#Wwow - Get Your Pitch On! Twitter Pitch Parties

Have you heard of online pitch parties? I'm happy to share that both my novels and my agent were contracted through Pitch Parties on Twitter. Yep, there's plenty of ways to query your book that go against the traditional route.

What is a Pitch Party? Many take place on Twitter. You "pitch" or "query" your book in 140 characters. Talk about complicated! Lurking behind the scenes are agents and editors. Here's my pitch that won an agent just this past December!

Speed dating isn't Vero’s idea of fun until she's reunited w/her only 1nightstand.Will Diego rock her world or break her heart? #pitchmas A


There's a whole lot more to tell, but you have to stick to the basics in 140 characters. If an editor or agent likes your pitch, they will comment or "like" it. Based on their instructions, you send partial/full/synopsis, whatever they want.

Also, some blogs hold Pitch Parties where you can pitch your manuscript in 50 words or more.

Today I will tell you about upcoming pitch parties. There are many throughout the year, but a few are coming up in the next month and you don't want to miss!

Upcoming Pitch Parties

Sun vs. Snow - Began Jan. 18. Although this started already, you can follow on Twitter using the #sunvssnow hashtag to see how a pitch party works.

#AdPit - February 5 on Twitter.
Open to Adult and New Adult Fiction & Nonfiction

Occasionally specific publishers hold online Twitter Pitch Parties. Make sure you follow your favorite publishers so you don't miss.

#PitMad March 2014

PitchMadness (official)

This will take place in March 2014. Exact date not yet announced.

Writer's Voice Pitch Party #WVTP- May 2014

#Pitchmas - July 2014

This takes place in July 2014. Exact date not yet announced.

Twitter Pitch Party Rules:

1. Only pitch finished manuscripts
2. Pitch only once or twice an hour (depending on the contest)
3. Do not favorite other's pitches (this if for the agents/editors). If you like a pitch, retweet it only.
4. If you receive a favorite, scroll through that agent/editor's feed to find out their instructions of what to do next (submission guidelines).
5. Don't forget to use the Pitch Party hashtag!

Beware:
Twitter Pitch Parties can be hectic. The feed is crazy!
There are spammers. Just ignore them.

Melinda Dozier is a contemporary romance author. Her novel, Breaking the Rules from Crimson Romance, was a #PitchMad success! She is also published with Swoon Romance with her anthology Love and Other Games, which centers around the Winter Olympics. You can find her at www.melindadozier.com

The Pros and Cons of Self Publishing

Have you written a story and tossing around the idea of self publishing it? It's a scary idea, really. Or at least it should be.

I consider myself a 50/50 author. I self publish and I use small press. I began to self publish a little over a year ago, and to be honest, I enjoy it and have thought about doing it more than I am now. Some authors have great luck with, while others's I've talked to haven't. So again, it's 50/50 if it's for you or not.

I thought for today's post, I would make a Pros and Cons list on self-publishing that might help you with your tough decision.

Pros

• You're in complete control. You choose your release date. You choose your editor (PLEASE HIRE ONE!) You find the cover artist that you want.
• Does your book need a sale to possibly get in more readers hands. Put it on sale. 
• You've got full control. Need to make changes to the manuscript? You can easily do this and upload a new version. Want a new cover because yours isn't working. Get a new one. 
• Obviously, all money earned is yours. And after 60 days, you will get a paycheck monthly from Amazon and Nook. You'll know what's coming so you can plan your months 60 day in advance.

Cons

• All expenses are out of your pocket. You pay for edits. You pay for the cover. You pay for marketing (thought few small presses pay for book tours. But there are some out there that will.)
• It's all you telling the world about your book, unless you've hired a blog tour company or a PR person.
• If you've never published small press and gotten to know some authors you might feel super lonely trying to connect. Most of the relationships I've built have been from my time at a small press.
• Each publishers pay different. Some are monthly, some quarterly. You don't see your sales until you have a statement. And you earn a percentage of the net sales. Remember though, your profit is paying the publisher and your editor, so you're usually only getting 40% of what's earned on the book. 

