Argh THIS, Matey: Piracy in the Digital Age
Published July 6, 2011 | 
Oh yeah, I’m going there. Buckle up, sit back and enjoy the rant.
I am naive. Yes, it’s true. I grew up believing puppies were loved, employers were faithful, people were generally good and all my neighbors were paying for their cable. I was a generally optimistic young woman. One of the Golden Rules I believed in most was you got what you paid for. The key here being the last two words: paid for. Yep, I believed in humanity’s honesty. As I prepare for the release of my book in its digital format (print releases next summer), I’ve been warned over and over by other authors to watch for pirates. “Pirates?” I asked, laughing. The awkward silence that followed confirmed they weren’t joking.
Pirating digital books is becoming more and more common. People obtain a copy of the book and reformat it to re-sell…repeatedly. This is blatant theft, and those stealing are thieves. Dress it up and call it “piracy” or whatever, but it’s thievery and the people doing it suck.
Knowing I’ll have to fight piracy and plagiarism when Legacy comes out makes me angry. I’ve been told by another author that her book was pirated with hours of it being released. Hours. I’m liable to blow a real gasket when this happens and I’m sure, sooner or later, I’m going to be faced with this reality.
I still believe that there are good people in the world, but I approach unknown names and faces with sincere caution these days. I’ve learned the hard way that loyalty and honesty don’t always pay dividends, particularly in the workplace, but they sure as hell help me sleep better at night. I also happen to know at least one of my neighbors pays for his cable.
I’ll face literary piracy with my eyes wide open and my fists clenched because I intend to fight the thieves who steal my books. Fortunately, my publisher supports their authors in the fight. If you steal my book, I will use every option afforded me under the law to stop you. Will I be successful? I’ll do my best, but thieves are sneaky. The one thing I’ll always have over the craptacular liars, bullies, cheaters and thieves is this: Karma. And from what I hear, She’s a real bitch.
Sleep tight, mateys.
Insomnia, Sleepy Sheep and the Jitters
Published July 4, 2011 | 
It’s late. I should have been asleep hours ago. Unfortunately, my back and leg are giving me fits. The why of it is a long story and I don’t want to bore you with the details or come off as a whiner. Whiners annoy me.
The sheep I was counting got fed up with me screaming, “Jump higher!” and they quit, curling up to sleep in front of me. I’m being sleep mocked. The bottom line is this: I’m awake when I want to be sleeping. The benefit is that I was awake when my FLEs, or final line edits, came in on Legacy. Very, very coolio, my friends. There were twelve changes to be made, so that wasn’t too bad. It’s all due to my fabulous editor, Beth, but that’s another post.
I wanted to talk about my surprising reaction to Legacy’s final edits. Reading through a few paragraphs tonight, I was struck by how much my writing has evolved. When I wrote the first draft of Legacy, I thought it was the best thing since Diet Dr Pepper. I was proud of myself for being able to get through the novel when I hadn’t been sure if I’d be able to. My husband and I celebrated the small steps forward and the successes as they came, particularly when it was contracted by Samhain Publishing. I looked at the manuscript several times as I began to get ready for professional edits because I knew it would take me extra time to get through revisions. Even then I was wildly satisfied.
Tonight? Not so much. Don’t get me wrong. Beth has done a remarkable job editing the manuscript, and the story is solid. I think what happened is I realized I could have probably done the story more justice if I’d waited to write it until I was a stronger writer…say, in 2027. Beth told me that writers are like hair dressers: always tweaking until every hair is in place. She’s right. I know she is. So maybe the story would have ended up just like it is now because no matter how much I do (or don’t) manage to progress, I know there will always be more for me to learn. I know there will always be a world of stuff I could have done better.
What bothered me the most is that I’m terrified of disappointing the readers who give a new author a shot. I don’t want to think about them picking up my book and setting down as a DNF: Did Not Finish. The thought makes me all sweaty and ill. After all, who do we write for? The readers.
I’ve heard from other writers that this reaction is entirely normal. I’m glad. Not because I want others to have stress, but because I want to know that others have walked this path before me and emerged unscathed. I need to know I’m not alone.
Now (yawn) if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to go kick my lazy cartoon sheep and get them moving again. I’m tired, and I think I just might be able to sleep now. Thanks for listening to the neurotic, sleep-deprived ramblings of a debut author.
