CRAFT: What are tag-lines?

In the writing world there are a myriad of terms that are bandied around, some more familiar than others.


Tag lines - ever heard of them? I hadn't until a few years into my journey as a writer. They're the words, usually placed on the front cover of a book, that hint at the story within.

For example, on the front cover of my first book, VENGEANCE BORN (Bk#1 in the Light Blade series), the tag line reads:

HER LINEAGE IS BOTH A BLESSING AND A CURSE

 On ALLIANCE FORGED (Bk#2 in the Light Blade series), the tag line is:

HER FAITH IS HIS SALVATION

They hint at something within the book or a theme of the book. In the case of VENGEANCE BORN, the tag line reveals a hint about the heroine's bloodline. In ALLIANCE FORGED, it's a play on the heroine's occupation (she's a priestess) and the role she plays to save the hero.

Tag lines aren't easy to come up with either - sometimes it might take a couple of weeks to create something that could be only a few words long of a phrase. Ask me how I know! LOL

When one is created, the cover copy crew, author and editor all consider things like the themes within the book, the occupations of the characters, secrets, events that happen in the book, elements/personalities of the characters. 

And while tag lines might not seem like much in the grand scheme of getting a book published, it adds a layer of meaning to it that's quite underrated. I know I certainly appreciate them more now that I know the process that goes into creating them!

Let have a look at some others.

One drop can kill you...

or thrill you...

 

Sworn to vengeance.

Blinded by love.

Her next jump may be her last.

 

The city is alive tonight...

and it's her job to keep it that way.

 

The change was only the beginning.

 

Slave. Sword-wielder. Spy.

Some girls have all the luck.

So, next time you take a look at the front cover of a book, check out the tag line and take a moment to appreciate the time and effort that goes into creating them.

Have you found any clever tag-lines?

TOPIC: The Year of Publishing a Book (pt.2)

Last post I outlined some of the process of what happens once you sign that elusive book contract. If you didn't get to read it, click here so you can go back and read that post and so this one is read in context.

This is the continuation of that post. Read on...

Sometime between REVISIONS and LINE EDITS you could find yourself submitting ideas for your cover for your editor to take to COVER CONFERENCE. This may involve you submitting character descriptions, pivotal scenes, photographs or images of settings/characters/clothing/weapons etc.

My editor asked for my input and I put together a portfolio of ideas for her to take to the cover conference with the art department. And, once the cover was done, I was able to feedback and request (smallish) changes.

The COVER COPY crew will write the back cover blurb and try to come up with a tagline for the front cover. This is part of the process where an author usually gets the most input into as you're the one who knows the story inside and out. You can suggest changes - producing a blurb that accurately reflects the story is vital.

GALLEYS involve checking the manuscript from cover to cover - including the acknowledgments or dedication pages - for errors. Spelling, punctuation, style, formatting, names, words specific to your world-building etc. This isn't the time to rewrite big chunks or change the story. Again, you're more likely to be given a deadline to complete this by.

BOUND GALLEY's/ARC's may or may not be send to you - it depends whether this is in your contract. These are printed versions of your book, just without the cover art. You can use them in contest give-aways or for promo purposes.

Sometime between LINE EDITS and receiving your GALLEY you may be assigned a publicist. She'll help plan your marketing strategy and line up promotional opportunities like interviews, book reviews with bloggers, book signings, media interviews etc.

The last part of the publishing process is seeing your BOOK IN PRINT! In traditional print publishing this may be a process that takes a whole year - and it's a cause for celebration!!! Yay! You'll receive your allotted amount of author copies, to do with whatever you like ie.promotion, give-aways, hand out to family etc.

Then you get to PROMOTE yourself - in any number of ways, over a range of media. Bookmarks, postcards, signings, blog interviews, guest blogs, radio or newspaper interviews, magazine articles...the list is endless (and time consuming, VERY time consuming).

Now while I've outlined this process in a fairly linear fashion, if you sign for a multi-book contract like I did, then you'll find yourself juggling elements of each stage, from book to book. For example, as you're doing galleys for one book you may be giving your input for a cover conference and writing another book all at the same time! And you'll repeat this juggling act with every book you submit.

