From the Ashes

Being an author is hard. The publishing industry is tricky to navigate at the best of times, and with the current climate in small publishing, it can feel utterly impossible to succeed.

I check in with my author groups, and another friend has lost their publisher. A small press has closed, and their whole catalogue of books needs new homes. Less than a month ago, an online book distributor closed and offered to settle all their accounts for ten cents on the dollar.

Those heartbreaks and setbacks can seem insurmountable. Great writers pack it in and choose not to publish anymore because they can’t stand the heartache and seemingly futile struggle. And honestly I can’t blame them. One of my books will soon have been through three publishers. Three times I’ve gleefully accepted a contract; three times I’ve had my heart broken. Part of me wishes I had the temperament to be able to quit. But I don’t. I’m too stubborn. So I’ll push forward and find another way to have that series out there and be grateful I have other projects with other publishers available to keep me from feeling like a complete imposter.

The theme on the blog this month is meant to be “new beginnings.” And I am starting right back from the beginning. I’m not trying to be depressing or to discourage anyone from following her dream of publishing, because it’s not depressing. It’s just the reality in which we find ourselves. It’s culling the herd. Those of us who are left—the ones who have fought through publishers closing, missing royalties, and a seemingly impenetrable market—are phoenixes. We rise from the ashes again and again. Fighting for the next contract and even the next sale with everything we have. And when the world caves in and our dreams again crumble to ash, we rebuild, hoping for something bigger, hoping for something more lasting and productive.

I wish I could say that I think the days of authors being shirked of their royalties and of publishers closing with little more than a Facebook post are over. That I won’t find anymore author friends heartbroken over their newly-homeless books, but I doubt that’s true. Give it a month, and someone else will be fighting their way back up from the bottom.  Some will quit, some will press on, starting from the beginning. Rewriting their blurbs and sending them out with nothing more than hope to keep them moving forward.

The new beginning has been forced upon us, but from the ashes we will continue to rise. Chasing a dream we can’t help but to follow.

Why Writers Should be Honest with Publishers

I'm an introvert, and I used to work in retail. Back then, I was a shy introvert too. But because I needed the job, I lied on my application and during the interview when they asked, "Are you a people-person?" I gave them a big fat, "YES, I AM. I'm so friendly and outgoing and I love working with people! Woo!"

Which was all fine until I got the job. I faked the people-person thing for a couple days, until my batteries dropped to zero, I cried myself to sleep (not really...maybe), and dragged myself back into work as a zombie. It's exhausting trying to be someone you're not.

Eventually, my boss had to remind me to smile and say hi and ask the customers if they needed help. I'm sure by now they realized I wasn't the people-person I said I was, but they kept me because I was a hard working and, ironically, didn't waste time talking to my coworkers like everyone else. (They told me this.) So my personality wasn't everything they wanted, but it still benefited them.

Not me, though. I was dying inside. That sounds dramatic, doesn't it? But any introvert who has tried to fake an extrovert personality and lifestyle knows I'm not being dramatic. It's suffocation.

I learned from my lies, quit the job, and accepted that it's for my own good and for the good of those around me if I accept who I am.

That is until I got an email from a publisher I had queried, asking me what my expectations are from a publisher. My immediate thought was, "What answer are they looking for?" I mulled that over for a while before I realized I was making the same mistake I made with the retail job.

If I lied to a publisher just to get the offer, that wouldn't be a good deal for either one of us. So I sent an honest response, and I'm so glad I did. Maybe my response will show them I'm a good fit and maybe it won't. If it doesn't, that's okay. I can't be in such a rush to make my publishing dream come true that I actually spoil it.

 
So if you get that question, be honest with yourself and with the publisher. I mean, do your homework so you understand how the industry works. Your expectations need to be realistic. But be honest. Our time will come with the right publisher fit for us.

 

Hard Truth Time: Not Every Book Deserves to be Published

I wrote this book. Let's call it MF. I thought it was fantastic, unique, clever, wonderful, etc. It was going to be a great hit and sell movies because it was so awesome.

It was the second book I ever wrote (the first is this glorious kind of mess that I do intend on resurrecting one day) and I thought I had figured out this book-writing thing. Friends told me it was great. When I saw hundreds of agent rejections, those same friends said things like, "Have you thought about self-publishing? I heard about this author who makes so much money doing that."

This was in that weird transitional period of self publishing where some industry people were just starting to admit its validity as a publishing option.

