / Twitter / Goodreads / Facebook)

What is the most recent book that you've read and loved? 

I've read only a fraction of the books I read this time last year, but let me tell you, the list is pretty incredible! Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone by Kat Rosenfield, Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin, Monstrous Beauty by Elizabeth Fama & Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo are all so brilliant!

What book recently surprised you?

 

One For the Murphys by Lynda Mullaly Hunt, the voice of her MC was very surprising! I wasn't expecting an irreverent twelve year old with heart-felt insecurities to narrate the story, but Carly remained consistent throughout her tumultuous circumstances.

What types of books do you wish there were more of? 

If Jellicoe Road could be a paranormal romance, a historical fiction, a self-help guide and a dystopian novel, then I'd be thrilled. Basically I just want to feel a book like I feel that book. That book is, in a way, every book all rolled into one. If I could bottle that book, I would spray it behind my ears and spritz my wrists everyday before I wrote.

What book comes out soon that you can't wait to get your hands on?

Insurgent by Veronica Roth! Revived by Cat Patrick! Timepiece by Myra McEntire! 

Can you tell us a little about yourself and how you became a YA book blogger?

I became a book blogger during a very, oh, what's a good word here? Trying. Trying is good, actually trying was bad, however it is very appropriate to say that I began The Mod Podge Bookshelf during a very trying time in my life. Looking back, I don't exactly know why I did it. I'm thinking it must have been a lot of Divine inspiration mixed with a soupcon of book loving and a dash of Hello, World? Are you there, or are you ignoring me entirely?
 

What is the first book you read & reviewed as a blogger?

 

I'm going to say Wither by Lauren Destefano. Wither was the first ARC I ever received for review purposes, so when I read and reviewed it, I really felt a sense of arrival. 

As a book blogger, you probably get lots of review requests. What is the best way for an author or publisher to receive a response from you when sending you a request?

Get my name right. Attach nothing. And send a request that at least gives me a feel that you've actually seen my blog before, maybe read my review policy. The problem I get with a lot of self-published authors (a lot, not all- some of my favorite people self-published) is that they never wrote a query letter. For those of you who did, the same rules apply here. It may not be as high stakes if you are featured on my blog as looking to be accepted as a client, however if you really care, take the time. If you take the time to research me and my blog, I get a strong impression that you took time to write your book and write it well! Also? Spellcheck. 'Nuff said.

 

Thank you so much for joining me today, Gabrielle! 

Apologies, Tangled & Inspiration

Okay, I owe you all an apology. I've been really terrible at this blogging thing for the past few weeks, and for that I'm truly sorry. I missed a week of The YA Spill, as well, but I promise to have it back up and running next week. There are several reasons for my absence, including stomach viruses from hell and interstate traveling, but I won't bore you with all the details. The important thing is I'm back and there's lots of great things going on.

First, if you haven't already heard, Tangled Up In Words is having a HUGE segment featuring many awesome authors who are all talking about why they write. They're sharing their stories and deepest reasons for why they just can't and don't want to stop writing.

Here are links to the four authors who've already shared their guest posts. There are plenty more to come so be sure to stay tuned.

Michelle Krys (THE WITCH HUNTER'S BIBLE, Delacorte/Random House, Spring 2014)

 Aimee Agresti (ILLUMINATE, Harcourt, March 2012)

Melissa West (GRAVITY, Entangled Publishing, October 16, 2012)

Tiffany Schmidt (SEND ME A SIGN, Walker/Bloomsbury, October 2, 2012)

It's all kinds of awesome, so you should definitely check it out. Oh...and there's also a gigantic giveaway. Like ENORMOUS. Seriously, go check it out!

And now, how about a little inspiration? Writing is one of those things that can have so giddy happy and high that you feel like you'll never come down...and then you can have rock bottoms that make you feel like you'll never be good enough. It's a crazy roller coaster of emotions that are completely unpredictable and certainly not always fun to experience.

