Writer's Life: School is Out! (Rachel)

 

School is out! If it isn’t for your kids, it will be soon.

This is the time of year that my social media feeds fill with parents bemoaning or celebrating the ending of the school year and the beginning of summer. As a homeschooling mother of three, this transition of seasons signals something different for me.

During the school year, I spend about 90% of my time educating my kids, keeping the household running, and keeping up with all the things that need to be done. Writing takes a backseat to keeping everyone on schedule, breaking up fights, enforcing rules, explaining and teaching concepts, and managing our schedules.

The change in season means a shift in focus. The kids no longer demand my attention most of the day, and schooling is set aside for writing. Even when my children were small, summer meant my mind was freer to focus on writing ideas, brainstorming, and utilizing every spare moment of writing time to the max—anything other than lesson planning and calendar juggling.

Now that my kids are older, maximizing my word count is easier. I claim the schoolroom, spread out my workspace, shoo the kids from the room, put on my headphones, and disappear into my imaginary worlds for hours at a time. I make huge publishing plans, write, edit, and plot. The world is full of possibilities and productivity in the summer months.

Sound boring? Where is my time in the sun? What about vacation time?

I look forward to summer because writing is my favorite activity. I love diving in and living in my book projects. It is never dull.

As for time in the sun, well, I have never been attracted to the sun. I still enjoy admiring sunny days, but since a recent health change, the sun causes pain and health complications. I am learning to avoid it as much as possible without turning into a hermit or a vampire without the whole undead blood-drinking thing. Thankfully, my supportive husband has taken over the swim party duties so the kids don’t miss out.

I will still take vacation time. I have family coming later in the summer, and I will take days off frequently enough thanks to health issues, appointments, and just life. Also, I will have to take time to plan next year’s school year, but after homeschooling nine years, that should only take me a week or so come fall.

So, what does a summer writing day look like for me? It begins with getting up, breakfast, a shower (if I am lucky), and settling everyone in for the day. Sometimes my to-do list delays things more. Life happens. Then, I do a quick scan of my email and social media. When I finally get a chance to get going on my writing, the session usually starts an hour before lunch or in the early afternoon. On a good day, I can manage two or more hours of writing and produce a few thousand words. Other days, it is more like a thousand words or less due to research sessions or interruptions from the kids. Despite appearances, they are definitely not perfect.

Now that you have been given a glimpse of my summer plans,

what do you expect your summer to look like?

Writer's Life: My Favorite Piece of Writing Advice (Lauricia)

Greetings, all, and welcome back to Lands Uncharted. I hope this post finds you and yours well and in good health. For today’s blog, I’d like to offer you the single piece of advice that I find to be invaluable.

I spend a significant amount of time in the car during the week, and as I do, I like to listen to podcasts about writing. One episode I heard last week contained this piece of advice that I decided is pure genius: trust your process.

Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

Trust your process.

As we set out on our paths to become writers, or progress on our journeys to become better writers, it is natural to look at other authors and consider how they “do it.” How does this author publish so many books each year? How does that one consistently write well enough to win all of those awards? How can I become a better writer so that I can stand on the playing field with them? Our desire to create stories that are good enough to get noticed in a crowded market can lead us to examine the processes of others, which is how we grow. As we try the various production techniques of other authors and see which fit, we begin to develop a system of our own.

And then we begin to compare. We may notice that this author produces at an astonishing rate of three books per year, and we wonder why we’re not churning out stories that quickly. Or we see that author winning yet another award, and we wonder why our writing doesn’t even make it to the short list of any competition we enter. We begin to doubt the processes we’re using, and we think that if we could just find that one thing that those other writers do, we could finally shoulder our way onto the bookshelves. So we try other people’s processes but find that what works for them doesn’t work for us. This writer produces so many books because she writes every day, but I can’t write every day because my day job demands a lot of my mental resources, and I’m creatively spent when I get home. Or that writer uses this technique blended with that technique to produce award-winning plots, yet those same techniques frustrate me and leave my creative wheels spinning.

