Writing influences this year?
1. A dream
2. An editor
3. My CPs
Oh. You wanted more than that? Well, then. Grab your festive, seasonal beverage of choice, a fist full of holiday cookies (with frosting!) or candy and have a seat.
The Dream: Not gonna make you read through a retelling of a dream that only matters to me. Suffice it to say, there was a dream. It was one of those half dream/half nightmare affairs where someone or something else has control of you. Your protests and determination make no difference whatsoever. One line from the dream stands out because it made it verbatim into an Urban Fantasy called Nightmare Ink, which is due out in April from Intermix. The line was: "You are a work of art. Don't make me destroy you."
An editor: So, it may not have escaped your notice that I had been writing science fiction romance. And now I'm not. (Well. I am but we'll talk about that later. As in second quarter of 2014 later.) I adore my editor. She is spectacular at what she does - identifying issues and communicating those clearly. I never have any doubt how to fix something after she's sent me her notes. She's that clear. Well, when she asked me if I had any urban fantasy kicking around that she could take to the Intermix line, of course I said yes. I got to keep working with her!
My Critique Partners: I have multiple critique groups. Okay. Two. Those two groups encompass a wide array of writers. Every one of them liked the Nightmare Ink concept and worked with me in a lovely way whenever I struggled with feeling like I might be in over my head, which was often. I had a steady stream of encouragement, ideas, and suggestions. Emergency reads in the eleventh hour before I handed it off to my editor may also have happened. Then the cycle began again because the second book in that series is due just about any day now. Because *this* time around, I am doing my darnedest to give my excellent CPs plenty of time to work their red pencil magic before I have to hand it over to my editor.
How's that? Did I time my post to coincide with your need for a refill on that drink of yours? I hope so. And I hope you and your family and friends all have a tremendous holiday, and a happy new year filled with everything good.
Showing posts with label InterMix. Show all posts
Showing posts with label InterMix. Show all posts
Friday, December 27, 2013
Friday, April 12, 2013
E-Pub Spotlight: I Cheat
I'd planned to tell you I'm not published through an e-pub. In the strictest sense, this is true. However. I do have an e-only novella out and I'm under contract for two e-first novels via Penguin's electronic imprint, InterMix. Part of me feels like they don't quite count because InterMix is a line within the broader scope of a traditional publishing house, rather than a dedicated electronic publisher.
The problem for me is that they are the only e-first publisher I have first hand knowledge of, so here we are.
When this line began, it seemed to be a vehicle for backlist, but it quickly grew into far more. At the last RWA National Conference, Berkley and NAL (who are currently doing the bulk of acquiring for Intermix) editors across the board said they were looking for all kinds of fiction for the line. Romance, nonromance, cross genre - they felt like they could take square-peg projects for the e-first line that didn't fit into the round holes of the houses' print lines.
The Good: The editors. For my e-books, I'm working with the same editor I had for the two print novels Berkley Sensation published. And this is a source of infinite joy to me. Turn around time is much faster than taking a book to print - inside of 6 months, generally. (Print books took a year or more.) Cover art is yummy. Your say in it is limited, but the in-house people are good. You do NOT need an agent to submit. Which leads us to:
The Bad: You're still submitting to Berkley or NAL. If you don't have an agent, you end up in a slush pile that may be . . . unwieldy. True slush pile story from Berkley? 3 years. I mailed a requested MS. Got the rejection letter 3 years later. (This was in 2000 ish) Apparently, that's no longer common. I'm told turn around times are much better these days. The editors consider submissions for their print lines and for InterMix all at one time.
The Neutral: The contract. This is a big, traditional publishing house contract, which is to say, it might as well be in Greek. Or Middle English. You'll want to read carefully. You may want legal advice if you don't understand it. I sure didn't. Negotiation on that contract is limited as well. Another factor: Depending on the project, there may be a small advance involved, but royalty rates for this line are usually 25%.
I adore my editor. It's what drew me to InterMix. If I can manage to write faster, I may yet work with a dedicated e-publisher. There are so many fun options out there. InterMix is just one.
The problem for me is that they are the only e-first publisher I have first hand knowledge of, so here we are.
When this line began, it seemed to be a vehicle for backlist, but it quickly grew into far more. At the last RWA National Conference, Berkley and NAL (who are currently doing the bulk of acquiring for Intermix) editors across the board said they were looking for all kinds of fiction for the line. Romance, nonromance, cross genre - they felt like they could take square-peg projects for the e-first line that didn't fit into the round holes of the houses' print lines.
The Good: The editors. For my e-books, I'm working with the same editor I had for the two print novels Berkley Sensation published. And this is a source of infinite joy to me. Turn around time is much faster than taking a book to print - inside of 6 months, generally. (Print books took a year or more.) Cover art is yummy. Your say in it is limited, but the in-house people are good. You do NOT need an agent to submit. Which leads us to:
The Bad: You're still submitting to Berkley or NAL. If you don't have an agent, you end up in a slush pile that may be . . . unwieldy. True slush pile story from Berkley? 3 years. I mailed a requested MS. Got the rejection letter 3 years later. (This was in 2000 ish) Apparently, that's no longer common. I'm told turn around times are much better these days. The editors consider submissions for their print lines and for InterMix all at one time.
The Neutral: The contract. This is a big, traditional publishing house contract, which is to say, it might as well be in Greek. Or Middle English. You'll want to read carefully. You may want legal advice if you don't understand it. I sure didn't. Negotiation on that contract is limited as well. Another factor: Depending on the project, there may be a small advance involved, but royalty rates for this line are usually 25%.
I adore my editor. It's what drew me to InterMix. If I can manage to write faster, I may yet work with a dedicated e-publisher. There are so many fun options out there. InterMix is just one.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)