Tag: publishing

Authorly Advice 7: Securing Your Work … or Setting It Free

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Once our work is out there—or sometimes when we’re working on something to put “out there,” we begin to worry about securing it. There are so many outside threats to a creative work, and there so many situations that cause creators to clutch their proverbial pearls when they really should be embracing said situations. A bit vague, eh? Well, let’s talk about them.

Agent or Publisher Revisions

Let’s start with the first thing writers are likely to run into on their path to becoming authors: professional opinions. Sure, before you get to an agent or publisher, you should have already received editorial feedback and other constructive criticism during the writing process, but the first time you’re likely to encounter a “threat” to the creative work you made is when working with an agent or publisher. Because their opinions about your story come from a different place—the authoritative place of “do this or I won’t represent you” or “do this or I won’t publish your book”—and that can be difficult to navigate.

First, decide what matters to you to retain. Sometimes agents/publishers make suggestions that are actually suggestions, and you can still move forward with that professional without making the changes they recommend. For example, in my short story, “Cross My Heart and Hope to Rise,” which was published in an anthology that released Frida the 13th of June, the publisher requested that I add character names to the story. While that is a valid suggestion, I intentionally left names out of the story to give it a sense of anonymity and to leave those characters open for the reader to fill in names of whomever came to mind. While I was willing to create names if the publisher required it, I began by explaining where I was coming from and advocating for my decision to omit names. The publisher agreed with me after we talked, and the story stayed as written.

However, that is not always the case. I’ve mentioned this countless times in an authorly capacity, but my go-to example for why I chose the indie route for my books is the experience my favorite author, Juliet Marillier, shared in an interview years ago. When she was looking to publish her debut novel, her agent suggested that she make changes so the novel could be marketed as romance over historical fantasy. She added content to the book to make it fit what her agent suggested, and she was later picked up by one of the Big Five publishers. She had a lucrative stretch because of that content change (the agent’s marketing suggestion), though over time it became clearer that she was more comfortable with closed-door, wholesome companionship romance when her later books strayed further and further from that initially published content.

I took her story as a cautionary tale, because I could not imagine making a change like that to my writing. I had changes I was willing to make and changes I wasn’t. Agents and publishers have the power to request big content changes to a work they are representing, and then it comes to the author to decide if those content changes are ones they can live with or ones they can’t. If you care deeply about your content and don’t want to change it, don’t. The right publisher—or the right agent—will come. If you are willing to make the changes an agent or publisher recommends, then it seems you have already found your “right” one. It does not mean there is something wrong with you if you compromise on content, but don’t compromise on content if it breaks you to do so.

Copyright Infringement

Once our work is out there, or once we begin sending it to editors, agents, or publishers, we may begin to worry about the story being stolen. Unfortunately, while we can take precautions to prevent intellectual theft, such as ensuring we only send raw files to trusted sources, putting watermarks on the files, or ensuring the work is clearly timestamped, pirates are going to pirate. Copyright your work, secure the files, and keep records. Some content that may seem to be stolen is coincidental. I heard “wolf dragon” mentioned in Onward just months after my first “dragonwolf” book came out. Those creatures had nothing to do with each other. After building my world and its connection to Earth, I watched The Owl House and saw parallels in how the worlds were connected and what has come ad gone between worlds. When we’ve spent so much time in our stories, we’re going to see them everywhere, even when they aren’t there.

That said, copyright infringement does happen. As an editor, I’ve read so many shameless copies of mainstream works that are barely even off-brand versions of the originals. It is always possible to find infringement. If you do, keeping timestamped records allows you to prove your work is the original, and these records are the foundational materials that will aid you in any battle you may get into.

Adaptations

Certainly most writers since the booms of King, Rowling, and Martin, in particular, have thought about what would happen if their works were adapted for stage or screen. Along with that, we have likely thought about the nightmare that an unfaithful adaptation would be. A movie deal sounds like a great thing, and in most cases it would be. However, we have all seen unfaithful adaptations. I have seen some adaptations that are good in their own right despite the drastic changes made. One that comes to mind is Howl’s Moving Castle. The book is spectacular. The Ghibli film is a masterpiece. Yet, there are colossal differences between the two. Those who haven’t read the book wouldn’t know why Wales is significant to the story. There are significant plot points from the book that were omitted from the movie, but they are both wonderful independent of each other. Unfaithful adaptations would include examples like The Last Airbender movie. Without yucking anyone’s yum, there were fundamental changes like how the bending system works, changes to the pronunciation of character names, and changes to character mannerisms, like having a stoic Sokka. These sorts of changes turned many fans of the original series against the film adaptation.

Sometimes changes are fine, and sometimes they aren’t. We don’t know what kinds of changes someone will make to our work. There are provisions one can make, such as ensuring that any contract includes language about maintaining the integrity of the source material, but there is still a lot of trust given to the screenwriters and directors. While the possibility of an adaptation is a long shot, it’s certainly possible. Don’t get yourself too caught up in the “what if” dream of your own adaptation, but think about provisions you would want to make to ensure an adaptation is true to your story and includes all the details you want to be included—just in case that day ever comes.

