#tradpub
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MY BOOK ARRIVED AND SHE’S BEAUTIFUL 😭 💗😭 💗😭
My eternal gratitude goes to Samira Iravani & the whole design team at Feiwel & Friends for making my debut so drop-dead gorgeous!
I’m so thrilled to hold her in my hands omgggggggg <3
BUY MY BOOK HERE!
UK version here!
#debut#publishing#tradpub#my novel#original writing#writeblr#writers on tumblr#creative writing#novel#writing#reading#book recc#book reccomendation#radley writes#radley rambles#AIEEEEEEEEIEIEIIEIEIEIEIEIEIIEEE#strictly no heroics
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I just finished your book and IMAGINE MY SURPRISE WHEN I LOOK TO THE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND ITS NOT WRITTEN BY AN AMERICAN!!!!!!!!
This is easily the most accurate portrayal of America in fiction I've read in a while. Jump scare warning was needed, had to go rant on Tumblr.
(Anyway loved your book, love your writing style, really liked Sherman and related to Riley a bunch ok byeeeeeeee)
AHHHHHHHH thank you so much! Yes, I often feel like an anthropologist studying modern-day America just by dint of reading so many books and comics, and watching so many films set there! It's a fascinating place. This book is my thesis paper!
I can only claim partial credit for my portrayal of the good ol' US of A - my initial draft was crammed full of international spellings and silly assumptions (there was originally a functional train system in Sunnylake...) that my marvellous Betas, agent, editor and proofreader helped me weed out!
I'm really glad you enjoyed the story! Thanks so much for letting me know!
Buy my book here (USA)!
Or here (UK)!
#amwriting#tradpub#writeblr#writers on tumblr#creative writing#original fiction#original novel#currently writing#radley writes#project: strictly no heroics#my writing
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Ok re: tradpub relying on luck and your book being a "good sell:" gotta throw in the caveat that there are exceptions. There are agents who will champion books that push the boundaries of mainstream fiction. For instance, reading Nemerever's These Violent Delights - a tradpub crime novel that shares plot elements with my to-be-queried - recently gave me hope that something like Life in Black and White might have a chance. But the reality is that agents like Caroline Eisenmann are few and far between, and the thing is: I'm going into this knowing that my chances are very limited, because if someone picks up Life in Black and White, it's a matter of that specific agent believing in the project enough to take a chance on something that isn't your average contender for publication in the current market. This isn't me being like "ny novel isn't like other girls #3edgy5me" or anything. Any of my beta readers could tell you that Life in Black and White has multiple "undesirable" elements in today's literary market, especially for a novel with a central queer relationship (for which chances are already more limited, even when it ticks all the boxes, so to speak). It's pretty much the definition of a hard sell.
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My genuine hope for my book is to make readers say "That was strange and off-putting. I want more!"
#the book didnt feel weird enough#im not kidding#i was like 'this doesnt make me feel weird enough'#but dont worry#i fixed jt#it's weird as hell now#my favorite character sings at fire#my other favorite character is a sword but i still love him#write#writing#amquerying#tradpub#author#writing things
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Ten things I learned on my journey to getting a book deal
I have a whole YA fantasy trilogy coming out from Peachtree Teen, but it wasn't easy getting to this point. I was rejected A LOT!
If you'd like to learn more about my debut novel, click on the link below.
Sky's End by Marc J Gregson: 9781682635766 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books
The ten things I've learned on my journey:
1. The industry is so subjective
What one person loves, another person may hate. A rejection doesn't mean you've written a bad book. It might even be great! A rejection simply means it is not the right fit for the other person. Put yourself in a bookstore, and imagine that you're only able to buy just ONE book. You better love the one you pick, right? That's how it is for publishers. They have a big selection, and they get to be very choosey.
