Noir at the Bar - Superior Fiction!

Saturday I had the pleasure of listening to eight impressive authors read their own work at DCs Wonderland Ballroom. This was my fifth Noir at the Bar event, hosted as always by E.A. Aymar, and this was surely the best yet.

The bar is always full for these readings and the audience is tasked with choosing whose story and reading were the best. The shot at bragging rights seems to attract the cream of local talent.

James Grady opened the evening with a reading from his first novel, Six Days of the Condor, the bestseller that was adapted into a film starring Robert Redford. Screenplays, articles and a dozen or so novels followed, but the prose in the first book seemed as fresh as anything written this year.

David Swinson’s tale of undercover police surveillance was a gritty slice of reality taken from his 16 years of experience as a DC cop. When he reads you can feel the streets as if you’re there right then.

Alan Orloff’s chilling story of a man dealing with bizarre nightmares had the kind of twist ending that one does not quickly forget. No surprise. Having won a Derringer Award and being nominated for another and placing a story in the Best American Mystery Stories of 2018, I knew he was a master of the short story form.

Art Taylor’s exceptional story, “Premonition” closed the show, and plunged us into silence. Art has won just about every award there is for short fiction and with this story he proved why.

We also heard truly great stories from Erica Wright (whose point of view character was a fox), John Copenhaver who reminded us how scary clowns are) and Kathleen Barber (whose “Follow Me made us want to.) But…

The night’s audience favorite was Cheryl Head, whose story of a drug mule’s journey was gripping and terrifying, while making you feel the POV character’s pain and sorrow while accepting her fate. It’s no surprise that her first novel, Long Way Home, was a finalist both in Historical and African American literature in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards. I went home with a copy of Cheryl’s latest triumph, JudgeMe When I’m Wrong. You should too. Like, today!

Every one of these great writers is worth searching out for your future reading pleasure. And I can’t wait for the next Noir at the Bar experience.

Strong Starts

Last time we talked a bit about how to build a great opening scene for your novel. It’s important that you make it clear just where this is all going. At the very least you need to make it clear that it’s going SOMEWHERE.

I know I mentioned a lot of elements last time, but be careful not to lose your readers by trying to do too much. If readers have to work to understand your opening scene, they may simply choose not to. Even if your plot is very complex you want to make it easy for readers to get lost in your opening scene.

In other words, don’t get so caught up in explaining why the opening scene is the beginning. Give readers a good reason to keep reading. This scene is all about hooking the reader. He or she picked up your book because of a promise or tease presented by your book’s cover or in your back cover copy. Something about your book’s plot or premise got them to pick up the book. The opening scene needs to confirm that this IS what  the book is about, and get readers moving on a journey through that premise. So your opening scene needs to connect back to that plot or premise.

If the first draft of your opening scene has stuff that readers have to slog through to get to the good stuff, cut it! If your opening scene has anything really cool, amplify it. And if something in the situation is unique to your plot or idea, so much the better. Remember, the opening scene should promise the reader that he’s getting into something great.

In your opening scene you should share as little backstory as possible. Don’t give away the info that would make readers curious and want to keep reading. This is not a scene just setting up for something else. Something interesting needs to happen in your first scene. But this scene should not be about a situation and how it arose. It should be about a character dealing with a problem.

So to recap: You want our novel to open with fascinating characters dealing with an intriguing story problem, and a premise so cool readers can’t wait to get into it. There should be questions, but not too many. Enough need to go unanswered for now to spur curiosity.

It’s as simple, and has challenging, as that.

Grand Opening

When an editor evaluates your novel, he or she puts a lot of weight on the very first scene. Everyone wants to see a strong opening scene, but not everyone knows how to create one. You might be one of those writers who can’t start their book until they know for sure what that first scene is. If you’re like me you may start writing your book knowing that you don’t know where it should start. I’m always prepared to throw away the start of my books because he REAL opening scene is in chapter two or three.

Either way, you’ve got to set the hook and grip your reader. I think the easiest way to do that is to spark some curiosity. A curious reader keeps reading. Yu can create an interesting situation, or build a world so fascinating readers will want to know more about it.

When I read the opening scene of a submission to Intrigue Publishing I ask myself what readers will want to know more about. Did the writer suggest hidden secrets? Did he make promises that will need payoff later? The writer has a real advantage if he can get the reader wondering about something from the start.

