It took a long time and a lot of heartache to find my way through
One Thing Stolen. I had an idea about vanishing and effacement. I am obsessed with birds and floods. I sometimes misplace things, especially names, and I have, therefore, a growing obsession with the mind and where it puts the things that once were.
I also have students I love. And I believe that language is plastic, that it must be taken apart and put back together again so that it might remain alive, so that our stories might live, too.
All of this became the web of the book called
One Thing Stolen, and by the time I had finished it for real and taken the first 100 pages apart yet again— nanoseconds before it went off to the copy editor—I was in a quiet place. Bewildered by—and grateful to—the strange workings of the literary imagination.
I sought no blurbs for the book. It was going out there, bravely, on its own.
Two nights ago, a friend alerted me to some goings-on on Twitter. Did you see what A.S. King has written about
One Thing Stolen? the friend asked. What I found there, on the Twitter stream, made me cry. It kept me up through most the night. An act of friendship so remarkable. Words I needed to hear.
When I wrote to thank Amy for her generosity, she offered to write a blurb for the book. Really? I said. Really, she said. Or something like that. She wrote not one, but two, and because I like them both so much I will share them here. These words will appear on reprint editions of
One Thing Stolen (for the book has already gone to press) and everywhere else, starting now.
Grateful doesn't begin to describe it. Thank you, A.S. King.
Kephart at her poetic and powerful best. ONE THING STOLEN is a masterwork—a nest of beauty and loss, a flood of passion so sweet one can taste it. This is no ordinary book. It fits into no box. It is its own box—its own language.
ONE THING STOLEN is a tapestry of family, friendship, Florence, and neuroscience. I’ve never read anything like it. Kephart brings the reader so deep inside Nadia we can feel her breathe, and yet her story leaves us without breath.
A.S. King is the author of Glory O’Brien’s History of the Future, Reality Boy, Ask the Passengers, Everybody Sees the Ants, Please Ignore Vera Dietz, and The Dust of 100 Dogs
Let's Meet! Here's where I'll be speaking this fall in AR.
- Arkansas Reading Association Leadership Institute, July 26, Little Rock
- Arkansas Association of School Librarians Conference, July 28-29, Little Rock
- Interview on ArkansasAuthors.com on August 4-6
- Fayetteville Literary Festival, October 4, Fayetteville, AR
- Arkansas Library Association Conference, October 5-6, Hot Springs, AR
- Arkansas Reading Association Conference, November 20-21, Little Rock, AR
Invite
Darcy Pattison to speak at your event.
A couple years ago, Google produced a promotional video, Parisian Love, which advertised its search capabilities in a very simple way. There are merely twelve phrases entered into a Google Search box. And yet–it tells a story and tugs at the heart strings. It evokes emotion. How good is this copy? The video has received over 7 million views!
The sound here is minimal, but effective. But it’s really the words that shine.
When I think about blurbs for books, this stands as a stellar example of what you can do with very tight text. If you could craft your synopsis–or blurb, flap copy, elevator pitch, tweet, or whatever promotional copy you’re working on–to get this strong an emotional tug, you’ll have a winner.
Here’s the Copy
Parisian Love
Study abroad Paris France
Cafes near the louve
Translate tu es tres mignon (You’re very cute)
Impress a French girl
Chocolate shops paris france
What are truffles
Who is truffaut
Long distance relationship advice
Jobs in paris
AA120
Churches in Paris
How to assemble a crib
Search on.
Watch the Video
If you can’t see this video, click here.
Try writing up some promotional copy for your story in just twelve phrases.
Does it evoke emotion?
Does it show a narrative arc?
Can you use this to craft a better marketing message?
QUIZ: ARE YOU READY TO WRITE A CHILDREN'S PICTURE BOOK?
- How many pages are in a typical children’s picture book?
- Who is the audience of a children’s picture book? Hint: It's not just kids.
- Are there restrictions on the vocabulary you use in a picture book?
- Do I have to write in rhyme? Do manuscripts written in rhyme sell better?
- Do EPUB books have to the same length as printed books?
Don't start writing that picture book until you know these crucial concepts.
GET THE ANSWERS HERE.
Everyone wants to know the secret ingredients to sell books. What should you put in your cover letter, your blurb, your flap copy, or your book jacket? Whether you are selling to an editor, an agent or a reader, what will earn your book a second look?