AI

In these times, the concern of AI theft of creative work is ever present. There are dozens of AI art programs that use work stolen from artists online without crediting the original work. There are short stories, poems, and even full books that are “written” by AI. It has become so commonplace that publishers and organizations often specify that works that use AI in any capacity will be rejected and readers assume anything imperfect must have been AI. Unfortunately, putting any writing out in the world leaves it open to AI algorithms. Even just typing something out in Word could cause MS Copilot to store your data. Ebooks available through legitimate platforms are still susceptible to AI algorithms. Preventing AI theft is likely impossible. That doesn’t mean your work is for sure going to be copied by an AI algorithm. It just means you cannot prevent it if it were to happen. Steps can be taken in the event of AI theft if your work is copyrighted (the same that would be taken if you experience any other copyright infringement).

I have seen ChatGPT results for user queries that give me pause. Someone I know used it to get tattoo ideas, and when he showed me the breakdown ChatGPT had spit out for him, it looked good. It was organized well and included some buzz words, but there wasn’t anything there that an experienced artist, DM, or D&D player couldn’t come up with—because they have; that’s why that’s in the algorithm. I was concerned initially, and since I am currently in a hiatus because of the brain injury I sustained this year, it had me wondering if anyone would even care if I stopped publishing when AI can just spit out some soulless text that sort of fits. At the end of the day, I write because I love the world I created, and AI can’t take that.

I would argue that AI theft is less of a concern than human theft for the simple reason that AI is often extremely obvious by how awful it is. Sure, over time, there may be more of a concern there, but as long as AI is writing bad stories and generating images with extra appendages, we have some time before we need to worry about it more than any other kind of theft.

Fan Art

Now, for all the unsavory concerns we may have about our work, there are lovely connections too. Fan art is an amazing expression of love for something. While I have rarely seen criticism of fan art, it is out there, so here’s a brief callout: embrace fan art if you have some. Looking at my fan art reminds me just how much my books are loved. Someone used their own creative outlet to draw my characters. How can I not be humbled and awed by that? Encourage fans to create art because that not only shows their love for what you have done but also allows them to exercise their own creativity.

Headcanon

Headcanon is a natural element of fandom. In the books we read, the games we play, and the shows and films we watch, we become bonded to the characters and we imagine scenarios we weren’t explicitly given. If the author hasn’t said something goes one way or the other, the reader is going to have their own ideas about the fates of the characters. Sometimes headcanons can be small things. A nonspoilery headcanon of mine is that the cabbage guy from Avatar the Last Airbender is recognized by Bumi after his other struggles in the show, and Bumi makes him the Omashu official cabbage guy but Flopsy is his constant nemesis. Does that happen in the world of ATLA? Surely not. Am I going to believe it unless something canonical comes out that says something different? Oh, yes.

A reader told me their headcanon for Finn (from the Dragonwolf trilogy) at a festival. Revealing this headcanon would be a spoiler, but suffice it to say that it was something about the character’s handling of trauma that I had not written. I don’t intend to expand on that element at all, even though I will return to the character in future books, so I told the reader that their idea was interesting and that those choices made sense for Finn—because they do.

Headcanons are not harmful. If you are meeting a reader and their headcanon doesn’t match what you have planned for the character, whether or not you intend to publish those plans, don’t quash theirs. We like to think the characters we love or hate meet good or bad ends, and it’s a small thing to allow us those thoughts.

Fan Fiction

Fan fiction has always been a contested medium. I’ll be the first to confess that I have always thought of it as lesser—something done by children who just want to write themselves into the world. I have since learned that it is actually its own rich genre. Sure, there’s a lot of smut in there, but there’s also a big audience for that. Sure, a lot of it is self-insert writing, but what’s wrong with that?

Fan fiction is not another author taking your work and making money off of your ideas by creating new, competing stories. It’s an expression of someone who just cannot get enough of the world you have created. They need more. They need to know about little characters you only mention once. They need to imagine themselves in the world because they love it so dearly. They need to know what happens to the characters after the story. Sometimes we need to work things out for ourselves by writing them down. Writing can be therapeutic in many ways. I am writing fan fiction right now at a doctor’s recommendation, because it’s low-stakes writing that can work the parts of my brain that were damaged by my injury. Kids who start out writing fan fiction can become masterful adult authors.

At face value, someone copying your work is plagiarism, but fan fiction lives in a realm outside of that. Like fan art, it’s creation that is a fan’s expression of love for your work in a way that also exercises the fan’s own creativity. Fan fiction is pure human creativity.

TTRPG PCs, NPCs, and Campaigns

This mode of fan creation doesn’t apply to all stories, obviously, but it applies to more than we may think. There are instances like mine, where I have created a D&D core book and foundational system that’s made for players to use as a guide and make their own. RPGs (role-playing games) are all about making it your own. In the core book, I explain elements like how there should only be one Ranger at a time and that the Ranger should have forest dwarven blood. There should only be one Bard at a time. However, if someone wants to do a party of all bards, they totally can. It’s their game. If they want to take established characters and use them in their games, they totally can. If the characters don’t act like they do in the books, that’s okay.

I run a one shot at festivals that uses characters from Ranger’s Odyssey, and players have almost never played the characters as they actually are. And that’s okay. Because it’s a game inspired by the characters and the world and not a canonical story. I run an Ambergrovian campaign with my own group, and when my players were creating characters, they picked a time period when there is an established Ranger, an established Bard, and an established firebrand Elementalist—but three players picked those three classes. Now, I’m the author. I’m faced with running a TTRPG that scraps much of what I have established in the main story of my world, and it would be natural to fight that. However, this is a game within the world. As soon as the first player asked if he could be a Bard, I decided I would make our campaign an AU (alternate universe). In this universe, we have Teakroot instead of Salali. We have Varin instead of Mara. We have Lycastus instead of Ember. There are a few characters that overlap. The players will meet Lir, the crew of Hrossdraugr, and the villagers in Nimeda. Characters are still there, and it’s a rich, fun, character-driven adventure. If I leashed the players and packed them into the bounds of the novels, why even play?