I also want to meet characters who will intrigue the reader. A character the reader wants to know more about is a strong lure. So when you write that opening scene, ask yourself what is compelling about the character you’ve introduced. Does the character have a unique voice? Is he or she doing something that is intrinsically interesting? Most importantly, why should the reader care about this person? Remember, this person doesn’t have to be a hero. (Is there a more fascinating character in all of literature than Hannibal Lector?) But it needs to be someone the reader will want to get to know.

That’s all about character. Plot wise, a great opening scene makes it easy for readers to get into the story. So make sure it is clear what’s going on in the scene. Readers should understand what’s going on without having to hear an explanation or dig through a bunch of backstory. It’s good if your reader knows right away who the important characters are. And there should be just enough detail in the description to pull me in, but not so much that it distracts.

I have other thoughts on how to create great beginnings, which I’ll share next week.

Conference Afterglow

The seventh edition of the Creatures, Crimes & Creativity Con is now history and after a couple of days the exhaustion is easing up. Still, there’s no denying that running a conference of this type is among the most rewarding, most empowering, and most exhausting things a writer can do.

Planning an event like this is a year-long effort. Dealing with the hotel is probably the worst of it – someone has to figure out what rooms you need when, plan meals, get coffee and bars in the right places and provide for security. We have to wrangle the keynote speakers- get them to commit, then get them to the event and to their individual presentations. On a lesser scale the same for local guests. Attendees have to be registered, money accounted for and panels thought up, set up, and staffed. We assemble an anthology, build a program book and run a twitter contest. And there’s more.

But how rewarding it is! To hear two great keynote addresses, do great author interviews and sit in on amusing, educational and moving panels. To get heaped with praise by the attendees. To see the faces of writers being asked to sign one of their books (in some cases for the first time.) To hear writers who have been to Bouchercon, Thrillerfest or other major events say that this is their favorite Con. And best of all, to make new friends, not just of superstar authors, but also newly emerging authors and aspiring writers who get inspired by the whole event.

And anything you accomplish on a large scale is empowering, right? What a feeling, to sit in the bar with New York Times bestsellers and hear their anecdotes. To look at a banquet hall full of smiling faces and be able to say, “WE did this!” When it comes off well, when the schedule works, the book signings are successful, the readings at Noir at the Bar bring people to their feet… it can give you the feeling that you can do anything!

Which may be the most important thing writers get from the C3 Con. Hearing David Mack say “The secret is simple…run your own race, don’t quit, and be kind.” John Gilstrap told us that “Failure cannot be inflicted, it can only be declared.” I a sense our Con is rewarding and exhausting for us, but empowering for every writer who attends.

Always Writing

Last week I spent a 5-day weekend at DragonCon, an event designed for sci-fi and fantasy fans – genres I don’t write but do enjoy. At one point someone asked me for writing advice and the first thing I always say is “Write every day?” Naturally, they asked if I was writing while I was at DragonCon.

“No,” I said. But then I thought about it. “I’m not at the keyboard but, yes I think I am writing every day.” Now that I’m back in the groove I realize that I do a lot of writing when I’m not staring at the screen.

DragonCon was a good example. Being in a new place, especially if it’s packed with people being different than they are day to day, is an overwhelming sensory experience. Not just new sights (How’d she get her costume to do that?) but new sounds (like fandom specific slang) new tastes (what’s in these jello shots??) and even new smells. Newness makes us really BE THERE and experience things. I think about how I react to things, and all those feelings will inform my story telling.

Part of that experience is talking to strangers. People at Cons are very open and friendly, and they are often very different from the people I see every day back home. I pick up new slang (As it turns out, what’s pricey in MD is spendy in Oregon.) Plus, those strangers have different pasts, different experiences, and different opinions. All of that ends up in characters I create. Sometimes it can spark a story idea.

Then I thought about all the other things I do when I’m not writing. For example, I read other people’s books. When I react emotionally to a good book, I want to know how the writer did that – How he or she made me laugh, cry, get angry or get scared. So I take it apart and dig into the “how” and then consider how I can use those techniques in my work.