No one knows for sure. But BookBub’s Unbound has some intriguing facts that hint at the answers.
BookBub describes itself this way:
BookBub is the leading service for publishers and authors looking to reach new readers through limited-time eBook deals. Our 2 million+ subscribers turn to BookBub’s daily email to find free and deeply discounted eBooks that match their interests.
In other words, an author agrees to lower the price of an ebook for a certain time period; during that time, BookBub sends out an email about your book (along with promos on other books, as well). It means that BookBub has an incredible data source that can tell them when a promo is clicked on and when it converts to a sale.
BookBub.com suggests five things are helpful in book marketing:
- Reviews. Listing the number of Amazon or GoodReads reviews can result in 20-30% better results. This is one type of “social proof,” which means that when other people do something, you’re more likely to go along. We use social proofs all the time. When you see the widget on my site that says I have 1164 Followers on Pinterest, you’re more likely to check me out and follow me there. That’s social proof. On your site, you could add info on the number of Amazon or GoodReads reviews you get to encourage readers to click through and check it out. Or consider other means of social proofs that could help–and use all you can. Cite stats from your previous book in cover letters; use for book descriptions.
- Best-sellers and Awards. Yes, these matter. Any recognition that pulls you out of the crowd will help. However, some awards get more respect–and therefore, get more sales results. Bookbub says a “New York Times BestSeller” wins over a “bestselling author.” Recently, one of my how-to-write books, Start Your Novel, climbed to the top of its category on Amazon/Kindle, making it an “Amazon BestSeller.”
That’s good! It’s not as good as a “New York Times Bestseller,” but it’s better than no awards; it pulls the book out of obscurity. Use for book covers, author bio, book descriptions and cover letters.
Character Names. My forthcoming novel, SAUCY AND BUBBA: A HANSEL AND GRETEL TALE, puts the character’s names in the title itself. If you can’t manage that, use names in the blurb itself. NOT: a brother and sister. INSTEAD: Saucy and Bubba. Use in cover letter, flap copy, and book description.
- Hilarious. According to BookBub, it only happened to one novel. But the single additional word, “Hilarious,” gave one book promo 4000 more clicks (we don’t know percentages, but 4000 clicks is significant!). Will it help your story? Not if hilarious doesn’t properly describe your novel. Instead, BookBub suggests you find other descriptive language that will intrigue the reader: heart-warming, intriguing, a night to remember, etc. Work hard to use the strongest language possible. Use in cover letters, flap copy, book description and covers.
Comparison Title. No. Do not compare your book to Harry Potter. But DO describe your book in comparison to other stories. For example, for one forthcoming novel, VAGABONDS, I am using this comparison: In the tradition of Charlotte’s Web or The Underneath, this American fantasy . . .” This lists two well-known American fantasies, stories that take place in America and draw upon the American landscape. It’s a positioning statement, or a way to tell readers in shorthand what they can expect. Use in cover letters, book descriptions and flap copy.
Read the BookBub article for more on exactly how much each of these strategies can improve your results.
Beyond the Stick Figure by Karin Taylor
I'm still very blocked where my art is concerned. So when I saw that Karin had published a book about her experiences and her art, I leapt at the chance and bought it. It hasn't disappointed and has indeed been inspirational. Karin's a lovely person online and that's reflected in these gorgeous pages ... you really feel that she's sitting next to you, chatting in her friendly voice and telling you her story, full of encouragement and wonderful tips on how to get motivated.
I haven't had the time to read through the whole book yet, but am looking forward to sitting with cups of tea and mulling over every page. Here's a glimpse at what lies inside. If you click on the links you get to see more on her Blurb page:
Honestly, I don't get a cent from any clicks or sales, I'm just thrilled for her and love her book. So take a peek and decide for yourselves:
Beyond the Stick Figure by Karin Taylor at blurb.com
Here's Karin's art portfolio at Red Bubble: Karin Taylor at Red Bubble
The blurb is so simple that Year 1 children – the five to six year olds – can recognise the thing. They point to the patch of text on the back of book cover, proudly telling you “It’s the bit that tells you about the book.”
Is that truly what a blurb does? Does it tell you too much? Or not enough? I’ve been thinking about this because I’ve had examples of both.