But, I have to admit, while this year has been a whole new learning experience and there's been some ups and downs, for the most part I've found the process fascinating and enjoyable. And I wouldn't swap it for anything! :-)

TOPIC: The Year of Publishing a Book (pt.1)

I've labelled 2011 as The Year of Getting VENGEANCE BORN published. And it has been a year long process.

A year of steep learning curves, a year of excitement, a year of rushing to get things handed in by a due date, a year of waiting patiently...

So, what happens after you get that elusive email or phone call from an editor offering to buy your book?

Well, besides the manic week or so of FINDING AN AGENT (if you haven't already got one), the next part is NEGOTIATING THE CONTRACT. And that can (sometimes) take weeks.

I received the email to buy my book in October 2010, the final version of my contract came in December 2010. A number of things may impact the speed with which this happens, it varies from deal to deal.

Your agent will go through the contract clause by clause making sure bits like signing away your "next book" is clarified to "next book in the series" or "next book in that genre" are altered or removed or rewritten.

This is why I think an agent is worth their 15% commission - I'm not a legal-ese expert by any means and would've had no idea what was a good clause and what needed work.

A part of this is negotiating deadlines for your book or books. Be sure to take into account every day life - family, health issues, work, what you're capable of producing word-wise and by when - and then add another month onto that time for good measure. These dates are binding.

I read every clause in the contract once I received the altered version. I asked questions to clarify what specific bits meant and once I was happy with that, only then did I sign it.

Next step (besides beginning the next book) is REVISIONS - the larger picture stuff suggested by your editor to make your book better. Sometimes there might be pages or maybe an overall comment like "up the romantic conflict".

Talk to your editor about them, clarify points, brainstorm, compromise. You'll be asked when you can have them done by - again, make sure you set a realistic timeframe and add a few days on for wriggle room.

Once your editor signs off on these, she'll send the manuscript to the line editor. LINE EDITS involve things like punctuation, grammar, word/phrase changes, world-building checks etc. Usually the document has comments made down the side using TRACK CHANGES, one color for the line editor, one color for your editor, and one for you to respond as needed.

You may or may not get to set the timeframe for these to be returned by. More often than not you'll get a due date, perhaps a couple of weeks, maybe more.

This ends Part 1 of this post. Join me next week to find out what happens next - same Bat-time, same Bat-channel!

TOPIC: Writing Terms (part 3)

This is part 3 in my series on writing terms, with particular attention to terms used by published authors and publishers.

The Call – receiving a phone call or email from an editor asking to buy your book
advance – a percentage of the money paid to the author by a publisher prior to publication of the book; advances are paid against future royalties, and are paid back to the publisher once the book starts earning royalties
royalties - the percentage of the cover price of a book paid to the author; only paid after the book has earned out and are usually paid on a monthly or quarterly basis
cover quote – quote provided by an author or reviewer that appears on the cover of a book
back cover blurb – the brief outline of the story on the back cover of a book
cover copy – the front, back and inner cover content sent to an author by an editor, usually to check for errors
proposal – a short summary of a book not yet written
outline – a list of short sentences that describe the major ideas in a book synopsis - a summary of a story told in present tense which can be anything from a page to multiple pages long
vanity publishing – a form of publishing where the author pays to have their work published
traditional publishing – work printed in book format by a publisher
e-publishing – electronic publishing
self publishing – a type of publishing where the author publishes their own work
deadline – due date of a contracted piece of work
galley – initial typeset of a manuscript sent to the author for checking before it’s printed
line or copy edits – errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation and word usage that need to be corrected by the author
beta reader – someone who reads the author’s work with a view to spotting errors or making suggestions for improving the work

TOPIC: Life on the flip-side...

This article was published in the WRITERS' LIFE column of the August 2011 edition of  the RWAustralia Hearts Talk magazine.