Similarly, I’m writing when I watch television. Again, I’m looking at the storytelling techniques. Most of my favorites are written to a formula, one that requires a cliffhanger at the end of each of five acts and calls for a secondary plot woven into the lead storyline. I learn from watching how it’s done.

I can say something similar about listening to music, and even when I’m refinishing my deck which becomes kind of a zen activity, during which my mind plays with story ideas. My point is, if you’re a writer at heart, you are probably writing all the time, even when people think you’re just daydreaming.

Writers helping Writers

I recently joined a critique group and for the first time in years was reminded how much help other authors can be. We can all use another set of eyes when polishing our manuscripts. In a critique group you can be as much help to other writers as they are to you, and in the process you can learn a lot about your own writing.

But what about when one of your critique partners gets published? It occurs to me there are a lot of ways we writers can help each other. And many of them ae pretty easy.

On book release day, you could share the good new with your family, friends and fans. Just tell everybody you’re in contact with that they need to buy a copy of the book. You could also request that your local library order a copy. If you have a library card they usually will.

If you blog, offer the other a guest spot on release day or near it. They could give you a guest post or you could do an interview. Then add a picture of the cover, a synopsis and an excerpt. A blog post is a painless way to spread the word.

You could promote the book on social media. On Facebook you can post notifications of the book’s release. And, consider hosting a Facebook release party. On Twitter you can post tweets about the book with a picture of the cover attached. And every time the author tweets about his new book, you should retweet them. On Instagram and Pinterest you could post pictures of the book, and of yourself holding the book. On Goodreads the book will be noticed more if you mark it as “Want to Read.”

Of course, the best thing you can do to support another author is to buy his or her book. You say you got one in advance for free? So what? Buy one anyway. As a gift for a friend, a donation to your library, or as the prize in a giveaway when you’re promoting your own book.

And for goodness sake, review the book. On Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, ITunes and anywhere else you can think of. And don’t just tell people that you liked it, tell them why.

We can all do a lot to support each other. And if you make the effort to support other authors, it’s a sure bet other writers will support you.

Focus on Editing

Writing is simply telling your story. In rewriting you ramp up the quality of the way you tell your story. When the rewrite is done, it’s time for serious editing. Again in this phase I focus on different elements to sharpen my writing. This is where I re-examine word choices and sentence structures, for example.

Which words I use to tell my story determine whether the prose is strong or weak. So I seek out weak verbs and try to replace them with strong verbs (did he run to the door or scramble? Or sprint?)  I look for adverbs and try to eliminate them. (Did he answer too quickly? Or did his mouth get ahead of his brain?) I try to lose clichés (raining cats and dogs? Or raining down every known type of pet!) I’m also on the lookout for inaccurate word usage and overuse of adjectives. Finally, I try to keep the writing simple. I want to use words everyone knows, and occasionally the odd word that people SHOULD know. I try to avoid those words that nobody knows. Nothing contrived or academic, unless it’s in dialog from somebody trying to impress everybody else.

Sentence structure choices can make your writing less boring. Have you tried the occasional one-word sentence? I have. I also use fragments on occasion. I try clauses to see if they work in a certain place. When I want to pick up the pace, I might use a series of short sentences. When I want to crank up the suspense I might switch to longer sentences.

At the same time I remind myself that less is often more in terms of prose. I don’t want to overcomplicate my writing. When I wrote news copy for TV I learned that sentences over 25 words made me run out of breath, so that became my cutoff. I try to use the same rule in my novels. Also, three commas in a sentence is my hard limit. So I try to keep it concise, as long as it doesn’t push my showing into telling.

I also love to use similes and metaphors, so in the editing phase I examine each one. It’s easy to unintentionally use a cliché. These comparisons need to be original. So I test every one.

In the dialog I want to be sure “said” is the dominant tag. It doesn’t disrupt the flow of the dialog or slow it down. Better still, I try to use actions to show who’s talking. This helps the reader to picture the conversation. People never just sit and talk to each other.

After my edits, it’s time for an outside professional to attack the manuscript. But at least at this point I know it’s as good as I can make it.

Focus During the Rewrite

Writing is rewriting. When I lay down my first draft I’m basically telling myself the story and meeting the characters. Last time I told you what I focus on during that first pass. I point my brain in a very different direction when I get down to revising that draft. At this point I’m not learning the story I’m working to improve it. This is not editing. It’s too soon for me to worry about grammar and spelling. At this point I’m looking at the characters, the plot, the setting and if there is one, the theme.

