What can you do while waiting on submission?
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- Опубліковано 28 чер 2024
- Welcome to another #AskMeAnything session! In this series, I'm responding to your questions about the publishing industry and how to write a better book. Leave me any additional questions in the comments and I will add them to my list for future videos!
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GREAT BOOKS ABOUT WRITING/PUBLISHING:
Dreyer’s English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style by Benjamin Dreyer / amzn.to/3VE8dtt
Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody / amzn.to/3Vyk2Bn
Before and After the Book Deal by Courtney Maum / amzn.to/3Z4at03
SOME OF MY FAVORITE BOOKS:
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones / amzn.to/3vvWItt
Fierce Kingdom by Gin Phillips / amzn.to/3CFz4Pt
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid / amzn.to/3CjFFi5
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TODAY'S #ASKMEANYTHING :
01:05 - What should debut authors do while on submission?
03:06 - How can you make readers connect with a passive protagonist?
05:29 - For a dual timeline novel, should you draft both storylines in the same document?
06:33 - How can you write an effective novella or story collection?
07:45 - What if your first 10 pages cut off at an awkward point?
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ABOUT ME:
My name is Alyssa Matesic, and I’m a professional book editor with nearly a decade of book publishing and editorial experience. Throughout my career, I’ve held editorial roles across both sides of the publishing industry: Big Five publishing houses and literary agencies. The goal of this channel is to help writers throughout the book writing journey-whether you're working on your manuscript or you're looking for publishing advice.
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Thank you for this video, Alyssa! Can you please talk a little bit more about what to ask an editor when you have a call with them?
As someone about to go out on sub-this, please!!! Love your channel tons!
This!!
Happy to hear Luca is fine and well.
Question for #AskMeAnything - Do the Big Five publishers ever shy away from authors who have been published by small/independent publishers? Or does their interest actually increase? I suppose maybe the success of the published book(s) is a factor?
Some additional context, I am a horror writer thinking of writing a more extreme horror novel that might NOT be marketable to the Big Five. Wondering if getting this published through small press would later hurt my chances of getting Big Five-published with more marketable books.
I'd love to hear more about this, too!
you're fantastic ❤❤❤❤
internal conflict is how to make your passive character come to life it they are having feeling of being trapped let the reader hear the thoughts about their situation or have them do something to let out their frustration even if it's just tearing up parers just let the reader know why their are doing it
Sometimes life gets in the way...but im still here..cheers👍🖖
I've been working on this medieval fantasy novel for over a year now. I've had ideas that could make it span a trilogy, but at the same time I want to focus exclusively on getting this story done (first). It begs the question: do I actually need to plan out a trilogy? If we suppose the ending isn't a closed ending (which my novel isn't), how much do I need plan out for a story that could span more than 1 book?
Thanks for the vid. Informative, as always.
Interesting, I just finished the first draft of a story almost exactly as described at 5:30. I wrote it in two separate documents though, and it seemed to work just fine. I felt perfectly connected to my characters because I knew them so well. I don't think it would have made a huge difference if I forced them together in the same document, even though that's where they are now (I think it probably would have hurt with pacing and logistics, etc).
A couple questions for you
First, in your opinion what is the best way someone can contribute to the literary world if they do not work in that profession? I am thinking more than just bring books to a LittleFreeLibrary, volunteering at a local library, buying a couple books everything again from a self published author, or raving about them on social media. Do you think they’re all great but what about for people in the not in the industry who wish to get involved more?
Second, if you add a professional had the ability to create a publishing company how do you make sure everyone’s voice is heard? Every good author could have the right to be published and supported? This is hypothetical as I understand the book publishing world is a business and profit is the most important factor, but what if it was some kind of hypothetical nonprofit organization that focussed on promoting a new and good and diverse literature compared to simply what is going to sell in the current marker The best? Genuinely just curious to hear your thoughts
Thank you
Alyssa, I liked your advice about the first ten pages. Agents have told me they often make up their minds after one page. The analogy I've heard is that when somebody sits down at the piano, you know in less than 30 seconds whether or not they can play.
This really came at the perfect time! Thank you so much for your videos, as always:)
Your advice helped a lot. Thank you! Real quick, in one of your old videos about how many agents i should query, you mentioned how writers should pick one agent from each agency. My question is, if there are for example, twelve agents from the same agency, would it still be all right to query 2-3 more of those agents working at the same agency? Im asking out of the high likelihood that the first agent will reject me. Again, your channel is very informative and has helped me a lot through the process. Thanks!
