Ed Greenwood and I sat down for a great chat with Patrick Hester (@atfmb) about all sorts of things, including anthology editing, Forgotten Realms, WHEN THE HERO COMES HOME, and (I neither confirm nor deny) bubblegum.

It was a great time, and you can listen to episode 083 here.

Jenn of the Jennisodes RPG Podcast interviewed me and Ed Greenwood about WHEN THE HERO COMES HOME.

Ed says wonderfully insightful things, and I ramble a lot and stumble over my words. Hopefully I say a few insightful things too. :)

Have a listen!

Thanks for having us, Jenn!

Nominations are now open for the 2011 Parsec Awards for Excellence in Speculative Fiction Podcasting.

Last year, my short story “Swimming Lessons” (from P.G. Holyfield’s “Tales of the Children” podcast anthology) was a finalist. This year, I have another eligible short story: “Closure” (from Philippa Ballantine’s “Chronicles of the Order” podcast anthology).

Nominations are open through June 1, 2011, and the award ceremony is held at Dragon*Con. Anyone may nominate. A panel of judges selects the finalists and winners from the eligible nominees.

Visit the official Parsec Awards site for more about the Parsec Awards and to learn how to nominate your favorite podcast.

I recently sat down with author Gail Z Martin at her Ghost in the Machine Podcast to talk about the importance of editors and other writing-related topics.

Have a listen!

And visit Ghost in the Machine Podcast for more interviews with writers, editors and publishers. You can also catch Dragon Moon Press author P.G. Holyfield talking with Gail about why podcasting is important to today’s authors.

Gail Z. Martin is the author of The Summoner, The Blood King and Dark Haven in The Chronicles of The Necromancer series. For book updates, tour information and contact details, visit www.ChroniclesOfTheNecromancer.com. Gail is also the host of the Ghost in the Machine Fantasy Podcast, and you can find her on MySpace, Facebook and as @GailZMartin on Twitter.

Interview: Gabrielle Harbowy, Renaissance Woman, courtesy of The Dead Robots’ Society Podcast

It was a pleasure to meet up with the wonderful crew of the Dead Robots’ Society Podcast this week for an interview. It was a particular honor because the DRS interview with editor Juliet Ulman had been so inspirational for me. Working in an isolated sort of environment like editors do, and doing work that should (if it’s done well) be invisible, doesn’t lend itself to having access to many role models. Hearing Juliet talk about editing and express eloquently so many of the things I believe, or aim to do in my work, or have observed in my own experience so far, helped to affirm for me that I was doing it right — both in terms of how I approach authors and their work, and how I approach my own career.

My interview was a long time coming. Various scheduling obstacles kept getting in the way, but I’m glad that the interest and determination held on both sides. It was a lot of fun, and it turned out to be completely unlike the other interviews I’ve done.

What’s changed? Well… I think… me.

Instead of focusing on how to format a submission, or how to edit, or when to edit, the interview focused on how I balance being an editor, an associate publisher, and a writer.

It was especially interesting because I don’t really think of myself as a writer. Not yet.

I’ve got one story, “Swimming Lessons” up in PG Holyfield’s “Tales of the Children” podcast anthology. That story is on the longlist for a Parsec Award(!).

I have another story — my first professional sale! — which will be appearing in an anthology this December. More news as the date nears, or you can listen to the interview for a couple more hints.

I have a story out on someone’s desk at a major market, and two more in the works.

But editing comes first for me. Though I think I’m constantly learning and improving in all aspects of the business and editing is no exception, it’s where I feel I really shine. And for me, editing blends naturally into publishing. I’m so used to being “hands on” with a novel, having held it from slush pile through editorial, that it seems natural to be the one to take it into typesetting and layout, to discuss promotional opportunities and offer to be the contact person for reviewers and award committees.

Would I be content “just editing”? Could I give those extra responsibilities up? Sure. But I like being busy, and I’m grateful for the opportunity and for the insight I’m gaining into the industry by being able to be more involved in different aspects of it.

I feel the same way about writing. I’m discovering that I enjoy it, and I’m also enjoying the “sensitivity training” that it lends to my editing. I have a different perspective on a lot of things now: I’m more aware of the agonizing wait for authors with work on somebody’s slush pile; I’m more aware of the uncertainty someone feels when they open up a file full of red ink. I feel that I can relate to my clients a little better, because I’m one of them. I understand their half of the experience.