Outside of full systems like mine, there’s also the potential for players or DMs (Dungeon Masters) to use known characters in their games, either directly or by description. I once created a female dwarven barbarian named Gimlia (Gimli, Lord of the Rings). I played a Baldur’s Gate 3 game as a dragonborn Oath of the Ancients Oathbreaker paladin that was intended to follow the storyline and choices of Draco from Dragonheart, and my Dream Guardian was designed to look like Bowen. It was a fun time. I’ve had a DM walk my party through a one shot clearly inspired by the Atlantis cartoon. It was awesome.

At the end of the day, RPGs are meant to be whatever the players make them, and use of established characters or stories in an RPG is a harmless expression of love.

Other Homages

An homage is just that: a respectful nod to a work you appreciate. As long as creators aren’t presenting your characters as theirs, let them have it. Cosplay is fantastic, and cosplayers often take liberties with the characters in their design, such as genderbending or color changes or the addition or removal of scars. Cosplayers are often not the body type of the character they portray. I went to Indy Comic Con years ago dressed as Jayne from Firefly. I had the Jayne hat, a Blue Sun shirt, boots, and utility pants, but I was an overweight woman with long hair. There were still people who saw me and said, “Oh! Jayne!” because I had recognizable elements of that character. It was an expression of love for the show in a setting that was all about expressing love for characters. Homages are everywhere, and they’re nothing to be concerned about.

Conclusion

There are so many different ways for a written work to be taken and changed. Some of these are welcome; some are not. At the end of the day, be mindful of the specific situation and only hold onto your work if it’s a situation that calls for it—certain professional situations, copyright infringement situations—and let your work go and be what your fans make it in other situations. Don’t be threatened by homages. It’s an honor to have someone love your work so much they want to draw them, make up their own stories about them, or play them in an RPG. Once your work is out there, it’s out there to be judged, it’s out there to be potentially stolen, but it’s also out there to be loved.

Authorly Advice 4: Blurbs, Keynotes, and Keywords

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This March advice comes in part from a workshop I held back in 2023. Today, I’ll be talking about writing the author blurb and the back cover blurb, creating a keynote, and selecting keywords.

Author Blurb

Provide targeted information about yourself. The About the Author gives you the chance to introduce yourself to your readers and typically includes these main elements: education, current career, other publications, family information, and regional interest (e.g., city and state of residence).
Include relevant information. Have you been published before? Have a degree related to your subject matter or to writing? Think about what makes YOU the qualified person to write this story.
Include interesting information. Readers like knowing some personal info about authors. Things like hobbies, pets, and family. Many authors also include education and general location.
Keep it simple. In most cases, the book is what sells, not the author. Be sure to keep it short and sweet and include more information about your book than you do about yourself. The author blurb for the cover or back flap is typically about 50 words in length.
Write in third person. Don’t use “I” in your author information. Write like you are talking about someone other than yourself.
What about an author biography? If you have many accolades or additional information about yourself you would like to include, do it! Just not on the cover. Keep the cover text short, and include a full author biography in the back matter. These are usually a full page or two. I have an extended author biography on my website that just has more information about my interests and how those contributed to my books.
What about a photo? When selecting an author photo, you have two basic options. First, you could go to a professional photographer and have a professional author photo taken. An experienced photographer should be able to assist you in creating a photo that serves you well. I go to Icarus Photography in Bloomington for my cover art photography, and I highly recommend her for any photography needs. Second, you could include a photo that fits the subject matter of your book. My author photo is a nonstandard photo. I don’t want to have my face in it for various reasons, but I compiled/made a costume that aligns with my book.
What if I don’t want to include _? Great! You don’t have to. Readers are not owed information about you. You can come up with a fictitious blurb for a pen name or keep it vague or even blank. I am careful about what information I include. Only include what you want to.

Book Blurb: Fiction

Include details such as plot, setting, main characters, and some of the conflicts those characters face. You should reveal enough about the general outline of your story to draw readers in without giving away any crucial surprises that may appear in your plot.
Who are the main characters? What are they like? Think main characters, not a bunch of background people. You don’t want to have too many names in marketing copy, so think 2–3. Character names and basic descriptions are imperative to writing interesting blurbs. Don’t try so hard to be vague that we don’t even know who the main character is.
Where is the story set and what time period? Also, is the setting relevant to the story? If so, tell the reader why.
What is the main conflict? Conflict is what makes a book interesting and drives the story. Consider what the main characters wants/needs and what or who is keeping the character from that goal. Include the main conflict in your blurb.
Do not be vague or obscure. This is not an abstract concept of your book or a personal opinion of its quality. Your blurb needs to be a detailed account of who/what/where/when. Be sure to include at least two significant plot points that do not give away your ending.
More is better. You’ve heard the adage “less is more.” That is not true in the blurb for your readers. Make sure you include enough information about your story to set it apart from others of the same genre—don’t try so hard not to give things away that you give away nothing that wouldn’t also describe a thousand other romances, adventures, thrillers, or what have you. As long as you don’t give away the ending—or a twisty-twist!—you’re probably not giving too much.
Tensing should progress to draw interest. The blurb should progress from present to future tense as we build toward the omitted end. It’s “here’s what the characters are doing, but will they be able to do _ or will the story end in tragedy? Read more to find out what happens next!” Even if the entire book is written in past tense—as is standard for fiction—the cover text is always progressive from present to future to garner interest in what’s next.
Blurbs are typically divided into two to three paragraphs and a keynote. Your first paragraph introduces your main character and the necessary background, time, and setting information. Your second paragraph introduces the conflict and at least one of the big plot points. Your third paragraph wraps up the information and raises a question as to later elements of the story. A final sentence (keynote) summarizes the main storyline in one punchy end. This is sometimes combined into the third paragraph and a separate keynote is created for marketing materials instead of combining them into one. An endorsement (if included) would be before or after the full blurb.
Your book blurb should always be longer than your author blurb. The typical book blurb is about 150–250 words in length. In contrast, your author blurb should be about 50 words. Even if your name can sell your book on its own, it shouldn’t. Include a small serving about yourself and a healthy helping about the book.