In books I’ve written for an early reader series, the standard blurb format sometimes gives the twist of the plot away.
Eight enormous elephants turn a little boy’s house upside down.
It seems nothing can stop them . . . until a little mouse appears.
Or
When Ed dropped his gum on as stormy day, little did he know what would happen. Can Granny save him from the Big Bad Blob?
Why? I wanted both the mouse and the Granny to be a surprise.
Does it help the young reader’s reading and enjoyment to know what the surprise is? Would it help readers of Christie’s “The Murder of Roger Ackroyd” if the blurb contained the words But the narrator did it all along?
The writer doesn’t usually write the blurb, in my experience. The words comes from someone at the publishing house. The copy editor? The editor? Are the words agreed with marketing who must surely know what aspects of the book might make it sell? It’s all a mystery to me.
However, for my long novel for upper junior readers, A BOY CALLED M.O.U.S.E, there was some information missing.
The book blurb emphasizes Mouse’s earlier life and his time in a dreadful school. Here’s an extract:
Mouse cannot know there are people who want to kep him hidden away . . . or worse. Frightened and alone, what Mouse does know is that he must get away from Murkstone Hall – and fast.The blurb is gripping and compelling stuff, but nowhere does it mention that the final third of the book takes part in the busy backstage world of the Victorian theatre, nor that the play that involves Mouse is
A Midsummer Night’s Dream.Originally I had decided this had been missed out because someone at my new publishers felt that any hint of “the theatre” might put readers off. Maybe it would have attracted readers? I’m not sure. Or perhaps it just was that, with a long and complex story, there just wasn’t enough space for everything? Ah well.
I looked at quite a few book blurbs before writing this post and must admit that one stood out:
Once I escaped from an orphanage to find Mum and Dad.
Once I saved a girl called Zelda from a burning house.
Once I made a Nazi with toothache laugh.
My name is Felix.
This is my story.I can’t help wondering whether it was Morris Gleitzman or his publisher who wrote that blurb for "Once".
Can any of you explain the mysteries of blurb writing? Or do you have your own favourite “blurb” blurbs?
This is possibly the question I get asked most often about my books. Many people assume that the girls on the cover are my daughters (in fact I have sons) or friends of mine. Or that at very least I've met them and chosen them.
The truth is very different. Many people are genuinely surprised to hear that authors aren't involved in cover design. It's the publishers choice, and as an author you hope and assume they are more expert in selecting a face than the author would be. If your publisher is nice, you are consulted along the way. Occasionally they'll even listen if you don't think it's right. But ultimately I know almost nothing about design or sales and marketing and they have trained experts.
What about the title then? Do authors choose titles? Well, that is far more likely than choosing the cover. I've only chosen one out of five of my titles, but that's because I'm not very good at thinking catchy titles up. Many authors do come up with their own titles and I'm sure publishers are pleased to be saved the work.
And the cover copy or blurb? Do we write that? Generally, no we don't. It's harder than you might think to make your own story sound enticing. I've sometimes collaborated on the cover copy or made suggestions, but I've also sometimes only changed one word. It's something I'm more than happy NOT to do if there's no need.
I'd far rather get on with the next story. That's the part I do best.
Helena has been taking such wonderful steps to move things forward with the project, I felt it was time for me to do something on my end to keep the momentum moving forward. I have researched trademarking and believe that I will pursue that soon. But what I really needed to dive into is the world of self publishing. I needed to educate myself more on the process, the services, the types of publishers, and figure out what is really right for me, for Helena and I, and for this project to be successful. Success is not the only key, but to also have the outcome we want, and for us to be in control.
My vision is one I want to make come true and start on this journey having the end product most represent this vision. Not that I could even convince a top end publishing house to be interested in my stories yet, but they will hand the story over to an editor whom has their own vision based on what they read. They may not be versed in the background, and may not convey the original intent with the right style illustrations, colors, sense, feelings, or overall package. So this is part of the reason why I intended to self publish first. To, 1) have control, and 2) Because the odds are against someone who is not yet established in the market. And I have a day job, and young kids, and no time to spend sending thousands of query letters to prospective publishing houses. And 3) Because the market is rapidly changing. E-book sales beat out paperback this last year for the first time ever. More self publishing companies are offering conversions to e-books like Kindle and iPad in their publishing packages or as add-ons.