Hopefully looking at those lists, you'll get a better idea if you want to attempt self publishing. Two pieces of advice I have are:

• If this is your first time publishing, I really do recommend going with small press because you will learn so much about the publishing world. Even if you want to self publish one day, give the small presses a shot at first. And ask around before submitting to just any press.
• If you self publish, please, I am begging you, hire an editor! Do not put your work out there without one. Reviews will come in and will say your book wasn't edited. This isn't good for your career. And your best friend since second grade isn't an editor (well unless they really are). Hire someone who knows point of view, what readers are looking for, and so on. Yes, it can be a lot of money out of your pocket, but in the end it's worth it.

See ya next Thursday! Got pros or con to add, please leave a comment. :)

Interview with an editor #WWOW

I've had the pleasure of having Tara Chevrestt edit my Brookfield Series. She does a wonderful job, and after each round with her, I come back learning something new. I've sat down with her and asked some questions that I hope helps everyone.

Lacey: To start off, tell us a little about yourself and how long you’ve been editing.

Tara: I’ve been editing for a little over a year. I started as a writer and discovered that thanks to having had a great editor myself, a knack for English and literature, and my prior years as a book reviewer, I made a pretty decent editor, and I like the job. I love to read, so what could be better?
I’m an author who dabbles in just about everything. I’m a book reviewer, and I run a blog called Book Babe. I am married with canine kids.

Lacey: Is there a common mistake you find in most of the stories you edit?

Tara: Oh yes. Let’s see. Eyes, eyes, eyes everywhere. And lots of THATS. It’s an unnecessary word half the time. Breathing. You breath 24/7, so why it’s used as a dialogue tag is beyond me.

Lacey: Some words simply aren’t needed when we write and sometimes we tend to over use the words. Can you give us a few of the words to look for as we read through finished stories before turning them in? You know, to make our editor’s life easier.

Tara: THAT’S and OFS. In today’s lingo, it’s not necessary to say, “Get off of me.”
“Get of me” works just as well.
“I said that I loved her.”
“I said I loved her.”
I also see some authors overusing passive voice...such as sentences beginning with ING words.

Lacey: What amount of editing should an author do before submitting their work? As in, a basic spelling and grammar check in word? Or something a little more complex.

Tara: You can’t expect a first-time author to know much of anything, so I’m pretty patient with them and don’t have a lot of high expectations. I do advise any author submitting a book to closely read the publisher submission guidelines though. If you can’t pay attention to that and follow directions, chances are, you’re going to be a difficult author to work with.

NOW, if you want to talk about an author that has five, six, seven books behind their name, I have high expectations. After working with you on five books, I expect them to know what a head hop is, how to do a dialogue tag, etc.

After five books with me, if you’re still handing me this:
“I want to go too.” She said. OR Placing the cup down, he turned to look at her, “I like that idea.”

I’m going to be pretty PO’d editor.

Lacey: Now, listen up authors, I’ve got a good question for Tara. What is your biggest pet peeve that authors do and you’re always having to correct?

Tara: Dialogue tags! Urgh!

Lacey: What makes a story great in your opinion?

Tara: I think it’s really important that readers LIKE your characters. If they don’t like your characters at all, they aren’t going to care about them or what happens to them. The best way to engage a reader is with characters they can relate to. Oh, the story and plot is important too, but first step: create likable people. We don’t want to read about assholes. We get that in our everyday life. ;)

Lacey: By day you’re an editor and by night you’re an author. You’ve had the pleasure of working as an author with publishing houses as well as the self-publishing route. For an author who is looking to self publish, any tips on what they need to look for in an editor and questions to ask before the editor and author embark on a relationship together?

Tara: Quit worrying about prices. Yes, money is tight, but you get what you pay for. There are a lot of editors out there charging pennies and they are making nothing...this means their workload is toppling. Lots of work because they’re cheap, but because they’re cheap, they have to take more of it. Your book isn’t going to get the attention it deserves. So while I’m not saying not to take advantage of a good deal if it comes, be careful. Don’t make price your number-one factor.

Lacey: Any advice you would like to give to un-published, or even published authors?

Tara: Get your work edited before you seek an agent. If you don’t do the agent route, do get a beta reader to read your MS before you submit it. DO shop around and research publishers. I’m seeing an alarming trend in the industry. People are just so desperate to have their names on books they don’t even care if the publisher who offers them a contract has the crappiest reputation in the business. Check places like Absolute Write or Piers Anthony and don’t get in a hurry.

