1001 Ways to Market Your Books: For Authors and Publishers: Includes Over 100 Proven Marketing Tips Just For Authors, John Kremer -- an excellent general-purpose marketing reference.

A Dictionary of Fabulous Beasts, Richard Barber

Age of Wonders: Exploring the World of Science Fiction, David Hartwell

Aliens and Alien Societies, Stan Schmidt and Ben Bova

 An Exaltation of Larks: The Ultimate Edition, James Lipton -- want a creative way to refer to a collection of objects? Then this book is for you! Witty and whimsical illustrations, too.

Beginner's Guide to Getting Published, Writer's Digest Books -- out of print, but perhaps someone has listed a used copy for sale.

 Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase & Fable, Ebenezer Brewer

The Writer's Digest Character Naming Sourcebook, Sherrilyn Kenyon, et.al.

The Chicago Manual of Style: The Essential Guide for Writers, Editors and Publishers

2001 Children's Writer's and Illustrator's Market

Copyediting: A Practical Guide, Karen Judd

The Courage to Write: How Writers Transcend Fear, Ralph Keyes

The Craft of Writing Science Fiction That Sells, Ben Bova -- out of print, but perhaps someone has listed a used copy for sale.

Creating Short Fiction, Damon Knight

 The Describer's Dictionary: A Treasury of Terms and Literary Quotations, David Grambs

The Writer's Digest Dictionary of Concise Writing, Robert Fiske -- out of print, but perhaps someone has listed a used copy for sale.

The Dreams our Stuff is Made of: How Science Fiction Conquered the World, Thomas Disch

Editors on Editing: What Writers Need to Know About What Editors Do, Gerald Gross

 The Elements of Editing: A Modern Guide for Editors and Journalists, Arthur Plotnik

 The Elements of Business Grammar, Margaret Shertzer

 The Elements of Style, William Strunk, E.B. White -- classic writers' guide with numerous 5-star reviews.

The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, Ed. John Clute

Encyclopedia of Things That Never Were: Creatures, Places and People, reprint edition, Michael Page and Robert Ingpen

 The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, T.F. Hoad

 The Fantasy Writer's Companion, edited by Tee Morris & Valerie Griswold-Ford, and featuring a chapter contributed by Yours Truly regarding how to write about the Arthurian Legends. Also available from Amazon.co.uk. Personally autographed copies are available directly from me via eBay.

The First Name Reverse Dictionary: Given Names Listed By Meaning, Yvonne Navarro -- another excellent character-naming reference

Writer's Digest Guide to Good Writing, Ed. Thomas Clark -- out of print, but perhaps someone has listed a used copy for sale.

Writer's Digest Guide to Manuscript Formats, Dian Buchman and Seli Groves -- out of print, but perhaps someone has listed a used copy for sale.

Writer's Digest Handbook of Magazine Article Writing, Ed. Jean Fredette

Writer's Digest Handbook of Making Money Freelance Writing, Ed. Amanda Boyd and Thomas Clark

Writer's Digest Handbook of Novel Writing

Writer's Digest Handbook of Short Story Writing, Frank Dickson and Sandra Smythe

Writer's Digest Handbook of Short Story Writing vol. 2, Jean Fredette and John Updike

How to Be Your Own Literary Agent: The Business of Getting a Book Published, Richard Curtis

How to Write Historical Fiction, Persia Woolley

How to Write Science Fiction, Matthew Costello

How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy, Orson Scott Card

How to Write Tales of Horror, Fantasy and Science Fiction, Ed. J.N. Williamson -- out of print, but perhaps someone has listed a used copy for sale.

Kirsch's Handbook of Publishing Law: For Authors, Editors, Publishers and Agents, Jonathan Kirsch

 Morris Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins, William & Mary Morris

 The New Oxford Guide to Writing, Thomas Kane

2001 Novel & Short Story Writer's Market

On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction, William Zinsser. Also available on audio cassette.

The Road to Science Fiction: From Here to Forever, Ed. James E. Gunn -- out of print, but perhaps someone has listed a used copy for sale.