2. You don't have to agree with the feedback your agent/editor give you.
BUT be very careful about just disregarding it, too. These are industry professionals who have likely spent many years building their expertise. If they find something wrong with your manuscript, maybe you don't make the changes exactly the way that they ask, but maybe do them a different way.
3. Keep an open mind to feedback.
Whether this comes from your beta readers, your agent, or your editor. NEVER close your mind to possible adjustments. If it helps improve your book, you should consider it. And if you're not going to make the changes, come up with a stronger answer than, "I don't feel like doing it." In my experience, agents and editors alike will allow you to "push back" if you have strong, valid reasons for doing so.
4. Perseverance is key.
If you want to get published, you will get rejected A TON. It's just the reality of the business. There are a lot of people who want to get published, but there are only so many open slots. It's tough. You have to write something great, and write it at the right time, and send it to the right person just when they're looking. There is some luck involved, but if you've written something truly great, you always have a chance.
5. You're going to have to give up on some books.
This is the unfortunate reality for most writers. They spend six months to several years on an individual project only to watch it get rejected by everyone in the industry. It's disheartening, but rejections are not an indictment on you, your writing, or your books. Nearly every great writer had to put away several books before they got published. Brandon Sanderson, who earned 55 million dollars last year, and is an enormous success in the fantasy genre, wrote SEVENTEEN books before he got his first book deal. Me? I wrote SIX books before I got my first book deal, and my sixth book required some massive revisions after I signed with my agent.
6. Getting a literary agent is incredibly difficult.
If you want to get traditionally published by a major publisher, you're going to generally need a literary agent. And literary agents act as the first "gatekeeper" into the industry. Without an agent, a major publisher generally won't even consider your project--unless you're lucky enough to know someone at a publisher. But the good news is, once you get a good agent, you're very close to getting published. It's MUCH easier to get a book deal once you have an agent, than it is to get an agent when you're first starting out.
7. Every book you write will have its own set of challenges.
As your writing ability grows, you'll find some parts of writing becoming much easier, but you may discover that you need to challenge yourself in new ways. Character arcs, multiple plotlines, non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, themes. Writing a book is very complicated, and difficult. Keep challenging yourself and pushing your writing to be the very best you can make it. Eventually, you're going to build up so many skills that you'll be doing things that you wouldn't dream of five years earlier.
8. Build good writing habits
Set a schedule for yourself if possible. Maybe you write every day, or a couple times a week. Write when you're excited to write. Write when you're not excited to write. Write when you have lots of energy. Write when you have none. Write when you are happy. Write when you are sad. I've found some of my best writing has happened right after something bad happened to me. It's cathartic, and I've found my writing to have an extra level of emotional complexity, too.
9. Never compare your journey with other writers
It's easy to compare, but comparison steals all happiness. There's always going to be someone who is more successful than you are, who got an agent quicker than you did, who sold more books, whose books reviewed better than yours. Comparing is only going to make you miserable. On the flip side, it's not a great idea to compare your successes to another person's failures. You are on YOUR journey. It belongs to you and to you alone.
10. You are your best asset
There's no one in more control of your writing than you are. You are responsible for the quality of the work. It's all up to you. Believe in yourself. Fight for your books. And fight for your spot in this very difficult profession.
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And you can too!
Context here
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Hey everyone, I have NEWS!
My book will be out in '24! Check out some info about it!
I'm absolutely REELING you have no idea. Getting a book published has been my dream since I was 6 and asked my Mom to staple together a story I'd written on that little, blue-lined paper we used to get in school. And Carnelian means a lot to me because so much happened leading up to me writing it, and along the way. This book took the strugglebus to publication.
But Inked In Gray is such an amazing press, y'all. I had a good vibe about them the first time I saw their page, so I could not be more thrilled!