So, the first night I found a few companies. Some offered free newsletters or publishing guides and asked for some brief information. To my surprise the next day 2 companies were knocking on my door. Now I fully understand that publishers are putting their own money into the production, while self publishers want to sell you their services. But I was still shocked at the immediate response. One company really seemed like they were just trying to sell me something. Wanting me to call them back and wanting to know if I wanted more information or was ready to sign up. But I still needed to know more. The other company's publishing consultant took the time to answer my questions, send me the contract upfront for review, explain to me the packages, the options and learn from me what I was looking for without sounding like a telemarketer. They took the time to build my trust. They offered a great discount and shared much advice with me. I spent the last week searching and researching many more companies, but still really feeling comfortable with this one until I found some complaints about them. The complaints did seem to sound like they came from others whom may not have done their research so well or didn't fully understand the contract they entered. I questioned the company and they calmly and rationally explained the reasons for the complaints and in many cases websites set up by competing companies, and honestly just plain stupidity of some people to not comprehend that your book is not necessarily going to sell. You have to market it. And if they didn't for example take the time to get it professionally edited, that could also be a reason why it was not selling.
Some self-publishing companies are called vanity presses. This one was referred to as such, but is not that way today. This is where you publish and have to pay for a certain amount of books like 1000 to be printed and delivered to you, but they do not get distributed, and you have to sell and store them.
Others are called Print-On-Demand or POD publishers. These publishers print on demand when someone orders the book from a site like Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble.com. However most of these companies also offer editing, distribution to wholesalers to be printed or ordered, list you in the Library of Congress, and so basically
Posted on 7/23/2009
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Time Machine, Three Trips: Where Would You Go?
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Older men, younger women. This seems to be the norm, back in days of old when a farmer’s wife died, they took on a younger wife because they were able bodied and child bearing. The younger women could do what we now call “Multi-Tasking”. They would cook, clean, take care of the house, the garden, the yard, the animals, have children and raise them, and service their husband. For many years this was nothing that was frowned upon. Men did this thing all of the time for the benefit of the family. Children were taught to do everything both in and out of the farm. The more children you had, the more help you had. Large families were encouraged.
But Now…
Old man step aside…Mama wants fresh meat!!! Older women have ditched their “Golf Bags” for the caddies. Gone are the days where older women would rather rock their grand kids to sleep in their rocking chairs. Now they want to go out with their grand kids and hang out with rockers. Gone are the days of identifying a grandma by her polyester pants and tissue tucked sweaters. Grandmas are sporting fake breast and bikinis. Now a days young women can’t hold a candle to grandma.
This causes a problem. If grandma and grandpa aren’t together anymore, what do they do. Well, grandma’s on the prowl. She’s not looking for money because if she is smart, she got it in the divorce. She’s not looking to marry because if she does that, the money stops. She doesn’t want another old man, that’s why she divorced the one she had. She is looking for a fresh kill. A man who is young, dumb and full of…a head of hair. Grandma knows the game. She is wise and cunning. She knows that all young men want to do is find them a piece, do their business, and move onto the next. Frankly, that’s all grandma’s looking for too. She’s not interested in making breakfast in the morning, she’s done that for too many years. She does’t want to go through the trouble of changing her last name, she earned the one she’s got. She is interested in the thought of love, but only if he doesn’t have his heart set on shacking up in the house she got in the divorce. Grandmas are tired of being put out to pasture, but now that they own the farm they want to run around naked in the freaking corn field.a
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Posted on 7/23/2009
Blog:
Time Machine, Three Trips: Where Would You Go?
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Women,
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Grandma,
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nerd,
Offbeat,
nerds,
grandmas,
Cougar,
Cougars,
Add a tag
Older men, younger women. This seems to be the norm, back in days of old when a farmer’s wife died, they took on a younger wife because they were able bodied and child bearing. The younger women could do what we now call “Multi-Tasking”. They would cook, clean, take care of the house, the garden, the yard, the animals, have children and raise them, and service their husband. For many years this was nothing that was frowned upon. Men did this thing all of the time for the benefit of the family. Children were taught to do everything both in and out of the farm. The more children you had, the more help you had. Large families were encouraged.