Fiction Book Blurb Checklist:

Fiction Example

Book Blurb: Nonfiction

Include details such as general information about the major points or purpose of the book. Your text should state what your book is about, how it’s unique, and what a potential reader might gain from the book.
What is the point of your book? What do you want the reader to gain from it? Is your book meant to be a resource? If so, how? What tools does your book have that would benefit the reader? What view does your account provide? Simply, why should a reader buy it?
Do not be vague or obscure. Provide details about main points discussed in your book, either in the form of a bulleted list or a few examples structured in a paragraph.
Why did you write it? How is it unique? Nonfiction works typically have a drive behind them. Are you writing a memoir to share your story to help others? A biography to share the legacy of someone great? A cookbook because you love your grandmother’s recipes and know others will too? A new teaching tool for others in your field or a revolutionary guide for clients? What sets it apart from other books on the same topic?
More is better. You’ve heard the adage “less is more.” That is not true in the blurb for your readers. Make sure you include enough information about your book to set it apart from others of the same genre—don’t try so hard not to give things away that you give away nothing that wouldn’t also describe a thousand other cookbooks, biographies, health books, or what have you. Give as much about important broad topics as you can fit into the recommended length.
Tensing should progress to draw interest. In fiction, the blurb should progress from present to future tense as we build toward the omitted end. In nonfiction, the blurb is typically factual and thus in present text (“the book has this and this and this”). However, there is also an element of future tense if the reader is meant to learn or do something. “Unlock your own future in The Future of the Past” or “In this book, learn how to face your fears and cook something even your mother-in-law will love!”
Blurbs are typically divided into two to three sections and a keynote. Your first section/paragraph introduces your book and the “what” and “why” of it. Your second paragraph lists or summarizes some important details. Your third section leads into your call-to-action. A final sentence (keynote) summarizes the general matter of your book while also calling the reader to use what’s within. This is sometimes in the third section and a separate keynote is created for marketing materials instead of combining them into one. An endorsement (if included) would be before or after the full blurb.
Your book blurb should always be longer than your author blurb. The typical book blurb is about 150–250 words in length. In contrast, your author blurb should be about 50 words. Nonfiction books should have information about you to show why you are qualified to share what you know, but the contents should sell the book in addition to your name.

Nonfiction Book Blurb Checklist:

Nonfiction Example

(pulled from the internet; no affiliation to Tales of Ambergrove)

The Book Blurb: A Trailer for Your Book

Think of your book like a movie. To get viewers to go see a movie, production companies release trailers to tell the potential viewer a little about the movie and to grab their interest. The turn of the century trailers (the ones that still had narration) were the best examples of this as they relate to cover text, and my favorite is Hidalgo (2004).

Loose Transcription of Trailer

Italics—written; (parenthesis)—spoken by a character; [brackets]—description of scene; bold—narration.

  • Based on a true story, they were an unbeatable team, the best of the best, until they faded from legend.
  • (Buffalo Bill: Frank Hopkins and his horse, Hidalgo, are legends. They’ve never lost a long-distance race.)
  • For Frank Hopkins and Hidalgo, their days of glory were over. [In an arena, Frank falls from Hidalgo’s back, and Hidalgo drags him.] Now, they’re about to get one last chance.
  • (Aziz and a bald man tell him about the race: Perhaps you have never heard of the Ocean of Fire, a 3000-mile race across the Arabian desert. The winner’s purse makes the victor very rich.)
  • (Frank to Hidalgo: You think we got one more in us? Yeah, me neither.)
  • [Told again of the race by the British man in the desert.] (Brit: Do you know what you’re up against, my American friends? The Ocean of Fire is not just a race. It’s full of obstacles that you can’t even imagine.) [quicksand, sandstorm, and locusts] (Frank, eating a locust: Once you get past the legs it ain’t too bad.) (Brit: And if the elements don’t kill you, your fellow riders will.) [swordfighting and gunfights with other riders]
  • It began as a race for riches (Sheikh to Frank: Bring my daughter back to me.), but it would become an adventure beyond anything he could ever imagine. [various scenes trying to save the Jazeera]
  • This Spring, experience the incredible true story of a man who left behind the world he knew (Sheikh to Frank: You are gambling with your very life.) and found the courage to do the impossible. (Jazeera: Why are you risking your life for me? Frank: Well, my horse likes you. Jazeera: Hidalgo’s the one who believes in you, but can you believe in yourself?) [riding with determination]

Possible Book Blurb (205 words)

Frank Hopkins and his horse, Hidalgo, had never lost a long-distance race—but their days of glory were far behind them. Hopkins and Hidalgo became performers, and Hopkins found rock bottom in the middle of a show. But when Hopkins is told of a three-thousand-mile race called the Ocean of Fire, he and Hidalgo have one last chance to prove that they are truly the legendary racers they were once thought to be.

