Genre isn't gender --difficult writing concepts

Today Author Melodie Campbell discusses an issue dear to my heart--fitting  one's novel into a genre slot.  First those darned editors and publishers demand that you be creative and original. "Ensure your work is unique," they say.  Then, when you're done and pitch it to them, they make you assign a genre.

"Is it mystery?" they ask.  "Suspense?"

"I only do Sci-Fi, isn't this Fantasy?"

"I won't get a government grant to help with publishing costs if this isn't Canadiana Literary Fiction.  Did you say it is Romance?"

*sigh*  Just what is an author supposed to do?

Master of the short story,  well-known columnist, and debut novelist, Melodie Campbell, has it all figured out...sort of.

 Take it away, Mel!

Bad Novel! 
When your Story decides to Switch Genres

A funny thing happened on the way to the mystery novel…it became a fantasy!

I was supposed to be writing a classic mystery, not a comic romantic fantasy like Rowena Through the Wall.  How did that happen?

For twenty years, I have been known as a writer of short mystery and suspense.  With over 30 short story publications and 5 awards for mystery fiction, my first novel had to be a mystery.  Everyone said so.  I started three of them.  Two weren’t bad.  But somehow I could never get up the energy to complete them.  Instead, I was tempted by the ‘lure of the virgin project’, usually a short story.

Then a strange thing happened.  I was sitting at my desk one day, totally overwhelmed with work and family and parental caregiving, and thought, if I could walk through that wall over there into another world, I would.  Rowena had her start that night.  If I couldn’t walk through that wall, dammit, she could! 

What I needed was to escape, not ‘plan’.  Mystery novels have a lot of planning to them.  I had enough of that at my day job.  Why not just start writing something that is a total escape to write?  Something Fun!

For a mystery writer, this is akin to walking off the job.  For the General Manager of Crime Writers of Canada, it feels like treason!  Write 80,000 words of romantic fantasy? 

The shocking thing is how easily it came.  This is when I concocted the writing theory of ‘worst thing’.  What’s the worst thing that could happen when Rowena walks through that wall?  Or the most embarrassing thing?  Or the funniest?  And when she comes back through the wall…wait a minute.  What if she can’t?

Finally I figured it out, and the discovery shocked me:  I was writing the kind of novel I wished someone else would write, so that I could read it.  A no-holds-barred adventure story…sexy, funny, and a wild ride of fantasy. 

I waited for the reaction.  It was strong and varied. “I’ve never read anything like it before, and I love it!” One reviewer said.  Uh oh, said I.  That may mean there isn’t a market for it.

Enter my smart publisher who said….”you know, with a little more romance, we could slide this into the paranormal romance market.”  Will I do it?  Yes!  Did it hurt?  A little.  For writers, our books are like surrogate babies.  We created them, after all.  And then after birth we pass them on to our publishers and editors to ‘raise’ them, and bring them to market.  I have to feel that my publisher knows more about the market out there than I do.  So we compromised on some things – to both our satisfaction. 

And I always kept in mind that the publisher is putting his/her own money into the production of my book.  Adjusting things to reach a larger market just makes sense.

Rowena didn’t care.  She’s off on adventure number two, Rowena and the Dark Lord.

Melodie Campbell’s book Rowena Through the Wall (Imajin Books) is available at Amazon.com and Smashwords.

Amazon - Rowena Through the Wall

Smashwords - Rowena Through the Wall

 

Follow Melodie at

http://funnygirlmelodie.blogspot.com

View trailer and read opening scene at

http://www.melodiecampbell.com/

Melodie Campbell got her start as a comedy writer, so it’s no surprise that editors have called her work ‘wacky’ and ‘laugh out loud funny’.  She has over 200 publications, including 100 humour columns, 30 short stories and one novel.  She has received five awards for fiction, and is the General Manager of Crime Writers of Canada.