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Important Things To Know About Amazon/Good Reads Book Reviews:
Amazon’s review policy is serious business. They are really good at tracking violations. Any violation can result in your book being removed from Amazon’s store and the Amazon account that posted the review can also be banned. Sometimes they just warn you, sometimes they immediately remove your book. It’s not consistent. Keep in mind you can’t simply upload your book under a new Amazon account because the anti-theft algorithms they have will immediately recognise it as piracy. The length of time for a ban is up to Amazon so it could just be permanent. Don’t risk it, know what you can and can’t do.
1. Reviews by family and friends are banned. They are really good at tracking this in particular. They will always remove reviews that violate their terms so don’t expect to keep this review if you get caught. They often suspend the account of whoever left a review that breaks their terms so it can result in your family/friend losing their Amazon account temporarily or even permanently (tends to depend on their account history.) They won’t usually remove your book for one instance of this but if you’ve had a lot of family and friends leave reviews you’ll be in hot water.
2. Reviews by family and friends are usually not good for your book anyway! You also don’t really want them buying your book from Amazon. This is because of Amazon’s recommendation system. It will recommend your book to people with similar buying behaviours to the people who have already bought your book. So if your Dad who mostly uses Amazon to buy fishing gear reviews your fantasy book it will then be recommended to people that buy fishing gear. Some of them might like fantasy books sure, but it’s not exactly targeted recommendations. Same goes for family or friends who do use Amazon to buy books but don’t read the same genre you’re writing. If your aunt who reads true crime buys/reviews your book it’s going to get recommended to other readers of true crime instead of fantasy readers. (These are just examples, it would apply no matter the genre you write.)
3. Paid reviews are banned and this is enforced very harshly. They don’t catch this as automatically as family/friend reviews but paid reviewers don’t just review one book so they do usually get caught. If caught your book WILL be taken down. Sometimes they’ll just take your book down for 90 days, sometimes they’ll ban it from their store altogether. Neither is great. It’s also pretty unethical but we’re not here to talk morality, just the facts of Amazon’s policy.
4. Review swaps are banned. This one surprised me a bit, but I suppose it is a tad unethical as it is against your best interest to leave an honest review if the book is shit. To be clear this is when you make an agreement with another author that you will review each other’s books. This is less likely to be caught as a one time thing but doing it several times will be a red flag to Amazon. This offense will usually result in an account suspension, they may not directly take your book down but if your account is suspended you can’t sell on Amazon so... it’s taken down anyway.
Amazon is quite good at knowing when two separate Amazon accounts are used by the same person. If you’ve ever accessed those accounts without a VPN they know. It’s not the clever work around you think it is.
Anyway, stay safe out there folks. These all seem obvious now I know them but I had kind of assumed it was a free for all until I had reason to look into it! Spread the word whether by a reblog or just making sure your writer friends are in the know!
#writeblr#writer's corner#writing community#writingcommunity#writer's community#writer'scommunity#amwriting#writing#writer#writer tips#writer tips and tricks#writer's tips and tricks#self publishing#publishing#amazon#amazon reviews#good reads#goodreads#amazonreviews#tradpub#trad publishing#traditional publishing#traditionalpublishing#selfpublishing#self pub#selfpub#mywritingadvice#writing advice
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future me better appreciate current me for putting in this work
#writeblr#authors of tumblr#writertwt#writingtwitter#SFF#queerauthor#revisions#wip#author#writer things#brianajordan#tradpub
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I'm teaching this class starting April 15th and there's a discount for early sign ups. - https://shorturl.at/gvyS4 - the class focuses on reusing original characters, taking your own plot ideas, and repurposing them with fresh worldbuilding to create your own works. - please share!
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[id: two images. First image has a blue background with an orange central box, three headshots of characters superimposed. From left to right there is Riley, a grinning blonde white girl, Hernando, a middle-aged Latino man with tired eyes and a slight smile, and Lyssa, a young Latina girl with an inquisitive smile. The second image has an orange background with a blue central box. From left to right, the characters are Sherman, a frowning light-brown-skinned girl with a curly mohawk and several facial piercings, The Captain, a man in a full-face green and black mask, and Javira, a dark-skinned Black girl with natural hair pushed back with a hairband and a friendly smile.]
