Writer's Wednesday: Kristen Lamb's scary stats

Last week I told you about the fabulous Kristen Lamb and her inspiration with social media.  She knows what she's talking about.  She shared some scary stats with us during her session at DFW.

 Brace yourself.

• 93% of novels sell less than 1000 copies.
• Only 1 of 10 novelists will ever see a second book in print.
• Most first time novelists fail to sell out their print run.

Bummer, right?

Which is why it was kind of cool today when I went to Barnes and Noble with a couple of long-time friends and saw my book--face out--on the bookshelf.

Don't be distracted by my baby bump.  Glamour is right there by my hand.  Isn't it pretty?


It was fun to see Glamour still out there being eagerly gobbled up by loyal readers (hint, hint), but Kristen's stats are in my brain.

I'm about to send out my next book to agents.  (Vow: I will never go the un-agented route again.)

And I'm nervous.  Why?

Kristen Lamb says two things sell books:
1) a good book
2) word of mouth

I've worked hard to take care of the first part. I need your help with the "word of mouth."  People in-the-know say agents check out your blog and see how many followers you have and how many comments people make.

I'm proud of Glamour. However, quite frankly, my second book is too much fun not to see print. It has a wider appeal. It's more commercial. It's edgier. The characters are definitely worth meeting.

I want to beat those statistics!

So...thank you so much for reading my blog. Could you please, prettypleasewithacherryontop, find the word "follow" at the top of your screen and click it? I'd be ever-so-grateful. And drop me a comment while you're at it. 

All the cool kids are doing it.

Thanks!

Writer's Wednesday: Kristen Lamb Kills the Bright Idea Fairy

Standing in the cafeteria line at the DFW Writers Conference, a woman behind me gushed. "Kristen Lamb changed my life!  I have a book deal. Last year I didn't even have a blog."

Wow.






Cafeteria girl wasn't the only person I heard singing the praises of Kristen Lamb. These people were like those gnomes you see that pop up in people's gardens. They'd appear out of nowhere...and not go away.  Have you been to Kristen Lamb's session? Have you talked to Kristin? OMG, she's amazing.

Um. Okay. I get it.

So, I went.

And guess what? This perky, energetic woman encouraged the killing of the Bright Idea Fairy.

Murderer.

Who is the Bright Idea Fairy? She's the one who comes to you with fabulous ideas.

During Kristen's blog-building session, she shared three things the Bright Idea Fairy will say to you and what to do about it:

"Blog about yourself."
Kill the BIF! "Don't use blog as an online journal." (oopsie!) Apparently, most people don't lead fascinating enough lives to gather a readership. She indicated it's okay if a story becomes a lesson, asks questions or otherwise engages the reader.

"Blog from character's point of view."
Kill the BIF! This tactic is a gimmick. Readers seek authenticity. "The only thing that makes people love your book as much as you do is your book."

"Post sections of the novel."
Kill the BIF! "It doesn't serve the reader. It doesn't boost Google stats."  Only do this if the book is something reader is able to buy. With a link.  Right now.  Then it's a teaser.

She knows what she's talking about.  Sometimes even well-meaning fantastical creatures must go away.

To learn more about what she has to offer regarding social media and writing, check out her informative and hilarious blog.  Plus, you can purchase her new book called We Are Not Alone-The Writer's Guide to Social Media.

Check back here next Writer's Wednesday for more on Kristen Lamb.

Writer's Wednesday: Sandra Brown quotes

Sandra Brown  knows what she's talking about. Sixty New York Times best sellers proves her prowess.

Author/Actor

Note: Her author/actor son Ryan Brown was in my freshman dorm at the University of Oklahoma.

Iceman

He was nice...and so cute! Is it just me or is he a doppelganger for Val Kilmer's Iceman from Top Gun?











So, yeah, I've paid attention to Sandra Brown ever since. 

Here are a few memorable quotes about writing from her keynote at DFW this year:

• You get to lie for a living and you don't have to run for public office.

• Not every idea wants to be a story. Sometimes you have to put it away.

• Ask yourself what do you want? What are you willing to give up to get it?

Well, she asked you a couple of questions.  Go answer them!

Writer's Wednesday: Agent Elana Roth on Query Letters

To give us an idea of just how difficult an agent's job is, agent Elana Roth from Johnson Literary Agency gave attendees at DFW Writing Conference copies of 20 actual query letters (names and titles changed) to accept or reject. It's a tough job! I had one letter unread when time ran out. Some of the queries were obvious rejections due to word count, typographical errors, or sheer weirdness. Others were more difficult. Some letters were well written...but didn't explain concept clearly or didn't hit a specific market.

Proving my incompetence as an agent, I "rejected" one of her client's letters.  To my credit, even Elana Roth said, "This letter sucks." It has "big paragraphs" and "it rambles." BUT it had a great concept. Yeah, I was so caught up in form, I didn't think about that part.

Lesson learned: Well written letters get rejected.  Requests are made when concept is clear and author knows where it belongs in the market. So, be sure you nail those components when you submit.

She also talked about sending good prospects to other agents. Until then, I'd not understood why an agent would pass on something he or she thought would sell.  Then she explained, "If I don't want to read a book 18 times before sending to an editor, then the author deserves someone who does."

Lesson learned: Believe an agent who says it's good but not for him or her.  I've read books I knew were good, but I never wanted to see again.  Why not give agents that same freedom?

For more information about Elana and the biz,  check her out on Twitter @ElanaRoth.  I love when she tweets as she reads queries.

Next week: Elana Roth's take on word count.

Yesterday was her 30th birthday, so from half-way across the continent and the internet: happy belated birthday!

Rusty Shelton Pulls Writers Out of Their Shells

As Rusty Shelton shared his knowledge regarding digital marketing, social branding, and web design at the DFW Writer's Conference, I realized I need to embrace technology more fully. His session changed the way I view the web and its ability to reach readers.

So often, writers are advised to "Get a blog! Get on Facebook! Tweet!" but we're not told how. Rusty Shelton cleared away the confusing cobwebs of the World Wide Web and helped me see clearly with real-world applications. It's no surprise he spoke at Harvard for the first time at age 23 and continues to do so. The man knows what he's doing. His advice was so fresh and real that speakers in other sessions quoted him throughout the weekend.

Yeah, that good.

Plus, he's a nice guy. After his session, I went to my room to review notes.  In doing so, I developed more questions. So, I dashed off in hopes of finding him. He patiently guided me in a private tutoring session and even signed me up for Twitter.  (I'm still in the voyeur/learning stage of the game, so I'm not making comments yet.  But follow me at brandi_barnett and you'll soon see all sorts of fascinating tidbits.)

A few of his quotes illuminated the power of social media:

"10 years ago, we were a classroom with Oprah, Dr. Phil...telling us what to read. Today, we are passing notes."

"Facebook is a family reunion, a class reunion. Twitter is a cocktail party."

"Social media helps bad books fail faster."

Check out Rusty's blog to learn how to make social media your ally.