Self-Publishing to Traditional Publishing: I Spy a Trend

First off, this is not an argument, rant, or railing against either form of publishing. It's just that I've spotted something popping up on Publisher's Marketplace during the past few weeks, and I'm just a sharing kinda guy.

Caution: Your eyes may glaze over...

October 18, 2012
		Fiction: Women's/Romance		Samantha Young's bestselling self-published ON DUBLIN STREET, said to have sold over 150,000 ebooks in a month, a sexy contemporary romance set in Scotland, about an American woman who left her tragic past behind to start over in Edinburgh, whose carefully guarded world is shaken to its core by her new roommate's sexy older brother, to NAL, already republished in ebook form, with a trade paperback on December 31, and a second book for publication in 2013.
		October 16, 2012
		Fiction: Women's/Romance		NYT bestselling author Teresa Mummert's first three books in her self-published BEAUTIFUL series, starting with WHITE TRASH BEAUTIFUL, about a young woman living in a trailer park with her mother and abusive boyfriend, and the lead singer in a band who walks into her diner -- he tries to show her that there is more to life, but being with him will come at a high price, to Lauren McKenna at Gallery, in a significant deal, at auction, by Kimberly Whalen at Trident Media Group(world English). Film: Joseph Veltre at Gersh
		October 12, 2012
		International rights: UK Fiction		James Oswald's self-published thriller NATURAL CAUSES, to Alex Clarke at Michael Joseph, in a good deal, at auction, by Juliet Mushens at PFD(UK/Commonwealth, excl. Canada). rmills@pfd.co.uk
		October 12, 2012
		Non-fiction: Cooking		Creator of food blog Macheesmo.com Nick Evans's untitled cookbook, featuring hundreds of inventive and refreshing ways to use common leftovers in new dishes, with photos, and based on author's self-published book, CORNERSTONE COOKING, to Lara Asher at Lyons Press, for publication in 2014, by David Dunton at Harvey Klinger (World).
		October 11, 2012
		International rights: UK Fiction		Mark Sennen's self-published TOUCH, the first book in his Charlotte Savage series, a police procedural set in Plymouth and Dartmoor, a Kindle bestseller said to have sold over 73,000 units, to Claire Bord at Avon UK, in a three-book deal, for republication in January 2013, followed by a paperback in April 2013, by Claire Roberts at Trident Media Group (world, excl. NA).
		October 10, 2012
		International rights: Fiction		James Oswald's self-published crime bestseller NATURAL CAUSES, to Andrea Best at Goldmann, in a good deal, by PFD for German rights -- with a four-publisher UK auction underway, by PFD. rmills@pfd.co.uk
		October 5, 2012
		International rights: UK Fiction		Abbi Glines' self-published THE VINCENT BOYS and THE VINCENT BROTHERS, to Emily Thomas at Hot Key Books, by Caspian Dennis at Abner Stein, on behalf of Lauren Abramo at Dystel & Goderich Literary Management (UK/Commonwealth, excl. Canada). labramo@dystel.com
		October 5, 2012
		International rights: UK Fiction		Nick Spalding's self-published romantic comedy novels, Love... From Both Sides and Love... And Sleepless Nights, to Charlotte Hardman at Coronet, in a good deal, for republication first in ebook and then in paperback, by Jon Elek at AP Watt (UK/Commonwealth).
		October 4, 2012
		Children's: Young Adult		Abbi Glines' SEABREEZE "new adult" series, including the successfully self-published BECAUSE OF LOW and WHILE IT LASTS plus two more books, about the goings-on in Sea Breeze, Alabama and the to-die for romances of its beloved inhabitants, again to Bethany Buck at Simon Pulse, in a major deal, by Jane Dystel at Dystel & Goderich Literary Management (world English).
		October 4, 2012
		Children's: Young Adult		Tammara Webber's self-published NYT and USA Today bestseller EASY, about a 19-year-old grappling with both the aftermath of a sexual assault and the excitement of a new love interest, to Don Weisberg at Penguin Children's, in a two-book deal, with the ebook publishing on October 9, 2012, and a paperback to be published by Berkley on November 6, 2012, by Jane Dystel at Dystel & Goderich Literary Management (NA).
		October 3, 2012
		Fiction: General/Other		Richard Bard's self-published BRAINRUSH and BRAINRUSH II: THE ENEMY OF MY ENEMY, and the new BRAINRUSH III: FINAL JUDGMENT, an adventure series featuring a combat pilot, to Alan Turkus at Thomas & Mercer, in a good deal, for all to be republished and published in 2013, by Scott Miller at Trident Media Group.
		October 2, 2012
		Fiction: Women's/Romance		USA Today bestselling author Molly McAdams' debut, self-published novel, TAKING CHANCES, in which a girl leaves home and her rigid, career Marine father to go to college and live life her own way, finding friendship, unexpected love from two men and finally the true meaning of family, to Tessa Woodward at Harper, in a significant deal, in a three-book deal, by Kevan Lyon at Marsal Lyon Literary Agency (world).
		October 1, 2012
		Children's: Young Adult		USA Today bestselling author Rebecca Donovan's self-published THE BREATHING series, about life-changing love, unspeakable cruelty, and one girl's fragile grasp of hope, to Tim Ditlow at Amazon Children's, in a good deal, with REASON TO BREATHE for publication in January 2013; BARELY BREATHING for publication in March 2013; and OUT OF BREATH for publication in June 2013; in a three-book deal, by Erica Spellman Silverman at Trident Media Group. UK and Commonwealth rights to Razorbill, in a good deal, by Alexander Slater on behalf of Erica Spellman Silverman at Trident Media Group.
That's just in October ALONE!!! What is happening here, folks? It seems pretty obvious. Agents aren't just reading queries in the slush. They're trawling the self-published bestseller lists and rushing to sign up those books who have built a following. In effect, self-publishing has become an alternative slush pile, except those who are cherry-picked from it have already gone and made a bunch of moolah. Why do these authors want to go the traditional publishing route after being successfully self-published? My theory is that being traditionally published gives them validation. (UPDATE: See the comments for some great thoughts about other positives.) Despite all their self-earned success, they still can't resist the fact that a "big" publisher wants them.  And I don't blame them in the slightest. One never knows what the future will bring, but I have a strong hunch we'll see an ever-increasing number of these stories. Until, one day, this will be the way the system works. The times are certainly a-changing. After all, next year you won't be able to get your hands on a printed copy of Newsweek. Screen, baby, screen. How do you think this is going to shake out? Have you read any self-published authors who "turned" traditional? What did you think?

