A Community of Writers

The Susquehanna Writers have done it again. Five members of our group are featured in the latest anthology from Sunbury Press. And I also have to note that out of the 25 stories, one-third of them are from the Susquehanna Writers. Pretty impressive statistics, wouldn't you say? And even more fun, the writers are CPs.

If you think critique groups aren't worth your time, think again. When we got together 5+ years ago, we were unpublished writers working to improve our craft. Since then, between us, we've had more than 25 books published. This is our first group venture, but here's hoping it won't be the last. And stay tuned for info about a group signing.

If you're serious about writing, find some critique partners to share your work with. Beta readers--friends, classmates, relatives--are great for stroking your ego or pointing out dangling plot threads or areas of confusion. But if you're trying to get published, you need other writers who are studying the craft, working on their own work, and are knowledgeable enough to help you move your work to the next level.

It's nice if you're all writing in the same genre, but that isn't necessary to be effective partners. You may find you need to explain some of the conventions of your genre to your CPs, but good writing techniques are the same whether you're writing picture books or erotica or anything in between. Our group has reviewed stories and novels from a variety of genres: nonfiction, mystery, romance, thriller, YA, picture book, short story, and paranormal to mention a few. And we all learned a lot in the process.

Critique groups are also great because you're all partners in the publishing venture. You not only share advice and techniques, you also share submission tips. And you offer moral support when rejection letters roll in. And each person in the group has different contacts in the publishing world. We also share those. We've introduced each other to new publishers and arranged for crit buddies to speak at conferences or participate in booksignings. That kind of help is invaluable and slowly builds your contact lists. You never know when someone your CP introduces you to might end up as a resource for publishing/editing/speaking gigs.

So get out there and search for some like-minded CPS if you don't have any. If you do, be sure to thank them for all they've done to help improve your skills. And for those of you in crit groups where the majority of you are still unpublished, don't give up hope. Keep plugging away. Study, read, learn. Attend conferences. Bring back the materials for your CPs. One day, you, too, will be holding a group booksigning.

When I was a fledgling writer, I sat at a conference table with an author who was accepting a major award. She told me that her crit group had been together for ten years. They were all unpublished during first five years. Then one after the other, they each got book deals. Over the next several years, they all made the New York Times bestseller list, sometimes multiple times, and every one of them had won at least one a national book award. I was in awe and said I hoped I could find a group like that.

I believe God (or the Universe or a Higher Power) hears when you set an intention like that. A short while later, I ended up in two terrific critique groups. And the members have gone on to get published in many genres. This particular group has reached its fifth year, and we, too, have now all been published. I guess that means those national book awards are next. Can't wait!

Oh, and if you're interested in getting a copy of A Community of Writers, it's for sale at Sunbury Press and on Amazon. If you love libraries, here's your chance to support the Fredricksen Library. All royalties from the sale of A Community of Writers will go the library.

Here's a list of the writers and their stories:

1. Hunting Season - Rayne Ayers Debski

2. Take Care - Margaret DeAngelis

3. Angel in the Mist - Laurie J. Edwards

4. Survivor Barbie - C.A.Masterson

5. A Soldier's Gift - Don Helin

6. Operation Pumpkin Patch - Gina Napoli

7. A Cautious Life - Larry C. Kerr

8. The Green Eyed Monster - Catherine Jordan

9. Smoke - Lori M. Myers

10. Number 11 - Maria McKee

11. The Things She Chose to Keep - Susan Pigott

12. The Surprise Party - Carol A. Lauver

13. an excerpt from "Oops," Said God - Duffy Batzer

14. Swan Song - Ann Elia Stewart

15. Dragon Riders - D.A.Morrow

16. Free as a Bluejay - Madelyn Killion

17. 4:30 - Bob Walton

18. Fade to Black - Kathryn Grace

19. The Nature of Sin - Maria McKee

20. Dead Letters - Susan Girolami Kramer

21. Dissipation - C.A.Masterson

22. The Mirror - Susan E. Bangs

23. Betsy's Delight - Marlene Ross

24. Moving Targets - Debra A. Varsanyi

25. Creature of Habit - Don Helin

So the best advice I can give unpublished writers seeking publication is write, read, submit, and persevere. But most of all, find a crit group. Work hard and meet regularly. Then someday, you will be doing a group booksigning.