_______________________________________________

Thank you for making genre clear for us, Melodie.  Now, to download Rowena and see if she ever makes it back through that wall....

Eileen Schuh, Author
THE TRAZ
Schrödinger's Cat

Sample or Purchase THE TRAZ, a "triple 5-star review" novel:
Amazon - THE TRAZ
Smashwords - THE TRAZ

THE TRAZ, a newly released YA novel, is as daring, raw, and spirited as the young heroine.  It’s exhilarating entertainment but it also contains a vital message for those on the cusp of maturity and for the adults who guide them.

http://www.eileenschuh.com
http://eileenschuh.blogspot.com

From Europe with love...

Europe, especially the UK which shares its language, history, and culture with many of us, is largely an untapped market for Canadian writers. It would be great to find a British audience for our books—payback time for all the Curious George, Winnie the Pooh, and Shakespeare books we’ve read. (And Charles Dickens, and Alice in Wonderland, and...)

There are more people in one village in the UK than in all of Canada-and most of them can read. Canadians sometimes forget that we and our country are exotic and foreign to others. We think the Rocky Mountains and hockey are the only things of interest in this vast land.

However, I can’t help but believe that a child in London would find the idea of living in a cabin in the shadow of the Rockies exciting. She’d love to learn what it feels like to ride a motorbike along a never-ending ribbon of highway traversing an Alberta prairie.

A girl sitting in the shadow of Big Ben would be intrigued by a story about surviving a blizzard and thrilled to learn how it feels to be kissed by a Chinook.

Ancient writers like me haven’t travelled much farther than Hawaii or the Caribbean, but the next generation is intent on becoming quite international. Young adults are gallivanting around the globe—seeking the exotic.  The plethora of British and Aussie young people tramping across Canada is proof that despite our cold, dark winters and our hot, mosquitoey summers, Canada does have appeal to others besides just us and our American cousins.

In this age of technology, eBooks are available with a click and no postage; it ought to be easy to sell books to the entire English-speaking world--no matter which side of the Atlantic one is on.

Pauline Barclay and I eyed up each other’s markets and decided to taste the greener grasses that seem to be thrive on the side of the ocean opposite us.

As a guest here today on my blog, Pauline Barclay introduces her feisty European summer romance SOMETIMES IT HAPPENS... to the great crowd of eager North American readers.

In turn, I am promoting THE TRAZ, replete with bikers roaring across the vast Alberta prairies, to her European fans at http://paulinembarclay.blogspot.com/

Let’s go international!

Heeeeer’s Pauline!

Today, I’ve been invited onto Eileen’s Blog.  We met on Twitter just a few weeks ago and I feel already that she is a great friend. The ease in which she helps follow Indie authors is both heart-warming and encouraging. So I am doubly honoured to be here sharing her friends and followers, thank you.

I’m Pauline Barclay, I’m English and was brought up In the UK, though since marrying my wonderful husband, Clive we have moved around a little. Before moving to Lanzarote we lived in Holland, in a beautiful Dutch town called Leiden, but for now we are settled on this lovely volcanic island in the Canary Isles (70 miles from the Moroccan coastline). Here the sun shines most of the time, though like much of the world, our weather pattern has been strange this year. Having said this, I live in shorts, t-shirt and sandals, so you can guess it isn’t cold!

We live close to the beach, so most evenings we can be seen taking our two adorable rescue doggies for walks along the seafront.

My third book, Sometimes It Happens… was published on Kindle in May. I am an Indie publisher and for this book I did things differently. Firstly, I had an amazing mentor who is also a brilliant author, who saw me through the entire manuscript, checking for continuity, believability, repetition and so much more. Then to add the final sparkle, I had the cover designed by a Graphics design company. I just love the cover, it says so much about the story: Fun, sunny and inviting!