But I knew self-publishing was not right for that book. As green as I was, I knew how hard it was (and is) for self-published authors to sell books in the YA market. After querying it ad nauseam, I put it aside and started writing another book (which would become Dragons are People, Too).

While in the querying trenches for DAPT, I decided to go back to MF and see if I could repackage it or edit it again -- do something with it.

Dear Lady Godiva, was that book terrible:

• Derivative with serious pacing issues. 
• A sagging middle on a scale of geologic proportions.
• Unlikable characters at every turn. 
• Absolutely no sense of place. 
• A magic system that makes zero sense.

With distance and a year+ of education and study, I could see the book clearly. I felt a little embarrassed that I had sent this to so many agents; that so many people I respected had actually had to read part of it. If I were to salvage it, it would require a complete start-over-from-page-one rewrite.

I'm writing this now because I see the "if this gets x many rejections, I'm just going to self publish it" conversation nearly every day now. While I fully support self-publishing (my romance alter-ego Aria Kane self-publishes most of her books), I don't think it's for everyone or every book and I do believe too many people go into it without enough research or knowledge. As with almost everything else in life: Just because you can, doesn't necessarily mean you should.

I understand this supportive culture we've developed in this industry and I love it. Publishing is a tough gig. We all need cheerleaders sometimes. But I am so glad I didn't have today's resounding chorus of "Yeah! Just self-publish it!" back then. I might have listened to them and I would have regretted it.

Because, honestly, some books just don't deserve to be published. Some books, like MF, suck big-time. And the most important part is:

that's okay! 

It doesn't mean you're a bad writer. It doesn't mean you won't ever write a great book. It is not a judgement on your worth or your value.

It's a tough truth to face. I know how hard it is to let go of a book that you've spent a year or more working on. It seems like letting go of those characters and that story will kill you or, less dramatically, that you may never write another book you love just as much.

But you will. And the next one will probably be better.

A closing note: I can't tell you how you know whether a book is worth it or not. I struggle with that, myself. But I do know that spending time away from the book can give you enough distance to make that self-evaluation. Or find a critical someone who is really not afraid to break your heart.

Things to consider before working with a small press

Just over a year ago, my first book, Winell Road: Beneath the Surface, a middle grade sci-fi adventure, was published. Well, to anyone who doesn't follow me on social media, this book is no longer published. Yep, didn’t even make a year. Play the violins...

I won’t babble on about why Winell Road is no longer out there in the world – that blog post might come later in the year. I’m still healing from the disappointment, as well as looking to get it back out there. But I thought maybe I’d let you in on some things I’ve learnt about publishing with a small press.

1.      Think sooooooo carefully before signing a publishing contract. Take your time, seek advice. If you have IP lawyer friends, ask them to review the contract. If not, join a society of authors who often have their own contract vetting service. If it costs, pay the money. It might be the best thing you ever pay for. I rejected more than one contract based on advice from a lawyer. Best move ever! Don’t consider yourself to be less worthy than authors with agents who will negotiate contracts on their behalf. Oh, absolutely DO NOT do this. You are as worthy and you must make sure you sign the right and best contract for you. Give yourself some credit.

2.      I took a chance on my publisher, they were brand new, so there weren’t any already contracted clients to speak with about their experiences. This was my choice, and one I did sweat over for a while. However, if the offering press is established, research them.

a)      Are their previous clients happy? And I don’t necessarily mean successful, because success is a personal thing that differs from one author to the next.

b)      Are their books well-edited and presented, professional? Readers will immediately be put off by poor quality books riddled with mistakes.

c)      How do they handle themselves on social media? Are they professional? Are they even on social media?

d)      Where are their books for sale?

e)      Google the press. What comes up?

f)       Are their books priced competitively?

g)      How are they actually earning their share of the profits?

h)      Do they have plans for growth? What’s in their future?

And so on. Put some time and effort into your decision BEFORE you sign.

3.      Decide what you want, and this relates to how you interpret success. If you want your book in all the big bookstores around the world and to make thousands of dollars, depending on the offering press’ size, the small press route probably isn’t the way to go (and you’re expectations might be a little high if you’re a first time author). Small presses will do their best to stock you in bookstores (well, some do), but print runs can often be VERY expensive for the press with not that many stores ordering Print-on-Demand books, thus not a viable option for them. With POD commonplace in the modern world of publishing, maybe being content with your book available to the world online and in local bookstores is enough. Only you can answer this question.

