Advice From Editors: Conflicted?

Just wanted to let people know that my new post is up over at the editor co-op blog, The Blood-Red Pencil. Conflicting Advice: Emerging Authors Want To Know! is about what to do when an editor's advice conflicts with your own ideas about how a story should go, or what to do when different editors disagree about a story's construction.

And don't forget to check out Mayra Calvani's interview from yesterday. A great travel story, suggestions for writing book reviews, and advice on how to juggle several genres all rolled into one!

Resources Round-Up for Emerging Authors and Friday's Guest

Here's a round-up of some of the good sites and posts I've come across recently. Hope you find something useful!

Also, don't forget to stop back in for Community Fridays. This week's guest is Larry Hodges, author extraordinaire and ex table-tennis coach.

Is your likelihood of getting published truly infinitesimal? Well, it depends. This article about publication by Victoria Strauss over at Writer Beware Blogs! lays out some good points. One thing that emerging authors don't always take into consideration when submitting manuscripts is whether their writing (or even just the query letter!) is really good enough to compete with the best, harsh as it may sound. Writer Beware Blogs! is also a great resource for keeping track of scams in the writing and publishing industry, such as shady agents and questionable contests. Victoria is a good resource in and of herself, if you get the lucky chance to meet her at a convention or conference!

Here are two great resource posts by author and editor Edmund Schubert over at the Side-Show Freaks blog. This post lists a bunch of basic definitions for writers, for words such as 'byline,' 'niche,' and 'SASE.' And did you know that you should include your name, phone number, email address, and snail mail address on any submission, even if it's an email/online submission? This post gives a quick run-down of submission basics.

For those emerging authors in or near the Baltimore area, the Baltimore Writers' Conference is this weekend, on November 8. I just realized I will be here on Saturday, and I won't be going to the Random House Book Fair sponsored by the Carroll County Community College in Westminster, MD, which has just been moved to March 2009. Good thing I checked! So I might go after all... although the $95 price tag is a big of a deterrent. We shall see.

Finally, a quick update on my revising and editing class with Jeffrey Roth. Class is going well. Jeffrey is engaging and knowledgeable about his subject. Kind of makes my brain want to explode, but it will all be worth it when my writing improves.

Update: My newest Emerging Authors Want To Know! post is up over at the Blood-Red Pencil Blog. This one talks about what it's like to be a published author AND a professional editor at the same time. Hope you enjoy!

Editor Selection: Emerging Authors Want To Know! at Blood-Red Pencil

My new Emerging Authors Want To Know! post is up over at The Blood-Red Pencil. This one deals with how you choose an editor once you've decided that you need one, and how different editors can fulfill different purposes. Should you talk with an editor before sending over your work? Do editors offer "sample edits" so you can get an idea of what they do? Find out today at The Blood-Red Pencil!

I'm at Caplave today, so I won't be hanging around the blog. But I will be meeting all sorts of new and wonderful people from the science fiction literary community - I'll post a recap on Monday!

If you haven't already, check out the Community Friday interview with Andy Ross. Great info for anyone who's ever wanted to know more about agents.

Emerging Emma Recommends... First Test by Tamora Pierce

So I'm going to try a new feature for my blog called Emerging Emma Recommends. Every month, I'll recommend a book. I'll tell you a little about the book and who it's suitable for. And I'll keep the book in my sidebar for the duration of the month. I don't have any books of my own to recommend (yet!) but this way, you'll still find good things to read when you stop by. Who knows, I might even recommend your book!

Today's recommendation is First Test by Tamora Pierce.

First Test is the first book in the Protector of the Small quartet. If you've spent time on my blog in the past, you've almost certainly heard me raving about Tamora Pierce. All of her series are excellent, but I just finished re-reading Protector of the Small, and I wanted to rave about it in particular.

Full disclosure: this is a book geared towards young readers. But then again, so was the Harry Potter series. Tamora Pierce is one of those authors who, simply put, can tell a good tale. Even if you're not a huge reader of fantasy, this book will interest you. There are some fantasy elements to the story, but it's really more about adventure than magic.

In First Test, Keladry decides that she wants to be knight. Luckily for her, Alanna (heroine of the Song of the Lioness quartet) came before her and broke the ban on female knights. Unluckily for her, there are more than a few people in power opposed to the idea. However, Keladry has already had years more of training than her fellow pages. She's tough, she's talented, and she's determined to prove to everyone that a woman can make just as good of a knight as a man.

This book has it all - battles, friendships, feuds, struggles against seemingly impossible odds, and even a dash of romance. Recommended for anyone who wants to escape from the daily grind into a world where anything is possible for a person with spirit and will.

Recognition for the Blood-Red Pencil Blog

I mentioned a while back that I'm now the "emerging author" voice on the Blood-Red Pencil, a co-op blog by an excellent group of editors with daily posts useful for emerging and established authors. Well, seems like we're doing something right - on Saturday, our blog was chosen as a 'blog of note' by freelance writers Laura Spencer over at Writing Thoughts. Thanks Laura!

And speaking about the Blood-Red Pencil, my new Emerging Authors Want To Know! feature is up today. This one is about my fear of evil editors, and what they'll do to my poor manuscript. There are some great replies, especially what happens to a manuscript once it enters the slush pile. Stop by, and don't forget to read the comments - there's even more good stuff going on there!

One More Thing You Might Not Know About Me

I have a regular guest feature over on The Blood Red Pencil, a blog for writers all about various aspects of editing. The feature is called Emerging Authors Want To Know, and the second installment about grammar is available here. Does anyone care whether or not you know what a passive past participle is? Does such a thing even exist? Find out today on the Blood Red Pencil blog!

Links And Tips For Emerging Authors

Thanks to fellow emerging author Stina Rose from Scroll Bag for her comment yesterday. Stina, I'm glad you found the information here helpful! It's good to get in touch with fellow emerging authors. More authors = more stories = more readers. Simple as that!

Here are some useful links for those just getting started on the road to publishdom:

One of the first things I did after I decided I wanted to get published was attend a writer's conference hosted by the Greater Lehigh Valley Writers' Group. To find a local writers' association that hosts conferences near you, click here. It's a list in progress - let me know if I missed anything!

After that, I decided to start a small writers' group near my hometown. (I would have joined one, but there weren't any close enough.) Check your local writers' association for writers' groups in your area. If you decide to start your own group, read this article for tips and tricks. Wondering whether an online group would work better for you? Here's a comparison of online and offline writers' groups.

And of course, start connecting as soon as possible with other writers! If you haven't already, create your own blog. Posting regularly to a blog will get you in the habit of writing, and it will expose readers to your work. Just don't get addicted ;) Twitter is another great way to meet authors, publishers, editors, you name it. Follow the people I'm following to start building your network. They'd love to meet you!

Also, here's some encouraging news: I went to Target today, and what did I see but a whole end-cap display with books by emerging authors! Good to know that large corporations have our backs. Now all I have to find out is how to get a book displayed there...