Fill-Me-In Friday

Welcome to the new Friday feature--Fill-Me-In Friday where I share some of the best links I've come across during the week.


On the web...

 

Sherrilyn Kenyon's keynote speech from RWA - Totally made me cry when I heard it in person. If you ever want to get whiny about writing, go read this and kick your own ass.

*not actual cover, check out others here*

A Social Media Marketing Success Story via Anne R. Allen and the post she's talking about: An Unfinished Book Hits Number One

Things Learned at RWA 11 via Dear Author - I linked to it on Wednesday, but if you didn't check it out, go now. :)

Romances Don't Have Enough Condoms and Have Too Much Fantasy - Smart Bitches, Trashy Books take on the latest study blaming all of life's woes on romance novels. All of the stuff that is blamed on romance novels makes me tired. Really, really tired. (And for the record, I would say 99% of romance novels I read tackle the issue of protection. The only ones who don't are historical novels where birth control methods weren't exactly available.)

Forget Everyone Else by Jessica Faust - On writing the story you want to write.

There's going to be a Q & A with author Maya Banks on Dear Author on Sunday- Everything you were afraid to ask about publishing. Maya is both e-pubbed and traditionally pubbed and is now venturing into self-pubbing. You can go submit questions still and she said not to hold back! :)

Kristen Lamb is giving her intitial thoughts on Google+ and is generously going to test it out for those of us who are wary of entering yet another social media zone.

What Separates Man From Penmonkey by Chuck Wendig - Warning: If you haven't read Chuck before, his posts are hilarious and insightful, but rated R. There, you've been warned. :) Now go read it.

What You Missed on my Author Blog:

Boyfriend of the Week: Jensen Ackles

Weather P0rn - Where Would You Move If You Could?

And if you missed Monday's post, I'm still looking for people willing to host me for a spot on my blog tour for CRASH INTO YOU. If you're interested, please sign up here.

And last bit of personal pimping--I've been interviewed for the Writer's Knowledge Base newsletter. Check it out here! And if you haven't already, subscribe to this super helpful free newsletter. Lots of good info each month.

Hope everyone has a great weekend! What was your favorite link of the week? Have you read any of the ones above yet?

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  All content copyright of the author. Please ask permission before re-printing or re-posting. Fair use quotations and links do no require prior consent of the author. ©Roni Loren 2009-2011 |Copyright Statement|

Six Month Countdown!

Just got back from RWA and had an amazing time and met so many fabulous people (many of which I met first online via this blog.) I'll have more RWA posts in the upcoming week.

I usually don't post on Sundays, but just wanted to stop in for the "My book comes out in six months" squee! And I'm sharing the squee with my RWA roommate and beta buddy Julie Cross whose YA thriller TEMPEST comes out the same day as mine.

Here are me and Julie in NYC:

Julie and I met each other blogging. When we started reading each other's work, neither of us had an agent or even a glimmer of a book deal. We each just had a pile of rejections. We were both newbie writers trying to figure all of it out. Less than two years later, we're six months from seeing these on the shelves...

Everything really can change in a blink. So those of you still in the pre-published trenches, don't give up hope!

Have a great fourth of july everyone!

Tweet All content copyright of the author. Please ask permission before re-printing or re-posting. Fair use quotations and links do no require prior consent of the author. ©Roni Loren 2009-2011 |Copyright Statement|

Five Promotion Tips for the Shy Writer by Lindsey Bell

For those of you who don't know, next week is the Romance Writers of America (RWA) Conference in NYC. This is the biggie, the grand poo-bah, the conference we romance writers start countdowns for the minute the last one ends. It's basically four days of non-stop awesomeness--workshops, book signings, parties, and best of all hanging out with writers/industry professionals from all around the world.

If you've never been and you write anything with a romantic thread (including you YA-ers), you should make a point to get to this conference one year. 

So anyway, this means that next week I will be too busy to blog. (Though I will be tweeting from the conference, so be sure to tune into that.) 

But since I won't be around, I've hooked you up with a week's worth of awesome guest bloggers. Yay! And I'm actually starting the guest blogging a little early. The fabulous Lindsey Bell sent me this post and I told her I had to put it up early because for those of you going to the conference (or any place where you'll have to pitch or promote yourself). This is great advice. 

So take it away, Lindsey...