Booksigning event next Saturday

T.M. Crone, Susan Gourley/Kelley, Michael Davis and Cate Masters will be at the Midtown Scholar Bookstore next Saturday, Feb. 18th, from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. in Harrisburg. We hope you'll stop in and say hi, and maybe pick up signed copies of a few great books, ranging from speculative to epic fantasy, fantasy romance to dark paranormal and contemporary. A little something for every reader. :)

The Ultimate Launch Party

Every author dreams of launch day. For some it comes quietly. The box of books arrives on the doorstep, and the author sits down to hold a book, smell it, feel it. Yes, it's real. Yes, my name's on the cover. And that night you sleep with it under your pillow.

Others are more expressive. They jump up and down for joy, scream and shout. Some share their joy by calling friends and family. Everyone celebrates together. Still others plan a booksigning or a multi-author event.

But in the freezing northern town of Cold Lake, Alberta, one author celebrated her launch with the whole town's support. Not only did the local newspaper, The Cold Lake Sun, do a feature article, but a nearby radio station, Kool 101.3 fm, did 30 spot ads and a live interview beforehand. The radio station came out to serve as dj for the party and also covered the launch. Bean Trees, the local coffeehouse opened their doors for the event, and let an artist paint their walls with art from the book. Six-foot high pictures of the main character and the book's graveyard setting adorned two full walls.

Those Canadians really know how to party. So does the author. She had the all-girl band, Shenanigans, perform. She's pictured above singing along with the band. A singer/songwriter herself, she's multi-talented, and she even performed a song about one of her book characters.

The local bookstore sold out of books before the event, then sold their second order at the event and was still taking orders after the author sold out the boxes of author copies she'd brought!

And who was the lucky author? Judith Graves, YA paranormal author of Under My Skin, published by Leap Books.

Want to know what all the buzz is about? Check out her fabulous book trailer for details about the novel that has a whole town buzzing...

Public Speaking: Worse than Death?

I once read that most people dread public speaking more than death. And who's one of the shyest groups? Authors, of course. So combine the two and what do you get? Double dread. We write because we can do it privately, can mull over our words, can hide. We may spend years slaving over a book. Then what happens?

We're thrust into the public eye. At first it's not too bad. We see our name mentioned online when our books go up for sale. Then it progresses to reviews--magazines, newspapers, and online. OK, we manage to deal. We try not to cringe when we're misquoted or people misunderstand what we were attempting. We survive having our biographies splashed around the Internet and our pictures on Facebook. Some authors even revel in these bits of fame. Next come blog tours. OK, we can still use our writing skills, spellcheck, and cut & paste--all the author survival tools we know and love.

Then comes the dreaded phone call. "Will you speak to..." You freeze. Your mouth dries up. (OK, those are cliches, but you know that's what happens.) You manage to choke out a strangled yes. You have to do this, right? Appear in public. Before groups of people. All of them eyeing you. Gulp.

So you do one of two things. You scramble to prepare a talk and rehearse it. Ad infinitum. Or you procrastinate. You avoid thinking about it. And suddenly the day arrives and you have no idea what you'll say. Actually, it doesn't matter, because ready or not, when you walk to the podium, fear sucks every coherent thought from your brain. The notecards you wrote, if you planned ahead, look like a foreign language. The outline makes no sense. If you wrote your speech out word-for-word, the words blur together.

You stand there quaking and croaking. Words come out, but they make no sense. Your tongue races through a marathon of tangled thoughts. You stop. People applaud, but you aren't sure if it's because they're glad the torture is over, if they're being polite, or if you left them with some great insights. Still relief floods through you. It's over. You survived. Finally, you can relax.

Nope, not yet. You need to paste on a smile, answer questions, listen to people describe (in excruciating detail) every book idea they've ever had, and... Yesss! Sign books. The joy of a writer's existence. You love this as much as hearing, "I enjoyed your talk." But you live for the greatest gem of all, "I love your book." And for that, writers will endure almost anything.

Don't Want to Be Lonely Tomorrow

Saturday is a landmark day for my writing career. I'm having my first solo book signing at one of the 'big' chain stores. Barnes and Noble in Camp Hill, PA will host me for the signing of my first fantasy novel, The Keepers of Sulbreth. This epic tale of sword and sorcery is the first in The Futhark Chronicles. I'm hoping for a great turnout on Saturday so the store will ask me back for the next three books in the series and any following those.

I've supported fellow authors at signings in various venues but never one in this particular store. The store has been wonderful. They've had a poster near the front door for nearly three weeks and have the event on their website. I have my pens ready, my bottle of water and a pack of mints. I'm going to avoid the morning coffee so I don't have to run to the restroom and I doubt my nerves will let me eat.