With conference fast approaching, part of the fun of attending one is meeting the authors and listening to their stories of ‘life after getting the CALL’. I took it all in with keen anticipation, dreaming of the day I walked in their shoes, but it wasn’t until I stepped over the threshold that I really understood what they were talking about.

Simple fact is getting the call really does change your life in many, many ways. Some good, some unexpected.

What initially caught me by surprise after getting that email was the speed with which everything happened. I had a week to accept the offer.

Having done the research yonks ago I was already in the process of submitting queries, so contacting my top list of I’d-kill-to-be-represented-by-these-agents was a matter of whipping off a few emails alerting them to the book deal on offer.

I can’t stress enough if you’re submitting work to editors, and intend being represented by an agent then make the time to find out about whom you’d like to represent you. Leaving it to the last minute is stress you don’t need.

Why? Well, that seven days will be manic (particularly if you’re working across time zones). Let me repeat that.

The.Week.Will.Be.MANIC.

Organise representation, scheduling phone calls, e-mails to’ing and fro’ing from your agent and editor, and then sealing the deal with the publisher. Be prepared for a week of little sleep.

And if this isn’t excitement enough for you, the prospect of embarking on two new professional relationships – with your agent and editor - is a feeling you won’t ever forget.

Another thing, if you end up with a multiple book deal offer, like I did (ie. a series), have a short outline of your books ready to send your agent/editor. Think back cover blurbs. With only a week to negotiate the deal, and most of that taken up arranging representation by an agent, I ended up writing two extra blurbs in less than twenty-four hours. Not recommended.

Once the initial chaos of representation and the deal is over, the decision of deadlines needs to be made. These dates go in your contract. I knew what I could produce word count-wise and thought I’d factored in things like family, work, the publishing process, health-issues, unexpected interruptions etc.

Remember all those sessions at conference where you heard authors say ‘be disciplined, produce a daily word, write even though you don’t feel like it’? Engrave those words on your forehead or pin them up in your office at eye level. You no longer have the luxury of time or procrastination once you have a legally binding deadline.

Producing my first and second contracted books has been a huge learning experience but the one thing I now understand is that it takes more time than you think to juggle everything.

It’s life vs. the publishing process (sending in a synopsis & sample chapters, author bio/photo, acknowledgements page, revisions, copy edits, cover copies, galleys, marketing and promotion etc., beginning the next book and repeating that process).

It all takes time away from writing your next book. Next contract (yes, being optimistic here!), I’m adding another two months minimum to the deadline.

One of the true eye-openers of being under contract is the precious amount of time I have for reading for pleasure. Pre-call I read 3-4 books a week, now I’m lucky to read a book a month.

Another lesson I learned – it’s easy to get tied up writing your own stories and end up feeling ‘stale’. Reading for pleasure is a must, even when I’m writing. I need it. It’s like a respite or recharging of the batteries.

It’s been an amazing journey so far, a lot of exciting firsts – getting The Call, receiving the first cover, being hit by the realisation that my book is really going to be in print, finding out who’s going to write the cover-quotes of my book, and meeting fair dinkum deadlines.

I have a quote on the wall in my office that says, “When I’m writing I know I’m doing the thing I was born to do.” (Anne Sexton). It’s so true. I’m almost a year into my journey and while I’ve yet to experience the joy of seeing my first book on the shelves, I wouldn’t give up or swap what I’m doing for anything.

Yes, the learning curves have been steep, and I know I’m still wearing L-plates having just crossed over the unpubbed-pubbed line, but I love my ‘new career’ - the learning, the passion of creating, the pressure and stress, the satisfaction of meeting goals, they’re all part of the life I’ve chosen for myself.

It’s a delicate balance between portraying the joys and the reality of being published. I don’t want to discourage anybody or put anyone off achieving their dream, but I hope that by sharing some of my journey with you, yours will be that little bit more informed.

See you on the flip-side!

TOPIC: Do you have any ideas for your book cover?

To be asked for your thoughts and impressions on what should appear on the cover of your book is the most wonderful, exciting feeling - especially if it's your debut book!

Hair length/color (hero material!)