The Ocean of Fire is not just any race. Once Hopkins and Hidalgo set across the Arabian desert, they must withstand more than they’d bargained for. The elements are challenge enough, but when the weapons come out and the sheikh’s daughter is kidnapped, Hopkins quickly learns that the stakes of this race will drive men to do anything to become the victor. It began as a race for riches, but it becomes a race for survival. Hidalgo believes in his rider, but can Frank Hopkins believe in himself, save Jazeera, and still win the race when he must fight a new enemy at every turn?

In Hidalgo, experience the incredible true story of a man and his horse, retired racers who find the courage to risk it all for one final race.

Keynote

The keynote often comes with the book blurb. The last sentence of the book blurb is typically a summary of the text as a whole. One punchy sentence about the book. Below is an example from my first book:

  • Ranger’s Odyssey: Delve into the fantastical world of Ambergrove with Mara as she earns her companions, faces fears, and chases fate in her path to become the Ranger.

Keywords

For younger writers, think hashtags. What are a few commonly searchable words a reader might use that would apply to your book? The standard number for most listings is seven keywords. Not sure why. Seven is a lucky number, so let’s go with that.

  • Ranger’s Odyssey—fantasy; quest; fate; teen; monsters; odyssey; adventure
  • Realm of Chaos—fantasy; quest; fate; teen; chaos; adventure; Ambergrove
  • Wheel of Fate—fantasy; fate; teen; chaos; family; adventure; Ambergrove

In a series, keywords may be exactly the same or change slightly, depending on the topic. Unless you are already popular online, don’t use your name in your keywords. I added “Ambergrove” as a keyword for later books in the series because that’s the world name, and it will be a commonality if someone reads the first book and searches for more, but as a rule, keywords should be broad terms that are likely to be searched by someone who hasn’t read you before.

Authorly Advice 3: Editing for Non-Editors

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The February advice blog comes from a workshop I ran in 2023. Aside from the actual writing, editing is the most important part of completing a book. You can market an edited book, but you can’t edit a marketed book. If you have to choose between paying for editing and marketing, choose editing. This doesn’t mean you send your first draft to an editor; there are many editorial tasks you can do on your own that will benefit your book.

Why is editing your book on your own so important?

While all or most of you will send your manuscript to a professional editor before publication, any changes you can make yourself will help you appear more professional to other publishing industry professionals and will help your work get noticed.

Someone who knows the source material and doesn’t have to guess intent is more likely to revise in a way that benefits the book. If you review and make small changes for clarity throughout, you are more likely to get your point across so your intent is retained with the editor and understood by the reader.

There are many things a typical editor won’t or can’t do to your book. Often, the editor’s review is intended to be a simple grammatical review. If you review on your own to correct certain elements and improve your drafts, the final product you sent to your editor will be better before editing—and thus better after.

Editing can be pricey. The more you can do yourself, the less you would need to pay an editor to do. If you can make global fixes that do not require an editorial eye, you may greatly lower the cost of retaining a professional editor.

Checklists Are Your Friend

You know your writing style, and you know your needs. Checklists help you stay on track and ensure you don’t skip over something important.

In my books, I create a running list of things I know I’ll need to got back and do after the first draft, and anywhere I can I create notes for myself to make sure those things aren’t missed. So, my checklist would include “go back and check for continuity of travel times” and in the manuscript I would have a bracketed note—[check travel time here]. Brackets can easily be searched in Word and corrected en masse.

Images

If you are including charts, illustrations, or other inserted images, you need to make sure that they are prepared for publication. Images for print must be 300dpi or higher. If you include a lower quality image, it will appear blurry. Because images bog down your manuscript file, until you are sure how your publisher wants you to submit them, include all your images in a separate folder and rename each image accordingly. To check the dpi, right click the image in its folder and select “Properties.” In your manuscript, you will include bracketed notes for the interior designer/publisher. It is helpful to include a description for reference until the image is inserted. In my experience, red text is preferred for design notes. I also include highlighting for good measure.

 Nonfiction: References

For nonfiction, the most important element to sort out is often the referencing.

Any time you reference outside material to support or rebut a claim you present in your book, you need to make sure you have a proper citation for each. For each bit of outside information, you just have to provide enough information for the reader to find it in the same source, so they know what you know. Whether or not your source is credible or your source’s source is credible is neither here nor there. All you need is the necessary information for your readers to find the same information where you found it initially. So if a reader says, “Hang on, that bit about ____ seems a little far-fetched” or “Man, I would love to know more about ____,” the reader has the information to go to your source to see why you said what you did.

Make sure you copy the text exactly as it appears in the version you used. If anything is altered at all, you need to identify it. Replace omitted text with ellipses and include altered text in brackets. (i.e. Martineau says, “Any time you reference outside material … [I] need to make sure [I] have a proper citation for each.”)

Research

There are many different citation formats, including MLA (what most of us learned in school, APA (typically for psychology-related materials, and Chicago. Chicago is the publication standard. Full citation information may be found here (https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide/) However, all you need to have to avoid having to pay a fact-checker to research materials you already looked at is basic information about each source.

  • Author name
  • Book title
  • Chapter or article title
  • Publisher
  • Website link for online sources
  • Publication/access date—date the book you read was published, or, if it’s a      website, the date you accessed it (so readers know which version you viewed).
  • Page numbers referenced—on your reference page, you would include all pages referenced at any point. Your in-text citations would be specific to each example.

