How to Edit Your Novel - My Tips and Tricks

Round 3 of editing is underway. Only 250 pages to go! :P

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Curious about my editing methods? Want to know how I plan my books? You can learn all about my process here.

Don't forget to check out my editing checklist while you're there. 

You Don’t Need to Say Yes to A Literary Agent If You Don’t Want To

When I finished my first book I followed the traditional publishing order of progression:

1. Write a damn good query letter

2. Send it to a ton of agents

3. Cross your fingers and pray for a miracle

Over the years I tweaked my query letter a million times to see what worked and what didn’t. I kept a massive spreadsheet of all the agents I queried, what version of my query letter I sent, what I sent them (e.g., chapter excerpt, synopsis, etc.), their general response time, and the status of my submission.

It was EXHAUSTING. And soul-crushing. Especially when I would receive a generic rejection letter like: “This project isn’t right for my list.” Or the worse possible response - no response at all.

In the end, I received lots of partial and full manuscript requests. Maybe a dozen exclusive full manuscript requests. Then, my big break came.

An agent loved my story and wanted to represent me! But...I had to make some changes to my story. We’re talking era, character names, major parts of the story taken out, etc. Whatever she asked for I did it willingly (even though I didn’t agree with the changes) because I thought that was my only option. I did three rounds of revisions with her over the course of a year.

The result?

A book I hated and didn’t even recognize anymore. She had changed everything and buried my voice, and ultimately, we parted ways. That experience led me to explore the world of self-publishing, and the more I researched it, the more it appealed to me. I started connecting with self-published authors and asking them about their experiences. One told me she turned down a major publishing deal with a Big 5 publisher because they were constantly harassing her and trying to get her to change things she didn’t want to. There seemed to be a general consensus among these authors though - ultimate freedom! And that’s exactly what I wanted.

So began my journey to publish Strange Luck. I couldn’t believe how much happier I felt while writing and how much time I had saved when I stopped querying and tracking my submissions. I wrote The Nightmare Birds next. Then something strange happened. An agent out of the blue read my first book, loved it, and wanted to represent me. It was magical. It was everything I had ever wanted, but, I was weary to give up everything I had worked so hard for. All of it made me question what I truly wanted as a writer. After a lot of thought, nail-biting, and some hair-pulling, I ultimately decided I wanted to do what I was currently doing - self-publish.

Friends and family looked at me like I was crazy (and you probably think so too), but when things came down to business and I got the final contract on my desk, it just didn’t feel right. So many things were going to change and I was terrified of losing my story all over again. I fired off an endless lineup of questions to the agent, hoping with all hope that my feelings would change, but they didn’t.

This experience prompted me to write this article to hopefully help those who might not know they have options. Whether you have an interested agent, or are debating between self-publishing and traditional publishing, below are some questions I asked the agent that helped me determine if it was a good fit or not. Please remember that each literary agent is different. They have different abilities, personalities, connections, wants, and experiences. It may or may not be a match for any or all of those reasons. It's okay to say no. The most important thing you can do is to trust your intuition. If it doesn’t feel right, it’s probably not. If they are everything you've ever wanted and you feel great about it, then by all means scream "yes" from the rooftop. Do what works best for you and your story.

Questions to Ask A Literary Agent Before You Sign:

1. How long have you been an agent? 

2. How long has the agency been in practice? 

3. How long is your average client relationship? 

4. Are you a member of AAR? 

5. How long would our contract be? 

6. What percentage of projects that you sign do you sell?

7. If you’re unable to find a publisher, what would be the next step? Would I need to re-edit and then resubmit, or would the publisher accept me on the condition that I work with their assigned editor and make the changes? 

8. Can I speak to one or two of your clients about their experiences? 

9. What is your procedure and time-frame for payment of author royalties and advances received from the publisher?

10. How often would you update me regarding publishing prospects and developments?

11. Have you represented books in this genre before?

12. If a publisher did accept my book(s), what kind of control would they have?

13. Do you think my books have a stronger market in the US or internationally?

14. Can you tell me about a few recent sales you made? Any with the publishers that you have in mind for my book?

15. Will you represent every book I write, including the ones I’ve already self-published?

16. What are the terms of your contract? Is there a specific length of time, etc.?

17. What co-agents do you work with for foreign rights, film rights and other sub-rights? Is there someone in-house who specializes in this? Can you tell me about some recent successes selling sub-rights of a project?

