The Best Investment You Can Make In Your Writing

        Last month, I mentioned that agents weren't always necessary. This week (two posts in two months! That's more than I posted last year!) I wanted to take this to the next step and explain how an author can get their work through the airtight doors of most major publishers to at least get looked at.

        Outside of cornering them in a Starbuck's somewhere and crying incessantly until they relent, a writer's conference is one of the last places you'll find editors willing to actually look at your work, agent or not. You spend time talking to them face-to-face, explaining your vision for your novel, and even answering questions they might have about how you'll pull it off. If they are interested in the book--or sometimes if they just see promise in you as a writer--they'll ask for more material. From there, the ball either gets rolling faster or stops altogether. But no matter what happens, you've just done the same thing an agent would have done with one key difference: you personally started a working relationship with an editor. Keep going to enough of these conferences with great ideas and they'll get to know your name. Eventually they might even ask to see future work and give you a (moderately) open door for your stuff! Think I'm dreaming? Nope, this is all tried and true and it works. You'd probably be surprised to see how many big-name authors out there don't actually have an agent. They find a publisher they like to work with and they stick with them. Most publishers would rather have an author who'll write lots of stories for them and build a fanbase they can all reap the benefits of. They don't want you shopping around to other houses any more than you want to have to do it!

        So what's the drawback, and why aren't more people using this miracle method? Several reasons.

        First is cost. Some writer's conferences can cost you thousands of dollars to attend once you add plane fare, car rental, lodging (if it's not included in your registration fee), and the registration fee of the conference itself. There could also be meal prices to add in there. It's definitely not cheap! But you have to look at the long run of it. If you sell a manuscript (or better yet, get a contract for several of them), you'll feel every penny was well spent. Granted, you probably won't make much in your first royalty payment (a year down the road), but you'll still be published! So if you can pinch the pennies throughout the year, it could be worth your while.

        The second drawback is personal interaction. According to a poll I read several years ago, public speaking was a bigger fear than death to the majority of folks out there! And let's face it: most writers would rather just sit behind their computer screen all day and write. When it comes to a one-on-one situation, they suddenly get the shakes and black out for a few minutes. Now, let's take that tension and jack it up about ten notches by saying the person you're talking to is the only person in that publishing house that stands a chance of going to bat for you and your manuscript, and if you say the wrong thing they could lose interest in your manuscript or even think you're too kooky to deal with! Think that sounds easy? How about if we add the fact there are literally hundreds of other crazed authors there circling the editors like sharks on a kill just waiting for their chance to jump in there? Yeah, you've definitely got to work up a great push for your idea and be able to present it quickly and clearly. Given the choice of a root canal or meeting an editor for the first time to push their book, it's surprising how many writers would head for the dentist's chair.

        And let's face it: if your manuscript isn't any good, all this face time means nothing. They may want to see some sample chapters, but if those chapters don't work your story ends there for them. That's why you've got to have a picture perfect manuscript before you get there. When you get that one chance, you want to show them the best you have, and you have to make it sing above everything else they're going to get at the conference. A few extra dollars (actually, a few extra hundreds of dollars) can get some editorial work done. Yes, the publishers will have their own editors. . . but you've got to get to that stage first! More money to spend, but it's all worth it if you get a contract.

        I can't stress this fact enough. You literally sometimes get one shot at impressing an acquisitions editor, so you'd better go in there with your game face on. You're not expected to be a professional, but you are expected to show you've done some research and you have the potential to become a professional.
        
        Finally, sad to say but the last drawback is conferences take effort. A lot of writers mistakenly believe success should just fall into their lap. They think if they're good enough everyone should flock to their door to open a bidding war for their stuff. Yes, it takes a tremendous amount of effort to write a novel (even though everyone you know thinks it's easy because they've never tried it), but it doesn't stop there. You have to take it to the next level by polishing, editing, cutting away precious chapters and characters, and then getting out there to make it better by learning from professionals. After all that is said and done, it's time to pack your bags and go flying off to the other side of the country if need be to meet that editor and wow them with your work.

        At some time in the future, I might give a few personal do's and don't's about meeting an editor face-to-face (the first time I did it my hands were shaking so bad I had to hold onto the table so I wouldn't look like a caffeine addict on speed). I still get nervous talking to them, but they really do want to find the next great author and most of them are incredibly nice people.