How to Promote When You’re Too Shy to Promote

by Lindsey Bell

If there’s one thing you need to know about me, it’s this: I’m shy. I’m an introvert at my core. Public speaking makes me nervous. Talking to editors intimidates me. My voice even gets shaky when I talk to other authors. I guess there’s a part of me that still wonders if my writing is any good. You’d think getting published would alleviate these fears, but for me, it hasn’t. I’m still shy. But…I’m learning to manage it.

Last fall, I did something I’ve avoided for years. I pitched my book to several editors and agents at a writing conference. Yes, I was petrified. Yes, I was drenched in sweat by the time the pitches were over. (Seriously, I should have brought an extra shirt.) But it was worth it. I met my agent at one of those pitch sessions, and we’ve been working together for the past six months to get my manuscript polished and submitted.

As a writer who has finally learned how to manage shyness, I feel obliged to pass along some tips to other nervous writers.

1. Dress the part. I try to wear professional-looking outfits when I talk with editors, agents, or other authors. I’m telling you, it works. Just as wearing a fancy new dress makes you feel pretty, wearing a professional outfit makes you feel like a professional (even when everything inside of you is screaming that you’re not).
2. Come prepared. When you go to a writing conference and plan to promote your work, be prepared. Bring your book proposal and sample chapters. (In fact, I’d bring several copies of your proposal, just in case you run into another editor who likes your work). You should also bring business cards.
3. Perfect your pitch. The pitch should be a couple of sentences long and include the title, theme, and basic story line of your book. Once you’ve written your pitch, practice it. Have it so well memorized that you can say it without even really thinking about it.
4. Remember that they are people too. Editors, agents, and other authors are just like you. Try to take them off the pedestal and view them as normal human beings. It’s also helpful to remember that they are rooting for you. They want you to succeed.
5. Believe in yourself. So what if you’re a first-time author? So what if you are young . . . or old . . . or whatever thing you think makes you less qualified? Believe in your writing, and believe in yourself. Because when you do, you’re a lot more likely to find someone else who will believe in you as well. J

Good luck, and happy pitching!

Lindsey Bell is a nonfiction author, stay-at-home mother, wife, and blogger. She is working with the Blythe Daniel Agency to find a publisher for her parenting book entitled “Searching for Sanity.” When she’s not writing or chasing after her two-year-old son, Rylan, she’s likely spending time with her husband, Keith. Or then again, she might be taking a nap.

Contact Information:

Author Blog:

www.lindsey-bell.blogspot.com

Miscarriage Blog:

www.livingwholeagain.blogspot.com

Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/AuthorLindseyBell

Twitter:

http://twitter.com/LindseyMBell

Thanks so much, Lindsey!

 So are you shy like me and Lindsey? Does the idea of pitching make you want to curl into the fetal position? What things have helped you get through conferences or pitch sessions? And who is going to be at RWA next week?

Tweet All content copyright of the author. Please ask permission before re-printing or re-posting. Fair use quotations and links do no require prior consent of the author. ©Roni Loren |Copyright Statement|

Writing Contests:Should You Take a Shot?

There are writing contests everywhere. Besides the small ones on blogs for opening lines and flash fiction and such, there are dozens of more formal ones put on by local chapters of writer's groups. These contests usually involve submitting part of your manuscript (15, 25, 50 pages depending on contest) and sometimes a synopsis or query letter. In the first round, your work is evaluated by a panel of judges which typically includes published authors. Then if you final, you move on to another judge--and here's the exciting part--this judge is usually an agent or an editor at a relevant publishing house.

Photo by Reggie Alvey (click photo for link)These contests cost money, which I know makes some think--wait, I'm paying for a contest. Aren't those usually free? But keep in mind that these are often put on by local chapters who have their own administrative costs to run such a venture and this serves as their non-profit fundraiser. The fees are usually reasonable--most around $25. If you enter at the national level, like RWA's Golden Heart, then the price goes up.

So is entering a contest worth that $20-$50 bucks you're shelling out? Well, I entered a number of contests (and won a few!) before I signed with Sara and here are the benefits I see:

1. You get to see your score sheets and feedback from the judges. So basically a critique, in some cases, by a published author.

2. If you place, you now have something to add to that bio paragraph in your query letter. (And I know that bio paragraph gives a lot of unpublished writers anxiety because--oh crap, what the heck do I put in there?)