All around, I’d say it’s all easy to balance. Each side of the triangle — writing, editing, publishing — gives me more insight on the other two. All together, it’s an invaluable, ongoing education. Even if I end up focusing more narrowly on one facet or the other down the road, I’ll still be able to bring to it a rounded perspective on the industry that will always inform my actions, no matter what I’m working on from day to day.

Thanks again to the guys at DRS for having me on and inviting me to share my thoughts!

You can follow the Dead Robots’ Society on the web at DeadRobotsSociety.com
on Twitter at @DRSPodcast
and on Facebook at Listeners of the Dead Robots’ Society.

This week, Michell Plested and I met up for another interview over on Get Published, talking this time about query letters and the submissions process.

It’s a great interview, even though I’m a little sniffly in places. We aimed to cover a lot of the questions that writers have when they start to send out their work. Talking with author friends and clients, I’ve realized that while there are some standard things that every publisher/editor/agent says on the issue, writers may not necessarily know what we mean by them, so I try to explain why we say what we say, and what we mean by what we say, in simple and friendly terms.

Sending out queries is such a source of stress for writers because you don’t really know what someone wants or whether you’re hitting the mark. It can be a very long time before you get a response, and even when you do, it may not include any feedback on whether you’re doing things right.

Today I’m going to post about the groundwork and the preparation. In Thursday’s post I’ll go more specifically into the features of a query letter and what I look for. Keep in mind that all editors, agents and publishers are different and we all have different preferences, but it all comes down to promoting yourself professionally and using some common sense. If you do that, you’ll have the core of it down. The rest is just details.

Decide who to query.

The first step to sending out a query is deciding where to send it. Do your research. Whether you’re submitting to agents or publishers, everyone has their specific genre or style preference. Do your homework and only send to people and places that express interest in the sorts of things you write.

How do you submit something that’s outside a particular publisher’s realm?

You don’t. Dragon Moon Press, for example, publishes fantasy, science fiction and gentle horror; adult or “YA friendly”. They’re not going to publish your nonfiction, your biography, your children’s picture book, or your modern-day urban romance, no matter what you say in your letter. Even if it’s good. It’s just not the sort of book they print. You can put different slants on your paranormal mystery thriller to pitch it to a fantasy press or a mystery press, but don’t bend the truth so far on your genre to get it onto someone’s desk that you misrepresent your story. You’re just wasting your time, and theirs.

Send your query to the right place.

Once you’ve chosen a target, do more research and make sure you’re sending your query to the proper address. My recent post on Proper Channels covers this in more depth, but to sum it up: use the front-door, approved channels when submitting. Sending a manuscript to an alternate address, someone’s home address, etc, may feel like a shortcut to bring it to their attention, but it only makes your submission more likely to fall through the cracks. A system is in place for a reason. Show your respect for the people you want to work for by working with their system, not against it.

Solicited vs unsolicited manuscripts

A solicited submission means a publisher invites you to submit. An unsolicited submission means you send a query letter with no prior negotiation.

If a publisher is closed to unsolicited submissions, there’s a reason. Either the schedule is full and there’s no room to accept more books, or there’s no one available to read submissions, or the reading list might be backed up, or maybe there are enough solicited submissions coming in to keep them busy. “I’ll be the exception to the rule and beat all the odds!” is great in fairy tales and Broadway musicals, but in reality it rarely works that way.

Unsolicited submissions may be fairly low on the priority scale, even if they’re welcome. It’s like going to a busy restaurant without a reservation. People who are expected are given higher priority, and everyone else is seated as time and space permits.

How do you get your submission solicited?

Getting an agent is a good way to get that reservation, but it’s not the only way. Networking and legwork can also get you introduced to the right connections.

You can ask an author friend of yours to mention your manuscript to their agent or publisher.

You can approach an editor or a publisher at a convention — if they’re there, they’re probably there to network just like you are, and they might be receptive to hearing a pitch. Just remember that this person’s time is precious and may already be spoken for. Keep aware of their body language and if they start edging toward the door, let them go. Don’t corner them to pitch to them in the restroom or when they’re obviously busy, and don’t take it personally if they don’t have the time.

In business, as in your personal life, it’s a bad idea to make an editor (or anyone) feel like you’re just using them for their connections or for what they can do for you. Even online, you can start making insightful comments on someone’s blog and draw positive attention that way, or friend them on twitter or facebook and do the same.

Keep in mind that a contact or a personal friendship will only give you the opportunity, nothing more. Ultimately, your manuscript will still have to stand on its own merits.