Because once the excitement settles down...once you’ve been sitting there waiting 8 months and haven’t seen a dime, you’re going to want that book back.

So calm down, think clearly, and don’t just get obsessed with having your name on a book. Think long-term.

Find out more about Tara on her website, as well as her prices for editing.

Edits Every Author Should Learn

Happy Thursday! We're one step closer to Friday! Today I wanted to talk a little bit about editing and the basic things all authors should know to save time on their own edits as well as making life easier for their editor.

Know the house guidelines. You won't know these the first time you publish with them, but you'll learn them quickly. You need to know if your publisher uses OK, okay, or ok. You see, each house has a preference on how they want all there stories to be and your story is no exception.  Some use alright, while others use all right. Another thing to learn is scene breaks. Does the pub was three asticks close together *** or three with a space between * * *. Is there a difference with scene break and point of view change? All things you want to pay attention to and know. It never hurts to ask your editor for a style sheet

as well  you can save.

Aside from that, learn some of the basics for commas and dialogue tags/action.

"I am Lacey," she said. <--A comma goes before the quotation because this is a dialogue tag. And the she is lower case.

"You're funny." She laughed. <--A period is before the quotation because laughing is an action. Also note that she she is capital.

"I don't like Joe." <--No comma before Joe because the person is not talking to Joe.

"I don't like you, Joe." <-- A comma is before Joe because the person is speaking to Joe.

So, there is a little editing 101. Nothing complex or will make you the next star editor. But knowing these few things will save you and your editor time.

Got a tip of your own, I'd love to hear it!

Is the editor always right? #wwow

Chances are, if you've written a book and are published or attempting to publish, you're going to encounter an editor at some point. The question is, is the editor always right?

Most likely, you're your biggest fan. You love your story. You've read it countless times and it rocks! But now the hard part, someone else is going to read it and make notes, request chances, and so on.  This can be scary? What if the editor you have dislikes your story, then what? Well, hopefully the editor you get likes your story and if they don't, they are able to keep their feelings to themselves. However, if you do get an editor that absolutely hates your work and you can tell, if you're with a publisher, request a new one. If you're self publishing, you have the option to use anyone you choose.

First up. Grammatical changes, such as commas, periods, and such. Yes, your editor is probably right. You have four sentences in a row starting with she. Yes, you should probably change at least one so it doesn't feel repetitive. This stuff is pretty simple. Some publishers have specific house rules and even if its a way you don't agree with, like okay vs OK, if it's the pubs rule to use one of them, then you have to go along with it.

Now, what about when a editor makes rewrite request - such as an entire scene? Then what? Who is right?

This is where you, the author, need to take a step back. Read the notes the editor has left about the scene. If you're feeling super annoyed that the editor didn't get what you were trying to say, move on for the time being. Call you best friend and vent. After you have the anger out of your system, go back a re-read the notes and then remember that this person has not read your story 20 times. This person is not inside your head. And the notes portray how they read the scene. Is this what you're wanting readers to get out of the scene? Yes or no?

Guess what, you can tell the editor no. However, you'd better have good reason you can explain. Sometimes the editor will let it be. In my experience, the only time the editor has come back to me and said, "Uh-uh." Is only when it really was something that really needed to be changed and I simply didn't see it. We worked together and finally polished that scene up, staying in my vision and theirs.

So, is the editor always right? No. Is the author always right? No. And the sooner the two can work together, the sooner a beautiful manuscript is born.

Now please, don't take the article and think you can run rampant in the streets and tell your editor no about everything. Just know, if you've taken the time to think about it and in your heart you don't want to change a scene or make the requested rewrites, be prepared to tell them why and possibly still have to come to a compromise on the scene.

Happy writing!

* * * * * * * * 

Lacey Wolfe has always had a passion for words, whether it’s getting lost in a book or writing her own. From the time she was a child she would slip away to write short stories about people she knew and

fantasies she wished would happen. It has always been her dream to be a published author and with her two children now of school age, she finally has the time to work on making her dream come true.

Lacey lives in Georgia with her husband, son and daughter, their six cats and one black lab who rules the house.

You can find Lacey at the following places:
Facebook / Facebook Page / Twitter