One Woman's Writing Retreat: Interview

By Catherine Tudor

CT: We've been watching your novels evolve from print to e-publishing and back to print again. Tell us about your progress as an e-published author. How has this new technology benefited you as a writer?

CB-C:In the print world, it is often a case of waiting years after you contract for a novel to be published for you to see it in print. The average turnaround time is 18+ months from the contract signing until the novel actually hits the shelves. Add another 6 months to a year on top of that from the time you write that query letter until you hold the finished work in your hand. My first print novel took 18 months. My first e-book took a little less than six months. The print book manuscript had to be sent in, book rate, to the publisher. My e-book manuscript was sent via e-mail in Microsoft Word 97. My print book edits arrived via UPS in the middle of a snowstorm. My e-book edits arrived via e-mail attachment at 1:30 AM on a Sunday morning. I sent my print book edits back via snail mail and it arrived nine days after I received them from UPS. My e-book edits went back to the editor via e-mail and took all of seven minutes for her to get them. I never had a chance to see the final edits of my print book before it went to press. I was sent the final edits of my e-book via e-mail two days before it went to press so I could make sure there were no problems. Doing the entire process from query, to submission, to contract (also sent via e-mail), to edits, to final master copy was done on my e-book in the length of time it would have taken a print publisher to get my contract to me.

CT: Tell us about your serial novel that's now in progress at onelist.com. Why did you decide to write a novel for free? Are you concerned about copyright infringement while doing a project like this? How can readers subscribe to your mailing list?

CB-C: One of my readers started the fan club because she loved my writing. I was deeply humbled and highly flattered by it. When she asked me to write a novel--just for the e-mail list--I jumped at the chance to show my readers how appreciative I am of them and how grateful I was to Goldie Thomas for starting the list. No, I'm not concerned about copyright infringement. There are several safeguards in place to prevent theft of the material:

1. Before any chapter is sent out, it is e-mailed to my publisher and the date of creation is, of course, on that e-mail.
   
   
2. Each chapter heading carries a warning that the material is copyrighted and that theft of the material will be prosecuted (and with great delight, too!)
   
   
3. Over 100 people are reading the chapters each week and they are 100 witnesses should they ever be needed to testify against a thief.
   
   
4. Since the list is highly visible and with that many members, I doubt anyone would be foolish enough or stupid enough to try to plagiarize the work. If they do, they will be sued.
   
   
5. One of my publishers, DLSIJ Press, is sponsoring the serial novel and has obtained an ISBN for it. As soon as it is completed--and the publisher has the chapters before the list receives them--it will be published with that ISBN. You can subscribe to the dark fantasy novel The Prince of the Wind by going to: http://www.onelist.com/community/C-BoyettCompo.

You'll be very welcome there. As I said, we are over 100 strong now and have quite a few gentlemen on the list.

CT: Walk us through the e-publishing process. Do you usually query by e-mail? What format do you most often use to submit your work? What type of contract do you sign? Does a lawyer or agent represent you, and if not, how do you make sure your rights are protected? How closely do you work with editors and copyeditors? Do you have any input regarding cover art? Are any of your books illustrated? What kind of marketing and self-promotion strategies are expected of you? How do e-publishing companies promote you? How are you paid?

CB-C: The first thing you should do before going the e-publication route is to check out the company you will be dealing with. One of the best resources is a Web site called Preditors and Editors. There, you will find a myriad amount of information on every 'known' print and e-publisher. You have to understand that publishers--especially e-publishers--are sprouting up every day now. To protect yourself, query the people at Preditors and Editors if you don't see your potential publisher there. And always, always, always, listen to what other authors are saying about a certain publisher. Just because they've offered you the deal of the century doesn't necessarily mean they are either reputable or honest. The old axiom, "if something is too good to be true it usually is," holds very true in the publishing world. Check out the publisher before you ever send that first query letter!

If you have ascertained the publisher you've chosen is reputable and has published numerous books in your genre, then send a query letter asking if they'd like to take a look at your work. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on which side of the query letter you are on!), the bigger names in the e-pub field are snowed under right now due to the massive amounts of manuscripts that have been sent their way lately. You might have to wait several days--or weeks--to get an answer, but that's better than the months it might take a print publisher to get back with you. Or, it might take a matter of hours. A lot depends on who sees your letter, when, and if you've got something to show them that they've been looking for. Cross-genre works are always in demand with e-publishers because the traditional publishers just aren't looking for that sort of thing, yet readers are clamoring for it left and right. If you do get a positive response to your query, you should send the manuscript in to the publisher in whatever format they prefer. I send mine in Times New Roman, 12 point. Single space. In rich text format. [.rtf file] Why? It seems to translate better and you don't lose your settings with it. When I sent material off in Word 97, not every editor could open the attachment and get the same thing I sent. Some of the text would come up missing. Be sure you know what format the publisher accepts before wasting your time sending it in Word Perfect and they want something else. Also, here are a few suggestions from one of my editors: No extra space after the periods. First line, indent 0.5 inch. Other publishers may prefer no paragraph indentation. Make sure you know precisely how they want the manuscript before you send it in. NEVER USE ALL CAPS IN DIALOGUE! Use that wonderful Italics command for shouting. If you're going to end your sentence in an ellipsis . . . make sure you have no more than three periods. In a scene change, use only three asterisks *** and no more. And make sure you leave a line above and below the asterisks.

