Why You Need an Editor. Yes, I'm Talking to YOU

This isn't a great shot, but these little girls are so awesomely adorable. We got to attend our granddaughter's spring dance recital yesterday. The costumes were amazing. So much fun.

Our topic this week at the SFF Seven is editing: do we use editors or do it ourselves, how long does editing take, etc.

As you may have guessed from the title, I'm somewhat passionate on this topic.

Not long ago I saw several authors on a thread discussing whether they still used a developmental editor. This group of guys happened to be all self-publishing authors. One had asked about editing, who people hired, etc. The conversation grew from there, with most of them saying that they used content or developmental editors - which is an initial pass, helping to shape the story - early on in their careers. But, a number of them said, "now that they knew how to write a book/story, etc.," they didn't need to anymore.

I cry utter bullshit on this.

And I'll tell you why!

When I was younger I was a huge fan of both Anne Rice and Pat Conroy. There were a couple of years there where I gave a copy of Conroys' THE PRINCE OF TIDES to anyone I thought might not have read it, for every gift-giving opportunity. Likewise I obsessively followed Anne Rice, and I'll tell you honestly that reading her book THE WITCHING HOUR was a turning point in my life. I could say that's the book that made me want to be a writer.

Not long after that, Anne Rice rather famously went on talk shows to discuss her new book deal, and she said, "Believe me - no one edits Me." (I'd say the emphasis is my own, but she totally said it in bold with capitalization, just like that.)

Then Pat Conroy's BEACH MUSIC came out, which I eagerly devoured. Only to find it so bloated that I couldn't enjoy it. Even as a plain reader, I kept thinking that the book needed to have at least a third of the story trimmed out.

It needed a good developmental editor. So did Anne Rice.

Even though - maybe even particularly if - they didn't think so.

And I'll freely say I think they're both genius writers - but genius writers need editors, too. I'll also put out there that there is no such thing as "figuring out how to write a book/story, etc." Last week at Nebula Weekend, Grandmaster Jane Yolen, who's written over 300 books, said that each novel is different for her and she relearns how to do it every time. Writing isn't making widgets - it's not like you learn how to do it once and then replicate that ad infinitum.

Besides which: I truly believe that it's extraordinarily difficult, if not impossible, for a writer to have an objective view of their own work. We need that outside lens to examine if what we intended to communicate actually made it onto the page.

So, yes, while I do edit myself, I also always use editors, also - content/developmental, line, and copy. If I'm self-publishing, I hire the toughest people I know to put my work through the wringer. In my opinion, not doing that doesn't mean you've "arrived." It only means you're kidding yourself.

My Author Brand Spans Ancient Egypt to #SciFi Romance

After Carina Press bought what was going to be my first published book in mid-2011, I knew I’d better get myself out there on social media and build a brand and a platform to connect with my potential readers. The book was due out in January 2012.

The first step to me was getting a professional headshot, which turned out to be a lot of fun. I went to the wonderful Dick Wiend, who is an actor and who works with many actors and other creatives. Before we shot a single frame, he asked me what I wanted to convey in my photo. I said I wanted to look like I was sitting down with my reader over a cup of tea as longtime friends, in their kitchen or mine, ready to tell them a good story.

That’s still how I feel about my ‘job’ as an author, six years later and how I feel about my brand. I want to tell good stories! And I love my readers….

For my blog, Facebook and twitter posts, I made a conscious decision to stay true to myself and talk about things that interest me, which covers a lot of territory. I’m fascinated by all aspects of science, cats, roses, bagpipes, other romance authors, TV and movies, books, publishing, business topics (process improvement, social media developments, etc), food, science fiction, scifi romance  – I curate a lot of content from many sites and am always looking for things I think my followers will find interesting or amusing or pretty.

I don’t discuss politics or any other heavy duty topic. That’s for my personal life.

My first published book was Priestess of the Nile, so I obviously love ancient Egypt, archaeology, buried treasures…my second book less than three months later was Wreck of the Nebula Dream, a scifi take on the sinking of Titanic. So I had two totally different subgenres of romance I was bouncing between. The wonderful Kim Killion managed to create a banner for me as shown above which combines the two visually and I think ties the author brand all together. (I'm a few scifi romance covers behind so I'd better update that!) She's amazing!

