Who Do You Think You Are?

By Susan

There was a time when I spent too much brainpower deciding what kind of writer I was going to be. I felt an intense pull to name myself, to define what it was that I was doing with the words, to call myself something. If I couldn't name it, then was it real? Or was I just a scribbler, a pretender, a hack?

I came up with several options: Southern Literary Fiction Writer, Women's Writer, Kentucky Author, or simply Novelist. I practiced using each of those phrases in various forms. When it came time to send query letters to living and breathing agents, I was thrown once again. Who was I? And why would that agent want to represent me, an unknown amateur who couldn't even decide what to call myself, or my work?

The problem with any of these titles is that they limit my work-- the same way an implement used to prop someone up can in fact stunt their growth. Can a Novelist, for example, write poetry and non-fiction? Can a Kentucky Writer spin a tale about Africa? Is calling yourself Literary pretentious and off-putting? If you are a Women's Writer, does that devalue your work somehow, or keep men from reading it?

It all makes me wonder how much control we actually have over how we are perceived. I like to think that writing quality work is the best path to literary acceptance, yet I am not naive enough to believe that labels and stereotypes mean nothing. Instead of labeling myself, I've realized that by simply calling myself a Writer I've opened up doors that I'd previously closed without even meaning to do so. No labels anymore--just the words. I've had poetry place in a contest, I'm contemplating a narrative non-fiction proposal, and I'm stretching beyond my southern roots to write stories that are compelling to me--not just stories set in the South.

This blog, of course, is called What Women Write for a reason--even though we are all vastly different, we strongly identify with our roles as mothers, wives, sisters and daughters, and we are all writers. We are proud of who we are, and are proud of our words. In great part this blog was created to encourage other women who navigate this same culture--both with and without the labels.

So who are you, dear reader? Are you a writer, too? Or have you limited yourself by genre, gender, and guise? Because we control our image, to a great degree--not all of it, but quite a bit. Step outside of the labels you've scripted for yourself and see what kind of writer you can be.

You might surprise yourself.

What have I done?

By Pamela

Starting a new story is a lot like getting a new puppy.

Many times it starts at the end of another one’s life. You loved, nurtured and grew the last one into a respectable, often-admired pet—one that minded and even made you proud. You could show it off when other people acted the least bit interested. Make it ‘speak’ by reading aloud your mesmerizing prose. Have its plot ‘roll over’ with ingenious timing. It could even ‘beg’ and you’d stop whatever else you might be doing—folding laundry, cooking dinner, cleaning house (Ha!)—and give it your full attention.

So as the old one completes its life, you find yourself wondering what will next be worthy of your attention. Should you devote your time and talents to a tale that’s high strung and will demand a lot from you? Or choose a quiet one that seems docile and loving? Perhaps you’ve always been drawn to a devoted pure-bred genre—a golden retriever like women’s fiction or a true-blue hound like historic fiction.

And now you find yourself entertaining the notion of adopting a mutt! A mix of high energy adventure and exotic paranormal—something that might end up looking a lot like this:

But also one that might surprise you and turn out adorable and newsworthy and make you a trend-setter.

So, you dive in and commit yourself to this new adventure. You surround yourself with elements to keep this new puppy entertained—pictures of characters culled from magazines, descriptions of setting scribbled on post-its, bits of dialog you heard while shopping now on the back of your grocery list.

And yet sometimes it refuses to behave. Sometimes it keeps you awake at night with its incessant barking and whining. It won’t even let you shower in peace without begging for your attention. Other times it’s downright annoying as it chews away at your subconscious, working its sharp little puppy teeth into your brain when you’re trying to help a child with homework or listen to your mother on the phone.

Just when you begin to wonder if you’ve bitten off more than you can chew, a day will come when this new pet project you’ve had such high hopes for turns a corner and begins to behave. It comes when you call. Sits eagerly at your feet. Delights you with a cock of its head. Makes you cry or laugh when you least expect it. 

And so you embrace it—knowing that it might, in return, take a chunk out of your ear. Knowing that it’s likely to still get messy and stinky and slobbery, but that you will never abandon it. Because like all good dogs—this new story just needs you to love it.