 Bartlett's Roget's Thesaurus, Ed. Roger Donald, 1996 edition.

Science Fiction: The Illustrated Encyclopedia, Ed. John Clute -- out of print, but perhaps someone has listed a used copy for sale.

 The Very Best Baby Name Book in the Whole Wide World, Bruce Lansky -- over 30,000 names, with meanings and ethnic origins; extremely useful for naming characters. Or babies.

Words into Type, 3rd ed., Marjorie Skillin and Robert Gay.

World-Building, Stephen Gillett and Ben Bova

Writer's Complete Fantasy Reference Writer's Digest Books -- out of print, but perhaps someone has listed a used copy for sale.

Writer's Guide to Book Editors, Publishers and Literary Agents 2001-2002, Jeff Herman

The Writer's Guide to Creating a Science Fiction Universe, George Ochoa and Jeff Osier -- out of print, but perhaps someone has listed a used copy for sale.

 The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Storytellers and Screenwriters, Christopher Vogler -- a must-have for any writer! While I didn't agree with every point Vogler makes, I found it to be an extremely useful tool for analyzing and plotting my novels.

 Writing.com: Creative Internet Strategies to Advance Your Writing Career, Moira Allen, webmaster of the excellent Writing World web site. Writing.com is a must-have for your PR library!

Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy, Gardner Dozois, et. al.

Zen in the Art of Writing, Ray Bradbury

Didn't find a title you're looking for? Click here:

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Favorite Writing-Related Links

Online dictionaries, writers' organizations, newspapers, magazines, e-zines, book publishers, used book finders, reviews, friends who write, my literary agent . . . a little bit of everything. I do my best to check all the links, but you know how fast the web can change. If you find any broken links, please let me know about them! Thanks.

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How long does it take me to write my books?

My first novel, DAWNFLIGHT: The Legend of Guinevere, began taking shape in the fall of 1989. I finished the first draft in about three months, and then began the laborious process of polishing, submitting, waiting, receiving a rejection, polishing, submitting . . . I looped on those steps over 20 times before Andy Zack agreed to sign me as a client on September 16, 1996. With its October, 1999 release, Dawnflight took almost exactly a decade to see the inside of a bookstore. If there is one single word of advice I can give to aspiring writers, it's patience! A second, and in some ways no less important word: perseverance. And finally, while you're patiently persevering, don't lose faith in yourself or in the quality of your work!

Dawnflight's sequel, Morning's Journey, has followed a different development path. I began its opening chapters in July, 1990 and didn't type "The End" until August, 1996! There were many reasons for this, not the least of which was the recurrent thought that why should I go to all this trouble if the first book doesn't sell? Fortunately for my obsessive-compulsive dominated ego, Dawnflight has sold, and now I'm in the process of revamping Morning's Journey.

Book 3, Zenith Glory, officially began life in January, 1998, but has been put on hold until after I finish the bulk of the promotion phase for Dawnflight and get the fate of Morning's Journey settled. So far, I've finished the prologue and the first two chapters, but once I'm able to devote full-time writing energy to the project I hope to wrap up the first draft fairly quickly. We shall see.

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Since it takes so long to write and sell my books, how do I survive?

Since the publishing industry tends to careen at a glacier's pace, sometimes it's not easy! But my article, The Beast Within, offers some advice. And the best news is that these "animals" don't bite! Well, usually.

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How do I keep track of all my characters?

With several major characters, and dozens of minor ones, it's definitely a challenge. My article, Relief for the Terminally Forgetful, is based on my early efforts to set up a database of character vitae.

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To Agent or Not To Agent?

Good question. I'm glad you asked. However, as with most writing-related advice, Your Mileage May Vary.

As far as I'm concerned, I wouldn't trade my agent for the world! True, Dawnflight sold to a publisher that still accepts unagented submissions . . . but, folks, this is a dying breed. If the industry take-overs and in-house policy changes keep up at the present pace, those publishers who accept unagented manuscripts will become extinct long before the condor does.