Sometimes It Happens…is about secrets, deception, lies, love and laughter. Winning the lottery was just the beginning. Nothing prepared Doreen Wilkinson for her holiday at Villas Bonitas and nothing prepared Villas Bonitas for Doreen Wilkinson. This is a holiday that will never be forgotten by many people!

Sometimes It Happens… Will make the reader laugh out loud, I certainly did writing it!

Sometimes It Happens… (an excerpt)

"Nothing in her wildest dreams had prepared Doreen Wilkinson for something like this. But then, nothing had prepared her for winning the lottery either.

Several million. Several million. Eleven million, three hundred and fifty four thousand, two hundred and ten pounds and nineteen pence to be precise.

She had giggled at the nineteen pence. “Break the bleedin’ bank that will!”

The media had made the comment a headline, “19p to break the bleedin’ bank!” splashed all over the Sun and Daily Mirror accompanied by her smiling face and a fountain spray of champagne. She had thought it a waste shaking that great big bottle and letting it fizz everywhere, but the reporters had told her to do it..."

You can download Sometimes It Happens… from Amazon Kindle.  Sometimes It Happens...

My other two novels, Magnolia House and Satchfield Hall are available in both paperback and Kindle editions. In between marketing and all my other commitment, I am busy with my fourth novel!

Despite the different stories of my three books, one thing I can say about all my novels, and that is, you will need a tissue!

When you have time, please pop along and say hello at my Blog http://paulinembarclay.blogspot.com/

Or visit my web site where you can read sample chapters from Magnolia House and Satchfield Hall and also meet some of my wonderful guest, including Suzy! http://www.paulinebarclay.co.uk/

You can also find me on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/paulinembarclay

and twitter @paulinembarclay

Thank you again Eileen for your wonderful hospitality, I love it and a big hug for already reading my book, Sometimes It Happens…

Wishing you great success with your great new novel, THE TRAZ.

********************

Thank you so much for your spirited conversation, Pauline.  I have read Sometimes It Happens... and it is a perfect beach-read for those upcoming hot Canadian summer days on the shores of those frigid northern lakes...or in one's hammock in the shade of that highrise.  If you don't get to it this summer, it's perfect winter reading for a rocker in front of the fireplace or a lounger in the Carribbean! 

Grab your Kindle and klick!

Eileen Schuh, Author

THE TRAZ (Smashwords)

THE TRAZ (BackTracker Series) Amazon





Web site: http://www.eileenschuh.com/
Blog: http://eileenschuh.blogspto.com/

Why I write for troubled teens

The email said, “...I love your troubled-kid books. I find them so reflective of the kids I work with. I definitely think this genre is your forte. Two thumbs up!”


THE TRAZ
to sample/buy
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005199RFE
http://smashwords.com/b/60190


That got me thinking about why I write for troubled kids. I don’t have a strong real-life connection to children-at-risk. I was a well-behaved child and never had to bail any of my own kids out of jail.

I do remember, though, that being a kid was tough. At the age of 6, I was thrown in with forty other 6-year-olds and none of us had any social skills. By the very nature of our brain development, we were self-centred, self-serving, and possessed little compassion and understanding for others.

Whereas those in more primitive cultures socialize their youngsters within the confines of the family or tribal unit, in my culture I was abruptly torn from the family home and thrown into an institution full of total strangers—adults and children—all with different customs, expectations, manners, and life experiences.

The family home, with all whom I knew and loved, was a 90 minute bus ride away from the school. At merely 6-years old, I was the victim of culture shock and I experienced it alone and unaided.

I loved the learning part of school life, but flunked miserably in the social skills department. Perhaps if technology and communication and opportunity had been back then what it is today, perhaps I would’ve been a “child-a-risk”. As it was, I didn’t have much opportunity to do anything but cry inside and go home—only to return to the frightening classroom the next day.