4.      What can this small press do that you can’t do yourself? It’s all well and good saying you want a supportive team to back you up, that you can’t do it on your own, but what kind of back up are you wanting exactly? If it’s purely someone to chat with via email every now and then and tell you you’re great, then super, but can’t a friend or your mum do this? If the back-up you require is a team of people who are also marketing and promoting your book, looking for opportunities to get your name out there, evaluating sales and evolving with the industry as time goes on; people that although might have a unique take on publishing, still have realistic expectations and ideas, then you need to go back to points 2 and 3. Research, think, decide.

5.      And this point should go without saying: Is this small press expecting money from you? Asking you to pay for editing, cover design, etc? If so, then they are not actually a small press, they are a self-publisher or vanity press. If this is something you’re happy with, again, ask yourself what this company can do for you that you can’t do yourself. Will sourcing your own team of reputable editors, designers, formatters, publicists and so on work out cheaper and be a far more personal, hands-on, and ultimately more rewarding experience for you?

6.      Most publishers, big and small, expect authors to be their own marketers and publicists these days. It’s the way it is. You need to put yourself out there, look for opportunities too. But if you’re doing ALL of this yourself maybe stop and ask yourself why you haven’t self published. Being an author is a business, and if you’re giving some of your profits to someone who is just sitting back with a cup of tea, probably not even watching the progress or reception of your book, then alarm bells should be ringing. It’s great that they might have produced this lovely looking book, but if it’s not reaching the hands of any readers, then what is the point?

Whatever you decide, just make sure your expectations are realistic and do your research. Don’t be afraid to ask questions – this is your career. You need to be with someone that loves your book as much as you love it, someone who appreciates and understands this industry and who is willing to try new things to reach new readers. Signing with a creative team who say all the right things is great, but they need to back this up with results, an exciting approach, and their own grounded expectations.

As a writer, you’re likely (or certainly should be) a reader. Think about what you like in a book.

My checklist: Quality. Affordability (not free – I never download free books (unless it’s a buy book 2 get book 1 for free type deal)). Accessibility.

I would not advise even considering a small press unless they can deliver on these three points straight away.

I hope that helps some of you in some way. Good luck.

The Christmas Crunch

It’s that time of year. Holiday lights are hanging, Christmas trees are being decorated, and in the bustle of the season all I want is to sit down and read a good book. Something to give me the warm, fuzzy feelings of Christmas.

When I was growing up, my mother would give me a book for Christmas every year. And once we had finished opening our presents on Christmas morning, I would curl up in the corner with my new book. Sometimes I would finish it that day. Sometimes it would take me until New Year’s, but it was one of my favorite parts of Christmas break: sitting down for hours and reading a story that I wanted to read.

I didn’t realize until much later that once I hit about fifteen the books my mother was giving me were actually sweet adult romances. Nothing naughty in them, of course, but the characters were adults. This month my very first Christmas story was published, and it is a sweet adult romance, built to give all the warm fuzzy Christmas feeling with a little bit of daring humor thrown in. With ballet and taxidermy how can you go wrong?

I’m usually a YA author, but for Christmas I was automatically attracted to writing about adult characters. So I started doing a little research, and there are, in fact, a good group of YA Christmas stories available. And not even like Harry Potter I-mention-Christmas-for-a-few-chapters. These are real Christmas stories.

But I’d never heard of any of them.

I suppose that’s one of the problems with writing for a specific season. Your window of opportunity to publicize and sell your book is remarkably short, so finding traction to create a huge reader base would require a miracle of Lifetime Original Movie proportions. Especially in YA where being new and hot feels even more important than in adult romance.

I know by now you’re probably thinking that my point is clearly that anyone who writes a Christmas story is insane and should never be published. But it’s not. Expectations need to be tempered, and promotions need to be done with even more intensity than a normal project. But I think it’s worth it. To be the author that put someone in the holiday mood, who gave a reader that warm and cozy feeling while they curled up with your characters, is worth the stress of releasing during the holiday season.

And who knows? You might just become a Christmas tradition.

So tell me, what’s your favorite Christmas story?

A Bittersweet Good-Bye

A lot happened for me in 2013: I got an agent (yay!), I got a book deal for Becoming Jinn and its sequel, Circle of Jinn (double yay!), and I started revisions with an editor for the first time. I also joined the YAtopia community in September of that year. Sharing my journey to publication with the readers and fellow bloggers at YAtopia has been a privilege—and a blast.

With 2015 came even more excellent stuff: Becoming Jinn’s launch (ah!), finishing up Circle of Jinn (woo-hoo!), and a long period of promotion—events, festivals, writing workshops, giveaways, the Read Local campaign, and more. Marketing is a full-time job, as I quickly learned.