:BUY MY BOOK HERE!:
UK version here!
Since we have just over a month until my debut publishes in the US (omgomg this is actually happening???), I figured I should introduce the central characters of Strictly No Heroics!
Riley Jones
Your trusty narrator! Riley just got fired from her summer job after decking a superhero. Obviously, the solution is to become a minimum wage henchperson, doing the villains’ dirty work. No way this can end badly. Nope. Nosiree.
Alyssa Garcia
Riley’s little sister, aka, a metric shit-ton of annoyances compacted into a frame that would be 100 pounds soaking wet, including the prosthetic leg. She’s a total goober - but also consider that both I and Riley would die for her.
Hernando Garcia
Lyssa’s dad and Riley’s... guardian (SPOILERS: HE IS ONE HUNDRED PERCENT HER DAD). Tired 24/7. Works objectively too many hours, but the rents keep on a-risin’. Loves his girls so much, guys. So much.
Sherman
Hot bi biker chick. Her scowl is so pretty because it’s full of secrets. No, Riley isn’t staring. She just... zoned, while gazing into the middle distance. Not her fault Sherman’s stupid sexy face got in the way.
Javira
Riley’s braniac of a best friend! Who Riley happens to be in love with. Help.
Jav is heading off to Harvard soon and abandoning Riley carving her own path in life! And Riley is devastated heartbroken terrified so happy for her!
The Captain
Riley and Sherman’s work dad. Small, swears a lot, blood at 50% caffeine and 50% pure stress at any given time. Deserves many pay rises and a long nap. He is also... tres gender. I did not intentionally write him as a trans guy as I was still figuring A Lot out about myself back in 2016 so he isn’t representation per se, but like. Here we are? Can I slap a retrospective headcanon on my own character? :shrug:
If all of this sounds fun to you... poke the link below!
:BUY MY BOOK HERE!:
UK version here!
#my writing#amwriting#writeblr#original writing#tradpub#novels#original fiction#debut novel#to read#debut#writers on tumblr#publishing#my book#book#radley writes#strictly no heroics#my art
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The Unlikely Odyssey from Rejection to Revelation: My Self-Publishing Journey
Join me on a journey from rejection to rebellion and redemption in the world of self-publishing, challenging traditional gatekeepers and marketing myths. #writing #selfpublishing
I Remember when I stepped into my first writer’s conference, armed with nothing but my manuscript and a heart full of hope. It was a crash course in reality. During the last session, I got the guts to share my work in progress (WIP). My voice trembled. Would they like the story? I asked myself in between pauses. Soon after I finished reading, the session leader let me know in no uncertain terms…
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#1000BlackGirlBooks#Auauthorpreneurship#booktok#independent authors#plasticgirlvibes#rebelauthors#self-published author#self-publishing#tradpub
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I don’t really know how to tell people this (or if anyone will notice, considering this is my Brand New Book Blog) but uh
“Industry plant” just means “found and managed by the industry”. It doesn’t mean you’re not talented, it doesn’t mean that you don’t write your own music/books or make your own art, it doesn’t mean you’re not really queer. Lana del Rey is an industry plant, most tradpub authors are industry plants, nearly every actor who’s ever won an Oscar is an industry plant. Every idol group are industry plants. Other debated plants like Olivia Rodrigo are still incredibly talented people. If you’re a plant, you took advantage of being managed and manufactured and artificially boosted in popularity via marketing.
It’s just an alternative route to getting noticed through your art. It’s morally neutral unless you lie about it and pretend you have indie cred or you’re an authentic struggling starving artist. I don’t like feeling lied to. Just own that you’re supported by a team of image managers and move on.
#music#since this is about the ashn1kk0 discourse I’ve been seeing#writing#kind of#tradpub#industry plant
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Oops, I accidentally a whole book. Is that bad?