Fiction: Dialogue and Tensing

For fiction, the most important elements to sort out are dialogue and tensing.

Dialogue structure covers outer (external) dialogue, inner (internal) dialogue, dialogue tags, and spacing.

Outer Dialogue

The most common dialogue, outer dialogue is anything that is spoken out loud. Each time a speaker changes, the new   dialogue should appear on a new line. Everything spoken by the same person should appear as one paragraph unless     multiple paragraphs of unbroken dialogue by one person are included, In that case, An open quote would be used for every paragraph with no close quote until the speaker is finished and you move to the next thing. Only the things that are said should be in quotes. Dialogue tags, narration, and action are not in quotes.

Inner Dialogue

Less common than outer dialogue, inner dialogue is anything that a character is directly thinking—anything that would be in quotes if it were spoken. Inner dialogue is set in italics, but it is otherwise structured just like outer dialogue.

Tags

Dialogue tags are connected to the dialogue, indicating how something was said or thought and who was doing it. They can only pertain to how words were said. You can laugh while talking, but you can’t laugh the words. You can whistle  between words, but not as a way of saying the words.

Use one tag per section of speech. The tag should only be paired with one quotation unless it interjects a full sentence.

When a tag appears before the dialogue, a comma should be used to join the two. When a tag appears after dialogue, the punctuation depends on the last sentence of dialogue. A period is replaced by a comma. Exclamation (!) or question (?) marks are retained, but the tag is still lowercased with a period at the end.

Putting it all Together

I hate this, she thought. Why does it have to be so complicated?

“Are you OK?” he asked. “I know I’m not saying much here, but pretend this is a full paragraph. Of many lines.

“This is lengthy for the sake of example. If this were the second paragraph by the same person, the last one would have no end quote.

“This is the end of the second speaker.”

She whistled. “Wow, that is simpler than I thought,” she said.

“Things usually are simpler than we think,” he replied, tapping her on the shoulder, “but you’ll figure it out with practice.”

Tensing

There is no official tense for fiction, but past tense is the unofficial standard. While present tense does work for some   stories, it is usually simpler to align to past tense. Whichever you choose, take great care to ensure that you keep the same throughout. Flashbacks or flashforwards are often set in italics to distinguish them, and those may be in another tense as long as they are the same relative to each other.

Incorrect (mixed): She ran through the forest. “Just try to catch me!” she says.

Correct (past): She ran through the forest. “Just try to catch me!” she said.

Correct (present): She runs through the forest. “Just try to catch me! she says.

Conclusion

While this all may seem like a lot, these rules barely scratch the surface of editorial standards. There are many little revisions that authors can make to polish their books in preparation for editing, but there is no substitute for editorial expertise. Just be sure you review and revise your book to the best of your ability and research potential editors before you select one.

Authorly Advice 1: The “Why” Behind Writing and Publishing

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Last month I began a monthly email newsletter, which is sent out the first of every month. This month, I am rounding out 2024 with the first of my Authorly Advice blog posts. Every fifteenth of the month, I will be posting a now blog to share some sort of advice I have to share after my years of experience in this industry. Sometimes this will be publishing tools, editing guidelines, or event musts. Sometimes it will be about the writing itself. This first Authorly Advice blog is about our motivations for our writing.

Everyone has something that has driven them to write, positive or negative, and everyone has goals for that thing they have written. I should preface this by saying that, at the end of the day, these views are simply my opinion—though from experience—and if I make a disparaging remark about something that you feel strongly against, do not let my opinion deter you.

Why to Write

Your motivation behind your writing can really be anything. Perhaps you want to write a story like the books you’ve always loved. Perhaps you’ve never read the story you want to read and are now writing that story yourself. Perhaps you are learnéd and wish to take down an account of this expertise. Perhaps you’re writing a memoir. Your reason to write is your own, and whatever causes you to write is for you. That is the intrinsic motivation.

I write because I love it. I have always been a daydream adventurer. I grew up reading stories of faraway lands, and I created my own stories as a way to visit those lands. As I grew older, I created my own lands and then my own world. I love to tell stories, and I particularly love to immerse myself in fantasy worlds. Now that I have finally delved into Ambergrove with both feet, I write to compile the tales of Ambergrove. When I write outside of Ambergrove, it is typically to nail down a deep emotion I have that I can only name through writing.

Why to Publish/Share

We write for us—for whatever intrinsic motivation pulls us to write. The drive to publish that work is a push. It’s an extrinsic motivation. We want others to read what we have written, and we want them to approve of that writing. This is often where our motivation becomes skewed. What we choose to focus on as out extrinsic, or outside, gauge of our worth and success will determine whether we feel—and often whether we are—extrinsically successful.

Your intrinsic goals are for you. Because they are only for you and only for how you feel, the thing that pulls you to write is very rarely something that would pull you astray. Metaphor aside, when we are being pulled by something, we go exactly where that thing guides us. If we are pushed, we’re likely to stray off course. That is what sharing our work can do.

What are some good reasons to share your writing? Well, perhaps one of the best is because it will help people. If you know that others’ lives will be better for what you have said or it will raise their spirits, that is a good reason to share your writing.

If you are deeply connected to the subject matter—quite simply, if you care about what you have written—that is usually a good reason to share your writing. Because caring deeply for something means that you want others to care about it too.