But as I went I realized my ‘brand’ was focusing tighter and tighter on the scifi romance side of things. I write posts on SFR for three major sites now, as well as tons of guest posts, and the majority of my published books are in that subgenre. I haven’t changed my social media approach where I talk about and share all kinds of things but I have changed what I talk about on my blog to pretty much exclusively SFR. I realized I was probably confusing readers if they came to check out the blog and found a post on pretty Victorian ephemera. I used to do a weekly Wednesday Whimsy post that combined quotes and poetry and photos from my vintage advertising cards. That, however, has nothing to do with what I actually write.  So now my Wednesday blog post is given over to a New Releases post covering new SFR, fantasy and paranormal romance books.

Author Cynthia Sax created this wonderful meme for me, which I think sums up my author brand pretty well:

Embracing the Brand

Whelp. After reading Jeffe's excellent post about author brand, it belatedly dawns on me I have one. One I hadn't, to this point, known about, much less embraced.

Crazy Cat Lady.

Seriously. Follow me on Instagram. @marcellaburnard  Have a look at my gallery. Go back through my blog posts. How many cat photos versus photos of literally anything else? Also, who just landed a part time job as a veterinary assistant for a cat-only clinic based solely on a long history of rescue work and learning to give subcutaneous fluids to her own cats? Yeeeeeah.

Not to mention that if you read the reviews of the last book I put out (Damned If He Does) - the very first cat I've written into a story gets mentioned in reviews more than the main characters. I'm seeing a trend here.

But I'm not certain how to capitalize on that, you know? I mean, okay. 10% of everything I make goes to animal rescue (Best Friends and Big Cat Rescue, specifically).  But that's not exactly - I don't know - flashy? Visible? Easily identified?

I could wear sweaters knitted from the fur I've combed from my cats to all my events, but I have concerns about just how many readers would be seriously allergic to me . . .

Wonder if Hatshesput would consent to wear a 'service animal' vest and come to events with me. Without murdering me in my sleep for the affront of making her wear clothes.

Author Branding: A Simplified You

Ten years ago, "Author Branding" was going to save the publishing industry--genre writers, in particular--by improving consumer discovery. All you, the author, had to do was have a blog, a vlog, three Facebook pages, two Pinterest boards, an active Linked-In account, a pre-programmed Twitter feed, four monthly contests, a grand-prize sweepstake, a caravan on the Con circuit, and a nom-de-plume per genre.

If it sounds exhausting, it was. Plus, books weren't being written. Authors were spending all their time chasing the elusive Social Media cash cow, hemorrhaging resources they couldn't afford. Wasn't long before the "Pro-Branding" group got sideswiped by the "Anti-Branders," much like doo-wop meeting punk rock.

These days, the crux of the Author Branding movement is still relevant: Who Is the Public You? Easy, easy, there. This isn't the entrance to the Disingenuine Ball. It is, however, your introduction at the dinner party where the hosts are retailers and the guests are readers, bloggers, other authors, and assorted creatives. It is that simple and that complex.

K.I.S.S.

Your Author Brand is a message, broadcasting into the chaotic universe. Be clear, concise, and consistent. That's the only way to break through the din.

• But I Cannot Fit Into One Box! 
• So what if you write in 16 different genres? Pick one (and no more than two) to paint on the front door of your House of Identity. Your goal is to get customers across the threshold. The foyer is what they expect to find; it's what you've advertised. Once they're interested, they'll wander into the other rooms and discover your other works. 
• Decision Paralysis is a real thing. If a consumer is presented with too many options, they won't be able to make a choice. They'll walk out without a purchase. Sticking with the house analogy, if your foyer is cluttered, people will leave. If it could be featured on Hoarders, they'll run and warn others away.