Somewhere along the path of becoming better writers, we get caught up in the processes of others and become trapped in a pattern of comparison and competition until we’re so tangled up in techniques and methods that we don’t even want to put words on a page any more.

It is good to try the things that work for other authors. If we don’t consistently try new methods, we won’t find those that help us and we won’t grow in ability or skill. The problem arises when we abandon what works for us in favor of what works for someone else and get frustrated when that thing that works for someone else doesn’t work for us.

For example, I currently teach five different classes of high school English. This means I prepare five different lessons each day, which takes a lot of creativity. Then I teach those classes, which takes a lot of energy. Then, after the school day ends, I grade the work produced by my students during those classes, which often means I don’t have any creativity, energy, or time to invest in my own writing, so I can’t write every day. A lot of authors will tell you to write every day, which is an excellent piece of advice, but if I let myself be defeated because I can’t seem to find a twenty-fifth hour in a twenty-four hour day, then I would give up and never produce the works that I have managed to create. If, instead, I use that advice to try to improve my process but abandon it when it doesn’t work for me, then I am able to develop a system that enables me to get the words in my heart and my head out onto the page. I may not be producing a book every year, but I am at least producing consistently.

I share all of this to encourage you as you make your way along the writer’s path. It is good to study the methods and try out the techniques of other authors, but if they don’t help you, it’s also good to set them aside. What is important is not what works for someone else, but what works for you. Find those things that help you create stories you love and build those methods and techniques into a system that matches your personality and lifestyle. Then trust your process as you write those stories you long to tell.

Writer's Life: No Plot? No Pants? No Problem! (Lauricia)

 “Are you a plotter or a pantster?”

Utter this question in a group of writers and watch from a safe distance as the formerly unified whole splits into two parts like the ground on a fault line in an earthquake (and with about as much noise). Notice the shifty glances cast as writers discreetly shuffle to one side or the other of the gap now forming, ever-so-subtly aligning themselves with those who are likeminded. Look on and wonder, “What have I done?”

What you have done, my friend, is broached one of today’s literary hot topics.

While the divide is not nearly so dramatic as an earthquake, many authors are firmly established as one or the other, and knowing which side you stand on could be foundational in your career as a writer.

A plotter is someone who outlines an entire work before sitting down to actually write it. Writing this way gives authors a detailed map, allowing them to plan minute details before even writing a word.

 A pantster, on the other hand, is someone who writes without the outline, literally “flying by the seat of the pants”. Pantsters prefer this method because it allows the story to grow more organically, and allows the writer to be surprised during the writing process.

Well known plotters include Katherine Anne Porter, John Grisham, R.L. Stein, and J.K. Rowling. Nora Roberts, Margaret Atwood, Pierce Brown, and Stephen King are among the pantsters. Many authors fall into one of the two camps, and you can find a lot of resources online to help you identify which style suits you the most.

Me, however… I’m more of an excavator. As I’m playing with my initial idea, I find scenes scattered throughout the plot like bones peeking through surface dirt. I craft those scenes carefully, executing the tools to hand as precisely as an architect excavates fragile skeletal fragments from the earth. Once out in the open, I hang them on a plot diagram in rough-guestimation about where they belong. As I write, more of the current work’s structure is exposed, and a better picture of the overall whole begins to form, allowing me to plan the positioning and execution of the elements of the work accordingly.

Much like exhuming a fossilized skeleton from the ground, my method is slow, painstaking work. It requires many drafts, but what work-in-progress (WiP) doesn’t? And, oh, the surprises I find along the way!

If, like me, you find you are neither a plotter nor a pantster, never fear. Writing is subjective, even down to its very creation, and no to authors work exactly the same way. My suggest is to experiment with both plotting and pantsing, borrow what works from each method, and meld them into a combination of your own. Then, when your WiP is completely excavated and ready to be viewed by the masses, look on and wonder at the amazing thing you have done.