Parents and guardians, please ensure you are not expecting your youngsters to face adult situations or situations that adults wouldn’t be able to handle. (Would you go to work if the guy at the next desk thumped you over the head each day and stole your lunch? If the secretary constantly told you that you stank? If nobody would sit with you at coffee break?) As adults we have many more skills and resources to call upon to deal with such awkward and demeaning social situations, yet we would wither under such daily stresses.

I share some of the background of children-at-risk. I experienced child abuse, including sexual abuse. This abuse left me scarred but strong. The betrayal, pain, and anxiety made me who I am. In fact, my quest to find the words to identify and understand what was happening to me was the catalyst behind both my desire to read and my compulsion to write.

There were many who could have stepped in to end my abuse, but nobody did. Back then there was no kids’ help line, no protocol for professionals to report suspicions, no education for either adults or children on abuse. Abuse was a secret-something that happened in dark and isolated homes—homes that society viewed as the private, unapproachable castles of the adults who lived there.

It is my hope that all cases of child abuse (which is often a precursor of risky adolescent behaviour) will be identified and stopped. I hope that adults become educated and brave enough to report it. I hope the social experts and the judicial system know enough to stop it, or better yet, prevent it. I hope abused children find their voice and cry—out loud—for help.

 It is my hope that children’s lack of social skills (another precursor of misbehaviour) is addressed at all levels of society. May parents teach their children to empathize, sympathize, understand, and accept. May educators teach children team work; respect each student’s individuality and customs; and enjoy the differences expressed by each child. May entire communities strive to be inclusive and provide activities, teams, sports, arts, music, dance, and other challenging opportunities that youngsters need to develop into caring and productive adults. Let’s give them exciting alternatives to playing hide-and-seek with the cops and their parole officers.

May everyone, in the entire world, protect our children—keep them warm and fed and far away from danger. May all adults keen on using or abusing youngsters, be barred from our communities.

A South Korean classrom and me

May we work at making all children smile.

May we strive to hear all children laugh.

That would indeed be a joyous world in which to live.


Eileen Schuh, Canadian Author
THE TRAZ
Schrödinger's Cat
http://www.eileenschuh.com/

Investing in my book

I didn't expect to have my novel up for sale on Smashwords and Amazon so quickly.  I was expecting THE TRAZ to be published this week and semi-scheduled my celebrations to coincide--so I've been caught off guard but in a very good way.

Smashwords had THE TRAZ posted before I'd even finished filling out all their e-forms.  That was startling. 

You can purchase or sample THE TRAZ by clicking on the little green Smashwords button above my picture to the right of this article.  Smashwords offers their ebooks in a variety of formats, including Kindle, pdf and rtf for computers, Kobo, Sony, and even for iPhones and such.  Amazon offers their ebooks in Kindle format and if one doesn't have a Kindle e-reader, one can download free Kindle software and read THE TRAZ on one's computer.

Both Amazon and Smashwords let you download a free sample before purchasing the book.  I dare you to do that--knowing you'll be compelled to buy the book to find out how the story ends.

When I first contemplated self-publishing, the major warning circulating in cyberspace was the amount of time and effort self-published authors had to invest in order to sell their work.  I am just now embarking on that task so I can't comment based on experience.  However, I can comment on what an author ought to invest in BEFORE self-publishing.

Hopefully, the time and dollars I've spent on these pre-publishing tasks will make the post-publishing marketing easier.

Self-publishing requires many specialized skills.  One must either learn these skills or be prepared to hire experts.  This means self-publishing requires both time and money and one would be wise to research, budget, and schedule to make the self-publishing journey smooth and enjoyable.

My journey began with joining writers groups and connecting with the experts.  This required an investment in memberships and conference fees, an investment of time in networking and researching the publishing industry,  and an expenditure of dollars for the services writers groups offer such as contests and Reading Services.

My next step was to hire a book marketing coach.  Following her advice, I set about creating a strong online presence.  I paid to have a website designed, I spent hours learning how to update this site, I spent money to secure my domain name, I learned how to blog and tweet and facebook. 