The one thing 2015 hasn’t been for me is a very strong writing year. Marketing and writing at the same time became near impossible for me. Switching hats was less the problem than not having enough heads…meaning I just haven’t had a lot of time to dedicate to writing. While I did manage to write and finish a first draft of something I’m very excited about, I haven’t been able to dig into revisions.

Since 2016 also hold’s a book release with Circle of Jinn coming out on May 17, I knew it was time to make a decision, and that was to start finding more time. Unless Hermione was going to let me borrow her time turner, the only way to do that was to start easing things off my plate. It’s with a heavy heart and reluctant fingers on keyboard that I am announcing my decision to step down from the YAtopia blog.

But here’s a hidden truth: I love blogging! Some of my favorite posts have been on this blog. From my series on novel planning to my posts on finding your writing voice, to my favorite marketing campaign to date. I am sure I will miss it.

Thankfully the kind folks at YAtopia have agreed to let me swing by for guest posts. But I’ll also be blogging on my own Web site once in a blue moon, and the best way to see those posts is to sign up for my newsletter, which comes out every one to two months. It has writing advice, book news, event updates, giveaways, and critique opportunities. I’ll be giving away some preorders of Circle of Jinn exclusively for newsletter followers in the new year.

Another good thing about making some changes is that I’m also now able to do more freelance editing. My roots are in copyediting, and I offer both copyediting and manuscript consulting for all genres. I have query/submission packages as well as marketing consultation services. The number of projects I can take on will be limited, so if you are interested, best to hit me up soon to schedule! I have a particular love for query critiques and have given many away over the past couple of years, especially around Pitch Wars, and most of those folks have found great success (triple yay!). As always, if you buy a new copy of Becoming Jinn or preorder a copy of Circle of Jinn and e-mail the receipt to summerofjinn@icloud.com, you get a free query or first page critique!

A huge thank you to the YAtopia community—my fellow bloggers and all of you readers. I’d love to stay connected, so please follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, my newsletter, or in person (though if you follow in person, please don't be creepy about it....)! And you can add Becoming Jinn and Circle of Jinn to Goodreads too!

One last shout-out: My debut group, the Freshman Fifteens, will be doing a special end of year giveaway. Be sure to follow me and the group on Twitter to see what we’re cooking up!

See you next time as a special guest!

Happy Holidays and Happy Writing to all!

Best,
Lori

Lori Goldstein is the author of Becoming Jinn (Feiwel and Friends/Macmillan, now available!, sequel, Circle of Jinn, May 17, 2016, available for preorder). With a degree in journalism and more than 10 years of experience, Lori is a freelance copyeditor and manuscript consultant for all genres. She focuses on the nitty-gritty, letting writers focus on the writing.

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Faking a Professional Author Photo

At the dayjob, I work with a lot of authors and frequently ask for headshots to use in our marketing of their events. You would be floored by how many people send me shots like these:

click to see what's really wrong with this one.

(Note: These are all altered stock photo images, not actual headshots I've been sent, but they are in no way exaggerations. In fact, these are probably better than 50% of the ones I'm sent))

An unprofessional author photo makes you look like an unprofessional author. Full stop. I cannot send these pictures out to my media contacts or put them on the big screen at an Authors Festival.

The primary purpose of an author's photo is to give the reader a personal connection to the author. For some readers, this is very important. My main purpose (at the dayjob) is to create recognition so an event attendee will recognize you when they see you.

But do not worry! If you're booked for an event or media appearance soon and you don't have time or money to book a pro session, you can fake a decent author headshot in about 5 minutes. In fact, here's one I just took right now at work.

1. Lighting is Everything

Great lighting can make anyone look fantastic. You want your face to be fully and evenly lit either straight-on or from multiple angles. The camera should be between you and the light source. Fluorescent lighting is the devil. Overhead fluorescent lighting is the devil and his twin brother.

The #1 best non-pro lighting is indirect sunlight while the sun is fully risen. If you can find a large window and stand a couple feet inside of it with a nice solid wall behind you, that is ideal. Covered porches/overhangs work great too. It will give you a soft glow and make colors pop. Direct sunlight can wash you out and make you squinty.

If you work during every daylight hour or live in Alaska during the Winter, you can use lamps to light your face. When I vlog at night, I put two white-bulb lamps on either side of the camera.