18. What support (e.g., marketing, promo, etc.) would the agency offer me?

19. What is your commission?  

20. If I did receive an advance from a publisher, would it be considered a "loan" against future sales?

21. Do the publishers you work with have a "do not compete" clause?

22. If we did sell the books to a publisher what would happen to the current books out there? Would they be replaced on Kindle with a new cover uploaded, etc., or be deleted entirely and posted as a new title? What about my current reviews out there? Would they all go away?

23. What would be the significant benefits of me signing with a publisher vs. remaining self-published? What could a publisher offer me that I’m currently not already doing?

I hope that this article helps you make the best decision possible for you and your book.

As for me, if another opportunity were to present itself I would start by asking the same questions and going from there. It may or may not be a match, but that's okay. In the meantime, I'm perfectly content with doing what I'm currently doing.

Have you checked out my other posts on writing and self-publishing? You might enjoy these, too:

• How I Self-Published My Novel 
• Is Self-Publishing For You? 
• How to Be a More Productive Writer

Self-Promotion – An Author’s Guide

We all have dreams of a publisher who does everything for us, but the reality is that authors are responsible for almost all publicity and outreach to the general market. This means that you have to put in the work and fork over the $$$ if you want to do a book signing, or place an advertisement. Only under rare circumstances…like your name is Stephen King…do they do everything for you. Whether you’ve signed with a publisher, or you are an indie author, it’s time to make your marketing plan. Let's get going!

Focus on Your Story/World: Until you’ve gained some traction, and fans, try focusing on extra content for your readers and going from there. If you’re a social butterfly and really want to get out there and share yourself with the world right away, it’s best to take a 50/50 approach – 50% of the time on your book (world, characters, etc.) and 50% of the time on you (interviews, events, etc.). 

I'm Ready for my Close-Up: Start locally. Look into book signings and author talks at local coffee shops, bookstores, schools, and libraries. Once you figure out what you’re doing and how to do it well, move to panels, online interviews/videos, major author events, etc. If you’re kinda shy, like me, the important thing to remember is to stay within your comfort zone. Do things that you really want to do, not the things that you think you should do. 

Set A (Realistic) Budget: Book advertising and appearances can get pricey fast, and it’s really easy to overlook this when you’re excited and full of GREAT ideas. Pick an amount you won’t go over and stick to it, then decide where to focus your marketing. All online? All events? Merchandise? All of the above? 

Don’t want to break the bank? You can still promote your work for free…it’ll just take some effort. There are tons of book sites out there where you can advertise your work for free (or for cheap). Start Googling similar authors/books and see what you find. Book reviewers will also read your book for FREE and post a review with links to purchase it. Almost all reviewers accept ebooks or PDF formats, so you don’t have to pay to ship your book. You get free advertising and they get a free book. :)

Where to start?

Get Social: At the very least you should have a personal website and/or a Facebook page. You can create an author website using a number of free templates like Weebly (this is what I use) or even Wordpress if you want to include a blog component. If you're not tech savvy, hire someone who can get the job done. It doesn't have to be fancy schmancy. Update your content frequently and be sure that links to purchase your books are easily accessible. Your domain name should be something simple like your name (if it's easy to spell or it's abbreviated) or the name of your book (again, if it's easy to spell). If you have a popular name, or just want to stand out more, try adding the words author, writer, or your particular genre to your name. For example, www.jsmithauthor.com or www.jsmithfantasyauthor.com.

If you’re able, try to use at least one or two more methods of social media for regular promotions. Different media means different audiences. Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, Pinterest, they’ll all work. If you want to take it one step further, get Google Analytics, or utilize the tracking metrics provided by your website carrier, and monitor where traffic is coming from and tweak your promos accordingly. I try to look at my metrics at least once a month and noticed early on that my audience varies widely from each of my social media accounts. I get the most traffic to my personal website from Facebook and subsequently more clicks to Amazon. I also get the most FB clicks when I post pictures. I limit my posts to once or twice a week. I don't get a lot of Twitter traffic to my site in general, or click-troughs to Amazon, but  I do get a lot of retweets and likes if I'm doing a giveaway or promo. My Twitter audience has also been more likely to sign up for my newsletter. Again, it varies depending on what you're putting out there, your intended audience, and your social media platform.  