But a good literary agent is an author's champion long after the contract is signed. Being new to the business, I did not have a clue as to how best to creep through the minefield known as literary and subsidiary rights. My agent's expert knowledge was well worth every dime I paid him!

Having a bad agent, OTOH, is worse than having no agent at all. And "bad" can simply mean an agent who is not right for you. Remember, this is a business arrangement, and the agent works for you, not the other way around. If for any reason you don't like the way the relationship works (or doesn't work), then it's far better to terminate the arrangement than to suffer in silence. Martyrdom may earn you extra points, but not extra money.

Some authors prefer to represent themselves, and that can be highly successful, too. The bottom line, if you wish to take this route, is to do your homework -- and know your limitations as well as your goals and strengths.

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Point with a View

Viewpoint is like a dinner wine. When it's good, it perfectly complements the literary entrée without being obtrusive or overpowering. And when it's bad, it can make the story taste like keg-dregs.

Just like a master vintner, in order to create the desired effect with your usage of viewpoint, you must know the rules. Some of the rules include:

• Select a narrative style and stick with it. Narrative styles include first person (the "ego-I"), second person ("you"), third person limited omniscient ("she said, smelled, touched, heard, saw, felt, thought"), and full omniscient, where the narrator, godlike, knows everything about every character. Each narrative style has its pros and cons, and the style you select depends on the unique needs of your story.
• For every viewpoint character, know him or her inside and out. This includes backstory, fears, goals, needs, likes, and dislikes, as well as the more obvious descriptive essentials such as physical characteristics, education, parentage, etc. Then make sure your character's actions, knowledge and thought patterns are portrayed consistently with his or her profile. Using this information as a starting point, I apply a form of "method acting" meditation to project myself into the character's persona. I will admit that some characters are easier to get a handle on than others! But that's the basic process I use until the character becomes more familiar to me. Then, to get reacquainted after spending time in other characters' heads, I often will reread a key scene where the character appears. If this process sounds time-consuming, you're right! Sometimes I've spent all of my alloted writing time (like, while the baby is napping) just getting reacquainted with a character. But, in the long run, it works for me.
• If you're using 3rd person limited omniscient narrative style -- which is the most popular in fiction today -- stick with one viewpoint character per scene. This is the rule; if you choose to break it, have good reasons for doing so! For instance, in the climactic love scene of Dawnflight, I switch back and forth from the heroine to the hero with increasing frequency to show their deepening intimacy.
• Currently, the easiest to sell (especially in romance) is the 3rd-person limited novel with two viewpoint characters. If you choose to have more viewpoint characters than that, as I do because of my stories' sheer complexity, make sure this choice supports the needs of the story.
• Choose the most appropriate viewpoint character for each scene. There are a couple of different approaches to this: either use the character who has the most at stake and thoroughly explore her feelings, or use another character as an observer to record others' reactions. I tend to favor the former in my writing but have used the latter on occasion, too. Again, the needs of the story must factor into this decision.

As I mentioned before, these are simply rules. Guidelines. Tools. And you know the saying as well as I do about breaking the rules. A superior storyteller, however, not only knows the rules and breaks them on occasion but can fully justify his reasons for either following them or throwing them out the proverbial window.

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Fantasy & Romance Writing in a Historical Setting

It's not for the faint-hearted, and there's a lot more to it than cranking up your favorite search engine or camping out at the local library.

To read more about this time-consuming but rewarding process, check out this article in the kick-off issue (Fall, 1998) of Phantastes online magazine, written by Moira Allen.

During an ask-the-author email chat, I was asked what percentage of a historical novel should be based on actual history.

I think that depends on the genre.

For instance, in the typical historical romance, which is usually set in the reign of So-And-So, I would estimate that less than 2% of the book represents "actual" history. King (or Queen) So-And-So might be mentioned in passing to provide the period setting, or might show up in a couple of scenes as a minor character, but that's about it. And that's fine as far as it goes, because that's all the typical romance reader seems to expect. I've been thrown out of a story because of such details as the hero and his friend donning plate armor to confuse and protect themselves from a crossbow sniper -- the crossbow was developed specifically to pierce plate. But by and large, most historical romance novels I've read recently seem to handle the (reduced) level of detail fairly well.

