What Makes You Put Down a Book in the Store?

I saw a tweet by Angela James this morning that made me think of the idea for today's blog. What makes readers put down a book--particularly when they are in the book store and considering making a purchase?

Is it the bad cover with the man titty or the half naked people on front? Is it a terrible title? Did they read the first page and decide it was dreck? Was it a poorly written back cover blurb? Or, as simple as the genre not being a fit? Maybe the title made you think contemporary but the book is historical.

So, when you're browsing for books or maybe digging through your To Be Read (TBR) pile, what makes you throw down one book and move on to the next one?

(For me, a bad cover will make me drop a book like hot cakes and a good cover will make me buy a book without reading the blurb)

Manuscript Makeover

For the last week or so, I've been reading Manuscript Makeover by Elizabeth Lyon. It was recommended to me by a fellow romance author, Emily Ryan Davis. Since I've been planning to revise Secrets Uncovered into a full length novel, I have been trying to find ways to turn 30K into 80K. Sometimes, I have way too many ideas for things I could do and it's not always clear as to what I should do.

But reading this book is great. It's primarily a revision/editing book for writers who have no idea where to begin the process. Manuscript Makeover is also a craft manual. There are useful tidbits for expanding bare bones scenes through "riff writing" and processes for taking paragraphs or lines from your favorite books and learning how to emulate the technique. And, of course, there is the basic stuff on sentence structure, unnecessary words, and reading your manuscript aloud to catch awkward phrasing.

Though I'm only on chapter five, I'm already in love with this book. Manuscript Makeover is just what I needed. And, I haven't even gotten to part three on characterization.

What I love about this book is that it covers all the major aspects of revision/self-editing. It's not just a manual for how to clean up your sentences and eliminate "that", "was", "had", etc. It is not just a book about cutting word count for clarity. It teaches you techniques for writing and shows you how to emulate your favorite writers to learn from their description or their dialogue or characterization techniques. It has simple methods for you to re-read your own writing and listen as a reader would listen.

I highly recommend Manuscript Makeover. It is pure genius!

When Bad News is Good News

Late last October, I received the dreaded rejection letter. I'd submitted my novella, Secrets Uncovered, to several places and it hadn't sold yet, though one editor requested to see other work from me. But, there was one house particularly interested in the work and they requested a full manuscript and the editor seemed in love with the premise. But, then, in October, I got my reply.

At first, I was devastated. It hurt. After all of the editing, revising, reworking, rewriting, I was just tapped out of energy. I knew I wouldn't abandon this book, but I decided to take a break for a while and work on other novellas in the mean time.

Recently, I'd done a reading for myself. My godmother had bought me the I Ching for Writers book and I did a reading that suggested that I should focus on revisions. It was also around the time of Mercury Retrograde, so that seemed very appropriate. But, I didn't know which book I should work on. Should I work on Secrets Uncovered again or should I totally revise my current work-in-progress (since I'd recently come to the conclusion that the new book had started in the wrong place)?

I was led to go back to Secrets Uncovered. I sent the manuscript to a few friends for a beta read and I also brainstormed advice with other writer friends. Then, I decided to go back and look at the rejection letter. I re-read it and something magical had happened. I didn't see the pain and the hurt of the rejection anymore. I saw a reply from an editor who sincerely believed in the book's potential. So much so that more than one editor had read the book and they felt the need to give me a paragraph or so of constructive feedback. And, in the end, she said something to the effect of: "Just because we did not buy the book now does not mean that we would not in the future nor does it mean that we would not look at other work submitted by you." She also told me how much she enjoyed the first half of the book and that the end was just too rushed/underdeveloped. My impression was that she wanted a much longer story to fully develop the character arc and conflict.

In my new frame of mind, I decided to show the bulk of the letter to a couple of my published friends and one told me, "This looks more like a revise and resubmit to me." My critique partner, Belle Scarlett said, "Honey, this is the best rejection letter I've ever seen!" And she works not only as a fiction writer but a script story analyst.

So, I began to look at the situation in a new light. The book was stalled, but not dead. And, I'd often fantasized about it being a novel anyway. There are all of these extra characters floating in my head who never made it into the last draft I sent to the publishers. Writing a full-length book will give me a chance to let them tell their stories, too.

In the last month or so, I decided to extend my 30K novella to 60K-90K. If it makes 60K, I'll resubmit it to the editor who was enthusiastic about the book and if it makes it to 90K, I'll go the more traditional route of looking for a print publisher and an agent.

Sometimes, bad news is really good news in disguise.

Pleasant Surprises

So, today was one of those days where you go from low low to high high. I had just returned from a trip to New England and had a minor injury on the plane so I spent most of the day at the Emergency Room of a local hospital. I bumped my head while boarding the plane yesterday and after a couple of hours, I realized it wasn't just a casual knock on the head. It turned out that everything was fine and the doctor sent me home with the advice to take some ibuprofen, acetaminophen, and get some rest.

About two hours ago, I decided to check my email again and I realized there was a message regarding a contest I'd entered earlier this year. I am now a finalist and the contest coordinator told me that my entry was "impressive" and that the judges said it was one of the most "seductive, compelling, and well-written" entries. I was totally stoked as Inez Kelly would say!

My bumpy morning turned out to be a terrific evening. And, the best part is that the sexual tension scene I submitted to the contest will now be passed on to two senior editors at a couple of big epublishers and if they like it, I can get this book sold and published! Or, should I say published and sold? I love knowing that this time next year, the book could be for sale online.

My excited ramble has come to an end, but the hope and joyful anticipation live on...