3. Impartial feedback. These judges are not your mom, your friends, or even your critique buddies whom you already have a relationship with. The judges don't even know your name when they are looking at the manuscript.

4. There are sometimes small cash prizes if you place and your name may be listed in some of the trade magazines like Romance Writers Report.

5. Did I mention that if you final, your entry usually goes to an agent or acquiring editor? Hello, nurse! No slush pile to sit in--your work in front of someone who can make something happen.

On the negative side...

--Winning doesn't guarantee publication. It doesn't even guarantee you'll get a pages request from the agent or editor. 

--Judging, like anything else, is subjective. I've won some contests, finaled in others, and then didn't place at all in a few with the same exact manuscript. 

--It costs money

--If you have a book that doesn't neatly fit into a category, it can be hard to figure out the right section to enter your manuscript in.

And just as a side note, many of these contests are run by romance writers chapters. However, that doesn't mean your book has to be straight up romance. Almost every contest has a young adult category and a mainstream fiction category--as long your book has "romantic elements", you can enter. Here are the upcoming contest for RWA chapters. Of course, there are other contests for specific things like memoirs, screenplays, paranormal, horror, mystery, thrillers, etc. If you want a comprehensive list of a variety of contests, check out this link. Although this site lists last years dates, these contests are run yearly, so check out the provided links on the page to get updated info.

As for me, I enjoyed entering contests. It built my confidence tremendously. There's really nothing like winning and knowing that the judges thought your entry was the best of the bunch. But also, even when I didn't take top prize, I usually received great feedback that helped me improve. So I definitely recommend them.

How about you? Are any of you going to enter any contests this year? For those of you who have done the contest thing, what was your experience like?

*This is a revamped post from November 2009

I'm a Finalist!

*Sorry that this picture only has vague relevance to the topic, but I couldn't resist.  By far, the funniest Saved By The Bell episode ever.*

 A while back I mentioned that I would be entering a couple of writing contests for the first time and promised to share what my experience was like with y'all.  Well, this weekend I got a call from the North TX RWA letting me know that my manuscript, Wanderlust, has finaled in the Contemporary Series Romance category of the Great Expectations contest!

I am so excited!  Now I get a day to read through the judges' feedback and revise before the entry gets sent to the final judge--an editor at Harlequin.  :)  Woo-hoo!

So obviously I'm feeling pretty good about contests right now, but let me share a bit of my experience so far.  First, I have to say that these results came back very quickly and the amount of detailed feedback from the three judges (two of whom were published) was awesome.  They teased out things me and my crit group had not caught (and we're a picky bunch) and it wasn't just surface feedback--their comments showed they had put a lot of thought into it.  This kind of feedback is worth its weight in gold and was a great return on my small contest fee even if I hadn't finaled.

In addition, I can't tell you how nice it is to have people who are either published or are trained as judges tell me such positive things about my writing and that my story is of publishable quality.  I'm definitely going to save those files and pull them out when I go through my inevitable "I'm a Total Hack" days.  So thank you to those anonymous judges who have given me that gift.

Now, although my experience has been very positive, I do want to give one word of warning about contests.  Remember not to freak out if you get feedback you don't like or agree with.  Even though these are educated opinions, they are still just opinions.  Angi Morgan, who recently sold her first manuscript, wrote a great article on keeping contest feedback in perspective.  So go into these things with that in mind.

But all in all, I think the positives outweigh that minor risk.  So, if you're looking for some totally outside feedback and a chance to jump the slush pile of an editor or agent, consider entering one.  They are especially helpful if you want to "test out" your beginning or hook because contests usually have a page limit (first 15, 25, 50 pages).

Most of the local RWA chapters run these contests and they're open to anyone--you don't have to be a member.   And I know a lot of you write YA and may think that these don't apply to you, but almost every contest I've seen has a YA category.  (Here's a list of some upcoming contests.)  So take a chance and put yourself out there.

Also, totally off subject, but I'd like to give a little shout out to my New Orleans Saints for winning the Super Bowl!  Sometimes the underdog really does triumph--okay so it took a few decades to get there, but still, I always believed.  :)

Have you entered any contests?  Why or why not?  What's been your experience?

**Today's Theme Song**

"I'm So Excited" - The Pointer Sisters

(player in sidebar--go ahead, take a listen)