Even if someone directly asks you to send them your manuscript, still send a query letter with it. It shows that you’re professional, it helps them remember why they asked you for the manuscript, and it provides all your info and credentials in a single place — especially helpful if you’re sending things to an agent who’s going to want to hype you to publishers.

One final note: it is never a bad idea to hire an editor to make sure that your manuscript is as clean and polished as it can be before you start submitting it to publishers and agents. But keep in mind that your editor’s responsibility is editing the book, not being its agent. That doesn’t mean a freelance editor deliberately avoids talking up their projects, but it isn’t what you’re hiring them for and it shouldn’t be assumed that they’re obligated to throw it in as a service. That sort of word of mouth can happen, but it is fairly rare and it shouldn’t be expected. An editor is not an agent or a publicist, and you’re not hiring them to do an agent’s or a publicist’s job.

Ready to go?

Once you’ve got a manuscript to submit and people to query, you’re ready
to send your letter. On Thursday, I’ll discuss the essential parts of the query letter, what I do and don’t like to see, and what editors really mean when they say “don’t try to impress me.”

If you can’t wait that long, you can always go and listen to my discussion with Michell Plested on the subject.

Writing for PG Holyfield’s Tales of the Children podcast anthology was a great experience, as I’ve mentioned in a previous post.

Hearing my words come to life is a great experience, too!

Tales of the Children: Episode 1 released this past Friday, featuring my story “Swimming Lessons”. It’s about a thirty minute file (the story itself reads about twenty minutes long), and I hope you’ll go to PG’s site and take a listen.

While you’re there, subscribe to the RSS feed so that you won’t miss future installments. The Land of Caern, home of PG’s debut novel Murder at Avedon Hill, is a rich and intriguing world, and the Tales of the Children anthology is a series of companion stories from some great authors.

The Parsec-nominated podcast novel Murder at Avedon Hill is available at PG Holyfield’s website and at Podiobooks.com. The print edition is forthcoming from Dragon Moon Press.

I’m listening to Michell Plested’s podcast interview with Dave Sakmyster over on Get Published. Dave’s new book SILVER AND GOLD was a pleasure to work on, and it was recently released by Dragon Moon Press.

I’m flattered by the mention I receive in the interview — completely unsolicited, I promise! At around 29:15:

Dave Sakmyster: The only part I don’t like, being a writer – but it’s a necessary part – is the rewriting and editing part. And… now, some people like that, but I think of it as a big chore. I understand the value of it, because that’s where, really, the polishing and all the improvements happen. I’ve got to just set myself away and have time to really go through it and really polish it up. I love the creative part, but then it’s like the other side of the brain where I’ve really got to sit and correct all the semantics and make sure the words are right and it’s flowing properly.

Michell Plested: I completely understand. I know the book I just finished editing, I don’t know how many times I’ve been through it, but I’m not sure I really ever want to see it again — even after it’s in print.

DS: That’s why I was so grateful that Dragon Moon had a great editor this time — Gabrielle Harbowy — that helped me out. I’ve been through this book a million times, I thought I had it perfect, and she took a few passes at it and found all these things that I had missed. I was, like, so glad she had looked at it before it went to publication.

My goal is always to help a manuscript live up to its full potential, and when a writer I’ve worked with takes the time to credit me for being a positive influence on the final shape of the novel, I know I’ve achieved that. Being acknowledged by the writer always feels really good.

But, this interview isn’t about me!

Michell and Dave also talk about submissions and rejection letters, writing contests, and agents. Dave talks about the author’s responsibility to promote and market his own book, and shares some good ways to go about it. Take a listen!

In other news, the release date of Chris Jackson’s SCIMITAR MOON is being moved up so that it can make its print debut at Dragon*Con. It’s still so wet-around-the-edges that Amazon doesn’t even have the cover art yet:

In addition to working with the author and editing the manuscript, SCIMITAR MOON marked my first time working with the designer, (in this case, Alex White, DMP’s new Art Director!) and providing input on the direction of the cover. This is another book that I’m proud to have worked on. I hope you’ll enjoy reading both of these books as much as I have.

Phil Rossi is taking over the blog today with a timely guest post. Phil’s Amazon.com Chart Rush for the print release of his novel, CRESCENT, will be this Thursday, July 9th at 1pm Eastern. You can participate by buying the book on Amazon, attending Phil’s live uStream concert Thursday afternoon, and raising awareness by embedding the promotional video on your website or blog, wearing Crescent merchandise, or dressing up your online appearance with Crescent icons.