I focus on the descriptions, all of which are written from the perspective of the point of view character. I write in third person, but it is close third person. That means that all of my prose needs to show what that point of view character sees, hears, feels, smells and tastes. Anytime the descripts don’t fit that bill I’ve wandered into omniscient view or worse, I’m head hopping.

Next I focus on the actual data. Every story is filled with relationships, character backstory, details about the setting, the history, the motivations. During the rewrite I’m looking at how my prose delivers that information. Everything needs to flow smoothly with no info dumps. And to maintain the point of view, all that data has to be presented in the point of view character’s voice, and it has to all be within his reasonable knowledge.

In revision I also re-examine the action. Not just the violent conflicts, but every character’s body language and casual movements. I want my reader to be able to clearly visualize all of the mannerisms. That is as important as being able to visualize the fight scenes. And each character’s action have to fit that character, without overdoing it (how many times did she twist that lock of hair?) Too many of those little movements can actually mess with the pace.

I also look closely at the dialog. Every word out of a character’s mouth should serve a purpose, either to promote the plot or deepen character development. And conversations should either reveal or impact the relationship between the characters talking. And I remind myself that each character has an individual voice.  This includes inner dialog. It has to ring true to their voice and be true to that character’s emotional stakes.

I focus on a different set of elements when I get down to the editing phase, but that’s for next time.

Focus on Improving Your Writing

When people ask “How can I improve my writing” I think of a number of fundamentals an author should focus on as they write. But perhaps one thing that may not be obvious is that where a writer’s focus should be depends on what stage of the process he is in. My process for writing a first draft is very different from my process when rewriting or editing a work. So I thought it might be of value to share where my head is at each stage.

I’ll start with the first draft. I have my outline and I’m ready to write. But the outline is just the plot, the sequence of events.  Once I start creating prose I need to answer one very important question: whose story is this? I’m going to tell this story through the eyes, and thoughts, of a specific point of view character. That character’s voice is what I hear in my head as the lines form, and that character’s voice shows in every line I type. Your first draft is the best place to explore that character’s voice.

Point of view has a second meaning to writers, and the first draft is where you decide that too. That, is, first or third person point of view. Second person point of view is more work than I want to do so I don’t even consider it. I choose to write my novels in a close third person point of view, but short stories often feel better in first person. You really don’t want to switch mid-stream so make a firm decision at the start and stick with it.

You also want to decide on the atmosphere and mood of your story at the outset. The atmosphere is part of the setting, instead of what your characters see or hear it is what they feel. The atmosphere could be light and pleasant, or dark and foreboding, or even suspenseful like that still moment just before a storm hits. But It should be a decision, not an accident.  

One other point. In my first draft I try to look back every couple of paragraphs and ask myself, ‘Did that serve the story?” As much as possible, I want every sentence to either advance the plot or develop my characters. The better I do at that, the less I’ll have to cut during the rewrite.

Next week I’ll talk about where I focus during that rewrite.

Back to Query Letters

A couple of weeks ago I blogged on what we at Intrigue Publishing want to see in a query letter. I have since been reminded that I bypassed some basics. I’ll now try to fill in the spaces.soso

You need to include the genre of your work in the query letter. We want to know who your target audience is, and to be sure you’ve written something in a genre we publish (which of course is stated clearly in our submission guidelines.

We also need to know the word count, so we know your book fits with the expectations of your genre’s readers. Don’t send us a Young Adult novel that’s 50,000 words. It’s too short for the genre. We might consider one that’s 60,000 words, but a mystery or thriller needs to be 80,000 to 100,000. And it’s awkward when the word count isn’t rounded up or down. Take it to the nearest thousand words.

Also, avoid confusing us in the letter. If your novel contains a lot of elements just tells us about the ones that relate to the primary conflict or the book’s dramatic question. Also, tell us if the book is told from multiple points of view. We want to know who’s story it is.

Finally, remember that not even a perfect query letter guarantees acceptance. If a publisher rejects your work, that just means it’s time to submit to someone else.