Just subscribed. Love your videos.
As for the two timelines...
It worked for The Lake House.
Good to hear Luca is fine. Maybe create a little space right next to you.
Question:
I was thinking of writing the first half from one characters perspective and the other half from another. Would that be interesting for readers or rather have them mixed throughout the book?
I'm having a hard time pinning down the genre of the novel I'm currently working on. When submitting to agents, I know they want a clear answer to that question. Mine seems to be at home in the "Southern gothic/horror" category, but I have had other writers tell me it's fantasy, which I don't agree with. How do you define a genre-crossing novel or pin down the perfect description? At this point I would love a "what genre is your novel" checklist that could answer that, but if there's one out there I have yet to find it. Thanks Alyssa!
Hi there - I recently posted a video all about determining your book's genre: ua-cam.com/video/d02teQR58rA/v-deo.html Genre-blending novels can definitely be trickier to pin down, but I hope that helps!
Free Luca!
Question for #askmeanything - If you are torn between two different endings for your book, with each ending changing the genre of the book, is it ok to query with both or should you lock one in?
I would caution there's a danger when the ending changes the genre because then the reader will feel cheated and tricked. One of my family members read
Out of the Dark by David Weber. The book starts out as hard science fiction where aliens have conquered earth.
About 75% into the book, it changes to horror when vampires come out of the blue and save earth from the aliens, like a deus ex machina. Understandably, readers were angry. Also, Brandon Sanderson has shared the story of the new fantasy writer whose debut novel started as a traditional clichéd epic fantasy, until near the ending when it becomes a nontraditional, highly original postmodern fantasy. No one was interested in the book because it failed to meet expectations. Changing the genre might work if it's well executed, but there's the danger that it will seem like you don't know how to foreshadow or you're trying to pull off an M Night Shyamalan.
Thank you again, Alyssa, for such an informative video! Question for #AskMeAnything or for anyone who has an answer.
I’m writing a book with a heavy amount of world building; however, I haven’t been using annotations/footnotes. I believe using annotations would further the experience even if they may not be necessary for telling the story. My current manuscript is tittering on the edge of being too long though. Do annotations count toward the word count of a book? I would assume so, but I’ve found conflicting information online. I don’t want to add them if it puts me way over. Thanks!
How common or uncommon is it to start a book with one character's perspective, and focus on that for about 5-6 chapters, then switch POV to a different character? Is there a trick to pulling that off, or is it something I should avoid doing? I know there's plenty of stories out there that do this, but in my experience it's either within a chapter, or every other chapter. Or done the Game of Thrones way, where each character POV is it's own chapter with sub-chapters.
Hi Alyssa, I have a question about comps. It's recommended we use recent book titles (e.g. no more than 5 years old) as comps, but does that time limit also apply to TV show and film titles used as comps for a book? Thanks!
This might have been answered before, but when an agent asks for say, "the first 20 pages of the manuscript" are they asking for single or double spaced?
How do I become a freelance editor? Do I need a youtube channel?
I have a "rights" related question. What are the rules for a fiction story referencing real-world media? Such as singing the lyrics of a famous song or quoting a movie the character likes. Or if a character is watching a movie, can they be watching a real movie? I've read books where the "in world" media is made up and other times where it's based on real movies and songs. Thanks in advance.
How do I get my book into public libraries? If im traditionally published do I tell the agent thats what I want and they do the leg work? If im self published do I just walk into libraries or call them and be like "hey you want my book?"
How does a very poor working class writer make a high-quality author website? If an agent or publisher accepts my work will they help in setting up the website? Either financially, with technical tips or both?
Is it ok to have 2 different narration styles in 1 book if the story is dual pov 3rd person limited? I want 1 protagonist's chapters to sound contemporary style and the other's to sound like period style to reflect their cultural differences. The story is high fantasy. Am I being too extra?
I’m writing a book and I wanted to know how can I get my book published without having to invest my life’s savings.?
Self publish 👍
Lol I have the opposite take. Pursue traditional publishing. Use Google docs or MS word, learn how to format it yourself, and format your query letters. Research agents through Google. All free. Idk if there is a free version or alternative to query tracker because I'm still on the editing/critical feedback stage. Self publishing can be free but not if you want an editor. Freelance editors are pricey. Quering a legit agent is free