Flogging the Quill

2014 writing resolutions? Writing plans?

The start of the new year is often a time folks resolve to do things, sometimes differently, sometimes new, in the coming year. At the least, it's a time to reflect on where you are now and where you want to go.

Me? Well, I haven't done any real writing for a few years due to being busy with the editing and book design business. But I could have been, and that's nagging at me. I suspect the urge will grow stronger.

It may be temporarily satisfied by a need to "renew" my writing book, Flogging the Quill, Crafting a Novel that Sells. I published the book in the traditional fashion, printing up a bunch of copies and warehouseing and distributing them. But I'm down to my last case of books--they'll be used to sell at writers conferences (coming up in February is doing two workshops at the San Miguel Writer's Conference in Mexico--I'm excited) and to supply the Amazon.com sales chain.

But I think I'm going to do some radical changes for the book. For one thing, the physical size. It's currently workbook-sized, 8 1/2" by 11". A number of people like the open feeling of the book, though a recent Amazon reviewer knocked it down a star because of the size--they would have given it 5 stars but it looked out of place on their shelf of writing books. Can't please everyone.

But, while sales have been good for a self-published book, I wonder if the title is strong enough. The title comes from the blog, of course, and was intended to capitalize on whatever branding my platform has created. On the other hand, it doesn't telegraph a benefit and, for those who don't get it, much about writing.

Big changes ahead: So I'm going to come out with a new version that's retitled and rewritten to freshen it up by adding some chapters, adding exercises, and freshening the content throughout.

New formats: This time, instead of investing dollars I don't have to print up a bunch of books I'll go print on demand in a new, more usual 6" by 9" trade paperback edition, and I'll do ebook versions for Kindle and epub. That may make it more accessible to readers and help with sales.

New title, new cover: to the right is a draft of a new cover with a new title. Nothing is set yet, but I'd appreciate your thoughts on what's here.

Although that will satisfy the creative itch for a while, I know I'll have to give it a good scratch with a new novel, though I have no idea where to go. I have notes for a sequel to The Vampire Kitty-cat Chronicles, but am not sure I want to invest the time and energy. I'm taking a serious look at publishing another novel with a new title and rewrite, but that's not really new. I've grown interested in YA dystopian fiction and am drawn to that--over the holiday I read the Divergent series and though it was both remarkable and well written.

On the other hand, I'm drawn (pun intended) to do something harder and fresher for me, a graphic novel based on this character from a previous comic strip attempt.

My Wordzzle game. It doesn't look like it's going to achieve Kickstarter funding (only 5 days to go), but I've gotten enough feedback to believe that it could be truly useful to teachers and have a niche educational market that could expand to home and family fun. I hope to find another way to finance a first printing and marketing. It really is a fun game to play.

What about you? Plans? Resolutions?

Enough about me, how about letting me know what you'll be doing, writing-wise, in 2014 in the comments section.

To all writers I wish a productive and satisfying new year.

All the best,

Ray

12 Fascinating Facts about Famous Literature

I couldn’t resist passing this Huffington Post article by Oliver Tearle along. Among the 12 fascinating facts is this one:

Ray Bradbury, author of Fahrenheit 451, was a descendant of one of the Salem witches. Bradbury was descended from Mary Perkins Bradbury, who was sentenced to be hanged in 1692 but managed to escape before her execution could take place.

Lucky for Ray, wouldn't you say?

Enjoy.

Ray

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© 2013 Ray Rhamey

Opening-line prize for self-publishers

Authonomy, the Harper Collins partner that showcases manuscripts and gets feedback from writers, is having an “opening line” contest for self-publishers. I once used Authonomy for my vampire kitty-cat novel and got good feedback.

The prize consists of:

• an editorial review
• a professional book cover
• a book trailer
• an ePressKit

Because opening lines are of many different lengths, they allow entries up to three sentences but no more than 100 words.

The contest is here.

Just for the fun of it, I submitted the opening lines of my WIP sequel to The Vampire Kitty-cat Chronicles. Titled “The Hollywood Unmurders,” it opens this way:

If the coyote ate me, I’d have my revenge when he ended up with a terminal case of indigestion, which is what he would deserve for chewing on a vampire kitty-cat. Unfortunately, by that time I wouldn’t be in any condition to say gotcha. Although being undead isn’t much of a life, I preferred holding on to what little I had.

If you enter, good luck.

Ray

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© 2013 Ray Rhamey

CRASH!

The hard drive on my work computer crashed yesterday, hoping I can get the data off of it or that my back-up worked to include all my FtQ files. Won't know until later today. Very frustrating.

Later, with luck.

Ray

Post number 1000

According to my enumeration, this is post number 1000 on Flogging the Quill. Which causes me to think about the blog’s beginning and the things that have happened as a result.

I started it on October 3 of 2004 on Publishers Marketplace, beginning with articles about writing compelling fiction. I had a page there for my new editing services and I converted it to a blog when they offered that format—I think that, along with author M.J. Rose, I was one of the first.

Because Publishers Marketplace limits the number of blog posts it shows to seven with no real archives, I simultaneously started a mirror site on Typepad, which is what you’re reading now. I launched with an audience of zero and, according to the stats page, there have been since 442,490 page views since then (which does not include the thousands that saw the Publishers Marketplace version—now discontinued--which would bring the total well above a half-million hits).

