After eight long years, my book Plastic is finally finished and will be published next spring! I am so excited!! My publisher is The Porcupine's Quill, an artisanal publisher that values the craft of the book. I feel so lucky that they chose my book. I've been working with their acquisitions editor, Stephanie Small, who has boldly taken on the task of preparing the manuscript for print in a very tight time frame.
The book will be published in Canada and the U.S. and will be for sale on Amazon and through the publisher's website. I hope to launch the book in Victoria next April and also give a reading in my hometown of Halifax. My dream would be to read from the book at the new central library on Spring Garden Road. Anyone who has seen this building knows what a beautiful place it is and how wonderful it would be to give a reading there. For all the writers out there who are three or four years into writing their book, hang in there! It has taken me over eight years of researching, writing, rewriting, revising and editing to finish Plastic. Along the way, I learned a lot about the craft of writing, spent many weeks in the San Diego area (the setting for the book) and met so many wonderful writers through conferences, workshops and retreats. I am starting to think it not only takes a village to raise a child but also to produce a book. I am very grateful for the writing community that has supported me over the last eight years. I will share more news on publication over the coming months. Please stay tuned!
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Exciting news! The International Writing Program at the University of Iowa is offering another free writing course online. The subject this year is Storied Women, with a focus on female authorial voices and female literary characters. The MOOC (massive open online course) runs from October 11 to November 21. Margot Livesey will lead the course with the Director of the program, Christopher Merrill. It is completely free and open to writers at all levels. Each week there is a class video, a reading assignment and a writing assignment. Do as little or as much as you please. Then post your work for community feedback.
I took part two years ago after I finished my mentorship at the Humber School for Writers and wanted to continue working on my book. I found the class exercises opened up new thought processes and helped me make a few meaningful revisions to my work. The timing is perfect too as it overlaps with NANO. Have you got a story idea with a strong female lead? Are you revising a novel or putting the finishing touches on a story? No matter where you are in your writing journey, How Writers Write Fiction can provide a lift and a lot of inspiration. I have signed up and am eager to dive in. The only question is: will I work on my novel-in-stories or a brand new book? Check back and see. The saying used to be that Victoria was home to the newly wed, nearly dead and flower beds. While not everything has changed, the city has also become known for writing. The city pulses with writers in all forms and genres in all age groups and from beginners to award winners, such as Esi Edugyan who won the 2011 Giller Prize for Fiction for her book Half Blood Blues.
On July 15, 2016, three organizations held a joint meet and greet for writers at the James Joyce Bistro in downtown Victoria. The Victoria Writers' Society, the Federation of BC Writers and the Victoria chapter of the Canadian Authors Association invited their members to come out and network with fellow writers. Writing is a solitary pursuit, and these gatherings give writers a chance to socialize and share information on the business side of the craft. Over the course of the evening, I discussed the editing process, publishing, agents, retreats and taxes with my peers while learning about their writing projects. The writing community is strong in the city, and each year there are countless opportunities to see and hear writers at festivals, readings and book launches. But there are few opportunities to network solely for the sake of networking. Kudos to the three organizations for recognizing the importance of such events. I hope there will be more to come.
I think it is probably safe to say, then, that unpublished authors in Canada are going it alone. If you completed your first book, save yourself some time and send it out directly to publishers. Start contacting agents after you've sold your second book. This was one of the eye-opening points shared at the Canadian Authors Association's discussion What Publishers Want from Authors. Two speakers provided viewpoints: Frances Backhouse, as a writer who has worked with a few different publishers, and Taryn Boyd, as the Associate Publisher at TouchWood Editions here in Victoria. Both speakers agreed on the importance of having a platform before your book is published. Publishers want to know that you are willing to promote your book and have venues to do so. Note any media interviews you've given, your social media experience and any podcasts or readings of your work. And give them numbers, if you have them (e.g. I have 3,000 followers on Twitter). The second piece of advice was to be a professional and collaborative partner with the publisher. Treat them with respect and understand that you both want the same thing, the best outcome for your book. However, the best outcome does not equate to selling a million copies of your book and becoming rich. (A very small percentage of people in the business become rich. Most earn a modest return.) Having a realistic expectation of how well the book will do, helping to promote the book and not expecting miracles from the publishing team will all go a long way to cementing a collaborative relationship. Even if your book does sell a million copies, understand that the author's share is 10%. The book seller, the distributor, the sales reps and the publisher split 90%. And, if you are lucky enough to secure one of the 30 agents in Canada, he or she takes 15% of all the money you earn (advances and royalties). Granted, their job is to make you more money, whether in the contract itself or by selling other rights. So with a good agent, you should end up with more money in your pocket, not less. But as stated at the top of the blog, most writers in Canada do not have agents. So don't let that stop you! Research publishers to find the right fit for your book and then send them a query letter. Work on that pitch or proposal! Have a good understanding of where your book fits in the current market, who it will appeal to and how it will impact readers. Then succinctly communicate that in your letter or email. Every publisher is hoping to find a compelling idea in a book they just can't put down. It could be yours. The end of 2015 brought a turnaround for me. Two wonderful things happened: I returned to editing work, which I love, and I began working from home, which took a bit of getting used to.
Previously, working from home has meant working on my own writing. I have my laptop, desk, printer and comfortable chair at the ready. And on my days off, I can happily spend from four to six hours seated at my desk, writing or editing fiction. In October, I bought a second desk and set it up next to my writing desk. My new employer sent me a laptop, monitor and other accessories. Then a steady stream of documents, books and reports began to fill my inbox. Suddenly my working days and days off started to look very similar. Rise, dress, make breakfast and sit at one of two desks. Stare at a computer screen and immerse myself in another world. My own fictional world or the non-fiction realm of museums and archives. I had to figure out how to make working at home, practically seven days a week, not only possible but enjoyable. The first hurdle was that my work days are longer. Almost nine hours in front of a computer. I bought a desk where I can sit or stand, which has been a back-saver. I have a lovely view out my patio doors of a green park, which only turned greener over the winter in Victoria, and I take small mental breaks to regard the outside world. But the biggest sanity boost came from securing walking partners, a workout buddy and coffee mates to ensure I take a physical and social break every single day. We can take the social side of work for granted. Our colleagues not only help us with the workload, they also lighten the mental load by providing an ear, an interesting story or a different perspective. Granted, all of that can come with its fair share of difficult personalities, discord and occasional back-stabbing. I do not miss office politics or working in a cubicle farm. Being able to hold a private phone conversation and avoiding all the drama has been a boon. My productivity shot up to over 90%. My supervisors were awestruck by the amount of work I could accomplish. So awestruck that in January they asked me to move to Ottawa and work in the office with them permanently. Their offer gave rise to mixed emotions. I truly enjoy the work and have been very happy with my supervisors. In fact, everyone I've met either in person during my visit to the office or over the phone has been lovely. So yes, I definitely want to keep working with them. But it didn't take too much reflection to realize that I had to turn down the offer. It wasn't just the move to Ottawa, but the return to working in an office in another cubicle farm. Although it had taken me perhaps a month to really settle into working from home, once I figured out how to make it work, I wanted -- no, needed -- to keep doing it. I'm hoping we can find a way to keep the telework agreement beyond the one-year contract because my editing life has been good to me so far. My health is better, and I completed my book of linked short stories. So in fact, three wonderful things happened at the end of 2015. Here's hoping my successful editing life continues throughout 2016 and beyond! |
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