        In closing, let me just mention a writer's conference you should try: The Mount Hermon Christian Writer's Conference in Mount Hermon, California. It's usually held in March, and you get so many representatives from the big publishers and big-name authors that it's just a blast to walk around and see them all. There are some agents there too, so if that's what you're looking for you can find them. The staff there is friendly, the facilities are gorgeous (taking a nature walk among the giant Redwoods in something you'll find inspiring), and the time is scheduled perfectly. You're close to Santa Cruz as well, which makes for a wonderful field trip one afternoon. I have no stock in the conference or anything...I'm just an incredibly satisfied customer who looks forward to it every year. If you don't want to fly to California, there are other conferences all year long all over the United States. Find one close by and get there!

        So that's a little direction for you if you're feeling hopeless about ever seeing your work published. Just because you don't have an agent doesn't mean your writing career is over. Get out there, work on your presentation, and impress the right folks!

Do You Really Need An Agent?

        Something you'll hear quite often from authors is a desire for an agent. For some strange reason, we writers get this thought in our head that once we get an agent our manuscripts will sell themselves...all our troubles are over and it's all gravy from there. Well, I hate to be the one to burst your bubble, but that isn't necessarily so. Sometimes, having an agent doesn't help. Believe it or not there are times when having an agent can actually hurt your writing career! I'll bet you've read tons of blogs about the need for an agent before you can hope to succeed, but I'm here to say it's not always so! Read on . . .

        Agents make money selling on every contract they sign. They also get a percentage of the author's royalties. They have to make money to live, the same as you or I. If they have an author who sells a lot of books and has publishers scrambling to grab them up, they'll devote a lot of time to that author (and possibly name their firstborn child after them to keep the relationship going). Now, imagine you're not that big name author, but just another writer who has a good book idea. The agent may have been all gung-ho to get you when they read that idea, but a first-time author just isn't going to pull in a bidding war unless they've got a perfect book idea at the perfect time. So the agent can give attention to the selling author, or the newbie. Who do you think will win? An agent who just sits on your manuscript idea with promises of presenting it around can demoralize you as an author because you think your idea isn't any good, when it could be exactly what a publisher is looking for if they could just see it! But it's got to be sent to them first!

        And most agents won't flood publishers with a lot of proposals because they don't want that publisher to grow callous toward their stuff. They want that publisher to say, "Oh, this is from HIM! It's got to be good!" instead of "Oh for crying out loud! Again?? This is the fifth one this week! Why won't he leave me alone??" Hurts, but it happens. That means even if your story might fit the publisher, if he knows one of his big authors has a project coming up he's going to present the same publisher, he'll sit on yours.

        But why would an agent sign you and then sit on your stuff? Well, maybe you have a wonderful manuscript that the agent is psyched about, so he signs you up to sell that story. He does so, but then the book doesn't sell like he wanted and so he loses interest in you. You're still plugging away and sending him fresh proposals and manuscripts, but by now you're on his "Things To Possibly Get Around To Before I Retire" list, and you have no idea why your writing career has stalled. It's easy to get discouraged at this stage--and it seems almost unreal--but sometimes it happens.

        The big problem is there's such a struggle to get an agent that when you finally land one you don't want to let them go--even if they're not helping at all! It's so cool to say "My agent is shopping that story around," but if they're not actually doing anything for you, they're a rock around your neck while you're swimming in the publishing ocean (metaphor time!). You could be the greatest writer on earth, but if your agent doesn't believe in you it's doing you no good. Sometimes, despite your best efforts, you may actually have to fire your agent (or "release him from his contract", as it's put in the industry). The good news? It could actually be the best thing you could do to see your writing take off again!

        Now don't get me wrong. I'm not saying agents are no good and they're all lazy or anything like that. On the contrary, a good agent is a dream come true for a writer! There is no doubt that good agents have their place in the grand scheme of writing. They learn the ins and outs of publishing contracts, they know the editors personally and can open doors most mere mortal authors can not. They can steer your clear of a dishonest editor or a less-than-trustworthy publishing house. They offer editorial services and give advice on future projects. They even send you candy at Christmas sometimes! They are a valuable commodity that most writers would do well to avail themselves of. I say "most writers", because despite all their help they are not absolutely necessary to land a multi-book publishing contract. Believe it or not, you can get one on your own. . .as long as you're willing to put forth a little effort.