I'm a makeup addict, so I do have to say that makeup can supplement good lighting. A brush of blush for healthy color, a sweep of mascara and/or eyeliner to define the eyes, and a swipe of lipstick or gloss can help define your features.

2. What's Behind You?

The best backgrounds for these photos are: a solid or lightly-textured wall, an empty (of people, buildings, cars, powerlines, etc) landscape, or a bookshelf that is several feet behind you.

Weird backgrounds can be distracting and draw the attention away from you. (Like why is that dude in a graffiti-ed alley?)

3. Mechanics & Tools

You don't have to have a super fancy camera to take a decent photo. A point-and-shoot or a mobile phone camera (released in the last three years) is definitely good enough. If you can have someone take the photo for you, that is preferred, but you can actually fake this with a selfie, as long as you keep your extended arm out of the shot. My photo above is a selfie. Some front-facing cameras are better than others, but the back-facing camera will always be best, if possible.

The camera should be at or slightly above eye level. Look up to it with your face, not just your eyes. Play with tilting your head at slight angles. Make sure your whole head is in the shot and there is space between your head and the frame on all sides.

4. Keep the Creativity for Your Writing

You may think that weird face or funny hat is hilarious, but there will be many people who don't. Keep it simple so you don't run the risk of an editor removing the photo. Even if you are a comedic author, you might face the opportunity to run a writing workshop or give a keynote address and you want people to think that you're a professional.

When I say this, I know there will always be shouts of "If they don't like who I am, forget them! I'm not going to pretend to be somebody I'm not." I caution you to stop and think about this for a minute. Is making a goofy face in your author photo really worth alienating readers and potential allies for your writing career?

5. Only You

I see so many "author photos" that were obviously part of a group shot and then cropped. No one else's body parts should appear in your author photo. Not to mention, these are usually lower quality because they're only a small portion of a decent-quality photo.

6. Formatting for Success

• Save at the highest resolution in every step of the process (if you use your phone camera, there is usually a setting to change the quality). Don't let photo editing software compress the photo.
• Save it as a .jpg. Every platform on the planet can use a jpg.
• Do not, under any circumstances, copy it into a Word document and send someone that.
• Whhhhyyyyyy?
• Save it with an identifiable name. Mine is called "Sarah Nicolas.jpg" on my computer. If someone works with multiple authors, they may have several headshots in a folder. Don't frustrate them by making them look through a folder that looks like this to find yours:

While a professional photography session will usually give you the best headshot possible (as long as the photographer is decent), you can use these tips above to fake it until you can get that done.

Let me know if you have any questions in the comments! Or if you think you got it, take a shot at it and post a link to your photo in the comments!!

A Writer's Community

My name is Megan O’Russell, and I am thrilled to join the YATopia team! I couldn’t be happier to be added the ranks of the wonderful authors and editors who contribute to this blog.

Since I’ve never posted on this blog before, let me tell you a little bit about me. I am the author of the young adult fantast series The Tethering. The first and second books in the series, The Tethering and The Siren’s Realm, are both currently available from Silence in the Library Publishing. On the adult side of writing, I have a Christmas sweet romance novella Nuttycracker Sweet coming out December 8^th from Fiery Seas Publishing. I’ve had the honor and pleasure of being included in some really fun anthologies and even got to be the video spokeswoman for Athena’s Daughters II, an anthology that focused on women in speculative fiction.

Aside from spending loads of time clacking away on my keyboard writing stories, I am also a professional musical theatre performer and as of this year even a lyricist! I love writing, and I love being onstage. I basically spend my work time either pretending to be other people or creating other people. It’s amazing.

But writing and acting don’t always go hand in hand. Being a writer, my actual time at the keyboard can be very flexible. If I have rehearsals for a show, I can rearrange my writing time, and no one but the characters in my stories and my conscience will ever know. But being a writer is a lot easier if you have writer friends. Networking is hugely useful, not only for staying in touch with what the latest trends to embrace or avoid are, but also for super important things like finding a literary agent or meeting up with people who might have an anthology you could contribute to.

As an actor, the only time I have a weekend off is when I’m between shows. Since I do short run productions, things like asking for a weekend off to go to a writer’s conference isn’t really a thing. And luckily I’m employed consistently enough that I’ve never actually made it to a writer’s conference, though, believe me, I would jump if I found one on a Monday! When I realized that in-person networking was fairly out of reach, I was devastated. I was the lonely kid at the junior high dance hiding in the shadows while everyone else took selfies with their friends to be their new profile picture.