Photo credits: Ugly dog by Ben Margot, on flickr.com; puppy images by Pamela and Mia Hammonds

Interview with Agent Kristin Nelson, part II

By Pamela

Yesterday I posted the first part of my interview with the fabulous agent Kristin Nelson, Nelson Literary Agency, LLC.

Here our talk continues about contracts and what she's looking for in submissions from writers:

Pamela
You tout yourself as ‘a nice Midwesterner who breaks free of her genteel upbringing and says what's on her mind.’ What part of your job as an agent tests your ‘niceness’ the most?

Kristin
I would say the digital rights’ grabs that we’re seeing in new boilerplates from the Big Six Publishers definitely tests my ‘niceness.’ Digital publishing transforms rapidly, therefore publishers don’t know what the future is going to bring. Big changes have happened before; it’s not unusual. It usually happens every decade. But when something major is changing, then they start doing a ‘rights grab’ where they want to hold on to everything even if they can’t do anything with it or don’t know how to exploit it. Therefore we’re seeing in the new Macmillan and Harper Collins boilerplates a lot of ‘rights-grabby’ stuff that causes agents to have to negotiate strongly in order to make sure that the contract is fair to the author. 

For example, with Harper Collins’ new boilerplate, I just finished the contract yesterday and we started negotiating on November 28, 2010. That’s why it tests my niceness! 

Pamela
Speaking of negotiating contracts, what are some things writers need to be aware of when signing an agency agreement?

I don’t have a whole lot of opportunities to see other agents’ contracts, but I think there should be very clear language on what happens if the author wants to terminate the agreement. Recently one of my current clients rang me up and asked if I could help her good friend who found herself in a very sticky situation. In this situation, the author had left her agent and two weeks later an offer came in for her book. And because there was a not clear notation in the contract regarding termination, the agency was claiming that they should still get the deal and the author didn’t want to be with that agent any longer. 

Some authors say, ‘Oh, I’d never sign an agency agreement. Why would you do that?’ And I think, Are you kidding? As an author I’d want to have very clear expectations about what my business relationship is with my agent. I wouldn’t want to just shake hands and then wait for some clause to show up in my publishing contract which might have terms that aren’t advantageous to me that might be difficult to negotiate with that agent. I’m a big believer that straightforward and clear agreements make for very calm and happy business relationships. And if that business relationship goes sour, the agreement should specify a very clean way to break.

Over time, the agent and author relationship grows definitely more personal than business so you do end up becoming friends with your clients. I’ve had some of my clients for nine years. I’ve watched their kids grow up. I’ve met their spouses. I’ve been there through a lot with them. But we have a straightforward agency agreement so that if it does have to end, well then, everything is clear.

Another thing to watch for is granting an agent the rights into perpetuity. It’s not in my contract because I feel it’s inherently unfair to the author even though it’s quite common in a lot of agency contracts. My general philosophy is, if the publishing contract is in full force, then my agency—who negotiated and represented that deal—will receive its commission while that publishing agreement is in force. But after a book goes out of print, I believe the rights should revert back to the author, without any further obligation to me. But a lot of agencies take the viewpoint that if they sell your work once, and even if they don’t do anything in the future, and later you decide to self-publish it or e-publish it, then they’re entitled to more money, even if they’re not involved. As an author, I wouldn’t sign that. And I don’t expect my clients to agree to something that I personally would not agree to.

Pamela
For someone seeking representation, what do you think is the most important thing to look for in an agent or important questions to ask?

Kristin
Backspace has a great set of questions and I strongly recommend that people have a list of ten questions to ask an agent. Probably, the two most important are: Is this agent aligned with my editorial vision of the work; and do I think I could have a good working relationship with this agent? Do they have the type of communication style that I am going to feel comfortable with? 

And it’s also good to for an author to ask themselves: Do I want a really business-like relationship—no touchy-feely handholding—or do I feel like I need a more emotional connection? Because there are definitely agents who lean more one way or the other. 

Pamela
Your 2010 stats show you attended seven conferences last year. How many writers’ conferences are on your calendar this year and what are your goals for attending? 