What about you? Do you write best as a plotter, a pantster, or an excavator? Let us know in the comments below.

Writer's Life: Why Should I Leave A Review? (Vanessa)

     Hello all! I hope the weather is deliciously cool and wonderful where you are! I’ve already decorated my entire house for fall and have my “fall-scented” candles burning. I love the coziness of fall, especially because I can light a candle, grab a blanket, and snuggle up with a book. But, once I finish the book I immediately (or as immediate as I can!) write a review while the story and my thoughts about it are fresh in my mind.

Before I dove into the writing world of querying, authors, and reviews, I NEVER reviewed a book. I have always been an avid reader, but when I was younger there were never any places to “review” a book other than word of mouth. It wasn’t until I attended my first writing conference that I heard about the importance of book reviews and recommendations.

“Why write a review?” You may ask and I’m glad you did because I’m here to give you a few reasons why!

1)      You thoroughly enjoyed the book

When I fall in love with a new story, I can’t wait to tell someone about it. By leaving a review for the book, I not only find others who feel the same way, but it’s a way I can tell the author “I love your work!”

2)      You want to warn others about the content of the book

Like I mentioned earlier, I never left book reviews until a few years ago. Now that I know about them, I read through a few before picking out a new book to read. Many readers leave details about explicit content in books and what to be wary of. Just make sure to look out for spoilers!

3)      You want to support the author

Reviews are extremely important to an author’s advertising and sales. If you love an author’s story, but don’t know how else to get the word out, leave a review! As an author, I always love hearing my reader’s thoughts about who their favorite character is and how angry they were at the villain. You may just be the words of encouragement that keeps the author going!

I could share many  more, but these are the main reasons why I make a point to leave reviews for the books I read. I hope you can do the same!

Audiobook Basics—Getting one produced is not as hard as you’d think

There’s been a good bit of buzz the last few years about audiobooks and how the market is growing and how indie authors should get audiobooks made. But before you throw your hands up and say there’s no way you can afford it or do it on your own, read on. It can actually be quite affordable—as in no upfront capital to get a professional narrator to do your audiobook. And depending on your distribution and production payment  choices, your royalty rate can be up to 40% of the retail price (20% if doing royalty share). And since many audiobooks are $15.00 or up, that’s a nice way to increase your income and provide great stories to people who prefer or rely on that format.

I’ve been thinking about getting an audiobook done for my first novel, The Rose and the Wand, for some time, so a few weeks ago I started the process, and I hope to have a completed audiobook soon. The process has been a blast so far, and I’m already planning to get my second novel made into an audiobook as well.

A lot of audiobook narrators are also theater and film actors, and since theaters are closed because of Covid-19 right now, now is a good time to get an audiobook done. The narrators have more time and could probably use the extra cash.

Here’s a brief run down of audiobook production basics and my own experience. (I know I said brief and this post is anything but brief, but I wanted to give enough information for a good background—you can visit the websites and other blogs for more in-depth information.)

 

I created this temporary audiobook cover to use
until my designer reformats the book's cover for me.

Audiobook 101: An outline of the process

1) Upload book information to ACX or Findaway Voices

2) Decide on method of payment and whether you want to go exclusive or non-exclusive with the distribution

3) Upload audition script

4) Listen to narrator auditions and choose a narrator. Then work with the narrator to set a timeline for completion and decide on rates, if paying upfront

5) Sign the contract, send the manuscript, and wait

6) Review the first 15 minutes of audio. Once you accept it (or reject, if needed), then additional chapters can be uploaded

7) Be patient as narrator produces and uploads each chapter, one chapter at a time.

8) Upload an audiobook cover

9) Accept the finished product, pay and/or sign final papers

10) Market

Audiobook 101: In a little more detail

1) Decided who to partner with for your audiobook production and distribution

Right now, I know of ACX (acx.com) and Findaway Voices (https://findawayvoices.com/). These two companies act as a go-between for authors and narrators and as distribution companies.