Forgive that absolute blast from the past of a title. (For those going, "huh?", it's an obscure, out-of-date meme. Don't worry about it.)
But - yeah. One of many reasons this blog has been immensely quiet over the last few months, apart from that book bundle including The Meaning Wars, is that I've been completely obsessed with a new project, called Prairie Weather.
Back in university, I had a short story column in The Meliorist, the U of L's school paper, and I wrote a series of one-off shorts with loosely connected characters. I'd always toyed with the idea of writing a whole novel about these interconnected characters - and well, for some reason, around October of last year, I just got up and did it.
So now the connected stories of a group of university students trying to deal with friendship, romance, and all the resulting drama has become not one book, but two - or three, depending on whether I go indie with this or get picked up for trad pub (traditional publishing). It's set in 2011, right here in Lethbridge, and it's a love letter to the city and the university - both of which are beautiful, and underutilized as settings. If you like feminism, queer love, heartbreak, stabbings, and bomb threats, you'll probably be into this book.
Now, I'm actually going to try and send out some queries for Prairie Weather, and see if I can get it traditionally published. That's a thing I haven't really done before, and it might go absolutely nowhere, but I thought I'd take a shot at it. At worst, I get to improve my query-writing skills, mess around with Querytracker, sorta learn how to write a synopsis, and that sort of useful thing.
I was also going through my blog archives and stats, and I noticed a huge surge in traffic last month. So, thank you for the views! I didn't realise just how much I used to write on here.
But unfortunately, Blogger is a pretty dead platform, and all the cool kids are on Substack and Patreon these days. So while I do plan to continue posting over here, if I don't get anywhere with Prairie Weather, I'm going to try serialising that publication on Ream, Substack, and Patreon. We'll see if I get any traction. In the meantime, if any of y'all somehow know an agent who's hunting for contemporary fiction or literary fiction, hit me up!
And yes, I am still planning to try and get Monsters and Fools out this year. It's at about 63 of roughly 80k, give or take. There's a few big plot twists left to write, and then this dark sequel to The Underlighters will finally, finally be ready to release into the world. The sequel is more of a dystopian, noire-toned piece, and will focus on what happens when activism fails in the face of a conspiracy...
If you thought it was dark before? It's only going to get darker.
***
A writer and professional freelance editor, Michelle Browne lives in Lethbridge, AB with her partners-in-crime and their cats. She is currently working on the next books in her series, other people's manuscripts, knitting, jewelry-making, and drinking as much tea as humanly possible.
Find her all over the internet: *Website * Mailing list * Magpie Editing * Amazon * Tumblr * Mastodon *Facebook * Medium * Twitter * OG Blog* Instagram * Paypal.me * Ko-fi
#writing#writeblr#writing community#seeking agent#tradpub#new book#announcement#indie#books#book rec#the underlighters#scifimagpie
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Okay this is late but I got edits back and -
Oh boy.
I'm super lucky to have such a hands on, nitty gritty agent who really wants to help me and is doing so much to really make this book the best it can be, but editing can be so very frustrating, especially when I have to cut out parts and have to figure out how to stuff the information elsewhere. It had me in tears last night for the first time in a suuuper long time because I was just so broken up over it.
#writing#writeblr#author#writer things#writerscommunity#publishing#writers on tumblr#writing things#trad pub#tradpub#traditional publishing
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A Galactic Star will be available on Amazon and Kindle May 1st.
A desperate pop-idol works for a demon for a year, leaving everything and everyone behind. Now, they've returned, but are given a choice; become a monster, or risk the soul of the one they love.
#writing#writers#writers on tumblr#fiction#writeblr#cover art#novelist#booklaunch#queer books#lgbtqia books#lgbtq#creative#art#novel covers#novel art#romance novels#urban fantasy#demons#devil#tradpub#indie creator#indie press
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