        Are agents unnecessary? Well, let's just say it's time to stop focusing on finding an agent and focus on finishing your manuscript. Then polish it. Then give it to some honest folks who will critique it and destroy it and then give it back to you. Then rewrite it. Then repeat it all one more time. And at that point, it's time to move on to the next step.

        An un-agented writer has a lot against them. Just about every major publishing house out there has a standing policy of not accepting unsolicited manuscripts. They'll plainly state on their websites that they have no interest in them, and sending them in is a waste of everyone's time and effort. The writer also has no one guiding their career, and no editorial help when needed. So how on earth can they hope to get published? Two words: "writer's conferences."

        More on those next week as we focus on getting you published. . .even on your own. With prayer and effort, this is your year to see your work in print!

How Christian is Christian Fiction?

This past month was a big reading month for me. I'm in a limbo state about which novel to work on next, so I decided to catch up on some books that looked interesting. They were all in my local Christian bookstore, but I won't name titles. One was by a new author, one was another's second novel, one was another's third, and finally we have the latest from a rather prolific sort. The one amazing thing they have in common is the complete lack of a clear Christian theme.

When preparing a book proposal for my agent, he asks "What is the Christian message you are trying to present?" I've struggled with this a few times because I would have an amazing idea for a book, but no way to really make it Christian. That idea either becomes a short story or gets shelved until later. While I'm not saying there's no room for anything outside of Scripture and verse, I'm just saying I think Christian fiction should have a focus. It should either illustrate a Biblical principle, or promote Christ in some way.

When I finished these novels I was reading, I was struck with how impossible it would be to clearly state any Christian message from them. I came up with the following:

1. When trapped by a serial killer in a building, hide and then kill him as soon as possible. Pray for God to give you the chance to kill him if necessary.

2. A person who goes to church every few Sundays is a Christian. It is also perfectly permissible for them to hate someone who does them wrong and kill them if need arises.

3. If a person won't stop chasing you and the opportunity presents itself, blow them up. Afterward, thank God for helping you fool them into the trap.

I'm honestly not exaggerating here. I remember when I first read This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti. I put it down with a clear idea of what he was saying: there is a spiritual warfare going on that we don't see but is real. Now it seems we have to desperately search through the rubble of a story just to force a Christian idea from it. Like one of those emo bands whose lyrics are so poetic as to be incomprehensible, Christian fiction seems to be turning a trend to hide the message so deeply that you'll never find it. And while I'm all for realism in storytelling, who put the green light on profanity in Christian novels? Maybe it's only a couple of words here and there, but once you start something like that where do you draw the line to stop it?

Truthfully, this isn't happening with every story from every author. There are still clear examples of a Christian message being illustrated out there from folks like James Scott Bell, Kathryn Cushman, Alton Gansky, Angela Hunt and Eric Wilson, to name a few. And I understand that publishing is still a business and as such publishers must make money. And I'm very happy for those "crossover" authors who write for Christian publishers and are picked up by mainstream media as "the next great thriller writer". As a matter of fact, I have two good ideas for secular novels brewing right now! But as Christian authors with Christian novels in Christian bookstores, shouldn't we be sharing Christ in there somewhere? I know one Christian author who could tell his publisher tomorrow "I'm going to rewrite the entire phonebook of Sydney, Australia...in elvish!" and the publisher would scream "Brilliant!" Never mind the message...just get something out there in print!

Imagine a pastor getting up to preach his sermon, but leaving his Bible at home. Instead, he tells an amazing story about a family trapped by mountain lions in the wilderness who have to cripple their dog and leave it behind so they can escape. Then, with a solemn face, he says, "Amen" and dismisses everyone. They might have been enthralled at the story, but if it does nothing to give them hope for their lives or point them to Christ, what makes it any different from a story told by two guys at a bar?

Lift Christ up with the story He gave you. You don't have to cram the Gospel down someone's throat, but at the same time you don't have to bury it so as not to offend anyone. And I know it's not realistic to say a Christian would just throw up their hands and pray for the killer as he comes at them with a knife, but for every ten scenes of despair in a story how about giving us at least one or two of hope? Show us a character living a Christian walk in there somewhere. I know a number of good Christian folks, so I know they're out there around us all. It's not unrealistic to say one could be in your story.

Tell me a great story...and point me to the Storyteller along the way.