Even with my amazing critique partners and family's encouragement, I have days where I just don't know how I'll ever finish another book. The struggles aren't easy, and maybe they aren't meant to be. Maybe it's the struggles that make us stronger and want to fight harder. Maybe we're supposed to sink so low that when we look up, all we see is the bright spot. Because there is always a bright spot. Even in those difficult days/weeks/months, there are bright spots. You just have to want to see them.

Sometimes those bright spots come in the form of new ideas, sometimes they're a good cry with a friend, and sometimes they're just good old-fashioned inspirational words from someone who's been in your shoes.

Today, I offer you two posts by two incredible authors who have inspired me in the last week with their words. One of my lovely crit partners brought these to my attention. I needed to hear them, so maybe you do too.

The Writer's Life is Full of Second Chances by Robin LaFevers

Embrace That You Are Doing Something Hard by Natalie Whipple

Whether you're a writer or a reader, or just someone who happens to stop by this blog and see this post, I hope you have found some inspiration today.

The YA Spill (#5)

Welcome to The YA Spill! 

The YA Spill is a (mostly) weekly meme where I'll have Q&A with YA book bloggers. As a founding member of a YA book blog, I've had the pleasure of getting to know many bloggers and even though I've stepped back from blogging in that capacity as often, I'm still a huge fan of reading YA book blogs and love hearing the blogger's opinions on the hottest books out there. 

So each week I'll be spotlighting anywhere from one to three YA book bloggers with a few questions on what they're currently loving and can't wait to read next. If you're a YA book blogger, and you'd like to participate in The YA Spill, please email me at cindythomaswrites (@) gmail (dot) com. 


 Please welcome this week's awesome participant:

 Franny from Mind Reader

(Blog / Twitter / Goodreads / Facebook) 
  

   What is the most recent book that you've read and loved? 

I’d have to say Forgiven by Jana Oliver. The Demon Trappers Series is a must and everyone should read it. :)

What book recently surprised you? 

The Lure Of Shapinsay by Krista Holle. I have to be honest, I wasn’t really sure at the beginning because I thought it was about sirens and I had recently read a short story about sirens which was really awful. But the book was about Selkies and I actually enjoyed it and it was very intriguing, since Selkies are very unique creatures.

What types of books do you wish there were more of?

I wish there were more books about magic/witches.

What book comes out soon that you can't wait to get your hands on?

Elemental by Emily White. She’s a great friend of mine and I’ve been waiting to read this book for months! I’m so happy the wait is almost finally over!

Can you tell us a little about yourself and how you became a YA book blogger?

My name is Franny and I’m Italian, but I’ve been living in UK since 2008. To be honest I’ve never really thought about blogging until last year. I wasn’t totally happy with myself and the Royal Wedding really had an impact on my life. It really made me think about what I wanted to achieve with my life and soon after I started blogging. I really can’t believe I’ve been blogging for almost one year, and if I look back at when I started, I’m so glad and proud of myself for all the achievement I’ve made. J Now I happily review for publishers & indie authors, I organize virtual book tours (check Dark Mind Book Tours) and I also have a food blog, So Good…So Franny! Life is busy!

What is the first book you read & reviewed as a blogger?

Die For Me by Amy Plum. It was my absolute first review, although I can’t remember how I got it. :D

As a book blogger, you probably get lots of review requests. What is the best way for an author or publisher to receive a response from you when sending you a request?

Ohhh… this is a very sensitive topic, and I know there is a lot of fuss going on around about this. I really appreciate if authors read my review policy, that means they actually spent time looking at my blog to see if I might really like their book. I’ve received lots of requests for genres I don’t even read, and that it’s a bit annoying. However, the most important thing to make me consider a request is presentation. I also received requests like this: “Hello, I would like to submit my novel for review, hope you’ll take it into consideration. Thanks”. No name, no book title, no info at all. I have deleted these emails in a beat (and I’m not afraid to admit it). So, the best way to receive a positive response is a brief introduction of who the author is and the book blurb. And if they have a site I can check out, that’s definitely a plus!

Thanks so much for stopping by today, Franny!