But then I discovered a wonderful online community of writers, editors, artists, and publishers who welcomed me into their groups with open arms. Now granted, actually getting to sit down and have a cup of coffee with someone isn’t nearly as good as participating in a tweet chat with them, but it’s something.

I started out in a Facebook group with people from my first, and tragically failed, publisher. But the friends I made in that group led me to both of my current publishers and even to this blog! Participating in online author chats and even volunteering for cover reveals and street teams can be a great way to start up a conversation with fellow authors. And who knows where those conversations could lead?

I’m not saying that all Facebooks groups for authors are great. I’ve been in a few that have self-imploded in ways that even Jerry Springer would find hard to believe. But if you, like me, can’t make it to the RT conference this year, or go to one of those super cool learn how cop things work weekends that always make me green with envy when I see tweets of, reach out to the online community of writers. You might be surprised how many people will greet you with open cyber arms.

Here are a few hashtags to check out and groups to look up. Just because authors work alone with their computers doesn’t mean we don’t need a community.

Check out #WO2016. This is for authors who are Waiting On 2016 for their books to come out. It’s a great way to remember that you are not alone in you pre-release stress, freak outs, and joys.

The #Awethors is a great Indie group that loves to do write storms, beta read for each other, and just provide authorly companionship.

This YATopia blog has great information for authors and even a section on agents who are accepting submissions.

Find a group that isn’t looking to only sell you their books. Be a consistent member, and see how many friends you can make.

It’s amazing the wonderful writers you can meet from right in your living room.  

My Secret Identity: Writing Under Multiple Pen Names

I've gone to four conferences in October and there is one thing I got asked about at every single one, even though I didn't speak on the topic in an official capacity: my pen-names.

For those who don't know, I write YA under the name Sarah Nicolas and romance under the name Aria Kane. (New release coming 11/15!)

Authors publish under different names for a variety of reasons and handle it a variety of ways. If you ask ten different pseudonymous authors, you might get ten different answers. Here are the most common questions I get about my multiple personalities and my answers:

1) Why do you write under a pen name?

Short answer: marketing/branding

Long answer: It's all about marketing and branding.

I actually don't write anything under my legal last name, for two reasons. One is that I started in the YA world and my real name is the same as a popular European lingerie designer (i.e. the Google Image results are not YA-friendly). The second is that someone with my name self-published an unprofessional fantasy/post-apoc novel and I didn't want that associated with my name.

My reasons for a separate pen name for romance are different. Imagine a teenager tells her mother she wants to read my books. The mother searches amazon and finds these covers:

Now imagine, on the opposite side of things, a reader who enjoys my sexy romances and accidentally buys and starts reading Dragons are People, Too, which has, like, some light making out. A hundred pages in.

Neither customer would be happy.

Frequently, romance authors will use a pen name if they live in a conservative environment, are active in their church, or are teachers. I have seen parents go all pitch-and-forky when they find out their child's teacher is a romance author.

Also, a couple of years ago, I saw a discussion on another reason for someone to use a pen name: job applications. An author had a potential employer google her (which everyone does now) and he doubted her intentions and her staying power because the assumptions are: the author already makes more than enough money (hahahahahahahahaha *ahem*) or is going to leave as soon as they start raking in the cash (again, hahahahahaha). So there's that to consider.

The old-school reason to write under different names is so that your mystery (J.D. Robb) books don't get shelved in the romance section (Nora Roberts) of the bookstore, because bookstores like to keep all of an author's books together. This is still a concern but is becoming less influential in these kinds of decisions.

More reasons other authors choose a pen name: Your name is very common or the name of another author (or the name of, say, a serial killer). You worry about stalkers. Your name is hard to spell or pronounce.  Bad sales history. Gender concerns (men writing m/f romance, women writing scifi).

2) Why did you choose the name(s) you chose?

Sarah is my first name and Nicolas is a derivative of my middle name. And the domain name was available.

As for Aria Kane, I've always liked the name Aria and it has some of the same sounds as my first name. One of my favorite names in the world is Cian, but nobody knows how to say or spell it. Also, a couple years ago, a report came out that romance authors with a strong-sounding Anglo-Saxon last name sold better than their counterparts. I don't know how true that is, but why not?

Plus, the domain name was available.

(I told you it was all about marketing)

3) What about your agent?

My agent and I have a very special arrangement when it comes to my pen name. This is a very personal decision. If you are not yet agented, you should have this conversation with any agent who offers representation. If you are agented, you should have the conversation with your agent to figure out how to proceed if you want to start writing in another category or under a different name.