The number of people an author is likely to meet at arranged book signings and other such events is very tiny compared to the number of people who will learn about your book online via social networks, websites, blogs, search engines, and press releases.

Reaching out to a potential readership and currying that readership on line is a great marketing ploy.

Another major investment I made was hiring editors.  Good editors do not come cheap but will earn their keep when it comes to market a novel.  Smashwords and Amazon both have sample download features.  If your work is full of errors,  you will lose many sales.  You will also lose many good reviews and good reviews drive sales.

I also invested a significant amount of time in connecting professionally with the media, reviewers, libraries, and others appropriate to the genre of my book.  For example, I approached professionals who work with at-risk teens to review my book and advise if they might consider using THE TRAZ as a teaching tool.  Smashwords allows me to generate coupon codes so these professionals can download free copies of my book.

I'm not a graphic artist and had no time to learn to become one, so I hired professionals to design a book cover and create a book trailer. 

Instruction for correctly formatting manuscripts before uploading were lengthy and complicated so I chose to hire someone to properly format my manuscript for both Amazon and Smashwords.  If one's ms is not properly formatted, it could be rejected for publication or (perhaps even worse) it can published and look terrible and be difficult to read.

With my experience in journalism I was able to write my own press release, but I did pay someone to proof and advise.

When one considers the amount of money that one would have to invest in a university or college education in order to pursue a career, the above expenses and time that an author invests in a writing career are minimal.  I invested money I saved from quitting smoking in self-publishing The Traz--I'm hoping it will prove to be a good and wise investment. 

The better your final product is, the easier it will be to sell.  Therefore, please consider these expenses an investment; not a rip-off by coaches, promoters, web designers, editors, artists, writing organizations, etc. 

Remember, successful marketing begins long before your book pops up on Amazon. 

Sample or purchase THE TRAZ:
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/60190
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005199RFE

Web site: http://www.eileenschuh.com/
Blog: http://eileenschuh.blogspot.com/
 

Eileen Schuh, Author of THE TRAZ

 

Gearing up for Sales

While my manuscript continues to be formatted for eBook publication, I'm gearing up to promote THE TRAZ so that it will make me a rich and famous author.

Aside from becoming extra active on my social networks and my blogs, I posted an excerpt from THE TRAZ on my website.  I also began creating a pre-release press release, designed to stir advance interest in my book and net me some interviews and media coverage. 

I have a strong desire to call such publicity "media releases" or "news releases" because way back decades ago when I was a journalist,  TV and radio reporters objected to the phrase "press release" as 'press' refers only to print media.

Today, it seems "press release" is once again the phrase in vogue.  During my years as a reporter and editor, I gained lots of experience with press releases--reading them.  I quickly discovered that writing them requires an entirely new set of skills. 

Writing a press release is not at all like writing a news story.  Nor is it similar to pitching your manuscript to an editor or publisher.  It is not like tweeting or facebooking.  It's just...well, it's just it's own kind of writing.

Firstly, I needed a catchy headline, short but informative.  Accurate but alluring.  One promoting THE TRAZ but not obviously so.

Below that catchy headline I needed a sub headline--a short and sweet something to keep the reader reading.

Then I needed to remember to put in the dateline (ST. PAUL, AB 19 May 2011).  In my journalistic days, the place in the dateline was always the location from which the reporter was writing--not necessarily where the action was occurring.  I understand that not all media outlets still follow that rule.  Whatever the case, what better town to put in the dateline than my adopted home of St. Paul?  Surely that will catch the eye of the local newspaper and radio station and get me an interview or two.

For my first sentence, I needed an exciting summary of the press release and I had to keep in mind my target readership.  Although THE TRAZ is being marketed as YA, it won't be young adults receiving my press release. 

This introduction needed to excite media people, educators, librarians, child support people, and book reviewers. 