Time-zones and days of the week are also something to be mindful about. I've read tons of articles about the best days/times to post for particular social media accounts, but never felt they were accurate. It's all about trial and error. Even then though, there is no set pattern. My advice...post what you want when you want. 

Look into writing guest posts on book blogs. You can write about writing, genres, reading, etc. Almost all book blogs are always looking to do author interviews as well. This is a win-win because you get free promotion and they get fresh content.  

Did you say free?

Free Stuff: Giving away anything, especially free autographed copies of your book, is a great way to gain free exposure from people who might not otherwise pick up your book. You can kill two birds with one stone if you implement a required call to action, like entrants have to sign up for your newsletter in exchange for entering your contest.

Amazon giveaways are my go-to for giveaways. It’s super easy to set it up and they ship everything for you. In addition, you can make it required for entrants to follow you on social media, etc. Score! You can also try hosting giveaways on Goodreads or on book reviewer websites. You'll have to package and ship your books/merch though.

Give your books to other authors in your situation. Why? Because authors know what it’s like to, well, be an author. They know it’s hard to get reviews, so they will be much more inclined to sit down and write a well-written review for you. They know how hard it is to promote books, so they will most likely promote your work. I’ve yet to encounter a fellow author, in my genre or other genre, that wasn’t helpful in this way. It can take awhile though. Most authors work a day job, in addition to having a buzzing personal life, so don't take offense if they can't get to it for quite awhile. If another author is kind enough to review your book or provide you with a blurb, always be sure to return the favor. Don't be afraid to make the first move either. Buy their book, read it, post your review, and tell them what you thought. I absolutely LOVE IT when other authors reach out to me in this way! I always add their book to my reading list and tell them I'll review their book within a certain timeframe. If you're not getting a response, you might be targeting authors who are too big and/or only allowed to review books that their publisher tells them to. In the beginning, I foolishly contacted some big names for a review and had to learn the hard way that not everyone will review my book.

Create Some Hype: Teaser trailers are super popular for a reason. If you can’t afford it, or just want to do it yourself, you can download a movie making program, although almost all computers and iPads already have a program on them. iMovie is probably the easiest. Everything is already programmed (music, transitions, etc.), so all you need to do is add your content. Get stock images/videos from a high-quality stock image websites like Shutterstock. You can also find tons of free stock images/vids, like on Photype, it just might take a little bit more time to find them. Before you publish anything, be sure to run it past your publisher first. If you’re an indie author, run it by other authors or friends to make sure everything looks as intended.

Other Stuff:

Bookmarks: Include your book cover, short summary, the ISBN numbers, and your name. Give them to booksellers, librarians, and pretty much anyone who you think would enjoy it. 

Introduce Yourself: Get out in your community and introduce yourself to booksellers and librarians.

Send Out ARCs or Advanced Copies: You can easily set up a template for readers to request a copy.

Thank Those Who've Helped You: Thank the people who read your book and took the time to leave a review. Thank your fellow authors who’ve supported you. Thank the people who took the time to promote your work on their blog, Twitter, or You Tube channel. Thank everyone who has helped you get where you are today. Having said that, I have to give a BIG thanks to the following authors who’ve helped me tremendously with writing advice, promotion, and awesome support: Christie Stratos, J.D. Estrada, Penny Warner, and J.E. Plemons. All of these authors are amazing writers and I highly recommend that you check out their work! Also, thank you to all the people who’ve walked this journey with me, especially to all those kick-ass book bloggers out there. And, a giant thanks to all those who’ve read and posted a review of Strange Luck. Your words mean the world to me. 

♥ ♥ ♥

Have you checked out my other posts on writing? You might enjoy these too:

How to Write A Novel, Part 1: Let The Journey Begin

How to Write a Novel, Part 2: Brainstorming, Drafting, and Getting Organized

How to Be a More Productive Writer

Comments? Questions? Marketing tips? Share below.

