ThrillerFest Roundup

“If your’e struggling, level up.”

—JT Ellison

I learned a TON at this year’s ThrillerFest, and I thought I’d share!

Diana Urban presented for BookBub, and she gave us SO many ideas on marketing (applicable to both traditional and self published work). Her presentation is available for download here.

Some really experienced writers shared stories with me about publishing highs and lows, which I found incredibly encouraging and made me feel armed for this next year (I have a book coming out and a book in edits and a book on the shelves, and am worried about All the Things). A common thread I heard from them was that there WILL be highs and lows, and the best way to prepare for them is to:

• Be proactive with the marketing and promo you can do yourself. Get creative, work on this for an hour or two a day, be consistent, and stay on top of things.

• Be professional and kind to everyone you meet; Publishing is a VERY small world. Everyone knows everyone.

• Don’t be afraid to ask questions, but don’t pester people; tailor things into concise emails, and if a lot of follow-up needs to happen, have your agent do that so you aren’t the bad guy. Stay on top of the financials and business stuff. Remember that this IS a business; try not to approach the logistics from a place of emotion.

• Above all, WRITE THE NEXT BOOK. As JT Ellison (resident bad ass and knower of all things) told me, write a book they can’t ignore.

• Publishing is a tough business. It’s easy to fall into complaining or negativity. Try to see the positive and rise above the negativity, shaking it off as quickly as you can. Remember, it’s all about the writing. Try to keep most of the emotional energy around the writing itself, not the marketing, sales, PR, etc.

I heard great things about AuthorBuzz, if you’re looking to hire your own marketing. Specifically, I heard there is a woman there named MJ who is wonderful.

JT Ellison raved about Sarah Weinman’s Women in Crime Anthologies, which contain crime fiction written by women in the 1940s and 50s. How badly do we want to read something vintage and noir, only to come up against blatant racism and misogyny in works by authors like Dashiel Hammett? I’m so excited to read these.

Jennifer HIllier’s Jar of Hearts won a Thriller Award for Best Hardcover, which was incredibly well-deserved. I have insider knowledge that her next book should be surprising, psychological, and intensely well-written. I cannot WAIT.

Quotes from Thrillerfest I wanted to share:

“Respect your people’s time. When communicating with your agent/editor, respect their time and keep things as minimal and simple as you can. “ Steve Berry

“Every chapter should ask a question and leave some questions unanswered.” Kimberly Belle

“A reader needs an emotional investment in a character, even if that’s that you want to see them get their comeuppance. There has to be a reason to keep reading.” Cate Holohan

“Use your newsletter to build your readership. It’s going to be slow and steady, but those are your real readers.” Steve Berry

“Write a book they CAN’T IGNORE.” JT Ellison

What is Success? [insert laughing/sobbing]

When your first book comes out, you come to some awful realizations.

1. The sales numbers you see are not accurate. You will not know how many books you sold in this fiscal quarter for many months.

2. You will not know if your publisher is happy or sad about your sales unless you hit some pretty serious markers (a bunch of printings, hitting list).

3. You will now continue to try to publish books, not really knowing if your prior book is what your publisher would consider “successful.”

4. The only data there is to really analyze is reviews: how many on Amazon/Goodreads, what the average star rating is, how many trade reviews/articles/newspaper write ups and what they said…But the problem with reading reviews is, it will drive you slowly and irrevocably insane because this is art after all, and what one reader loves another loathes with all their heart.

So now what? I’ve been asking various authors at different stages in the journey (six books out, one book out, three books out) who seem from the outside to be what anyone would consider “successful.”. What I’ve discovered is that they all have similar struggles, whether they received a small advance and sold relatively few or received a large advance and sold many.

So I’ve been trying to come up with my own metrics for success. If I keep equating success with popularity, sales, and reviews, I’m going to drive myself off a cliff with worry because I have no control of these things. I need to find a way to define creative success in such a way that I can actually achieve it. If I keep considering success in terms of popularity and numbers, I’ll keep setting myself up for disappointment. And what if I did hit these metrics? It would be because of efforts that were out of my control and which I can’t replicate.

So here are some ideas I’ve come up with that perhaps we can use as success metrics instead of sales and popularity. Maybe each of us could ask ourselves these questions in order to determine if a project was successful:

• Did I make the thematic artistic statement I set out to make?

• Did I create deep characterizations, atmospheric world building, and a compelling plot to the best of my ability?

• Did I collaborate effectively with my agent, editor, and critique partners, using the advice given to me to make the project stronger?

• Did I do my best on the syntax and stylistic elements, refining the project at the line level to the best of my abilities?

• While working on this project, did I still attend to my mental and physical health? Did I still care for my child and was I still a good friend and loved one to those around me? Did I still do my best at my day job?

• Once the book was written, did I make sure to return to promoting others’ work, doing blurbs and encouraging those around me? Am I attending to my relationships with those both ahead of me and behind me on this road?

• Have I done my share of the marketing and PR work, continuously learning and growing as I pay attention to what’s working for other people and trying new things on my own?