Look! Look! I'm In A Book!

A little over a year ago, a writer named Laura Stanfill interviewed me for her "Seven Questions Series" on her blog "Laura Stanfill. Writing. Reading. Community". It was a fun interview, and I enjoyed answering her questions on blogging and the difference between middle grade and YA fiction.

Fast forward 12 months. Laura is a visionary and had the idea to collect all her interviews, as well as invite other writers to pen what she calls "flash essays," and gather them together in book form. She decided that the focus would be on Oregon writers--of which there are many: this state is fertile ground for scribes. She also decided to set up her own publishing company, Forest Avenue Press, and print her books using some spiffy new technology, the Espresso Book Machine, located in the Purple Room at Powell's Books.

So it was that on Tuesday a whole bunch of us gathered giddily at Powell's to watch "our" book appear, literally hot off the presses. The cover, designed by Gigi Little, is beautiful--and there's some crazy good flash essaying going on between the covers. Laura has plans for readings and other promotions. A journalist in a former life, she is just amazing with her press releases, and has been a tremendous editor as well as an advocate for her writing "tribe." As she says in her Foreword:

"Oregon is full of writers who support one another. The forty two authors in this collection all live in the state or have roots here. They are novelists and journalists. They are essayists and travel writers and poets. They are funny, smart, sad, and wise. Some have been traditionally published. Some have been published by small presses or literary journals. Others are unpublished. And yet we all commit the same brave act--confronting the blank page every day. No matter what the cost, no matter what the outcome, we set our other obligations aside to write. And that's something to celebrate." 