Speculative historical fiction probably requires a greater amount of "actual" history than does historical romance, perhaps as much as 25%? I'm guessing a bit, here, because I cannot recall the last time I read something in that genre. But, as I understand it, speculative historical fiction takes a historical event and asks "What if?" What if Lincoln had not been assassinated? Or JFK? What if Germany and Japan had won WWII? Or, something I might pursue myself one day, what if the Romans had perfected the steam engine? (Evidently they came extremely close but couldn't perfect a sealant for connecting pipes.) It seems to me that the amount of actual history required for the novel's setup and background would depend on the nature of the topic being explored.

And, last but certainly not least, we have historical fiction. From what I have observed, the historical content varies widely, depending on the authenticity of the core characters. Parke Godwin, for example, is one of my favorite authors of historical fiction. He has written very convincing historical accounts of King Arthur, Robin Hood and, most recently, King Harold and the Battle of Hastings. Although I haven't yet read his King Harold account, I would imagine it contains a much higher percentage of "actual" history than either his Arthur or Robin Hood novels (which can be alternatively classified as "Fantasy with a historical setting"), both of whom are figures of disputed origin. And yet, when I read Godwin's work, I feel thoroughly immersed in the period regardless of who he's focusing on.

Reader immersion is the trick, in fact, whichever "flavor" of historical fiction you write. Much of this can be accomplished by deft selection and handling of viewpoint characters. Sometimes that can backfire! For example, in Dawnflight, Arthur is a Romanized Celt, but Gyan, who is Pictish, sees him only as belonging to the hated race that tried half a millennium before to conquer her people: Roman. Evidently, this impression is conveyed so strongly that most readers see Arthur as purely Roman, too, as evidenced by several of the book's reviews.

I was also asked to what lengths I go to determine whether or not research details are actually true, and whether I would recommend finding three corroborating sources for such items of historic representation.

For me, this depends on a lot of factors, including, but not limited to, time, availability of period sources, confidence level in said sources, relative importance of the detail in question to the overall story, etc.

As far as corroborating sources go, in addition to the above-mentioned factors, it also depends on the general knowledge-base of the readership. There are a LOT of armchair American Civil War enthusiasts but considerably fewer people who have even heard of the Picts, let alone know who they were, where they lived, when they flourished, etc. Although I believe in upholding the historical integrity of my work to the greatest extent possible, I have to confess it can be a temptation to fudge on details once in a while!

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Character-Naming: Politics, Processes, and Pitfalls

A rose, by any other name, may smell as sweet -- but may be an audial turn-off to your readers!

Fantasy authors Deborah Christian, Rosemary Edghill, Kate Elliott, Katharine Kerr, Victoria Strauss and myself discuss the many-faceted character-naming process in this article in the Spring, 1999 issue of Phantastes online magazine, written by Moira Allen.

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Keeping Up Appearances: Tips and Tricks for Book Signings

For those of us struggling along the uphill slope of transforming our names and book titles into household words, public appearances are not a nicety, they are a necessity. Here are a few tips and tricks I've learned from other authors and personal experience to help your next appearance be a successful one.

• Be bold! Good things come to those who ask, so do not be afraid to contact your favorite local bookseller to schedule an event. Having a bound galley or advance review copy to give the event coordinator is a good idea. Autographing it is a plus -- and affords good practice if this is your debut book.



• Be creative! As recommended in the excellent book-promotion reference, 1001 Ways to Market Your Books, bookstores aren't the only places to schedule an event. If, for example, your novel has a medieval or pseudo-medieval setting, and its release coincides with a renaissance faire, don't hesitate to contact one of the vendors. You and your fans will be glad you did!



• Be professional! If your mother never told you to "mind your Ps and Qs" -- I will. "Please" and "thank you" go a long way toward making allies of booksellers, even if they have not agreed to your polite requests to schedule an event.