Panelling - Don't Be Wooden

In a couple of days I'll arrive at Thrillerfest, one of my favorite writers conferences. Because it's in New York, the center of the publishing universe, Thrillerfest attracts a number of agents, editors, and other industry professionals. So when you're sitting on a panel at this one, you're not just talking to fellow authors and eager fans. You're in front of a few people you might seriously want to impress.

At our own Creatures,Crimes & Creativity Con we want to give every writer a chance to shine, so we keep panels down to three or four people. At Thrillerfest it is not uncommon to see six or seven writers on a panel, plus a moderator who may contribute to the conversation. Plus, every panel is likely to have one or two very recognizable names. Or at least names more familiar then yours. SO, how do you make the best of your panel time.

First, it’s important to prepare. Check the title of your panel. I’m on one this year about creating suspense. Decide what the most obvious questions are for the moderator to ask. How do you define suspense? Why is it important? Where in YOUR book did you use suspense?

When you have six or seven questions you’re likely to hear on the panel, compose clear, concise answers to them. Be able to make your point in less than a minute. A minute can seem like a long time when you’re talking and trust me, the audience feels it too. Longer answers will make it look like you’re hogging the stage. The only thing worse is saying nothing. (actually, the WORST thing is to pause for thirty seconds figuring out an answer.)  

So you’re ready for the moderator to call on you. You’ll sound confident because you know your response in advance. But what do you do when you’re not talking? To be an audience pleaser, try to me actively polite. That means listening to, and looking at, whoever is talking. Don’t jump in just because they sparked a thought in your head. And smile! The audience thinks you should be having fun up there.

If you’ve read the work of any of the other panelists it’s cool to mention their title when your turn comes. If they mention your work, accept the compliment graciously. The panel is a team with the shared goal of making the audience happy. Promoting each other is a nice way to reach both goals. And if one of the panelist says something you disagree with, respect his or her view and offer concrete reasons why your view differs. Fans and industry insiders will respect a healthy debate. Just know the difference between a debate and an argument.

And if you’re coming to Thrillerfest, please stop by to see one of my panels on Friday. Trust me, we’ll have a good time!

Reading Query Letters

With my publishing hat on, reading queries is part of the job. Sometimes it can be a joy – when I pick up a gem about a book that screams “read me!” On the other hand, often it’s drudgery of the worst sort. So maybe this is self-serving but if you want to submit to Intrigue Publishing, please consider some of what I’ve learned are the keys to making me say “send the manuscript.”

First and foremost, understand that a query letter is not a synopsis. It is, in fact, a sales pitch. So the focus should not be on telling me what the story is, but instead on telling me why people will want to read that story. Don’t just tell it. Sell it.

Most novelists have figured out that their letter needs a good hook line. That is what pulls me in. But then what? Well, if you’re a thriller or mystery author, show me you understand your audience. Show me a satisfying twist at the end. That will make me want to read your book.

Now for thrillers, mysteries or even Young Adult novels, the strength of the story is tied to what the hero can win or lose. In other words, what is at stake. Make sure you tell me clearly what the stakes are, and if they can’t be big (if we don’t stop him, he’ll start World War III) then make sure it’s personal (If we can’t stop him, he will be pushed into a life as a gang banger forever.)

Now for all fiction genres, but especially for our romance submissions, keep in mind that there is no new story. Since every story you can imagine has been told before, it’s vital that you find a way to show how YOUR version of this story is unique. Tell me about that twist on the familiar story that will surprise me. How is your protagonist different? What about your voice is one-of-a-kind in this genre? And if you can’t find what’s different about your take on this story… don’t query us.

At the same time, let me know how your books is like what’s already out there. For marketing purposes, we need to know about comparable titles. So give me comparisons so I know for sure that you know what’s hot in your genre. If your thriller will appeal to fans of Jeffrey Deaver and John Sandford I know who the audience is. If your romance is Outlander in space or you have a mystery that is Sherlock Holmes meets The Saint, I have good marketing hooks.

I have a few more tips to share, but they’ll have to wait until next week.

The Attraction… and Fear…. of the New

Those who follow me know that I write a long-standing series about a private eye named Hannibal Jones. My readers and I are very comfortable with Hannibal. There’s also the series featuring Morgan Stark and Felicity O’Brien. Five adventures later those stories roll our fairly easily too.