Thank you, Laura, for welcoming me into your "tribe." I got a great thrill seeing my name "on the page."

My Continued Love Affair With Cybil

Remember last year, when I was a round one panelist for the Cybils (Children and Young Adults Bloggers' Literary Awards)--and it was a complete hoot! I got to plow through 150 or so middle grade books. (The librarians at my local library got to the point where, when they saw me walk in, they would chant a joyful chorus of relief because my requests were literally weighing down their hold shelves.) 

This year, I've gone one better. I'm a round two judge, which means that, starting in January 2013, I will read the nominated shortlist, winnowed down to about six or seven titles by the intrepid first round panel, some of whom I know (Hi, Jill the Owl and Deb Marshall) and some of whom I'm looking forward to meeting (Kyle Kimmel, Amy Koester, Ali Breidenstein, and Art Spencer.) Everyone knows our major domo, Karen Yingling, whom I believe to be the most voracious--as well as the most judicious-- reader on the planet. If you haven't yet done so, check out her amazing blog, Ms. Yingling Reads.

Ms. Yingling, doing a spot of time travel

In the round two panel, Jennifer Donovan was a fellow panelist last year (Hi, Jen!). I'm looking forward to getting to know the other three: Cameron Kelly Rosenblum, Andi Sibley, and Freya Hooper. 

Hopefully, all of you Writing Dangerously readers have got an idea of a book you'd like to nominate. Here's how to do so, from the Cybils FAQ page: 

Can anyone nominate?

Yes, anyone may nominate one book per genre during the nomination period. We post an online form from Oct. 1-15 every year.

Which books are eligible?

Any books published between the end of one contest and start of another. For 2012, that means books released between Oct. 16, 2011 and Oct. 15, 2012. This year, we are also accepting nominations for book apps for iPad, Web or computers.

Does it help if a book has lots of nominations?

NO! In fact, the online form will kick the nomination back if a book's already been listed. It needs to get on our radar only once for consideration. After that, it's up to the judges.

So ~~ Start your engines, folks. Cybils season is upon us!!

Going Cold Turkey

I don't know if you heard the trumpets last week, but my youngest started kindergarten--which means that for the first time in 16 years I have the house to myself for over five hours straight. (No, I don't have a dozen kids... there's just a ten year age gap between my oldest and my youngest.)

I have been looking forward to some concerted writing time for a while. I'm heading towards the end of the first draft of my latest manuscript, and I really need to put in the hours so I can write those glorious words THE END before year's end. (That's my goal and I'm sticking to it.) But I knew I would be hard pressed to do that if I didn't take steps to quieten the social media hubbub to which I've become a part.

Two and a half years ago I didn't have a blog--let alone three. I wasn't on Facebook. I turned up my nose at Twitter. (And no, I'm not yet pining for Pinterest, or whatever is the latest social media du jour.) Don't get me wrong: I have enjoyed being a part of the interwebs and have met many dear people whom I now call friends (including all of you who are reading this.) But I was becoming addicted. I'd write a paragraph of my story, and then check my e-mail. Another sentence, and I'd shoot a glance at Twitter. As you can guess, being the debutante at the social media ball was beginning to eat away at my precious writing time.

So, I've gone COLD TURKEY. Yes, I've found a handy little app ("It's like your parents on steroids," it claims) that will block all sites for however long I want on any particular day. Usually, I'm at my desk at 9:30, and the kids come back between 2:30 and 3:30.  So I've set my Cold Turkey settings accordingly. Between those hours, I can't go on Yahoo! or update my Facebook status, or seeing what the tweeps are tweeting about. I can't even while away the time on my favorite blogs.