Using Your Author Brand 

Let's say you're at that networking dinner party. Your Author Brand should be memorable for all the right reasons. You want to be unique enough that you're easy to pick out of a crowd, but not so unique that a crowd never gathers. A modified marketing Rule of Three applies here:

1. Draw Attention
• You can either introduce yourself to your target audience or have someone introduce you. Keep in mind, appearances matter, from your physical person (hygiene, style, poise, and the company you keep) to your digital presence (avatars, web banners, email addresses, and profiles).  How you gain someone's attention will color their first impression of you. 
2. Deliver Your Message 
• This is all about presentation in action. This is tone, tenor, and content. Everyone reads beyond the words. This is where your personality is judged. Are you congenial and kind? Humorous with a biting wit? Shy, stammering, uncertain? Too comfortable, over-prepared, a bit bored? Self-deprecating yet engaging? Irascible and put-upon? Are you know-it-all or a clueless wonder? It is human nature to derive a lot of meaning from very little info.
3. Leave A Call To Action
• Now that the audience has heard your message and judged your character, be bold and make the Ask. Some folks will go for the hard sell here, some folks with a soft. "Buy my book, this specific book, buy it now," versus "Check out my website for a list of my books." Your brand, your message, your choice. 

People have finite memories. Book covers and web-banners have finite space. Whatever you do, don't confuse the message of your Author Brand.

Hi, I'm KAK.
 I write fantasy novels about strong women, strange places, and stranger creatures. 
Check out my website for a free short story:  KAKrantz.com

Your Author Brand - Choosing and Maintaining It

That’s me at the Nebula Weekend mass autographing with science fiction author Lawrence Schoen. His top hat was most snazzy—and the little stuffed elephant is a nod to his elephantine aliens in his novel BARSK. I picked up a copy from SFWA’s (Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America) book depot at the conference and look forward to reading it.

Of course, someone suggested we pose together because of the hats. And, as always, people at Nebula Weekend—though this was my first time attending—commented on how easy it is to find and recognize me because of my big hats.

Also, as inevitably, that evening when I didn’t wear my hat, most people didn’t recognize me. I was honored to present the Nebula Award for Best Novelette and I know that, under stage lights at night, wearing a hat would only cast my face in shadow. I really need to find a sheer hat with net, perhaps, to wear on such occasions. Small hats that might be appropriate, like a cloche, don’t have the same effect—people still literally do not recognize me.

I have this theory that people see the hat and don’t really pay attention to remembering my face. They don’t need to. But it is kind of a problem—albeit solidly first world—that my hats are so recognizable that I nearly vanish without them.

That’s an interesting aspect of having a very recognizable author brand, which is our topic this week.

I’m very lucky to have stumble into this relatively inexpensive, simple and stand-out brand. It came about because I began wearing big-brimmed hats to protect my very fair skin. The very first RWA (Romance Writers of America) convention I attended, I stayed at the overflow hotel a few blocks away in San Francisco. When I walked over to the convention hotel, I wore my hat, naturally, and then kept it on, for lack of any place to stow it. I received so many positive comments and compliments—and people recognizing me again, even after one quick meeting, that I began wearing my hats indoors all the time, at all author events.

Now, as you all likely know, the hat is on my website header, my logo, my business cards, and so on. It is solidly my brand and I’m happy to have it, regardless of minor inconveniences like really needing to find (or make?) a hat I can wear at night.

An author brand is what makes YOU stand out and be remembered. It can be related to your books or genre, but since those things can change over time, it’s better if what distinguishes you as a person and makes you memorable is related to you as a person. It might be hair color, or a style of dress. Maybe certain kinds of shoes. Some authors are memorable for a certain style of wit or social media presence. Perhaps a giant beard or very long hair.

The most important aspect of author branding, however, is to choose wisely. Because, really, as witnessed by my hats, once people latch onto it, they don’t forget. This is a good thing! But it also means you don’t get to be fickle and change it up. Keep that image consistent—and plan to do it for the rest of your career. Which, hopefully, means the rest of your life.

This is one reason I don’t advocate changing your social media avatar—not to a book cover or other logo. Pick something and plan to keep it forever. Don’t think people get bored. It’s how they recognize you.

Make it easy for them to do that!

Also, any and all suggestions on evening hats are most welcome!