If you just believe what you have written is good, that can often be a good reason to do it. You want others to read what you have written because you are proud of what you have achieved.

These reasons, and the effects of these reasons, all end at the same place: sharing your writing because you want someone to have a positive response to it is usually a good reason to share your writing.

If I mention good reasons, that should mean I’ll mention bad reasons. It does. Foremost, if sharing your writing to help others is the best reason, sharing your writing to harm others is the worst reason. The next worst is sharing your writing just to make money or become famous. Wanting to profit off your writing is not in itself a bad thing, but if the only reason you publish is to make money, that will be clear to any potential readers and will ensure you are dissatisfied with your publishing journey.

The authors who are famous, the household names, are outliers. The only authors who can live off their writing or become rich from their writing are ones who have their books adapted to film or television—and that is an extremely small number. Most published authors will never make enough money to live off the success of their books alone, no matter how amazing those books may be. Publishing is not likely to turn you into the next Stephen King. It is not likely to allow you to retire at thirty. It may earn you a few hundred or a few thousand dollars per year … if you work at it.

If all you want is to make money, you will likely discard potential readers along the way. When you push for people to buy your book, you come across as the typical “pushy salesman” rather than a passionate author. A little while ago, I read a complaint from an author about an event. This author was frustrated that potential readers came to their booth, asked about the book, and then left without buying it. The author said that if they weren’t going to buy it, the author would have rathered they not come to the booth at all.

This is a profit-centered and ego-centered frame of mind. Potential readers owe us nothing. If you make it clear that the people who express interest in your books only have worth to you if they buy them, you may find yourself deterring potential readers who would borrow the first book from the library just to see if they like it, discover they love it, and then buy every book you write because they know they will love it like the others. Not having a sale now doesn’t mean you won’t have a sale later, but if your motivation to publish is chiefly to make money, you may sabotage yourself along the way.

Sales are important, yes. Having sales helps us to continue to share our work, but sales should not be the reason we do it. That is what your “day job” is for. Unless you write because you’re a journalist or columnist or another whose profession is periodical writing. If so, crack on. My profession is technical writing and editing. I do these things because they are my professional fields and, with a few minor exceptions, I do these things chiefly to put food on the table (and in my pets’ bowls).

I write because I love it. I have always loved it, and I have always been drawn to fantasy. I publish because I love the world I created and want others to love it too. I focus on library availability over sales. My books are available for free from public libraries in a dozen states and a handful of countries. I have focused my publishing journey on sharing what I love regardless of profits, instead simply hoping to break even (I usually don’t). However, my books are read and enjoyed by thousands of people of all ages all over the world. I was able to travel back to Scotland on a crowdfunded book tour because there are so many people who believe in Ambergrove as I do.

My chief goal as a published author was to have someone put off something they were supposed to do just so they could read my books, as I put of sleep to read others’ books and got myself in trouble by putting off my math homework. I achieved this goal only a few weeks after Ranger’s Odyssey was published. It wasn’t from a sale; it was from a teacher purchasing the book for her classroom library and a student reading her copy—for free—and staying to finish the book when he should have run for the bus. He asked her repeatedly over the school year when she would have the next book.

I value all my readers, and I would happily work long weeks and steal time to write my books and attend events just to break even if that means that a single person reads every single one of my books. My “whys” are extreme. Yours aren’t expected to be, but strive to ensure that the thing that pushes you to write is a good thing.

Write for you. Publish for your readers.

May your writing and publishing journeys be grand adventures.

New Developments, the Remainder of the Year, and Next Year’s Plans

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As we near the end of 2024, we come to that annual time of reflection.

This Year

2024 brought quite a lot of developments—some positive and some not-so-positive. We participated in a couple new events this year: Lawrenceburg Public Library’s author fair and Clayshire Castle’s Medieval Faire. Both were fantastic events. Clayshire was unparalleled, even (or perhaps especially) taking into account that the residual storm from the hurricane came through and affected setup and attendance. Clayshire may be my favorite US event thus far.

I was out of a job for most of the year and was hustling to make ends meet while I tried to find a new one, so Ambergrove was put on the back burner for a while. Despite that, I was able to finish the D&D core book this year and send it to the publisher. It should be available within a few months. I also wrote a few short stories outside of Ambergrove this year, and one of them will be published in an anthology next year. Finally, I will be finishing up the Ember on the Anvil draft in a few months and hope to have that with the publisher by summer next year, as long as I can secure a funding avenue between now and then.

This year, I also started a monthly email newsletter and created a Discord channel! In addition, I created the Ambergrovian written language, Grovish, and created a downloadable font available free to anyone.

On a more personal front, this year brought Bandit to the family. She’s become my new helper and snuggle buddy the past month and a bit. She’s the spitting image of a cat I had and lost, one my family simply referred to as Boo Boo Kitty, though Bandit has her very own personality and temperament. She’s prone to big chomps and hiding when she’s not pulling a triple shift at the biscuit factory.

I also got Rowan as a present from my husband. She’s a giant stuffed dragon (technically a wyrm), and she makes sitting to work on EotA particularly comfortable and fantastical. She’s also the unofficial mascot of our D&D room.

I was able to get my late uncle’s truck, one of two family objects I cared to have, after ten years trying to get it from the person it went to after my uncle passed. I have counted the times I’ve driven it on my arm, and by the end of the year, I should have driven it 37 times. I was able to take it to help out my old community theatre, I was able to take it when a storm came through and downed dozens of trees, leaving the county roads near-impassible and the power out for almost a week. I was able to drive it to Granny’s to pick up her table (the only other family object I cared to have), and I was able to drive it to work when I was finally employed again.