I've spoken with enough authors to know book signings can range from beyond the dream to a complete bust. I'll be thrilled with something in between those two. If half the people show up who have promised to do so, I'll be a very happy writer on Saturday night.

If you're in the area, I'll be pacing around the signing table from 2:00 to 4:00 pm on Saturday, February 13th. Follow the link for directions and more information.

Hope to see some of you tomorrow.

Today's booksigning postponed

Old Man Winter's surprise appearance forced the postponement of today's booksigning, which was to have been held at The Midtown Scholar in Harrisburg. Until yesterday, forecasts seemed to call for only a dusting. As you can see in the photo from my deck, already about three inches have fallen, and it's only 7:30 a.m. The brunt of the storm is supposed to hit later this afternoon.
So look for more news on the rescheduled event in a few months. After the thaw.
Meanwhile, I'll be serving hot chocolate on the deck, if you want to brave the storm.

Attracting Crowds to Your Booksigning

Published authors soon discover that their dreams--fans snatching multiple copies of their books from the shelves, begging for autographs--rarely match reality. Often a book disappears into the vast ocean of books, making barely a ripple. Sure, you sell a stack of copies to your relatives and best friends. Maybe the local library or bookstore sets up a signing, where you sit amongst copies of your newly minted book and wait...and wait... and wait...

So where are those hordes of fans? The adoring public? A few people gaze at you and your sign. Several wander over, mostly to tell you about their dreams of being a writer. Your mom arrives, dragging a few friends in tow. You manage to sell, um, three copies? Count yourself lucky. Those are average first-time booksigning sales unless you're an exceptionally good salesperson who buttonholes people and convinces them to buy.

Unfortunately, most authors prefer keyboards to conversation, so high-powered salespersonship is beyond their powers. They shrink as people approach the table and pray they won't have to come up with an opening gambit. So if you're a shrinking violet, how can you ensure that you have plenty of visitors to your signing (besides having your mom strong-arm her friends)? Try the old safety-in-numbers trick. The more authors, the more mothers to marshal friends to the table. The larger variety, too, will encourage more browsers. Who knows? Maybe one of those visitors (or more) may pick up your book. It's worth a try.

Oh, and a little chocolate always helps. If it doesn't attract the customers you'd hoped for, you can use it as comfort food.

The Susquehanna Writers are taking their own advice and banding together to brave the world of booksignings. You can meet many of us at the Midtown Scholar Bookstore in Harrisburg, PA, on December 19, 2009.

If you want to know where and when to show up, here are the additional details:

3-5 pm, December 19, 2009

1302 North Third Street
Harrisburg, PA 17102
(717) 236-2665

Get autographed copies of romances, mysteries, self-help, thrillers, history, YAs, and more. And the Midtown Scholar offers the largest array of rare and used books between New York and Chicago. They have more than ONE MILLION secondhand and out-of-print books in all fields.You’ll find something to please everyone on your holiday gift list.

So bring Mom, Dad, Sis, Bro, and even crazy Uncle Albert. We promise you a delicious holiday treat (if we don't eat it all first). A good incentive to show up early before all the the best stuff is gone.

Booksignings and Independent Sellers

Last year I arranged a booksigning at an independent bookseller a good distance from my home. There aren't many independents left in my part of the world. Those that are about are struggling to compete with the big chain stores. For someone like me, those hard-fighting independents are my best bet for getting a booksigning. Because my small ebook publisher doesn't take returns, the big stores won't order my books.
The small bookstore where I had my signing ordered my books and I agreed to take extras off his hands if we didn't sell many. Well, we didn't. The number sold was slightly more than zero, but it certainly didn't pay for my gas. He admitted his store did the majority of its business selling children's books and he sold few romances. I wish I had know before I prepared a prize basket and a brief talk on writing romance. But I can't fault him.
I fear the independent bookseller will go the way of the small hardware stores with their wonderful smells and hard word floors. The small bookstore's peaceful quiet with no piped in music will drift quietly into the night. They don't have aisles of the latest CDs and DVDs or rows of magazines and they can't stalk the midlist books while still having room for the latest bestsellers.
If there is an independent bookseller near you, stop in and support them if you can. They may not have a gourmet coffee shop with overpriced deserts and college students with their laptops out, but they will have a friendly educated staff and owner grateful for your patronage. Every person who works in those little stores will love books as much as we do. Support your independents.