Women In Publishing Discussion Recording Available!

If you missed the Women in Publishing/Strong Leadership live discussion panel on April 10, you can watch the recorded video. We had great questions from Twitter, varied opinions and ideas, and overall a fantastic discussion. This is a video you don’t want to miss! 

Special thanks to Christie Stratos for moderating the panel and Joe Compton for hosting. It was a blast and I'm so happy to have participated.

Is Self-Publishing for You?

Workshops, community groups, author advice, and every how-to book imaginable—all the things I utilized to craft the perfect query letter. When one wasn’t particularly effective, I modified it and kept track of the results. I checked my inbox obsessively, and when I saw that an agent responded, my heart would stop. “This is it!” I thought. “My book is finally going to be published!” But, the majority of the time, it was a generic rejection in the form of “This isn’t right for my list.” The whole process was not only overwhelming, but very discouraging. In fact, I almost quit writing as a result. Then, I received the crème de la crème of emails from an interested agent. She wanted a full manuscript exclusive!   

Within a week, the agent had read my book and gushed about it. She said it was highly marketable, but I just needed to “tweak some things.” These things turned out to be not so little. She was removing entire characters and changing the era. I unwittingly made the changes. She read it a second time and said the same thing. I was so close and wanted to be published so badly, so again, I made the changes. She read it a third time and suggested even more, and again I complied. The process took a year. The result? I absolutely hated my book! Everything had changed and my voice was completely buried. I didn’t know who I was writing for anymore…and it showed. I received a cold hard rejection after everything. The worst part? The book was so mangled that I abandoned it. 

This experience was the push I needed to self-publish my first novel, Strange Luck, a psychological YA fantasy about a world built on stolen memories. Self-publishing not only allowed me to see my dream to fruition, it allowed me to present the story I wanted to share with the world. Here’s why self-publishing worked for me and why it might work for you:

Every Decision is Yours: Self-publishing allows you complete control of your story, its characters, and even the description readers see on the back cover. If you choose to work with a professional editor (highly recommended), it’s still up to you to implement the changes. You also get to decide what your book cover looks like.

Publishing Is Quick: Since self-publishing is relatively instantaneous, you can see your book to market anytime you want. This is a great option if you have a particular release date in mind.

Creative Freedom: Unless you’re Stephen King, the majority of agented authors do all the marketing and promotions themselves. This includes booking and putting on author events. Since you’d most likely be doing it anyway, you can take the opportunity to be creative with your marketing efforts. Set up giveaways with a unique catch, create a You Tube channel and vlog about your book and what you’re reading, or even create your own Twitter hashtag. 

Full Ownership: You own all of the rights to your book so you can do whatever you want with it, including selling movie rights if you so choose.

More Money in Your Pocket: Not only do you get to choose the price for your print and/or ebook and where your book is sold, all royalties go to you. You’re also paid once a month vs. once a year. 

Springboard to Success: Some of the best-selling, highest grossing books of all time were self-published. The Joy of Cooking, 50 Shades of Gray, and The Tales of Peter Rabbit are among some notable success stories. The majority of best-selling self-published authors go on to sign with major publishing houses usually because their books and the market they created get too big for them to handle on their own. Self-publishing is actually a great opportunity to get published traditionally. If these authors hadn’t self-published their books to begin with, they might not have gained the attention needed to sign a major publishing deal. 

Whatever your journey, whatever the outcome, the important thing to remember is to NEVER EVER give up writing. Yes, rejection is painful, but it happens to everyone. Stephen King’s Carrie, Frank Herbert’s Dune, Madeline L’Engle’s A Wrinkle In Time, and Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind were all repeatedly rejected by publishers, but it didn’t stop them. And, it shouldn't stop you! Rejection could actually be the driving force you need to take matters into your own hands.

Have you checked out my other posts on writing? You might enjoy these too:

How to Write A Novel, Part 1: Let The Journey Begin

How to Write a Novel, Part 2: Brainstorming, Drafting, and Getting Organized

How to Be a More Productive Writer

Comments? Questions? Marketing tips? Share below.