Working with ACX

ACX (connected to Audible and Amazon) offers several options to help connect authors and narrators and get audiobooks produced. Narrators can create profiles on ACX, and authors can search this database for a narrator of their choice and then approach the narrator via ACX message system. Or the author can upload an audition script with information about the book and production payment choices, and narrators can audition for the book.

If you use ACX, you have two distribution options: Exclusive (Audible, Amazon, and iTunes; 40% royalty) and Non-exclusive (can sell anywhere; 25% royalty). If you plan to go wide with your audiobook and can afford at least half of the upfront cost, you should consider Findaway Voices as well.

ACX offers three options for paying for the audiobook: 

Pay for Production 

Author pays the narrator (who is also the producer) upfront. Narrators charge a set price for each finished hour of the audiobook. This is call the Per Finished Hour (PFH) rate. A narrator’s PFH rate depends on their experience. Consequently, the rate can vary greatly. Some newer narrators may only charge $50-100 PFR while the more experienced narrators charge several hundred per hour. If you choose Pay for Production, you can choose Exclusive (Audible, amazon, iTunes; 40% royalties)  or Non-exclusive distribution (you can set up wide; 25% royalties).

How do you know how long your audiobook will be to help you calculate the cost? ACX will give you an estimate of how long your audiobook will be once you tell them your book’s word count. My ~90,000 word novel has an estimated length of 9.3 hrs. So if I did Pay Per Production for this book with a less experienced narrator (say one new to audiobooks but with theater and film experience and so still a great narrator) at the $100 PFH rate, that would be about $930. Findaway Voices has a very nice tool that gives you an estimate of the final cost based on your word count; however, their tool’s lowest PFH rate is $150. (https://findawayvoices.com/pricing/)

Royalty Share and Royalty Share Plus

In this option, the author doesn’t pay anything upfront. They must choose the exclusive distribution option. This is the 40% royalty. This royalty is split between the author and narrator, 20% to each. Check out ACX’s webpage and other blogs for more information on how you might buy out of this eventually, if desired.

In Royalty Share Plus, the author pays some of the production cost upfront and splits royalties.

As you’ve probably guessed, the more experienced narrators generally prefer Pay for Production, as it’s less of a gamble for them getting paid, but you can still get good narrators in the Royalty Share option. Of course, if you choose the latter, it’s especially important to work hard marketing to make sure your narrator gets paid back for their hard work.

Also, when exclusive with ACX, retailers set the price of your audiobook (and I think your royalty is from that retail price). ACX has a general estimate for retail prices here (https://audible-acx.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/6656)

Working with Findaway Voices 

Findaway Voices offers Pay for Production and also Voices Share, where you pay half up-front and then split royalties. If using Findaway, you can distribute through 40 audiobook retailers and library platforms (so you can go wide), set your own price, and keep an 80% royalty. But note that this 80% is after the retailer’s ~50% cut, so it works out to about 40% of the list price (the same as ACX’s exclusive rate). So say you set a $10 list cost for retailers, e.g. for iTunes or Audible. The retailer (in this case iTunes) keeps 50% ($5) and sends the remaining 50% ($5) to Findaway; Findaway keeps 20% of that $5 ($1) for handling distribution and sends you the remaining 40% ($4). In Voices Share, it’s 60% to the author and 20% to the narrator; this requires some exclusivity (so Findaway can handle splitting the royalties, but it is still wide) and comes with a buy-out option. https://blog.findawayvoices.com/voices-share/

2) Choose a narrator

Audiobooks are basically theatrical productions for the ear alone, which means your narrator needs to be able to do a lot of voices and emotions. To gauge whether a narrator is right for your project, you upload an audition script for narrators to perform. You only have 2-3 pages for your audition script (so about 5 minutes of audio), so choose your script carefully. Don’t just take the first few pages of your book. Choose two to three scenes that include your main characters and any other characters who are particularly important. Choose scenes with a range of emotions portrayed. You need to get a feel for how well the narrator “acts.”