CRESCENT is showing as live and available on Amazon now, but wait for Thursday if you can!

Why?

Phil explains, below.

Why “Rush the Charts?”

by Phil Rossi

As more authors have been attacking the Amazon.com sales rankings, this question has been rearing its head more often—it’s a good question and I think every author that does a Chart Rush has their own compelling reasons to do so. I sat down with myself the other night for an impromptu Q and A session based around this topic and that’s what follows:

Me: State your name for the record:

Me: [silence]

Me: On July 9th, 2009 you’re going to be “Rushing the Amazon.com Charts” with your debut novel, Crescent—a horror/science fiction yarn about a vice-happy salvage pilot who stumbles into the scorpion’s nest. I’d like to figure out why you’re investing so much effort in promoting this chart rush (sleepless nights, multiple interviews, email blasts, fliers, tweets, #RossiCoverMe and so on).

Me: I’ve been asking myself that same question. Let me see if I can’t shed some light: Is it a matter of exposure? Sure—on any given Amazon sales chart a rank of 25 is a lot more visible than, say, 225,000. That might get me one or five more readers, depending on who is looking at that chart at that time–but every set of eyes count. There’s bragging rights, too. Who doesn’t like to have bragging rights stored up in a mason jar for a rainy day?

Also, and perhaps paramount, rushing these charts is a way to celebrate Crescent’s journey from a podcast novel to a print book, which is the realization of a dream for me. This is a major milestone and the fans have been there along the way. It’s an exciting way of keeping everyone involved in taking this to the “next level.”

Me: The next level? Do you think a sexy ranking could lead to interest in say, a reputable agent or perhaps “big” publishing house?

Me: Do I think dancing all over the Amazon’s sales ranking will make all the difference, allowing me to move from moonlighting as a writer to doing this as a nine to five gig? No—I don’t think it will make *all* the difference. Could it help? It’s not going to hurt. A robust CV is a valuable tool and adding a successful Chart Rush is going to only to add to the accomplishments that have marked this journey—and again, these accomplishments would not have been possible without the love and support of the fan base.

Me: I see—so you look at the Chart Rush as part of a bigger picture?

Me: Absolutely. The Chart Rush is one piece of the picture. The podcast version of Crescent (and everything else I’ve put out there, am putting out there currently, and will put out there) is another piece. The public outreach, the social networking, the supporting my fellow authors, artists, and musicians—still more pieces. What is the big picture? Getting my work read and enjoyed by as many people as possible—I told the Crescent story for people to hear it and to be entertained.

Me: You’re doing a uStream “event” for the Chart Rush where you’ll be doing a concert and a reading—how did you come to decide to do that?

Me: The reason is pretty simple, and I hate to sound redundant, but I want this event to be a celebration for everyone involved. I couldn’t be more happy, thrilled, and excited for this move into the print world, and I want to share that energy with anyone and everyone who is available to be on the internet at 1:00 pm Eastern. In doing the concert thing, I get my music fix and I also get to not only play tunes off the Crescent original soundtrack, but also the Harvey soundtrack, which is my current podcast novel release.

* * *

Visit Phil’s website at crescentstation.net, follow him on Twitter at @philrossi, and tune into his latest podiobook thriller, HARVEY. And stop by on Thursday, when Phil will be back here to tell us more about CRESCENT and the process of bringing it to the printed page!

This Saturday marks the launch of DOWN FROM TEN, a new podcast novel by J. Daniel Sawyer.

In early January, a group of friends get together for an annual retreat; eight artists, scientists, and authors cloistered together in a mansion in the mountains above Redding, California for ten days of games, conversation, exhibition, and hedonism, while isolated from the outside world. It might all have been quite pleasant, if it weren’t for the biggest California snowstorm in over twenty years. When the storm hits, the house is buried in an avalanche, leaving our heroes with no way to hike out. Instead, they must find a way to survive and stay sane while waiting for rescue—which becomes difficult when they all start having the same dream.

A comedy in the tradition of The Shining and A Clockwork Orange, a romance in the tradition of Clue and Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, and a mystery in the tradition of Paint Your Wagon and Time Enough For Love, DOWN FROM TEN will thrill you a little, chill you a little, and tickle your fancy in ways you wouldn’t want your children to see.

Begins June 20. Intended for adult audiences.

Subscribe to the feed and visit http://downfromten.jdsawyer.net for more information!