You Say Extrovert I Say Introvert

I just really liked this Deposit Photo picture plus there is purpleness

Over the years at the old day job, the Division I was a member of probably tried every team building and self-knowledge tool there was. Some were fun (colors – whee) and some were nearly incomprehensible without the highly paid consultants to explain the results with powerpoint decks. Along the way we did the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, which helps you understand how you perceive the world around you and react. I’m an INTJ who can switch to ENTJ when required.

Before I explain that, hey folks who create tests – I understand myself pretty well without circles and colors and letters and statistics. I’m definitely an introvert who’d rather be at home in my comfy cotton ‘patio dress’ than out at a party. But put me in the right situation – working retail (even a yard sale), doing a panel, teaching a class, signing books – and I’ll be the most extroverted Extrovert you ever saw. I’m also pretty darn good at extroverting on social media because I love it there and the people on the other end can’t see my lovely Dillard’s patio dress of the day. (Think very colorful.)

So, INTJ means “introversion, intuition, thinking and judgment” are how I approach the world on any given day. This would be after I feed the cats and drink my tea and probably before I scan twitter.

This quote I found sums up the INTJ pretty well for me: “INTJs are strong individualists who seek new angles or novel ways of looking at things. They enjoy coming to new understandings. They tend to be insightful and mentally quick; however, this mental quickness may not always be outwardly apparent to others since they keep a great deal to themselves. They are very determined people who trust their vision of the possibilities, regardless of what others think. They may even be considered the most independent of all of the sixteen personality types. INTJs are at their best in quietly and firmly developing their ideas, theories, and principles.”

— Sandra Kreb Hersch; Jean Kummerow (1998). Introduction to type in organizations: individual interpretive guide. Palo Alto, Calif. : Consulting Psychologists Press.

("Very determined" - HA! I am supremely stubborn.)

Nothing is one size fits all!

But if you see me at a book signing, a conference, a panel or a yard sale (where I will sell you ALL The Things for a good price), figure I’m in my extroverted mode and we can have a wonderful, easy going conversation. That goes for twitter and Facebook too.

If you trip over me prowling the aisles of Ralph’s grocery store late at night, eyeing the flavors of Haagen-Dazs, maybe give me a moment to switch gears to the extrovert side, ok?

Start

A friend died today.

I'm a mess. So bear with me here. Forget about introvert and extrovert and do me a favor. You're mortal. Your life is precious and fragile and not stuck in a rut unless you will it to be. While you're alive, you can still DO something.

Start.

Whatever it is you want. Start it. Smile. Breathe deep. Step forward, even if only an inch.

Because only one thing is certain. This all ends. For your sake, for mine, for the sake of the friend who died today, don't go to your deathbed wondering what could have happened.

Oh. And take a second to go hug your loved ones.

My Kingdom for a Writer Retreat

Writing is a solitary activity.  It is fundamentally about holing up somewhere and shutting out the world and getting the work done.  This is a job for introverts.  

But promotion, appearances, interacting with the fellow writing community?  That takes extroversion. And I can do that: I can turn it on and get the job done.  But then I want to crawl back into a hole and just write.  

Now, as things currently go, I don't have much option for holing up.  There's no single space in the house that's just for me just to write.  We also run our business out of the house, and due to the nature of it there isn't an area that can be just MINE all the time.  

This past weekend at Comicpalooza, I was sitting with a bunch of writers, and one that I didn't recognize (and because, you know, that's how things go, no introductions were made between us) talked about finalizing his cabin in the woods: isolated, with a great view of a lake (but still only a few minutes away from the grocery store).  The perfect place to be completely disconnected from the world and just get writing done.

I said that sounded like bliss.

Turns out that guy I didn't recognize was Jim Butcher.

If Jim Butcher is only JUST getting his cabin on the lake to write in isolation, it's going to be a bit for me. So I'll keep working out of my bag, using my headphones to isolate myself.  (And reminding my family that Headphones Means Do Not Disturb.)

All that said: if any of you out there has a cabin on the lake or beachhouse or isolated studio or adobe hut in the desert you want to lend me for a week or so?  Let's talk.  I would love to have a place to retreat to, if just for a little bit.