• Have I been professional and collegial with my publishing team, keeping my expectations of them realistic and being a strong businesswoman on the back end of my publishing career?

• Have I grown since the last book I wrote?

• Am I working on new projects and keeping my eyes on the road ahead?

I’m going to open comments up on this post. Please feel free to leave me your own ideas about what success as an artist looks like.

The Kill Club

THE KILL CLUB is my second published book. It comes out December 17, 2019. 12/17 is my daughter’s birthday, which is interesting because THE KILL CLUB was inspired by a story about a mother and is, at its core, about the brutality of loving someone as much as mothers love their children.

For me, books usually start out as a little seed, a little whisper. In the case of THE KILL CLUB, the little whisper of a book idea came from this news story in 2012:

This news story got me thinking about a lot of things. Gun laws, the luxury of the presumption of innocence enjoyed by us white ladies, the fact that this woman KNEW she was being stalked and yet was totally alone in this situation… There’s a lot to unpack here. But, above all, it was that last line that made my writer’s brain whir into gear.

“There’s nothing more dangerous than a mom with her baby.”

So here we are, with THE KILL CLUB, a book about people who have, through desperation, started swapping murders to save themselves from stalkers who can’t be prosecuted; unchecked abusers; authority figures threatening children. It’s a thriller’s thriller, but it’s also a book that’s very dear to me and was extremely emotional to write.

So yeah, my emotional heartfelt book is called THE KILL CLUB and it’s about murder and is scary as hell. I hope you enjoy it. I’m really sorry if it makes you a little more afraid of crowded spaces and strangers.

I mean, I’m not that sorry. You should always keep an eye on the people around you.

You never know who might have sent them.

THE KILL CLUB

MIRA BOOKS

DECEMBER 17, 2019

Jazz can't let her younger brother die.

Their foster mother Carol has always been fanatical, but with Jazz grown up and out of the house, Carol takes a dangerous turn that threatens thirteen-year-old Joaquin's life. Over and over, child services fails to intervene, and Joaquin is running out of time.

Then Jazz gets a blocked call from someone offering a solution. There are others like her, people the law has failed. They've formed an underground network of "helpers," each agreeing to murder the abuser of another. They're taking back their power and leaving a trail of bodies throughout Los Angeles—dubbed the Blackbird Killings. If Jazz joins them, they'll take care of Carol for good.

All she has to do is kill a stranger.

Drafting in Halves

I draft in 4 acts, which is something a lot of us using Save the Cat! outlining methods do. Basically what that means is, I treat Act 2A and Act 2B as completely independent acts rather than trying to write them together.

Apart from this, I have a new drafting strategy I’ve used during my last 2 books that’s working really well for me, and I’ve shared it with a few friends who have also loved it, so I thought I’d share! I started working this way because it’s faster and leads to fewer revisions, but now I’m going to continue just because I love it so much.

My concept is: Make sure each piece works before moving on to the next. Make sure the foundation is solid before building on top of it.

Here’s what I’ve been doing:

1. Write a pitch, proposal, synopsis, full beat sheet, and the first 50 pages. Get all these materials into a third draft. This takes at least a month for me, but I’ve seen friends do it in a week. (We hate them.)

2. Write Act 1. Revise. Get feedback from CPs. Revise.

3. Write Act 2A (including midpoint). Revise. Get feedback from same CPs. Revise.

4. Revise the entire draft as a whole (I now have half a book) for continuity, making sure the tone of all scenes is right given what happened in the scenes before, etc. Address characterization, setting, get rid of scenes that don’t serve the plot, drop in clues and foreshadowing, etc.

5. Get a beta read for the whole first half from a cold reader, someone who’s not read any of it yet. Revise.

6. Stop. Set the draft aside. Revise my synopsis and beat sheet to reflect the changes I’ve made during drafting.

7. Ask CPs what expectations they have for the second half now that they’ve read the first half. Anything they’re hoping to see, anything they’re afraid of? Try to get a feel for reader expectations based on what I’ve set up. Basically I’m making sure I have a handle on the promise of the premise I’ve created. What loaded guns have I introduced? What promises have I made the reader?

8. Using these notes and my original beat sheet and synopsis, make a new beat sheet for Act 2B.

9. Draft Act 2B through the Dark Night of the Soul beat.

10. Send to original CPs, the ones who have been reading chunks throughout. Revise based on their feedback.

11. Reconsider Act 3 from scratch. Outline. Make sure I’m satisfying all reader expectations and all promises, loaded guns, etc.

12. Draft Act 3 and denouement. Revise entire second half.

13. Revise entire draft from beginning for continuity, character arc, tone, etc.

14. Send entire half to the same beta reader who read the whole first half. (I have not had time for this step when writing on proposal, but I think it is a best practice). Revise.

I love how it’s like “Write a novel in seven thousand easy steps” but I mean, there’s no quick and easy way to do this and this is just the most efficient way I’ve found so far. Let me know if you have a better way!