When you set up your project, ACX will ask you about your narrator preferences.

a) Do you want a male or female narrator? Or both?

b) What kind of accent? General American? Scottish? Cockney? Southern US? There are a whole host of accents to choose from, and this can be intimidating. If you need help, you can open another browser tab, go to ACX’s narrators page and do a narrator search using the different options (different accent or voice style, for example). Narrator voice samples will come up, and you can listen to those to get an idea of what that accent type sounds like. You might also find a narrator you really like.  https://www.acx.com/ss

c) Voice style and age? What kind of voice do you want? A refined voice? A rough voice? Flirty? Cynical? Very young? Old?

Once you’ve made those decisions and posted your audition script (for ACX, Findaway will suggest narrators), wait while narrator create and upload auditions. Listen to those and contact the narrator you want to work with. Finalize details, including the Per Finished Hour rate, then sign the contract. I started out on ACX Royalty Share, but decided to ask the narrator I wanted to work with what her PFH rate was. While she was very talented, she was new to audiobooks and so had a lower rate. I offered to pay her upfront, and she agreed, and the book was switched to Per for Production. So you can switch methods from what you originally said, if your narrator agrees.

3) Set a timeline and be patient and wait for uploads

You will need to set a date for the narrator to upload the first 15 minutes for your approval. Talk with them about how long it takes. Don’t rush them, since you want a quality product. Once you’re approved the first 15 minutes, the narrator will start working on the rest and upload it chapter by chapter.

4) Be flexible and considerate of  your narrator’s time and effort

Have you ever written out a speech word for word and practiced and practiced it, and when you delivered it, you ended up speaking freely and changing up the words a bit? Well, some audiobook narrators will do that too. As I’ve listened to my chapters while reading along in my book, I’ve noticed some of those little words editors tend to cut but that we use in speech tend to get put back in. The meaning hasn’t changed, but it isn’t exactly word-for-word. Sometimes, narrators may accidently switch a word or two to something else, especially if they are working quickly for a fast turn-around time. Before you get upset, ask if it’s worth mentioning. Does it change the meaning substantially? If not, then it might be best to ignore.

Some narrators may be able to go in and change a word or two without re-recording, others might not without it sounding unnatural. Forcing them to re-record a twenty-five chapter over one word or two may not be worth it in the long run. Be gracious, but also be firm on what is really important. Look up the policies for what you can expect in the way of redos if you have significant issues. But do make sure you listen to all the chapters and make that the chapters uploaded in order.

5) Upload an audiobook cover 

This is not the same as your ebook or print cover. These are square covers about 2400 by 2400 pixels. Check the cover requirements and talk to your cover designer about getting your ebook/print book cover formatted for audiobook. If you can’t get that done, you might consider using a place like fiverr to get a cheap cover done. It won’t match, but not all do. ACX doesn’t like you to just put your vertically designed ebook cover on top of a square background either.

6) Finalize 

When you have all the chapters and the cover, accept the finished product, and pay and/or sign final papers.

7) Market

ACX and Findaway have advice on how to market. Check those out and get to work (especially if you used a Royalty Share option).

Do you like listening to audiobooks? I’ve only listened to a few, mostly non-fiction, but I am loving my narrator’s production of The Rose and the Wand. So I might have to start listening to more fiction audiobooks. Do you think you’ll get one done? If you have an audiobook? How was your experience? Any tips?

What to do with Your Story Idea: Copy Editing and Proofreading (Lauricia, Writer's Life)

Happy spring, everyone! Where I live in south Texas, the bluebonnets are out, the frigid chill has disappeared from the humidity, and I’m finally able to go barefoot without endangering my toes! I hope your corner of the world is equally as beautiful, whatever your preferences.