Following all that, I found it fairly easy to complete the body of the press release--describe the book (I used the back cover text that I'd  already prepared), include wonderful blurbs from famous Canadian authors (which I already had solicited and received), inform people how to buy the book (which they can't do yet, but contact me and I'll set you up), and paste in my already-prepared author bio.

I highlighted my contact information for those wanting to request interviews or further information.

I polished it all off with some visual and auditory stimulation: my video trailer, the picture of my book cover, and my author picture.

Now the press release sits on my hard drive, its tab on my tool bar.  Every hour or so, I open it and proof it again.  I email it to a few friends for comments and corrections.

While it ages and improves, I research the big WWW for press release outfits to which I can email this promotional masterpiece.  I learn how to format according to each company's guidelines.   I collect the contact information for media outlets in all my past and present home communities.  I play Bubble Shooter, check my email, and bemoan the facts that it's Friday the 13th and Twitter has disappeared from cyberspace.

I set the release date for Tuesday May 17th (as Mondays are generally the busiest news days of the week and my press release may be overlooked) and hope that by then I can Tweet about the latest step in my seemingly endless journey to eBook publication.

Eileen Schuh, Canadian writer
THE TRAZ
SCHRÖDINGER'S CAT
 http://www.eileenschuh.com/

Can it get any better than this?

Eileen Schuh, Canadian writer http://www.eileenschuh.com/

Sooooo Close!

THE TRAZ manuscript is now in the able hands of Cheryl Kaye Tardif to format for ebook publication.  As can be expected, there were a few last-minute snags.  One beta reader disappeared from cyberspace before remitting her feedback.  One famous author from whom I'd requested a blurb advised me to get rid of 1,959.02 exclamation points in the ms and to delete almost as many dialogue tags. ("he said", "she said", etc.) 

After deleting so many cuss words, exclamation marks, and dialogue tags my story is probably 10 pages shorter than when I started.

It will take about week to get the book formatted then, depending on my technical skill, patience, intelligence, and perseverance THE TRAZ will be uploaded to Amazon and Smashwords.  I'm making no promises about the time frame that will involve.

In the meantime, I will begin to actively promote THE TRAZ.  I'll put a sneak peek preview somewhere on line (watch for it).  I'll blog about my bikers for National Crime Writers Month (tomorrow) http://nationalcrimewritingmonth.blogspot.com and also on my website http://www.eileenschuh.com/did-you-know

I'll compose a media release to coincide with the publication date of THE TRAZ .  As the next school term approaches, I'll also be publicizing the Discussion and Teaching Guide included with THE TRAZ.

Once THE TRAZ is on the market, I'll be hinting around to my cyberspace pals to interview me and/or let me guest blog and I'll be asking readers and reviewers to post comments on Amazon, Smashwords, blog sites, Twitter, Facebook...everywhere.

The draggiest part of this experience so far was getting the editing done.  It took a long time to find an editor that operated on my plane of reality.  The editing process itself took much longer than I anticipated, mostly because I did it twice--something  that was unexpectedly required because the first editor recommended substantial changes.  This draggiest part of self-publishing was also the most expensive part.

The most difficult part of this experience was adapting my writing, my story, my characters to make THE TRAZ marketable.

The most confusing part of this experience was ascertaining the target readership for THE TRAZ.  (I want EVERYONE to read THE TRAZ, not just young teens!)

The most exciting part of this experience was seeing the front cover done.  The trailer (a short video ad) which is still under construction, has me very excited, too.

The most uplifting part of this experience was getting positive, wonderful blurbs and feedback from accomplished authors after I'd nervously sent them advanced reading copies.  (Thanks, Lou, Garry, and Cheryl!)

The very best part is yet to come though--selling my first book, followed by a wonderful review from that very first reader.

Then there's the possibility of bring THE TRAZ out in print--and holding my very own book in my own hot little hands....

Dreams. 




Eileen Schuh, Canadian writer www.eileenschuh.com