• Be thorough! Send press releases to your local media and online contacts.
  Check back with the event coordinator a couple of weeks prior to the event to make sure everything is on track for The Big Day. Many booksellers will provide posters or other advertising, but don't be surprised -- or upset -- if you are asked to provide those materials. It is in everyone's best interests for you to cooperate as fully as you are able, and remember to be professional in your response.



• Be presentable! This may seem like a no-brainer, but, as they saying goes, you get only one chance to make a good first impression. Far be it from me to advise you how to dress, except that I think it's a good idea that your chosen attire look clean and tatter-free...unless you're deliberately going for the "starving artist" look. Personally, I like to coordinate with my book's cover -- and it's a good thing I happen to look good in dark blue! But I realize this approach isn't for everyone. Whatever you choose to wear, personal comfort should be a consideration, too.



• Be on time! Make sure you're clear on your directions, and allow plenty of time for "Murphy" to influence traffic patterns, availability of parking spaces, etc. There is no shame in being "directionally challenged," so if all else fails, ask. (Unless you're a guy and are therefore, by definition, not really lost. :) And if, for whatever reason, you do happen to run late, a courtesy call to the event coordinator never hurts.



• Be prepared! Items you might wish to have on hand include:
  • Your favorite autographing pen. Make sure it works, first. This may seem like another no-brainer, but it's far better to check now than be disappointed later.
  • A seat cushion, especially if your event is scheduled to last beyond a couple of hours. If you would like to bring, say, a favorite soda or snack, check with the bookseller first to make sure it doesn't violate store policy.
  • If you maintain a mailing list, provide a clipboard (and another pen) with sheets for fans to sign up. Don't forget to include a space for email addresses.
  • Bookmarks, fliers, copies of great reviews or other promotional goodies people can take with them even if they choose not to purchase your book during the event.
  • "Autographed by Author" stickers. The bookstore may provide these, or you may purchase or design your own. I have done the latter, using a type of laser-printed sticker that coordinates nicely with the book's cover text and doesn't hide any of the important elements.
  • Your press kit and business cards. These need not be on display unless you really feel like it. But they're good to have handy because you never know when someone from the media is going to wander by.
  • Anything else you feel is eye-catching and ties in with the theme of your book. For me, it's a colorful flock of beanbag dragons -- don't worry; they've been de-flamed. ;-)
  
  And if you're selling as well as signing, don't forget your receipt book and cash box with plenty of coins and small bills for making change. Your cash box can double as a handy place to stash trip receipts (food, gas, tolls, etc.) and extra promotional materials.



• Be knowledgeable! Typical questions to expect are "What time is it?" and "Where are the rest rooms?" and "Where is Such-And-Such store?" and, my personal favorite, uttered by a young child, "Are you really allowed to write in those books??"



• Be appreciative! If there are books left over after the event, politely ask the bookseller if she or he would like you to sign the remaining stock. Or, if you feel so inclined and your budget permits, ask to purchase some of the copies. Usually, booksellers buy your books at around 50% of the cover price, so if you ask to purchase extra copies at, say, 40% off, it's a win-win deal for you and the bookseller. This is better than buying books from your publisher, for which you get no royalty. If the answer to any of these questions is no, remember to be professional! Also, a follow-up note of thanks after the event is a thoughtful touch.



• And, last but certainly not least: relax and be yourself! Then your event truly will be a success.

The above article also was published in Writing-World.com,
named by Writers Digest as one of the 25 best places to be published on the Web!

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The Pros & Cons of Prologues

Prologues & epilogues: some readers (and writers) hate 'em and others swear by 'em. What's an aspiring author to do?

I use them only if I have an event to convey that

1. is more effective if it is shown "live" rather than related in backstory, and
2. is significantly removed from the chronology of the rest of the book.

A prime example is Dawnflight's prologue, which depicts the death of Gyan's mother in childbirth. Chapter 1 fast-forwards to Gyan as a young woman.

Epilogues frequently are used to tie up loose ends. Again, I follow the above rules when deciding whether or not to include an epilogue. Many romance novels make use of the epilogue to show the hero and heroine with their young child(ren) as a means of capping the story. In fact, a reader once asked me why I didn't do this in Dawnflight. The simple fact is that its sequel, Morning's Journey, deals with this topic!