Some agents:

• represent all the author's work, regardless of genre. If this is what you want, look for agents who represent (almost) everything you're interested in writing.
• represent only one category/name while another agent represents the other
• work out a deal with another agent in their house who represents the genre they don't
• any mixture of the above three options

4) How do you keep them straight?

Sometimes I don't. I signed an Aria email the other day with "Thank you, Sarah."

It requires different email addresses, different social media accounts, different personalities.

People look at me like I'm crazy when I say Aria and Sarah have very different personalities. The key is: they're both me, I just accentuate different aspects of my personality, depending on who I am. For example, I let out every bit of my flirtiness and dirty mindedness when I'm Aria. Sarah is more snarky/sarcastic. I'm all of those things.

5) What should I call you?

I don't care. I know some authors will, but if I'm at an event as Aria and you call me Sarah, I'll answer and won't correct you. I now answer to Aria almost as automatically as Sarah. I'm "out."

Sometimes I even forget what name I should introduce myself as. If you see me glance at my badge before I say my name, this is what has happened.


I hope that answers some of your questions about writing under multiple names. If you have any other questions, let me know in the comments!

My Interview with BILL CONDON!

Today, my excitement is on, possibly, the highest level it could ever reach. Scarily high levels. Yet in contrast, today's incredibly special guest tells me he is not excited. In fact, it's dangerous if he gets excited, because there is potential he might explode.

YAtopia peeps, I am beyond delighted and honoured to introduce today, the talented, the successful, superhero author, Mr Bill Condon!

My excitement is likely to force much babble from my mouth, so I will hand over to the man himself!

Bill, your publication list is seriously impressive, but do you have a favourite book? Or maybe one closest to your heart? Which was your favourite to write? Go on, tell us a little about you!

Thanks, Kate. I’m almost speechless after that incredible introduction. Superhero author? You must be a really nice person!

To be honest, most of the time I feel more like a Superzero author. I spend a lot of time failing in my attempts to write, but I think that’s probably true of many writers. I’ve been lucky in that I’ve had a lot of time to try to I work out the nuts and bolts of the writing game. (I’m definitely one of the nuts.) I had my first books for children published in 1983, so the Law of Averages dictates that along with my many misses it’s only natural that there are a few books that pass muster.

When I first began I wrote lots of poems and plays, short stories, non-fiction – anything at all that helped pay the rent. It wasn’t until I was 50, in 1999, that I tackled a young adult novel. I wasn’t brave enough to do so beforehand, because I didn’t think I was up to it. But I wanted to try it before I died, so I had a go. That book was called Dogs. To my great surprise it was shortlisted in the CBCA Awards. That year Judith Clark won the Book of the Year with Wolf on the Fold. Dogs was named an Honour Book together with Fighting Ruben Wolfe, which was written by some young bloke called Markus Zusak. (I wonder whatever happened to him?)

So, to answer your question, no I don’t really have an out-and-out favourite book, but I think Dogs was the game-changer for me. After that I concentrated on young adult books.

Where did it all start for you? Were you a child writer, good at English at school? Or did writing come later on in life? If so, what set the wheels in motion?

Alas, I got almost no encouragement about anything at school, but somewhere buried in my cobwebby brain, there is a memory of a teacher who once praised a short story I wrote. She said it was ‘enthralling’. At the time I didn’t know what that meant, but from her tone I guessed it was something positive. I was probably 12 or 13. From then on I wanted to be a writer, and thanks to her, I believed I could do it. Wanting to be a writer was akin to wanting to be an astronaut back in the 60s, so there were many twists and turns before my fantasy became a reality. Sadly, I’ve long ago forgotten that teacher’s name.

Can you tell us a little about that first offer of publication? (If you can remember!) All aspiring writers dream of it being magical; was it like that for you?

When the publisher replied about Dogs she thought it had some merit, but as I’d only written for younger kids before she somehow assumed this was more of the same. If it was to have a chance, she said, it would need to be re-written so all the violence and swearing was taken out. Fortunately, once I’d explained things to her she had another look at it and decided the violence and swearing were okay after all. But in regard to acceptances in general, yes, they are magical. Not always, but usually, when you get a letter or an email back from the publisher it means a rejection. When they really like something, they ring you. Then it’s like hearing that you’ve won the lottery.

Are you involved in the publication process of each of your novels; from cover design and editing to marketing? You're published with many different publishers; are they all different, or is the process very similar across the board?