Kristin
I tend to do the ones in my own backyard—Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, SCBWI Rocky Mountain Chapter conferences. I like going to conferences because it provides a way to connect with writers who you’d never get to meet otherwise. It reinvigorates you for the process to see that you’re in the business of people’s dreams, even though you’re very practical and pragmatic as an agent. I have a teaching background and enjoy the education process of publishing. So I’m much more interested in giving seminars, being on a panel, speaking and doing a lot of encouragement than hearing pitches. Pitches are fine and know that’s why a lot of people attend conferences, but it’s not how you’re going to learn the most. 

Pamela
Have you ever signed someone from a conference?

I have! My author Kimberly Reid who has a young adult trilogy coming out in October—first title is My Own Worst Frenemy—pitched me at a Pikes Peak Writers Conference. I convinced her not to write what she pitched me, but to write this other idea she mentioned which I took on and sold.

I met Janice Hardy of The Shifter series at the Surrey International Writers’ Conference in Canada. She had a ten minute pitch session and after she got up, I texted my assistant and told her we’d have some sample pages coming that I wanted to see right away because it was a great concept for a book. I read it and loved it and took it on. 

Marie Lu is generating a lot of excitement and buzz right now for her November debut called Legend. I met her at the Pike’s Peak Writers’ Conference, and she pitched me and I turned her down. She found another agent who took on her manuscript but couldn’t sell it and they ended up parting ways, which sometimes happens. But she had such a great interaction with me that she wrote something else and came back to me and I took it on and sold it. 

Pamela
What are some of the biggest surprises of your career as an agent?

Kristin
I have one author who I took on for a novel that I never actually shopped—an adult literary novel that we worked on for a while and never could get quite right—and now she’s huge: Ally Carter. She decided to drop the first project because she had another idea for a book and that’s the one I sold. Another author whose novel I had trouble selling—all these editors passed on it and I only had one editor offer for it— is now a NYT bestselling series and I almost couldn’t sell the first book Simone Elkeles for Perfect Chemistry.

There are always surprises. I have had some books that have taken me over a year to sell and that’s so wonderful. Granted, I love the ones that sell within a week, but there’s a certain amount of satisfaction in being able to say, ‘Ah … we kept at it! We did it!’

Pamela
What kind of manuscript would you love to see right now? 

Kristin
To put it bluntly—and writers hate it when they hear this—we’re looking for good stories well-told. Quite frankly, it just doesn’t matter. There are some genres I won’t take on—picture books, Christian inspirational, certain things out of my realm of expertise. But writers should go to our website for a list.

Pamela
Can you fill in this sentence? I never thought I’d rep ________, but now just love the genre.

 

Kristin
When I first started the agency, I didn’t envision myself representing children’s books—young adult and upper-level middle grade—but now it’s one of my favorite things. It started when I had an author, who was writing for the adult market, write a young adult novel and that’s what motivated me to explore that part of publishing. Now that’s one of my favorite parts.   

Pamela

Thanks, Kristin, for sharing so much good information with our readers. We wish you and your authors much continued publishing success!

Contributors' Weigh-In

As a way for our readers to get to know us (somewhat like those annoying 20 questions your friends forward to you), I posed ten questions to the women who are contributing to this blog. Here are their responses. --Pamela

1. Some cities host a community-wide reading event where the author comes and presents to a large group. Suppose the mayor calls and asks you to organize it. What book do you choose? And will the fact that you get to take the author to dinner the night before influence your decision?

KB: I’d probably pick Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts. It’s beautifully written, touching, takes place in the same general area of the country, and most people could get into the story. (Even my husband, who is not a romantic, liked the movie). Billie Letts is also an entertaining speaker. Oh, and yes, I would love to go to dinner with her!

PH: I think I’d pick Columbine by Dave Cullen. I just bought it and am eager to read it after reading about it through some other blogs. Even read about the artist who designed the cover. And since he got bumped from Oprah after taping the show, I’d like to see Cullen get some additional press for his ten years of research. And no, the dinner deal didn’t influence me.

SIP: I would choose Sue Monk Kidd, except that her best work, The Secret Life of Bees, is several years old. And, yes, I would love to have dinner with her! Another good one is Kim Edwards, who wrote The Memory Keeper’s Daughter. I consider both of these to be “new Southern classics.”