That’s the beauty of writing series: Familiar characters who are fully formed allow a writer to focus on the plot. And readers know what to expect.

But sometimes a writer wants some surprises. There is an attraction to inventing a new cast of characters and seeing where they take you. Which is why the novel I most recently finished follows a character who is very different from any protagonist I’ve written. She is not a hero in any way. In fact, she’s a professional assassin.

Skye came to me as the focus of a short story for the Smart Rhino collection called “Insidious Assassins.” I’ll admit I was proud of the story, and that Skye wouldn’t leave my mind. She wanted more room to expand. Of course the wonder of short stories is that characters don’t have to have extensive backstories, and you don’t need to know details of their lives (like where they live, who their friends are or what they do in their off time.)

As I launched into the story I had in mind for my new character she began to deepen and develop. She doesn’t have a partner, per se, but she does have a confidente – her psychiatrist. This turned out to be a fun way to reveal character. The story moved quickly, and the action branded it a thriller reminiscent of the paperbacks I used to read in college (The Destroyer series, the Executioner books, etc.)

However, I was also feeling all the downsides of starting over. I had to really think through everything the character did. She was not at all familiar. In fact, I was working with a stranger who frequently did not react as expected. Plot points had to be adjusted to bring our protagonist to the places she needed to be.

And there is that last fear: what if my readers don’t like Skye as much as I do? What if in the 21^st Century a killer-for-hire as the protagonist is too much of a stretch for fans? What if these stories aren’t what my readers want? Well, ultimately the character attracted me. The story drew me. So now I have to accept the fear as well. 

Why Genre Matters

At the first couple of writer’s conferences I attended I asked authors what to call my first book. Mystery? Thriller? Suspense? I was told more than once that “genre” was a publisher’s invention, of value only to the marketing team.

I’ve since learned to view that fact from the other side. Yes, it’s a marketing tool, in that it helps sell books by letting readers know if they want what you write. Genre is a way to help your natural audience find your book.

Each genre has specific conventions that readers expect. If you write genre fiction, it pays to meet those reader expectations.  Sure, the best known authors wander far from those expectations but if you’re starting out it’s a lot easier to build a readership by writing a book that fits exactly into your genre. Hopefully you’re writing what you love to read, which should mean you know what those conventions are.

I write private eye mysteries. I know the kind of character my readers want, a detective who’s dedicated to his client and to finding the truth. These detectives live in a dark, unforgiving world and will get violent when they need to. They’ll get knocked out but seldom show the results of repeated concussions. And in the end, the bad guy will ALWAYS get punished.

On the other hand, Penny Clover Petersen writes cozy mysteries. Readers expect her amateur sleuths to be, and meet, quirky characters. There will be no blood or gore, and little profanity (unless it lends itself to humor.) She stays within those lines but still manages to create unique and unforgettable stories.

Each genre has dedicated fans who read several books every month. Staying in your genre gives you a guaranteed audience, assuming you write good stories with interesting characters.  When I hear a writer say her story has something for everyone, or that it will appeal to every reader, what I hear is “I don’t know who my audience is.” And if a reader who picks up your book isn’t sure if it’s focus is on being a paranormal fantasy or historical romance or a traditional whodunnit, they, will most likely put it back down and look elsewhere.

In my experience, all the plusses of sticking to a clear genre are magnified if you decide to write a series. After the first book, everything is established. Readers are already familiar with the setting, they know your main character, and the secondary characters are expected. And in terms of sales, it’s easier for readers to find your follow-on books because series take up more space online. And once you’ve hooked them, they’ll search out your books.

So remember – fiction genres are your friend! Stick with them.

Where ELSE Do Reviews Come From

Authors know that third party endorsements, otherwise known as reviews, are key to book sales. They represent the word-of-mouth push that is the most important piece of marketing. Last week I talked about many mainstream reviewers but there are other options.

Amazon reviewers might comment on your book at any time. The Amazon Top Reviewers carry quite a bit of clout, so it’s smart to pursue them soon after your book is released. When you approach them, you need to be thoughtful and courteous. You can’t assume you’re owed a review. Just send an introductory email with a little of your background and ask if they would accept a complimentary copy of your book. Ask if they prefer hard copy or an electronic copy. Just remember that you’re asking a big favor of a stranger. So be sure to send a thank you note if you do get a review.  And afterward, vote that the review was helpful.