I think the process is similar with all publishers - at least the ones I’ve dealt with. Mainly my role concerns working on the text. I look at it several times after it gets accepted and it takes all those viewings to weed out the mistakes. As for the design, publishers usually show me the various covers they’ve come up with and I’m asked for my opinion. That’s more of a courtesy than my right. The publishers know far more about design than I do, so I basically leave it to them. As for marketing, this mainly comes down to taking part in any interviews the publicist can arrange, which I’m happy to do.

It's well documented that authors have to be prepared to market and promote their own books, more so than ever before. Seeing as though your career has spanned some years, do you have any insider tips you can share with us? Anything that's worked particularly well for you, and things that definitely haven't! 

One upon a time marketing was the job of the publisher. Now, as you point out, more and more, authors are expected to promote their own books. No doubt if I was just starting out, I’d be doing the same, because I’d have no choice. But as I’m much closer to the end of my career than the start, I do have a choice. My take on it is that if the book is good enough it will sell. No amount of fancy wrapping will make it a success if it’s badly written.

What's been the highlight of your career so far? And low-point?

The highlight is winning the PrimeMinister’s Award for young adult literature in 2010. I went to the award’s ceremony thinking I had no chance at all. The book, Confessions of a Liar, Thief and Failed Sex God, had lost out in every award it had been nominated for. It didn’t even get on the Notables’ list in the CBCA Awards. When it won, my wife Di screamed and I was so shocked I was unable to move. Hard to forget that.

As for the low points, there haven’t been any. It’s just been a joy and a privilege to have been able to work at a job I love for so many years. One of the great things has been to have received many reviews. I’m thankful for all of them, but this one gave me the biggest smile:

'Last week was the finishing pages of Dare Devils and I was quite exited about it because I wouldn’t have to read any more'.

Too funny! For all aspiring writers currently trudging through editor and agent slush piles, can you offer some 'hang-in' there advice, or ideas that might make their manuscripts stand out from the crowd?

The ‘hang-in there’ advice is simple. Believe in yourself and keep going. I had a friend who told me, ‘Nothing just happens. You make it happen’. Your book won’t get written unless you do the hard slog. Always remember that if you don’t believe in yourself, you can’t expect anyone else will. As for making your work stand out from the crowd, I’d forget all the bells and whistles. Write the best book that you can and that will speak volumes for you. However, one of the key things you can do is to begin your story well, hopefully with a memorable opening line. I spend a long time working on that opening. If it gets readers to keep going, all that time is well spent.

Which authors inspire you? What kinds of book do you like to escape with? Do you have one particular favourite? Something you read over and over again?

I have to confess that as a child there were never any books in my house. I read comics and watched TV. For many years my favourite book was the 1965 Nude Photography Annual, which I stole from the library. No one told me you could actually borrow books. To my eternal shame, these days I still prefer books with pictures, but not such racy ones. However, you’ll be pleased to know that I read novels, too. My favourite young adult novel of recent times is The Protected, by Clair Zorn. Such a great book! The list of good y/a novels is huge and I don’t wish to offend anyone by leaving out their title, so I’ll just name one more of my favourites, The Dead I Know, by Scott Gardner.  It won the Book of the Year in 2012 and richly deserved it. Oh, there is one more that is not too shabby – The Book Thief - by that young upstart Markus Whatshisname.

If not an author, which career path might you have taken? Do you have any secret talents that you can share with us?

If not an author I’d have been working in a factory somewhere. When I met my wife Di (Bates) in 1983 I was driving a forklift in a milk factory. I’d done that for seven years, on the graveyard shift of 11pm to 7 am. With Di’s encouragement I left that job, and eventually found my way into writing. If I have a secret talent it’s good luck. Meeting Di was the luckiest break I ever had.

And finally, what does the future have in store for you and your fans? Are there any new books on the horizon? What are you currently working on?

My latest book is The Simple Things. After it was accepted it took another two years for it to be published. That means if I get another book taken I’m going to be ancient by the time it comes out. For a few years now I’ve been working on a sequel to A Straight Line to My Heart, which was published in 2012. I write every day, but I delete much of what I produce so it’s a painfully slow process. Because of this I just don’t know when, or if, there’ll be another book. But I hope so.

Thank you so much for joining YAtopia today, Bill. We count ourselves extremely lucky to have had you. And I do hope you've remained decidedly under-excited. We wish you so much luck in the future with everything you do, and hope one day you might pop back and see us again.

If you'd like to learn more about Bill and his books, or stay up-to-date with his new releases, here is a link that might help with this.

Website

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Amazon