Here is a link to the beat sheet I use. It contains helpful resources and a concise description and placement of each beat from Save the Cat! Feel free to steal it and pass it along. I didn’t make any of this up; I just compiled all these different things I was using into one place.

Happy writing!

For Real Not Joking Synopsis Post

Let us pour out a drink for all the writers being murdered by synopses. I wrote a post on this awhile back that was mostly me being a smartass and avoiding the synopsis I was supposed to be writing at the time, but here's how I write a synopsis when I manage to stop being a smartass and actually do the thing, which to be honest is a rare occurrence.

Synopsis Basics (as I understand them):

-  Synopses are usually 1-2 pages long, but if your publisher really hates you, you may be asked for up to 5 or 6 pages. In this post, I'm focusing on the 1-2 pagers, but the format is the same; you just expand or contract the level of detail depending on the requested length.
-  They contain spoilers.
-  They should be in third person present tense.
-  They should be voicey and snappy, like your query or back cover copy. 
- They are commonly single spaced Times New Roman, 12 Pt Font, with your name and  book title at the top. 
-NOTE: If you're here because you're entering Pitchwars 2018, you'll need to submit a ONE PAGE synopsis. See more info on the Pitchwars FAQ page. 
 

Step One: Organize Your Book's Outline

Here is a link to the beat sheet I use to outline my novels. I separate my books into 4 acts, and here are the main plot points I'm working with (I did not invent this. I use a combo of some different outlining tools I've studied over the years, mainly Save the Cat and Anatomy of Story and a bunch of stuff I've read online.):

• Intro and Set Up: The before picture, the world that has to change because it is broken, and the MC is the only person who can change it.

• Inciting Event: The event that will force MC to take action

• Debate: The road ahead of the MC is scary. Make sure the MC's motivation to enter the action is all clear on the page in the debate.

• Break into Act 2: A whole new world. Transition often involves a setting change.

• Act 2A: Climbing up the mountain, gathering companions along the way. The B story is here too (love interest, etc).

• Midpoint: Holy crap, this changes everything. Stakes raised in a huge way.

• Act 2B: Everything is falling apart, the bad guys are closing in, MC's team is losing the battle and running out of time.

• All is lost: That's it, bad guy has won, MC has lost everything, there's no way out

• Break into Act 3: Hero's team regroups, finds a way out, casualties and excitement and war.

• Climax: Villain and MC face off, and it's the battle of their similarities that makes a truly great climax and shows us why one is the hero and the other is the villain.

• Denouement: The new world with consequences of everything that happened.

Step Two: Organize Outline Into Six Paragraphs.

Don't laugh at me. I'm serious. Maybe get a glass of wine though. 

Paragraph One:

Introduce the MC, stakes, and main conflict of the story. "If Jessica doesn't divorce her hackey-sack playing husband, her children will grow up thinking hackey sack is normal." The purpose of P1 is to make us care. Why is this story being told? Why must things NOT stay the same as they are in Act 1? You can recycle a lot of your query in here if you wrote a good query.

Plot points to cover:
-  Intro and Setup
-  Inciting Event
-  Debate

Paragraph Two:

MC goes on their mission. What does that look like? What companions does the MC meet along the way? DO NOT DROP SEVEN THOUSAND NAMES IN THIS SYNOPSIS. We need to know about the love interest, main friendships, and don't forget to make sure we know who the antagonist/antagonistic forces are. Act 2A is all about building and climbing uphill. 2A is the hardest work of the book, and it should feel like increasing pressure and energy as we approach the midpoint.  

Plot points to cover:
-  Break into Act 2
-  B story (love interest or the equivalent)
-  Act 2A major action

Paragraph Three:

The midpoint gets its own little beat here. Much like in your book, the midpoint should feel like standing on the top of a mountain. When you got to the top of the mountain, nothing on the other side looked as you expected. This is a big moment. 

Plot points to cover:
-  Midpoint--how does this change EVERYTHING?

Paragraph Four:

Back into the fray! Action is coming faster now. You've already introduced everyone we need to know about. How does it all fall apart for the MC, bringing them to their lowest point? 

Plot points to cover:
-  Act 2B
-  All is lost--end this paragraph on the All is Lost moment. Leave us there for a second, sour with the feeling of disappointment as we realize our hero has failed to accomplish the mission. 

Paragraph Five:

But the hero rallies and finds a way out! Walk us through the big climax, and end this paragraph there. 

Plot points to cover:
-  Break into Act 3
-  Climax
 

Paragraph Six:

Although the MC won the fight (maybe), things look differently than they'd expected. Because they've changed through all this, the world they are coming back to looks smaller, and now they have to live with the consequences of all their hard choices. What does that look like? How does this story end? 

Plot points to cover:
-  Denouement

Disclaimer: This is just how I do it. If it doesn't work for you, no hard feelings. I'm obviously someone who adheres to commonly accepted plot structures. Perhaps you're not! I still encourage you to review your outline and organize the information in outline format before creating your synopsis masterpiece. If you have other tricks of the trade, please let me know so I can steal them. Good luck!