I experienced this process for the first time a few weeks ago. When I received the email from my editor (who mentioned she was off to a cover conference in a couple of days), my full-throated shout of delight scared my three cats silly.

What sorts of things do you submit to your editor? Well, some suggestions I made included:

• physical descriptions of my characters (which I took straight from scenes in my book & I also included photos of models to depict their hair length/style/eye colour)
• clothing (photos of styles of dress as well as armor, weapons, jewelry with examples of designs)

Eye color

• tattoos/body markings/features (keep in mind I write paranormal so had to draw features of my non-human characters)
• background settings (again I used descriptions taken from my scenes as well as photographs to depict the topography of major scenes in the book & flora)

Design on jewelry

• diagrams (hand drawn sketch of a significant landscape within the book)
• comments on tone of the book/colours (that need to be conveyed on the cover)
• a 2-4 paragraph synopsis (a bit like a back cover blurb)

I put all this into a "mini-portfolio" (about 9 pages worth once I was done) in Word document then saved it as a PDF. A lot of fun and I'm happy to have had an input into this process.

Armor design

The good news is my editor had been thinking along the same lines, turns out we had similar ideas for the concept of the cover. Phew!

So, with the conference over and our ideas safely in the cover department's hands, now begins the wait to see what they come up with.

Tones/background

Did I mention how excited I am about this?

Rough sketch

I can't wait to see the finished product!

Top Picks for 2010

Top 10 Books I Read in 2010...(in no particular order)

RAPTURE - Jacqueline Frank
PLEASURE UNBOUND - Larissa Ione
ABANDON THE NIGHT - Joss Ware
BEYOND THE NIGHT - Joss Ware
EMBRACE THE NIGHT ETERNAL - Joss Ware
THE BETTER PART OF DARKNESS - Kelly Gay
UNDER FIRE - Jo Davis
SWEET SURRENDER - Maya Banks
BRANDED SANCTUARY - Joey W.Hill
BEYOND THE SHADOWS - Jess Granger

*Interesting to note all but one of these are new authors for me.

Top 10 Guest Authors on my blog in 2010...(based on stats & in no particular order)

Helene Young

Helene Young (Australian romantic suspense)
Joss Ware (apocalyptic paranormal romance)
Christina Phillips (ancient historical romance)
Tracey O'Hara (dark urban fantasy)
Erica Hayes (urban fantasy) x 2
Mel Teshco (erotic paranormal romance)
Cathryn Brunet (erotic contemporary/paranormal romance)
Maree Anderson (erotic paranormal romance)
Nalini Singh (paranormal romance)

Top 10 Personal Milestones in 2010...(in no particular order)
Publishing with Berkley (& working with my editor Leis Pederson)
Finding my super/wonderful/amazing agent - Elaine Spencer at The Knight Agency

RWA Golden Heart®

Winning an RWA Golden Heart® (paranormal romance section)
Meeting many of the 2010 GH "Unsinkables" in Orlando, Florida
Winning the WHRWA Emily contest & "The Best of the Best" (which led to Leis Pederson requesting my work!)
Placing in 6 of the 8 RWA® contests I entered
Attending the trifecta of romance writers' conferences in USA, Australia & New Zealand
Pitching at all three conferences
Fulfilling my writing goals for 2010
Growing my blog

Top 10 Popular Posts of 2010...(based on stats & in no particular order)
Winter Rose Finalist
Guest Author: Christina Phillips
Guest Author: Helene Young
Guest Author: Nalini Singh
Guest Author: Tracy O'Hara
Poison Kissed: Erica Hayes
Agents, Editors & Book Deals...oh my!
Guest Author: Mel Teshco
Rotorua, NZ
Have You Read A Good Sci-Fi Romance Lately?

RWOz® Conference

What a conference - my hat goes off to everyone who had anything to do with the organisation and preparation for that wonderful weekend. Every year it seems RWOz keeps getting better and better.

Here's a few snapshots from the weekend.