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Parlez-Vous Le Fiction?
Or, How Much is Too Much Foreign Language in an English-Language Novel?

That's an interesting question that I wrestle with in each of my books--in several different languages, including made-up ones. DAWNFLIGHT features Latin, ancient Welsh and "Pictish" (the made-up language, since they left no writings) phrases sprinkled throughout.

In my opinion, unless you, the author, are fairly certain that a foreign word/phrase will be well known to your audience, or can be reasonably intuited from the construction and/or context, then it's best to offer a translation. Sometimes that's easy, as when a character asks for clarification. Other times, I do it through the viewpoint character's own thoughts, as in the following example from DAWNFLIGHT:

"I have consented to marry a cù-puc!" She didn't care that likening Urien to the unlikely offspring of a hound and a pig was an insult to both creatures.

My current work-in-progress, SNOW IN JULY, is a historical-fantasy-romance set just after the Norman Conquest, so the hero and his best friend are Norman French. Originally, I had a lot more French (mostly modern; some of it "aged" wherever I could figure out how to do it) in their dialogue, but ultimately I decided that it was detracting from the story's pacing, so I removed much of it. The friend--and comic-relief--doesn't have a very good grasp of English, which led to fun passages such as this one:

Ruaud, obviously smitten, made no attempt to correct Waldron's error. Alain coughed mildly into his fist. Ruaud shook his head and released her hand as if he'd been burned. "Pardonez-moi, mon seigneur et ma demoiselle, mais je m'appelle--"

"En Anglais," Alain whispered, both irritated and amused that Lady Kendra had befuddled his friend so thoroughly.

"Ah, oui. Apologies, my lord and my lady." Ruaud grinned, spreading his hands. "I call myself Ruaud d'Auvay. Sir Robert's--how you say? Man of speaking?"

The bottom line is that the author needs to keep in mind that the audience is primarily composed of non-linguists, and develop a sense of what best serves the needs of both the story and the reader.

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Pitching Out the Novel With the Bathwater
Or, How to Survive a 3-Minute Session With an Editor or Literary Agent

Okay, time to confess: I actually haven't sat on the knee-knocking end of a pitch-session with an editor or agent. However, I do give pitches all the time -- whenever I try to sell my books, in fact -- and I have spoken with many authors who have exposed themselves to this uniquely nerve-wracking experience. So here's my $0.02:

Unless you have totally failed to do your homework (say, by trying to pitch something with high sexual content to a Christian publisher), the person will never say no. Nor, 9999 times out of 10,000, will s/he agree to buy it on the spot. Most often they will ask to see the manuscript, so when you mail it, don't forget to emblazon "Requested Materials Enclosed" across the outside of the package.

Speaking of homework, it might be helpful for you to know your target market well enough to throw out a couple of well-known examples and be prepared to relate how your book is superior to them. You might even consider crafting your whole pitch around this approach. If this sounds like hype, you're absolutely right, but that's what fuels this biz. There's no room for modesty when you're face-to-face with an editor or agent. For you're the one who will always know your own work best, so if you don't hype it, the odds don't favor anyone else doing it, either.

While I have never participated in a formal pitch-session, I have found myself in enough performance-oriented situations to empathize with your nervousness. One of the best tricks I discovered was to cease focusing on myself -- I know, it's easier said than done, but it's very effective if you can pull it off.

Best of luck!

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"Write every day. Even if you don't write something good every day, reinforcing the habit of writing regularly is in itself a valuable thing, so your time in doing this is always well spent. It's true that much great writing comes in flashes of inspiration, but you won't be able to 'capture' those flashes on paper unless you have some skills firmly in place. Writing regularly is a good way to build those skills, and keep them honed. This way, when the Muse pays you a visit, you will be ready!" --Michael King

"Never save anything for your next book, because that possible creation may not be properly shaped to hold the thoughts you're working with today. In fiction especially, anything that could happen, should happen." --Tam Mossman

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