How to Break into PRINT

The trick to getting into print is the same for eBooks as it is for NY:
Write a book that is popular.

The difference between ePublishers and the NY publishers is that ePubs will publish you and Wait until you Are popular. Once you pass a certain number of e-Copies sold you go to print.

NY publishes based on whether or not you - as an established author (or your chosen genre) are Already popular. Some NY houses will take a new author if a genre is doing well and they have a slot open in That Genre.

LUCK and an open Slot are your ticket to ride in the NY publishing industry - not skill or talent. (Though it does not hurt to have both.)

Critical acclaim has little or nothing to do with it.
Popularity among the BUYERS is what counts.
If you score high with the reviewers but don't sell the "buy quota" you Don't go to print. If the reviewers think you stank but you sold hard and fast, you Do go to print.

Reviews are a way to get readers - who visit that review site - to KNOW that your book is available and somebody liked it. It's a Marketing tool - not a sign of success or failure. Books Sold is the sign of success. Even a crappy review can get you ("Is is Really that bad?") buyers.

What reviews do for you - the author - is clue you in as to why it was liked.

It all boils down to:
Write a book that everyone wants to read.
Here's the kicker: No one knows from one book to the next - what the readers will find popular. The market changes That Fast.

In ePublishing, Erotica & Romantica are the niches of success, especially Erotic Fantasy.
It doesn't seem to matter what sub-genre of erotic fantasy, as long as it's erotic and a fantasy element is there. Dark, light, scary, magical, sci-fi... Any erotic book with a fantasy element from historical to contemporary seems to be very popular sellers - at the moment.

But don't think you can slap a dirty story together and expect it to sell.

ePublishing is maturing and so are the buyers.
There are some Very, very good authors in the ePublishing business. So good in fact, that NY is grabbing for them: Angela Knight, Jaid Blackmore...

Professional level writing skills and creative talent have become prime factors in both sales and critical acclaim. The Buyers are becoming picky. They want a Good Story - and Skilled Writing.

Good grammar is not enough.
The key ingredient is: IMAGINATION.

Knowing what to write?
READ those that are popular and pay attention to what their fans and reviewers are saying. This will tell you what they did Right.
(These comments are from my reviews for: "House Of Shadows")

" ... an energized tale of adventure, which keeps the reader on the edge of their seat."

"The suspense and danger are balanced exceedingly well with (the) relationship, which is explosive."

"There is never a boring moment..."

"The strength in the characters matches the strength of (the author's) words..."

" It combined all the elements of the story perfectly..."

>^..^<

Want to know if Your Story has Popularity Potential?

Legal Cheating: Test Readers
Write your glorious tale then get your hands on a few Readers and have THEM read your stuff BEFORE the publisher gets it.

Not proof-readers - NOT line editors!
I have a hard-core line editor and he only gets the book when it's COMPLETED. I never do typo or grammar checking until the very end. Stopping for grammar kills my creative momentum. As it is, I rewrite so much, that by the time they tell me I have a typo or repeated something, I've probably already corrected it or moved it.

NO SPOUSES.
Spouses are either too critical or not critical enough.

AVOID Critique Groups.
They are your Direct Competition and it is in Their best interest to cut you down and discourage you. Especially if you're good.

You want Fans.
People who already like your stuff. Fans will be gentle in their disparaging remarks and quick to praise.

Your best test audience is SIX bodies - three female, three male.

Key:
Guys like ACTION.
Girls like EMOTION
Everybody likes a smart-ass - so practice your witty repartee!

You want to know if they Liked it, if it Worked, if they enjoyed the world you created... You want an Audience Opinion - not a Critic's opinion, not an Editor's opinion, but a Potential BUYER's opinion.

What you need from your Readers is a taste-test.

The Reader's Taste-Test
Popularity Potential Questionairre

Is it BORING?
Does any part of the story Drag?
Are their parts that you skip?
Do I over-inform anywhere?

Did it Work?
Did it make you laugh?
Did it make you cry?
Did it make you hot?

Is it Too Much?
Is there enough downtime between intense scenes to allow it to build to the next?
Does any part of it make you cringe?
Where have I crossed the Comfort-Zone line?

Is anything confusing?
Can you SEE everything clearly?
Did you have to reread any part of it to understand what was happening?
(You are not expected to know WHY things are happening - those secrets are revealed later, but the events happening should be as clear as a movie reel in your mind.)

Does everything make sense?
Does one scene lead logically into the next?
Does the dialogue sound realistic?
Do their reactions seem logical & realistic?

How about Character interaction?
Who did you like best and WHY?
Is the villain Believable?
Does anyone get in the way of the STORY?

The answers to these questions will keep your fiction crisp, focused and Popular. If your test readers liked it then loads of other people will too.

I still think that if George Lucas had used a few fans for test readers - the scenes with Aniken as a child would have been much shorter - and made more sense, Jar Jar Binks would never have appeared, the romance would have been well, a Romance, and the clone war would have been well, a Clone War.

But that just MY opinion...

Morgan Hawke (C) 2004