I sign a traditional contract with my publishers but as opposed to selling the rights to my work to a print publisher who will demand all the rights, I lease only the electronic rights for one year to my e-publisher. I retain all audio, print, and foreign rights to the material. So technically, I can sell the same novel four times to four different publishers. Each format will have a separate ISBN, by the way. One of my novels, In the Wind's Eye, has three different ISBNs.

I have a lawyer who looked over the first e-book contract with Dark Star Publications and gave me her nod of approval. Since then--and since the contract has not changed--I have not made use of her services. I would highly suggest a first time author engage the services of an attorney. Had I done so before signing with two previous publishers, I would not have had to join two class action suits and suffered through the agony of trying to get the rights to my work back in a timely manner. Most print publishers will obtain copyrights for their authors. Most e-publishers prefer the author handle that matter themselves. This is an important procedure and it sounds more daunting than it is. You can download the forms from the government's Web site or you can write for the forms, asking for however many you think you will need. Filling in the form is quite simple and if you have questions, there are instructions on the Web site. The cost is $30.00 per title, but it is a minor amount compared to the peace of mind having your work assigned to you brings. Please be patient once you send in your form, though. It can take up to six months to a year to get it back. When you do get it back, send a photocopy of it to your publisher for them to have on file.

I have been lucky in that I have had excellent editors with whom to work on every e-book I've had published. That was not the case with the print publishers; believe me! I had very little input once the novel started through the editing process and had to raise all manner of holy heck when for some reason stupid mistakes were made by the editor. Not so with the e-editor. If there was something with which I disagreed, we discussed it. If it was something I felt very adamant about, usually I won because, after all, it is the author's creative voice we're talking about. This is the author's work and should reflect his or her voice. Drastic change can alter the entire mood of a novel and if the author isn't comfortable with the editor's vision, he or she needs to say so right up front.

Most e-books go through at least two readers before a contract is issued. From there it goes to an assigned editor. He or she will first go through the manuscript for typos and inconsistencies then go back a second time for the grammatical mistakes. I work with the same editors so they know my 'voice' by now. When he or she finishes with this first edit, it will be e-mailed back to me for me to approve, change, or discuss. Most suggested changes or additions are very easy and can be done right in that word processing program. The edits are in one color, changes in another, and my corrections will be in a third and fourth color: pink for corrections; red for "I don't think so!" When I've done the first edits, I e-mail them back and the editor goes through them again. Depending on how his or her idea and my vision mesh, the next set of edits may only contain a few minor changes. I did a second edit yesterday in less than an hour and sent it with some additional dialogue in a scene. I haven't heard from my editor so I guess that means she approved! Let's say the second edit got the editor's approval. From there it goes to the copy editor who checks both our work. It is her decision whether or not the manuscript is ready to go on to the managing editor for her approval and then from her to publication. This complex set of checks and balances makes sure the work put out is of the highest quality. If your publisher bypasses any of these procedures, chances are very good the product is not going to be of the highest caliber. Since your name is the most important asset you have as a writer next to your ability to create, getting a reputation for shoddy work can end a career in this business quicker than the blink of an eye. Before your name goes on the final product, make sure it is as 'clean' as possible. I don't think any publisher has ever put out a completely error-free novel, but one chock full of typos and inconsistencies, inaccuracies, and bloopers can ruin you.

I work with a cover artist to fashion the artwork for my novels. I have been lucky in that I have worked with one of the best, Judith Huey. Her vision and mine meshed 90% of the time and the other 10% of the time I could live with. Your cover should be eye-catching and very vivid. A dull, unprofessional cover will make a reader think the book is just as dull and unprofessional. You need to grab their attention right off the bat and a so-so cover will not do that. The eye will skip right over a plain cover and settle on one that is pleasing to the senses. Try to find an artist whose expertise and talent lend themselves to a cover that will pull the reader in like a magnet. At Dark Star Publications, each author has to fill out an Art Work sheet telling the editor how you envision the cover, describing a major scene, the characters, and whom you'd like to do your cover. You might not get the artist you want, but at least you will have a major input on the design of the cover. Other than my very vivid covers, I have no illustrations in my novels.