But Now…
Old man step aside…Mama wants fresh meat!!! Older women have ditched their “Golf Bags” for the caddies. Gone are the days where older women would rather rock their grand kids to sleep in their rocking chairs. Now they want to go out with their grand kids and hang out with rockers. Gone are the days of identifying a grandma by her polyester pants and tissue tucked sweaters. Grandmas are sporting fake breast and bikinis. Now a days young women can’t hold a candle to grandma.
This causes a problem. If grandma and grandpa aren’t together anymore, what do they do. Well, grandma’s on the prowl. She’s not looking for money because if she is smart, she got it in the divorce. She’s not looking to marry because if she does that, the money stops. She doesn’t want another old man, that’s why she divorced the one she had. She is looking for a fresh kill. A man who is young, dumb and full of…a head of hair. Grandma knows the game. She is wise and cunning. She knows that all young men want to do is find them a piece, do their business, and move onto the next. Frankly, that’s all grandma’s looking for too. She’s not interested in making breakfast in the morning, she’s done that for too many years. She does’t want to go through the trouble of changing her last name, she earned the one she’s got. She is interested in the thought of love, but only if he doesn’t have his heart set on shacking up in the house she got in the divorce. Grandmas are tired of being put out to pasture, but now that they own the farm they want to run around naked in the freaking corn field.a
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Have you heard of Blurb? it's another publishing option for self-publishing, or making small runs of personalized books.
Great meeting the biggest pimp
in San Luis Obispo.
Best of luck with your writing!
That's how Gordon Korman autographed my copy of Jake, Reinvented at the 2004 SCBWI National Conference. That was the year the Disco Mermaids won our first of three costume contests. (No matter how many times I tell people, I really was dressed as a disco dancer...not a pimp. I swear!)
Anyway, Mr. Korman left a huge impression on the three of us that year. He was so funny and inspiring in his speeches. And after we won the costume contest, we felt confident enough to approach him. Not only was he funny and inspiring, but he was so nice, too. When we got home and started reading his books, we became even bigger fans. In fact, I had been a huge fan all along and didn't even realize it. My bookshelf was loaded with his books from when I was in elementary school but I never put his name to those titles...otherwise I would've lugged them all to the conference and had them signed.
What's the point of this post? I'm getting there. But first, let me tell you what I've told Robin and Eve ever since I rediscovered G.K.: If I could model my writing career after one author, it would be Gordon Korman. He writes hilarious middle grades, adventurous middle grades, hilarious YAs, and suspenseful YAs. The dude can do it all! Plus, children and librarians love him.
And here's why this is all so cool. Gordon Korman gave my first book, Thirteen Reasons Why, a blurb:
A spectacular first novel.
Jay Asher tells his story with such honesty and simplicity
that the tragedy feels shatteringly real.
Okay, I don't know how much more cool news I can take.
- Jay
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Article about research that shows spoilers actually enhance enjoyment of a story! My 6 year old definitely relies on the blurb when choosing his library books.
http://m.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2011/aug/17/spoilers-enhance-enjoyment-psychologists?cat=books&type=article
Oh gosh Penny I do so agree with you! The mysteries of blurb writing are many and I don't understand any of them. Still, I do now try to do the blurb myself. They do OFTEN give away stuff. My biggest success as a blurb writer came when I wrote to an editor of a thriller i'd just read in hardback, pointing out that they'd given away a CRUCIAL plot point in the blurb. They changed the blurb on the paperback and thanked me profusely. It was a Swedish thriller by Johann Theorin and maybe he didn't see the cover till it was too late!
As for my own books, I've been quite lucky though I did have to tell the blurb writers on Happy Ever After to indicate that these were versions of Fairy tales! It's a mystery...looking forward to other blurb stories.
ps. I also can't bear REVIEWS that give away the plot,that article in the Graun notwithstanding!
Editors often write the blurb - I know because I have twice put my foot in it by critising blurb, and it turned out it was written by the person I was talking to. I never knew you could write the blurb yourself, Adele! Of course, as a kindle author, I write my own blurb - and it is hard to give a flavour of the book, and enough to tempt someone into buying it without giving much away.
It seems like it's easy - until you actually try to do it.
The Once blurb is great - it is so intriguing.
And I like the start of this one: "Ever since she bit Father Christmas when she was six months old..." My publisher wrote it for my new book!