Another group to start pitching early is bloggers. Most of them list pretty specific guidelines and you need to stick to them closely.

You can find these bloggers on several directories, for example http://www.theindieview.com/indie-reviewers, /http://bookbloggerlist.com/ and https://bookrevieweryellowpages.com/. However, these lists get outdated faster than the owners can update them so it’s a good idea to Google “book bloggers” and do a search on Twitter. 

Don’t send a mass email. Bloggers appreciate emails addressed personally to them. Mention a recent review so they know you have read their blog. Otherwise, everything I said about approaching Amazon reviewers applies.

Of course, reviews from readers are priceless and the more your book has, the better it will sell. But unlike bloggers or Amazon reviewers, you can’t send a note to each person who reads your book asking for a review.

Or can you?

Adding a letter to the back of your book addressed to the reader, inviting them to contact you, brings them right to you. It’s a good place to mention any awards won. And this is where you can ask them politely for a book review. In your letter, remind your reader that you need their help and they would be helping you a great deal if they were to post an honest review. Include the link to your book on Amazon so it’s easy for the reader to get directly to the right place to leave the review.

A wise reader will reach out to people in all the groups I’ve mentioned in this blog and the last. One thing no author has ever had is too many reviews.

Reviews: Do you Really Like Me?

At Intrigue Publishing we send 25 Advance Reader Copies of each new book to a carefully curated list of reviewers. Why? Because ultimately, almost all books sales are the result of a personal recommendation, and reviewers are powerful recommenders. However, some of our books might get one or two reviews while others get 10 or 12. I’d love to know why… but it remains a mystery to me. We were stunned when we got the first couple of Publishers Weekly reviews, and just as stunned when other books were ignored.

One thing we DON’T do is pay for book reviews. I have always been skeptical of the value of praise that you paid someone to give. However, I can’t deny the truth that there are a lot more books coming out than the reputable reviewers could possibly read and paying the reviewer is one way to move to the front of the line.

Of course, authors can pursue reviews without their publisher’s backing, but those who choose to pay for them need to look closely at the sources. There are paid review sources that are held in pretty high esteem. Kirkus Reviews is probably at the top of that list, followed by IndieReader, BlueInk Review and a few others. Readers may not know, or even care, that you paid someone to review your book.

Before paying for a review, consider the quality of reviews you’ve seen from that source, and how many people will see it without your efforts. As an example, IndieReader offers more exposure for better books. They posts reviews on their site and they are shared by Ingram. Books that get a 4 or 5-star rating are included in a “Best Of” round-up on their site every month and are pushed to an email list of about 5,000 readers.

Quality matters, in part, because if Amazon doesn’t think your review is legit they’ll delete it. Short reviews that don’t refer specifically to some aspect of your book  could disappear. “Great read by this exciting author” could apply to any book. This is the kind of thing Amazon may well pull down.

Of course, the most treasured reviews are from professional sources, but they tend to want the book well in advance. When authors ask us why it takes so long to bring their books to market I mention, in part, that if you want a review from Publishers Weekly, the New York Times, the New York Review of Books, the Wall Street Journal and other professional publications you have to get the book to them four months to six months prior to release. It is of course a crap shoot, but it’s well worth the wait for a chance to be reviewed by any of these sources.

We’ll explore getting reviews in more detail next week.

To Blurb or Not to Blurb

As an author I greatly value blurbs for my books. A “Blurb” is a short description of a book, a review written for promotional purposes. Blurbs from other authors are valuable, but they are even more valuable if those authors write in my genre or can be viewed as subject matter experts for some reason. So, when I wrote The Orion Assignment, a thriller set in Ireland with a native Irish protagonist, I thought the blurb I got from native Irishman and crime fiction author Ken Bruen carried a lot of weight for potential readers. Beyond saying that he liked my book, it sent the message that I got the Irish characters and setting right.

And what about the subject matter expert angle. If someone requests a blurb from me because their protagonist is ex-military, or African American, or a senior citizen, are they taking advantage of me? After all, they hope my endorsement will increase sales. And is my third-party endorsement a lazy way around doing their research? Don’t they have any ex-military, or black, or older friends of their own to show their manuscript to?