As for marketing and self-promotion, that is entirely up to the e-publisher. Most want their authors to have a 'hands on' approach to promoting themselves and the author should go into this business realizing that once the book is published, his or her work is just beginning! You can't just sit back and wait for the book to sell. You have to actively promote it on Web sites that cater to your genre; on listservs; on bulletin boards; on review Web sites; on chats. Get your name on as many Web sites as you can. Either put something together yourself or hire someone to do a Web page for you so you can list it in on the major search engines. Research review sites and write to ask if they would like to take a look at your work. Put a signature line beneath your name advertising your book so that every e-mail you send has a mini advertisement with it. Every successful e-book author I know has put in hundreds of hours in front of the computer screen networking; making friends of Webmasters and other authors who will exchange links and banners with him or her; checking out Web rings to which their Web page might be added to gain those extra few hits; writing articles and reviews for genre sites. Don't leave the promotion of your novel up to the publisher, because you aren't the only one in their house. They can't drop everything just to promote you! Most publishers do some promoting of their authors, but even the big print houses expect their authors to do promotion. While I find e-book signings unproductive, other authors have had modest sales from them. (It's hard to sign an e-book unless it's in floppy or CD-ROM form and even then, a bookplate is what most authors sign. A bookplate is a large label that can be placed on the floppy case or inside the CD-ROM jewel case.)

I have one e-publisher who pays every quarter and another who pays twice a year. Both provide me with detailed sales of each novel.

Word-of-mouth is probably the best source for choosing an e-publisher. Other authors can tell you what their experience with that publisher has been. Is it right for you? You won't know until you query. My criterion for selecting where to send my manuscripts is whether or not I trust that company. I've been around long enough to know who is doing what and how well. My publishers each have a sterling reputation and I would recommend them highly; they are terrific folks with whom to work. Dark Star Publications have sixteen contracts with me; DLSIJ Press has two; and Genrezone Books has one. I am also doing a short story for DiskUs Publishing for their American Diabetes Association anthology. I have written one short story for Rhapsody Magazine and I am in the midst of negotiating with two Web sites to do a monthly column. At the present time, I am a senior editor at Sharpwriter where I do a monthly 'gossip' column telling what's new with e-book authors. I also do interviews for Genrezeone, The Royal Scribe, and Eguild. I have made a lot of contacts through my associations with other authors and value each and every friendship I've made.

CT: You are a prolific writer, hold down a secretarial job, and yet you still find time to market your work. What keeps you so motivated?

CB-C: Wanting to get my stories out there and read. I don't care about making money from this . . . although that is a very good thing, Martha! What I want more than anything is to write stories that will entertain, make people think and cry and laugh then sit back and say: "Wow, I think I want to read something else she's written!" If I hadn't sat here at this keyboard and done my homework, introduced myself, made friends, garnered a reputation for trying to help my fellow authors get ahead, too, I wouldn't have my name out there on so many Web sites. I wouldn't have over 100 reviews of my novels floating around in cyberspace and I wouldn't be able to say two of my novels hit the e-book bestseller list. I stay motivated because if I don't promote myself, how is Jane Doe in Thailand going to know about me? How will Bob Smith in Goose Pluck, Alabama know I'm out here writing novels in the genre he's been searching for? It's hard--I don't want you to think it isn't--but it is also very rewarding. For every sore neck muscle, aching thumb, and my numb rear end, there is a reader who has either heard about my work or read it. I received a wonderful e-mail just this morning from a reviewer who said: "I'll tell you if I had written the review I wanted to on WindChance, it would have been as long as the book. I just absolutely loved that book! You have definitely got me hooked big time! Great job. I've heard nothing but good things about you and your books!" Now that is an endorsement and makes every sore muscle and throbbing thumb worth it.

CT: How do you organize your time?

CB-C: I don't. I do what has to be done when I can get around to doing it. I wish I had the luxury of organizing my time.

CT: Any advice to unpublished authors who want to break into e-publishing?

CB-C: Don't go into this business unless you are willing to put in the time necessary to be a success. Understand that it is hard work and that it is a business like any other. You must take it seriously; you must put in long hard hours, the obvious benefits from which will not show up immediately. You cannot expect to sell a manuscript then sit back and watch the money roll in. At the present time, e-books are in the larval stage and there isn't that much money to be made. But just like any fledgling enterprise, the potential is enormous and you have the opportunity to grow with your publishing house. Please be patient, though. I can't stress that enough. Patience is more than a virtue in the publishing world: it is a necessity. Don't hound the publisher demanding to know when your work is going to be read or contracted. After it's contracted, don't annoy them with demanding to know when the final master copy is going to be sent to you. Don't alienate your fellow authors by bragging about what your company is doing for you! You never know when you might need that author to put in a good word for you at his or her company. And above all else, please, please, please, please, please do everything you can to help your fellow authors because you never know when you might need some help yourself!

About the Author:

• Search for Books by Charlotte Boyett-Compo at Amazon.com.
• WindLedgends The Author's Official Site.

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