JK: I have to pick one? Dinner probably wouldn't matter. I can be pretty chatty when necessary! (Hide your surprise.) How about my top five, including some timeless books and some from emerging authors: Khaled Hosseini/Either book, Sara Gruen/Water for Elephants, Sue Monk Kidd/The Mermaid Chair, Kristy Kiernan/Matters of Faith, Carleen Brice/Children of the Waters (which I haven't read yet!). If we could bring ghosts, how about Bebe Moore Campbell/Your Blues Ain't Like Mine or Kate Chopin/The Awakening.

EL: I’d try to choose something I’d loved that got too little press, I guess, something that deserved more readers but was still highly accessible and fun. And of course the dinner with the author would make a difference! Hm, what book, what book? Looking over books I’ve read this year, I might choose This Must Be the Place by Anna Winger, about the German “voice of Tom Cruise” and an American woman; or The Flying Troutmans, a quirky funny sad read about quirky funny sad people, by Miriam Toews. Or maybe Isaac’s Storm, by Erik Larson, just so I could pick his brain about history (he wrote The Devil in the White City, too, so it’s a twofer).

JM: The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield or Her Fearful Symmetry: A Novel, the soon-to-be published Audrey Niffenegger title. Yes, I’d love to have dinner with both of them.

2. What classic are you ashamed to admit you’ve never read and probably never will?

KB: The Great Gatsby – And after slugging my way through A Farewell to Arms, I’ve decided I just can’t get into Hemingway either. Or James Joyce, though he was forced on me in college and grad school. Since I was a British Lit major I could avoid Hemingway.

PH: The Lord of the Rings. Didn’t see the movie either. And come to think of it, neither admission really shames me at all. Also, have tried to read Jane Austen and just can’t. I guess my brain is not literary enough.

SIP: I will never like James Joyce. I have tried and failed.

JK: Most of them. I loved the modern lit classes when I was getting my degree – Southern lit, Southwestern lit and folklore, and so on. I tolerated the others and took as few as I could get away with. But ... Moby Dick?

EL: Let’s see…The Hobbit, I guess. Yeah, I know.

JM: Great Expectations.

3. Best book-to-film adaptation, in your opinion:

KB: Where the Heart Is (by Billie Letts). Yes, they condensed it and had to leave some things out, but they kept the emotion exactly, and the casting was great.

PH: The Green Mile (Stephen King) or The Cider House Rules (John Irving—who also wrote the screenplay, which I’m sure helps).

SIP: I don’t watch a lot of movies but would say that Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was fantastic at being true to the original novel. The Secret Life of Bees was a great adaptation as well.

JK: Still waiting! But, The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks) and Tell No One (Harlan Coben) were pretty darn good.

EL: The Shawshank Redemption was beautifully done. Stand by Me as well (yes, I’ve read The Body). The whole Harry Potter series, particularly the casting. Oh, and maybe my favorite book of all time, Persuasion—the Amanda Root version was pretty much perfect.

JM: Sense and Sensibility.

4. You would consider it a huge compliment if someone were to compare your writing to ___________ (a contemporary author).

KB: Someone once DID compare me to Jane Urquhart. Not being a Canadian, I didn’t get what a compliment that was, particularly since he knows her, until after I read The Underpainter. She’d still be about my top choice. Sue Miller, Susan Vreeland or Anita Shreve wouldn’t be bad either. ;-)

PH: Elizabeth Berg. Her writing comes across both effortless and memorable.

SIP: Sue Monk Kidd and Kim Edwards (both prior mentions). This would be a huge stretch, but I love Pat Conroy’s writing and would love to be compared to him!

JK: Jodi Picoult, Anita Shreve, and Jacquelyn Mitchard, all rolled into one.

EL: Anne Tyler!! Real, heartbreaking, funny, gorgeous. Hard to get much better than that.

JM: Diane Setterfield or Amy Tan.

5. Favorite author to have lunch with:

KB: Probably Susan Vreeland because we could talk both writing AND art. But Jane Urquhart would be fun, too, especially since it would give me a chance to go to Stratford, Ontario. Hey, it could be a research trip!

PH: Stephen King. Although I haven’t read everything he’s written, I value him as a timeless genius as well as someone who cares about the creative process. Plus I think he’d be a great conversationalist. Harlan Coben and John Irving are a close second and third.