**No sheep were harmed in the making of this blog.**
(Shut up No. 47. Walk it off. You’ll be fine.)
Magic 8-Ball Friday: When Is a Manuscript “Good Enough”?
Published July 1, 2011 | 
It’s that time again! Magic 8-Ball Friday focuses on questions from writers, readers and the generally curious. Questions can be posted to the blog in the comment box below or, as in this case, it can be emailed to me at the address on my “Contact Me” page.
Today’s question came in the form of an email.
Dear Denise,
I’ve been writing for a while and I want to query my manuscript. Before I start to work on that side of stuff, I was wondering if you could please tell me how I know my manuscript is good enough to send to agents?
Sincerely,
<name redacted>
This is a wonderful question and I’m impressed she had the fortitude to ask. Often times the answer isn’t what a writer wants to hear. Not knowing the exact state of the manuscript, or what’s been done to date, I can answer based on several points of reference writers should consider before taking the plunge into the query pool. (Agent Janet Reid can confirm there are sharks in the water.) 
There are 3 points I want to make in answering this question. The first is that I have learned a great deal about what it takes to ready a manuscript for querying, and it’s all stuff I didn’t know when I started out. The School of Hard Knocks is an excellent educator, though, and I’ve learned.
#1: Critiques Should Be Received and Evaluated
You should have sent your manuscript out to your critique partners for review. By “critique partners” I don’t mean your mom (unless she’s a ruthless word assassin, she’s going to worry about criticizing your work). What I mean is that you should have your own posse of critiquers who aren’t afraid to give you the hard truths about your work. They should not be ugly about it, but they should be honest no matter how much you loathe hearing that your rough draft isn’t perfect. The people who are closest to you tend to soften things too much, rendering the truth spreadable on white bread without ripping it to pieces. This does you no good.
Keep in mind that not every comment cloud or suggestion on your manuscript needs to be implemented, but every one needs to be reviewed. Only you can determine what’s best for your manuscript. But if you’re asking for someone to offer their opinion, every single response they give needs to be considered and either accepted and implemented or validly rejected.
#2: Revisions and Rewrites Need to Be (Well) Done
Live this mantra: Steaks can be eaten medium rare, but revisions should always be well done. Dedicate enough time to your revisions/rewrites to ensure they’re done well. How much time is enough? That depends on how many revisions you needed to do. If your manuscript was full of changes, I’d say you need to finish them then see if a crit partner will re-read one more time. Bribes often come in handy at this point (my CP’s take chocolate and dinner tabs). Make sure you put in the same amount of time they do, and ask yourself: Does the manuscript flow well? Are your plot holes addressed? Loose ends tied up? Anything stand out that makes you re-read it for clarity or comprehension? Do you falter over any words? If you can answer “no” to this question, then you’re getting closer.
#3: It Shouldn’t Be “Good Enough”
If you immediately answered “yes,” then my initial reaction is to say you aren’t ready. Why? Because “good enough” never is. A seasoned author–not one that’s ready for the grill, but rather one that’s experienced–knows that when you settle, particularly for “good enough,” you’re settling on how far you want to see your manuscript go. “Good enough” never took an author to a Big Six publisher, rarely gets them into a respected smaller publisher and just as rarely helps them secure representation. Agents, publishers and editors have way too many manuscripts to choose from as it is. This abundance affords them the option to be (extremely) selective when they sort through potential manuscripts. Your manuscript needs to be polished to the point it could be used to send Morse code across the open seas if your editor ends up stranded on a life raft with only your manuscript, a low-glare e-reader and a can of SPAM for survival.
If you can accomplish these three things and look at the manuscript in question with only a slight sense of dread, you’re probably ready. Despite many opinions in direct opposition to mine, I do believe you can edit the author’s voice right out of the manuscript. Make sure you don’t take it that far because, in all likelihood, it’s your voice that will seal the deal on any offers that come your way. The best story told in a flat monotone will be passed over.
This post is very long when compared to most of my answers, but the question was clearly important enough that I felt it warranted the longer answer. So, <name redacted>, I wish you the very best on your journey into the land of Query Sharks and Evil Editors. Wait. Don’t panic! Those are some of the names agents and editors call themselves. Crud. I didn’t help, did I? Someone throw me the smelling salts! Redacted’s out cold!
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