Putting names to faces was a huge part of the weekend - L to R: Bec Skrabl, Michelle de Rooy, Nicky Strickland, Erin Kuhne, Kylie Griffin.

Bec placed 2nd in the STALI & highly commended in the VPA.

Michelle placed 2nd in the Emerald:ST and highly commended in the VPA.

Alli Withers took out the Emerald:ST and the Anna Campbell prize for Best Historical entry in the Emmy.

Sharon Archer won a R*BY in the Short Book category.

Tracey O'Hara won a R*BY in the Romantic Elements category.










On a more personal note, I made a couple of pitches - one to editor, Dianne Moggy from Harlequin M&B and agent, Jennifer Schober from Spencerhill Associates over the weekend and had a request for a partial and full respectively. So, fingers crossed that something pans out from this.

I headed home truly exhausted - don't think I've ever been so dog-tired (a throat-lurgy stowed away and I suspect it has a lot to do with how flat I felt). But, as always, I love conference time and look forward to planning to go next year.

RWA® Conference - Part 2

There were so many highlights to this conference it was hard to pin it to just a few. I made some new friends, met some of my favourite authors, connected faces with names from the 2010 Golden Heart loop and Science Fiction Romance Brigade and attended some fantastic workshops.

The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin resort was amazing and my hat goes off to the RWA® organisers, volunteers and the resort staff for making it so hugely successful.

Nora Roberts gave a very forthright, entertaining luncheon speech.

Donald Maass slipped quietly into the spare seat at our luncheon table.

I met Joss Ware aka Colleen Gleeson at the Literacy Signing. It was great to meet her after the pleasure of interviewing her for my blog.

Vanessa Barnevald (GH nominee in the YA romance section for her manuscript Ghost-Ridden) & Aussie Regency historical author, Anna Campbell at the RITA/Golden Heart Awards dinner.

Aussie author, Elizabeth Rolls was nominated for a RITA in the Historical Regency section for her book Lord Braybrook's Penniless Bride.

Rachelle Chase, Leigh Michaels & I at the Chase the Dream breakfast on Saturday morning.

RWA® Conference - Part 1

The Literacy Book Signing was the first event of the RWA® Conference. It was two hours of noise, thousands of people lining up for books and "OMG, there's so-and-so author!" The event raised US$55 000 for various literacy organisations in the Orlando area - a huge effort!

Doing the fan-girly thing I wandered the rows and rows and rows of tables and look who I discovered from DownUnder!

Sandra Hyatt

CCCoburn (love the Mickey Mouse antennae!)

Christine Wells (with the Banditas chicken & Tim Tams!)

Kandy Shepherd

Anna Campbell (with chocolate!)

Golden Heart/RITA® Awards

What can I say about the most amazing week of the year so far other than WOW! To all my fellow-Unsinkables finalists, congratulations, and I'm so glad I got to meet so many of you!

To win a Golden Heart® (in the paranormal romance section) for BLOODBORN - Bk1 in the Light Blade series was truly a great honour and deeply moving. I'm still pinching myself!

A mega-thank you to everyone who rang or emailed me with congrats or posted their woo-hoo's on the various e-loops I'm a part of - it's what makes being a part of three incredible organisations - RWOZ, RWNZ, RWA - so, so, so special.

Here's a few photos from the night for those of you who couldn't be there.

Just as I reached the podium there was a distinctive "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie" from the left side of the audience. The timing was perfect - it helped me relax and not sound like a complete dweeb as I made my speech. Thank you to those Aussies - you know who you are! :-)

The lights were so bright you couldn't see the 2000+ strong audience (thank goodness - it was nerve racking enough!).

 There were four huge 7m high Jumbotron screens placed around the room - just so everyone could see how much you were shaking and trembling behind the podium!

Exit stage left, careful descending the five steps to the floor and then smile! at the professional photographer for posterity before stumbling back to your seat.

Sometime after midnight, the Aussies and NZ'ers celebrated in the lobby.
(From L to R: Naini Singh, me, Trudi & Erica Hayes)

Well after midnight we celebrated, as all good writers do with fries, Kit Kats & milk!