SIP: Elizabeth Gilbert, author of the memoir Eat, Pray, Love. I think she’s great.

JK: Diane Chamberlain or Barbara Samuel.

EL: I’ll bet Maeve Binchy would be a hoot. Plus, I’d have to go to Ireland to meet her, and that would hardly suck.

JM: Adriana Trigiani. She’s a hoot!

6. Your publisher wants to send you on book tour. Budget is tight so she asks if you will sleep on friends’ sofas to save money. How many states can you visit if you employ this tactic?

KB: Fifteen: (Washington, Oregon, California, Colorado, Texas, Kansas, Missouri, Virginia, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, and Maine). I could also go all over Ontario, which would be important for my book. At the moment I could also go to Italy, Thailand, and Dubai.

PH: Thirteen if people are generous. Plus I could stop in Holland and stay with cousins. I guess that works if my book is translated into Dutch. But all my family over there reads English, too.

SIP: Fourteen, off the top of my head. Probably three to four additional countries (England, Mexico, Spain, and Greece) as well, if I were to push my welcome!

JK: Maybe twelve?

EL: Wow, a lot. Is there a way to go on tour and NOT sleep on couches? Offhand I can do NY, IN, PA, CO, NC, SC, FL, CA, AZ, OH, RI, NH, VA, ID, MA, CT, AL, LA, MI, UT, OK, MO, MD—that’s all I’ve got now, but I’m sure I missed some.

JM: I love this question! Let’s see: Arizona, Colorado, Missouri, Florida, Maryland, Virginia, DC, New York, Rhode Island, Illinois, North Carolina, California, New Mexico, Oklahoma, West Virginia. 15, wow!

7. What’s your crutch word, one you constantly overuse when writing?

KB: At one point I had too many eyebrows raised…but I seem to have lowered them now. My critique partners may know the answer to this one better than I do. Once I am aware of a pet word I try to shoot it down quickly.

PH: Back, as in, “she turned back around” or “he placed it back on the shelf.” I’ve also been known to use “hand” too often, especially during an intimate moment. Gotta know where those hands are!

SIP: I really don’t know. Probably something like ‘shrugged,’ she shrugged.

JK: In dialogue, really. In narrative, some. I think.

EL: Actually, it’s probably actually. Or maybe probably. Maybe maybe. Probably one of those, actually.

JM: Breathe.

8. Name a genre in which you could never see yourself being published:

KB: Horror.

PH: Not fantasy. Also, if I wrote a thriller it probably wouldn’t be so thrilling. More like a snoozer. Is that a genre?

SIP: Sci/Fi or horror.

JK: Sci-Fi/Fantasy. Never. Ever.

EL: Science fiction. Just don’t see it. Or fantasy. Or thriller, either.

JM: Sci-Fi.

9. While you write…music or silence? …early bird or night owl?

KB: Silence if possible, but I have been desperate enough to whip out a pivotal scene while my husband is playing Rock Band in the next room. Night owl, definitely. My brain does not turn on before about nine, even if my body has to before then.

PH: Music if it’s not loud and not something I can sing along to. Love pandora.com. I like to write at night when the house is quiet.

SIP: Silence, and I prefer the night life, staying up late: usually midnight to 2 or 3 a.m. Yet I have found that if I am writing articles for someone else (not the novel), I prefer getting up at 4 a.m., churning it out, and heading out to work from there. Regardless, very little writing gets done during the day, mainly because of too many other obligations.

JK: Generally silence. In public, music. Night owl all the way.

EL: Silence please. And time isn’t really the issue, but I am more likely to write in the mornings, but that’s mainly due to my family schedule.

JM: Silence. Early bird.

10. What is your biggest distraction when it comes to meeting a writing goal or deadline?

KB: My children, but I can’t do without them.

PH: My freelance work, e-mail and the Internet. One minute I’m researching and the next thing I know I’m reading about Heidi and Spencer or Lindsay Lohan. And I don’t even care.

SIP: Other obligations: home, children, spouse, and “job-job.”

JK: Feeling like I need to spend more time with my kids, but I am pretty focused with my writing. I may not come in early, but I'm always right on time. (Like this Q&A, right, Pamela?)

EL: The Internet. Such a help and such a bother.

JM: E-mail, blog reading, cooking dinner.