I'm getting a whole lot of writing done, and feeling like I have my willpower back. Have you tried Cold Turkey, or any other site like it? How did it go?

Two Thinkers on the Contemplative Life

I don't think you can disagree with the fact that writers need solitude and quiet. To burrow deeply into our creative minds, we need to shut that figurative--and possibly literal--door, and have the time and leisure to think. I know this is true, because for the first time in 16 years all three of my children are leaving the house for extended periods of the day, an activity commonly known as "school." Frankly, it is amazing to see how much I can get done when I don't have to deal with catering to five-year-olds or blowing the referee's whistle during sibling spats.

This week I read two resonant articles by writers I greatly admire. The first is by Junot Diaz, who wrote the stunning The Brief, Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, which I briefly talked about HERE. Here is what he said to the Guardian, via the always interesting Shelf Awareness. The text in bold is my doing:

Time for Reading 'Should Not Be an Unattainable Thing'

"Books are surviving in this intense, fragmented, hyper-accelerated present, and my sense and hope is that things will slow down again and people will want more time for a contemplative life. There is no way people can keep up this pace. No one is happy. Two or three hours to read should not be an unattainable thing, although I hope we get to that stage without needing a corporate sponsored app to hold our hand. The utopian in me has my fingers crossed that we haven't quite figured out the digital future just yet. After all, the one thing we know about people: they always surprise." --Author Junot Diaz in an interview with the Guardian (Junot, I'm trying to prise out my eye-teeth for those two to three reading hours you mention. I'm lucky to get thirty minutes before nodding off to sleep at night. Still need to work on that!) Then, from a longer piece from an Oregon writer, Matt Love, who's a great essayist:

Commentators frequently place the primary blame on cellphones, but really, fault lies with the addicts who habitually wield them. I say all this with a unique perspective because I live near the No. 1 tourist attraction in the state -- the Oregon Coast -- and routinely see tourists on the beach allowing cellphones to conquer their solitude. And I'm not talking about using them to take photographs or write poetry. I'm talking about willfully abandoning a temporary isolation to engage in what the Sex Pistols called "blah, blah, blah." 

(I tell you, the "Smart Phone" has taken over the known universe. I may be an alien life form: I don't have one. But I've certainly watched enough parents ignoring their children at playgrounds and swimming pools in favor of staring at mini-screens.)

It's easy to sound holier than thou, but I really think a writer can benefit from taking a detour off the information super highway--even for just a couple of hours a day. What think you?

Give Your Characters A Mirror of Erised

Harry seeing his parents in the Mirror of Erised

My youngest, who's nearly six, has a full-blown Harry Potter obsession. Most of it is channeled via Lego, but there is also dressing up like the boy wizard and now writing his own version of the first few books: it's preschool Harry Potter fanfic!

(This is my third go-around through J.K. Rowling's series with each of my children. Each time I marvel at what a storyteller she is. What an imagination to come up with all those characters, quirky spells, Quidditch... the list goes on.)

Anyway, youngest was drawing his pictures and I was taking dictation. The page we were working on was about the Mirror of Erised (Desire backwards) in which characters can see what they most desire. For Harry, it's his dead parents; for Ron, it's being Head Boy and Quidditch captain--the desire of a younger sibling to escape from the shadows of his older brothers. For Dumbledore--well, Dumbledore claims he sees a pair of socks. But you can never quite trust that Dumbledore, can you?

As my young artist explained all this, I had a flash of inspiration. Often, it takes me a whole first draft to figure out what a character truly desires. What if, right at the beginning of the process, I wheeled in their very own Mirror of Erised, sat them before it, and asked them to tell me what they saw?

There's something about this technique--sort of like interviewing your characters--that appeals to me. I think I'll try it the next novel I write. I'll let you know how it goes!

What techniques (or tricks!) do you use to excavate your character's desires? 

(P.s. I'm reviewing New Zealand author Susan Brocker's historical MG novel, The Drover's Quest--which I loved--on Project Mayhem today. If you want to win a copy, head on over.)