For the past year and a bit, my Writer’s Life posts have been an extended answer to the question I’m asked most often: What do I do with the story idea I have? If you are new to this series, you can find the previous articles listed below, with all of the necessary links. If you’ve been following along, settle in with your favorite beverage as we discuss the step everybody loves to hate: paying someone else to edit your work.

To many, paying to have your finished manuscript edited seems like an unnecessary expense and, as a reviewer for a book review website, it is something that I find authors skipping much too often. It breaks my heart to have to flag a story because of errors, but I cannot endorse a project riddled with mistakes. Even if you are a grammar genius, everyone is guilty of oversights. My first published novel was scoured by alpha and beta readers, my agent, an amazing copy editor, and a proofreader, yet the first print run contained a character’s name that was misspelled twice. Thankfully, those were the only errors that made it to print, and they have since been corrected. I mention the incident here, however, to emphasize the need to have your work looked over by either a copy editor or a proofreader, preferably both.

Even though the term “editor” is loosely applied to anyone who reviews and/or edits a story for publication, there are actually different types of editors. Two of them, copy editors and proofreaders, are essential for every author, whether traditionally or independently published. Their definitions are pretty straight-forward, so I’m simply going to quote them. According to Grammarly.com, a copy editor is one who checks “written material for grammar, spelling, style, and punctuation issues before it’s prepared for proofreading. A copy editor may also do a rewrite, if necessary, to fix any problems with transitions, wordiness, jargon, and to ensure the style of the piece fits with the publication. This work is known as revision.” A proofreader, on the other hand, is one who “works with a facsimile of a finished product, or a proof (hence the term proofreading). Proofreaders don’t suggest major changes to the text; rather, they look for minor text and formatting errors and confirm the material is ready for publication.”

If you are independently published, you want to take the time (and, yes, the expense) to hire both. If you are traditionally published, this is usually taken care of, however, depending on the size of your publishing house, you may still need to take responsibility for these edits on your own. If you are seeking traditional publication, both a copy editor and a proofreader are a must. Don’t assume a prospective publisher will look beyond frequent errors to see the quality of your story. The number of errors your submission has is almost always considered a fair indication of the overall quality of the work. (I’m sorry if this is a painful truth; it’s better that you hear it now, before you’re deeply invested.)

All of that being said, you must be careful when you are searching for a copy editor and/or a proofreader to work with. If you know any published authors or belong to any writer’s groups, I recommend asking for recommendations. This way, you already know the copy editor/proofreader is reliable and produces quality work. Alternatively, you can go to the Editorial Freelancer’s Association website.

As always, this topic is too complex and deep for me to fully address in the length of this post. What I’ve written here is only a toe into the pool. If you want to dive deeper, I recommend you start with this article by Wendy LauraBelcher, which gives a great deal more detail, as will a general search on your favorite search engine.

Thank you for joining us today. I would love to hear from you. If you’re writing, what are you working on and how is it going? If you’re reading, what is your current book about?

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As promised above, here's the complete list of what to do with your story idea:

1. Write down everything you know about the story idea. Keep writing until you can’t think of anything to add. (Read more here.)

2. When you’re not writing, work on your social media platform.  Develop your on-line presence authentically, in a way that is genuine. (Read more here.)

3. Go back to your idea. Organize everything you wrote in step one into something with structure and shape. Turn that collection of ideas into a plan and begin your first draft. (Read more here.)

4. Start a website. A blog is good because it gives readers a taste of your writing, but if you feel that you can’t commit to a blog, then you need to have a website at the very least. (Read more here.)

5. Edit your first draft. Complete this step as often as necessary. (Read more here.)

6. Start an e-mail list. (Read more here.)

7. Enlist alpha readers who will give you story feedback. (Read more here.)

8. Once your book is as polished as you can get it, enlist someone else to edit it.

9. Decide how you want to publish (indie or traditional) and study the process. Learning the necessary details will save you a lot of time and, potentially, a lot of money in the long run.

10. Start the next story!