According to the little poll in the upper part of the right sidebar, 82% of readers are unpublished and working on a novel. 11% are published writers, 5% are published novelists. Interestingly, 1% have been publishing editors.

While you’re here, why not add your answer to the poll?

The book

In 2009 I adapted a bunch of posts for my book, Flogging the Quill, Crafting a Novel that Sells, which I self-published. Since then I’ve sold between 500 and 600 copies, which I understand is above average for a self-published book. Sales still trickle along on Amazon, and I’m pleased with how many writers have found it helpful—Amazon reviews average a little above 4.7 stars out of 5—and none of them are by friends or relatives (review are here.) I usually sell copies when I do workshops at writers conferences, too.

Writers Conference Workshops

As a result of starting this blog, I now do workshops at writers conferences—I have two already booked for 2013 and think there will be more. I was first contacted by a reader to do a workshop in 2005 at a new conference, Writer’s Weekend in Seattle. I’ve since done workshops at some of the top conferences in the Pacific Northwest, and am doing one at the San Miguel Writers’ Conference in Mexico this February.

My first and still very successful workshop, Crafting a Killer First Page, is the Flogometer in a class—the class critiques and votes on first pages. More than once a writer has come up afterward and told me that they voted down their own page because of what they’d learned.

Last year I added Crafting Killer Description and Dialogue to the repertoire, and that’s been well received. This year I’m offering another new one, How to Create a Book Cover for Less than $50. I love doing the conferences and talking about writing. If you’re interested in a workshop for a conference, please email me.

Origin of the floggings

Back in 2005 a literary agent started the Crapometer—critiques of query letters—on her blog, Miss Snark, the literary agent (the blog is still up though she stopped doing it years ago, and still holds valuable advice and learning for writers who submit to agents). 

Her work inspired me to launch the Flogometer in December of 2006 and, as of today, I (and you, dear readers) have critiqued 647 first pages of novels (mostly), memoir, and short stories.

Growth

I know I’ve learned and grown over these years, and a large part of that is due to the hundreds of critiques I’ve done and insights given by readers on submissions. I’ve self-published four novels after years of receiving praise for my writing from literary agents along with their admission that they didn’t know where to sell my cross-genre stuff.

And my editing business has finally grown to the point where it more than pays for the blog (though it isn’t enough to live on). And I started designing book covers and interiors a year or so ago after a small publisher (Fuze Publishing LLC) like the design of one of my books and asked me to do theirs. I’m now their go-to designer, and freelance Indie authors are starting to come my way. I really like doing cover designs and hope that business grows.

So, in the (egads!) 8+ years since I started the blog, I’ve grown an editing and book design business, published five books, done a bunch of workshops at writers conferences, and made friends around the world.

I’m happy with that. I hope that FtQ has been helpful to you—if so, how about letting me know in a comment?

Have a great year, and keep on writin’.

Ray

Christmas break today

Taking a Christmas break today, doing a lot of reading for a change. Expect to be back to flogging on Friday.

Happy holidays.

Ray

Time off today--sort of

I hope you're having a good holiday. I'm out of town and on the tired side, so I'm taking a day off from the blog. Not taking the day off, though, still flogging--I have an edit that needs to move forward today.

See you later.

Happy writing.

Ray

Not today

I'm so disheartened by the tragic shootings in Colorado this morning that I'm postponing today's critique. Shootings like this are what made me pour so much of myself into We the Enemy in hopes of starting new thinking on how to cure this cancer in our country.

Best,

Ray

FtQ Potpourri

Video Interview

If you have a half hour, this is an interview I did in May with Jody Seay on her Back Page program for Oregon State University. Jody interviews Indie authors in the Pacific Northwest about their books. While the focus of the program was ostensibly We the Enemy, in a wide-ranging chat we touch upon two others—The Vampire Kitty-cat Chronicles and The Summer Boy. Jody is a writer as well, a fellow Texan, and a very sharp woman.

Prices lowered

I’m offering free shipping, a 10% discount, and optional signing for my paperback books, including Flogging the Quill, Crafting a Novel that Sells. This actually puts my prices lower than Amazon’s. Paperbacks and ebooks are at my bookstore.

Workshops a-comin’

On September 22 I’m going to be doing a workshop on Crafting Killer Description and Dialogue with the Write on the River folks in Wenatchee, Washington. This is an interactive writing workshop with at least three writing tasks and critiques during the session.

And on October 7 I’m doing the same workshop at the Write on the Sound Writers’ Conference in Edmonds, Washington. It would be great to see you there. This is my fourth workshop for WOTS, and the first that’s back-to-back with the previous year’s presentation, Crafting a Killer First Page. The Conference has a policy of not repeating presentations within one year, so my workshops have been every other year until now because this is a different topic. I love this conference—it’s well done, and has excellent workshops; I attend all that I can.

Writer Unboxed

I’m privileged to be a regular contributor to the Writer Unboxed website, and will have my monthly post up this coming Thursday, the 19^th. I wish I knew what it was going to be about. It’s excellent company to be in, with daily articles on craft and the business by talented authors and others such as uberagent Donald Maass.

Ray

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© 2012 Ray Rhamey

Oops

I got involved with figuring out taxes and forgot to post Friday's Flogging. It will appear on Monday. See you then.

Speaking of Mondays, the offers to post your book cover with a 100-word blurb and a link, or to post a review, are always open.

Ray