I love to read. My bookshelves heave from the weight of books. My first reading influence was Michael Bond with his Paddington Bear books.
When I first started taking fiction writing classes decades ago, I was reading a lot of Lorrie Moore, Deborah Eisenberg and Tom Perrotta. I love their spunky styles. I like how one can tease out deep meaning from their works.
I would love to say my writing is similar to theirs, but I've been writing a novel that doesn't seem willing to be influenced by the folks I want it to be influenced by. An infusion of Lorrie Moore here, a dabble of Tom Perrotta there.
So, every once in a while, when I get asked "If someone were to read my fiction, who would my writing be reminiscent of?" I draw a blank. I mean maybe my style is Eisenberg-esque, but I can't see it.
When reviewing books and reading the promotional material, I recognize when the marketers are trying to position a book: if you like this New York Times bestselling author, then you will love this debut novel.
Obviously, to understand an unknown (read: debut novelist) it becomes important to build upon something we already are familiar with. But how do you determine that? Is it from what books have influenced you and whose style might pepper your own? Or is it from reading someone reading your work and telling you that it reminds them of X writer?
I don't know about you, but I think I'm missing that essential piece of being a writer.... The piece which enables me to read my own writing and determine whose writing it is most like. I can read someone else's writing and sense influences, but I cannot do the same with my own writing. (It's the holiday weekend, my brain seems to be turning to mush...is there a term that refers to all this writerly influence?!)
What about you? Can you read different writers, differentiating the common styles? Can you turn your discerning eye upon your own writing?If so, is this something you've trained yourself to do? Or is it something you have always been able to do?
Elizabeth King Humphrey, a writer and creativity coach, writes The Write Elizabeth blog.
One question we get a lot is: how do I choose a winning book title? Another is: how do I write my back-cover copy/synopsis? And what are the most effective ways to market my book?
To help you answer these questions, we've invited Susan Kendrick to share her expert advice. There are some wonderful tips and how-tos in this interview that you can apply right away!
Susan Kendrick and Graham Van Dixhorn are partners at Write To Your Market, Inc. They specialize in creating bestselling book covers and business brands--book titles and subtitles, back-cover sales copy, testimonials, business names and taglines, and other pivotal branding and marketing tools. Their clients win major book awards and are featured in The New York Times, L.A. Times, and U.S.A. Today, and appear on national TV talk shows, including The Today Show. But maybe more importantly, Susan and Graham help these authors and experts package their message so that it makes a difference in the world. To learn more, visit www.WriteToYourMarket.com or www.BookCoverCoaching.com.
WOW: Welcome to The Muffin, Susan! Thank you for taking time to share your tips with our readers today. Let's start off by finding out what you do. What services do you provide for authors?
Susan: Thanks for having us! Graham and I create bestselling book titles and subtitles, back cover positioning and sales copy, business names and taglines, media kits, and speaker materials--the tools you need to create and grow a powerful brand for you, your message, and your business.
By doing this, we provide welcome relief for authors whose job it is to be expansive on their topic. Whether you are in the idea, planning, writing, or editing stage of your book, all your focus is on creating a story or message that will speak to people. The job of your book cover, on the other hand, is to take all that you are creating and condense it to the few words that will sell your book. It's writing, but a different kind.
What Graham and I do is interview you, listen to your ideas, and explore your manuscript to capture the highlights that will make you stand out from the crowd and appeal to the people you want to influence most--your readers. You're creating this book for them; you want to make sure they "get" what's in it for them. We also help you position your book to take the lead in your market, so that you are perceived as the expert not only to your readers, but to book reviewers, the media, joint venture partners, and other decision-makers.
WOW: That's a good point and one we often forget while we're writing. We need to think about positioning our book not only for our readers but for the media as well. Another super important issue that authors often ask about is how to choose a book title. What are some things authors should consider when deciding on a working title? And what makes for a winning title?
Susan: First, understand the purpose of a good working book title.
Just as there is expert status associated with being the author of a published book, there is similar status involved in getting out there wi
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I think the most obvious difference in style comes from a writer's voice. It has to be unique and genuine. A strong voice leads to a natural rhythm and flow in a piece and those elements make it easy to differentiate writers.
Do I want my writing to sound like someone else's writing? No, I want to establish my own voice, but I will agree, there are snippets of my literary favorites scattered through my writing. It's bound to happen to those of us who gobble up books and pour our words onto the page.
As a screenwriter and an essayist, I've been most influenced by Nora Ephron. Do I sound like her? Only in my dreams.