Well, just because they asked me doesn’t mean they haven’t already gotten other experts or members of those groups to read their book. But maybe my voice will carry more weight than theirs. Or maybe he trusts my feedback more than theirs.

That’s a lot of maybe. But I do feel a responsibility to repay the universe for all the blurbs big-name authors have written for me. And I feel a responsibility to help other writers I respect to get their seniors, ex-soldiers and African American characters right. But it’s still me doing a favor for another author, so in general my rule is simple. It’s something I do for writers who are respected friends.   

Make Your Protagonist Shine

Sometimes we at Intrigue Publishing receive a manuscript from an author who tells a great story, writes wonderful prose and has a fine touch for dialog, yet we have to reject the book. Despite all else being perfect, a weak protagonist will sink a novel.

To be clear, I’m not talking about a weak hero. In fiction, heroes often have astonishing abilities, although anyone who does good deeds for others can be a hero. The protagonist is always the subject of the story. It’s the person who the story is about. He or she is the person who grows the most, takes the big risks and makes the big sacrifices. If those things don’t happen your protagonist is a weak one, even if he’s Hercules or Superman.

The very center of every story is change, and that has to revolve around your protagonist. In some stories, especially science fiction, it is common for the protagonist to change his world. More commonly, it is the hero who changes, grows, matures or learns an important lesson. This is why you often hear that a hero needs to be flawed. Your protagonist should at least start out with serious flaws. In the best stories, the obstacles the hero overcomes during the story teach him to overcome those flaws.

Also, a good protagonist is not ALWAYS positive. Neither Indiana Jones nor James Bond is a cheerleader. They know the world is tough and they have to be tougher. Like all of us, your hero needs to have an off day once in awhile, and make the occasional stupid mistake. And when he makes those mistakes, he should learn something from them. That’s a lot of what leads to the growth. (It took Dorothy a lot of missteps to realize there’s no place like home.)

You should also make sure your hero’s personality is the result of his or her past experience. You need to know this person so well that you know exactly what caused him to be the way he is. And at an appropriate time you can share that with the reader to officer added insight.

And, since this is the focal character, your protagonist needs to be the person who drives the plot. This is the person who walks headlong into the greatest danger. Who takes the big risk, who makes the big decision. And ultimately, this is the person who undoes the villain. Gotham City has a huge police force, but it’s Batman’s story so it must always be Batman who ultimately defeats the Joker.

If you can do all this in your story, you can be sure your protagonist will shine!

Leave Your Novel's Past in the Past

When I teach my class on creating characters I stress that the author needs to know everything about the people he creates including their entire life history. But as I read submissions to Intrigue Publishing it occurs to me that I should put more emphasis on the fact that you need not share all you know with the reader.

The thing about backstory is, it isn’t always relevant to your current story. As a reader I want to story to keep moving forward. If you stop to explain too much history, it just slows things down.

There’s a reason we reject novels with what we consider too much backstory. In real life, people just don’t think about past events that often, unless they’re tied directly to something that’s happening to them right then.  If the writer is solidly in his or her point of view character’s head, they will know what past events are relevant to the moment.

No matter how fascinating it is to the writer, readers don’t really want to know all about the character’s past. Readers want to be surprised from time to time. They want to discover more about the character as the story unfolds. So it’s more fun to drop hints to the past. As a reader I like to be thinking, “why did she react so strongly to that? Why did he say that? Why did he laugh at THIS situation?”

My best advice to writers is to write the whole story without ANY backstory. Just ignore it and let the characters do what they do. They, when you go back to read through the manuscript for your first re-write look for places where the scene doesn’t make sense unless you give the reader more information. If they need that backstory to understand the scene, find a place to reveal it. If it doesn’t really help that scene, you can reveal it later so the reader gets a chance to say, “Ah! So THAT’S why…”

I think important backstory is defined by how it affects the character now. It’s not about recorded history. It’s about the impact of that experience. For example: My detective Hannibal Jones listens to a lot of Classic Rock. I show this to the reader and let another character ask about it later on. That gives Hannibal a reason to reveal that he grew up in Germany listening to the American Forces Network radio. He was a child when his father died, and he had clung to the mix of music AFN played in those days.

So put that backstory in the background and help your readers (and editors) enjoy your story more.