I also got an Oura ring this year under HSA, and I am baffled at how much it learns and how kind it is. It doesn’t shame you into pressing on; it tells you when you would be pouring from an empty cup and tells you to stop and rest. It has certainly helped to alter my mindset and help me to better prioritize self-care.

Next Year

I’ve updated the events page to reflect the currently planned events for 2025 and to hopefully be more intuitive. Returning events include Clayshire’s Medieval Faire and MCPL Author Fair. New events include Southern Indiana Renaissance Faire (2/5 weekends) and Indiana Enchanted Fairy Festival. I hope to add additional events in the coming months. If you’d like to see us at an event, reach out and we’ll see what we can do!

I’m working on Ember on the Anvil and then jumping right into Ember of the Flame once that is completed. The lofty goal would have Ember’s series completed in 2025, but we’ll see how things go. If I am able to publish both next year, we’re looking at summer and winter.

The Ambergrovian Adventurer’s Guide should be available near the start of the year. If all goes to plan with the novels, the first standalone book will be released in 2026 and the final printed D&D materials will be added. With Dawn of the Dragowolf and the Adventurer’s Guide, my published D&D companion set is complete. I will include some additional information on the website and will share canonical adventures, but the final Adventurer’s Guide will be the last published, and then the focus will return to the novels.

The anthology, Black Cat Tales, should be completed and available in 2025. The publisher still hopes to have an audiobook version available as well. I have one short story in this anthology, but there are many other talented writers featured in the anthology as well. Check it out here.

So. 4+ events next year and—hopefully—3–4 books published next year. 2025 will be a big year for Ambergrove!

A Bit of Authorly Advice

This year brought more difficulties when it comes to events because of storms. When our power was out and we were stuck at our house, I had to reschedule and event I had planned for a library’s summer reading program because I couldn’t get there. The weekend of Clayshire was when the Hurricane Helene came through. The wind hit Friday, but the deluge came Saturday. Despite the heavy rains hundreds of people came out, though more would have come were it not for the rains. The following weekend was the MCPL Author Fair, which suddenly found itself competing with a dozen outdoor events that had previously been scheduled for the week before. I had to back out of a new event I had planned to attend and ORF, a staple event, due to financial constraints.

What these all have in common is disappointment. Some attendees were disappointed at the events that were missed this year, but they were kind about it. They took humanity into account. The events with lowered attendance had less kind disappointment, and that’s what I want to talk about.

I’ve mentioned a few things about this on my socials this year, but here’s some more definitive statements.

  • Organizers put a lot into events and so do attendees. You should never be publicly disappointed about attendance or sales.
  • There are many factors that determine the success of an event. One of those things is weather. Sometimes things just happen that no one has any control over. Sure, if you can’t afford to set up at an event if you aren’t guaranteed a certain number of sales, that’s valid, but just because you didn’t get sales does not mean that event is unsuccessful. Sometimes catastrophic weather changes plans. Sometimes other events compete with that one more than expected. Sometimes your booth location means that more people plan to come back so they don’t spend all their money right away—or they’ve already spent their money by the time they get to you. None of these things mean an event is bad. If you decide it is not worth it to you to return to an event, that’s valid, and your reasoning is valid, but do not make your disappointment known at the event, and do not blame the event organizers for things out of their control.
  • Events are what you make them. Be positive. Be friendly. Be kind to the organizers. Help other authors or vendors. Talk pleasantly with attendees about the books first and worry about a sale second. My books are available free in libraries and are more affordable/accessible in digital formats. Sure, it’s better for someone to buy at events, but not just for the sake of doing it. Enjoy the event, take my card, and read the books for free from the library. Sales can sometimes determine success, but success cannot be determined by sales alone. Success is determined by the readers who love the world and its stories, and if you focus on them, you will always be successful.
  • Be kind to organizers. Stay involved and friendly at events, even if you’re disappointed in attendance or sales. Focus on the readers’ enjoyment as much as you can, and you will never be disappointed as an author.

Break the Arrow

As this year comes to a close and we prepare for 2025, I am elated. The years will always have their ups and downs, but that’s part of the adventure. We had some lows this year. We struggled as our personal stability became rocky and we had to back out of events, and when I had surgery last month and he had surgery last spring; through it all, my husband was always on my team. Through it all, I had pets (and more pets!), and friends, and D&D with family, I lost and then got a fantastic job, and I was able to do so much in Ambergrove.

Last year, while talking with my host parents and visiting a forest nun at a hermitage in Scotland, I was told the parable of the second arrow, and that has stuck with me. When we are shot with an arrow, this causes us pain. However, if we allow our thoughts to linger and be consumed by the fact that we were shot with an arrow, our own need to understand why, and our worries about whether we will be shot again, we are the ones who shoot ourselves with that second arrow. Sure, this is greatly simplified, and it seems to ignore the realities of things like PTSD, but the sentiment remains the same. When we dwell on the negatives of the past, we harm our future and our contentment with the present. This was the year I broke that second arrow, and I found that I am content with my experiences and happier with my choices. I choose not to dwell and shoot myself with that second arrow, yes, but I also chose to break that second arrow instead of shooting someone else with it.

I am happy with what life has given me and what I have worked for. I am proud of what I have done as an author and what I plan to do in the future. I am excited to continue to share Ambergrove with you.

Until next time, adventurers, be kind, be curious, and enjoy your adventures.