I GOT THE CALL

I GOT THE CALL… NOW WHAT?

All contents are the work of the author unless otherwise credited

Omigod! You did it! You stayed up late and skipped lunches at the office. You got input from critique partners and online friends. You made the final round of a contest or seven. You sweated through the editor appointment, the request for the full manuscript and the revision process. And now you are finally going to make the transition from aspiring writer to published author!

PART ONE - Negotiating

The Call can take many forms. Mine happened to have a month long break in between. Brenda Chin called me on July 10, 2002, to say Harlequin wanted to buy RED SHOES & A DIARY for the Blaze line. After I stopped thanking her, I had a big decision to make- what name was I going to use? I had one in mind but it didn’t go over well. I spent the next 36 hours wracking my brain for something that Brenda would consider ‘young, sexy, girl-next-door’. You might want to have a list ready, in case your editor doesn’t like your number one choice. I was lucky that Brenda loved my title, but I would suggest having a list of alternates ready that as well.

Now it just so happened that Brenda and I were both getting ready to go to the RWA National Conference in Denver, so she said we’d hold off discussing the contract until we got back. This actually was a blessing. It gave me time to do research and ask for advice. If your Call is all-inclusive, my best advice is to listen to everything the editor says and to write it down. Then tell him or her that you want some time to consider the offer and you’ll call back. Even if you don’t want anything changed, this will give you time to calm down and speak coherently.

Because I sold to Harlequin, I chose not to get an agent. I’ve heard many times that it’s not necessary when writing category fiction. The decision is a personal one and only you know whether having one is worth the 15% it will cost you. I bought a copy of How To Be Your Own Literary Agent by Richard Curtis. [Go get yours now so you’re familiar with the terms and standards.] Then I emailed several Blaze authors I know and they generously shared their experience and advice.

Be prepared to just accept whatever money you’re offered. Even an agent is unlikely to get you any more. Two things you can negotiate are the number of author copies you get [the standard is 25] and the form your option will take [your publisher gets first dibs on the next thing you write]. I was lucky enough to get my option on partial instead of a full manuscript. Don’t waste your breath on anything else- let your agent or literary attorney do it.

When Brenda called to talk about the contract, I was pretty well prepared for whatever came up in our discussion. First she told me that because I was a first time author, Harlequin would be keeping the best terms for themselves and there would be no negotiating certain parts of the contract. Frankly, I appreciated her candor because I hate wasting my breath.

She told me how much my advance would be [money you get up front, but then have to earn back by selling a certain number of books] and that it would come in two separate checks. One half will be released once I sign the contract and the other half will be sent after I send in the final version of the manuscript. This is called the Delivery Date and since it’s now under contract, unlike any other revisions you may have done, you want to make sure you give the editor a realistic timeframe for getting it done and mailed back.

Once you set a Delivery Date, the editor can tell you when your book will be scheduled for release. You’ll also be told how many free copies you can have. I asked for and got 10 extra because I want to enter the RITA contest next year. We also discussed the option clause. I was lucky that Brenda offered up front to make my contract say ‘next Blaze’, but you may have to ask your editor for this clause to be very specific. You don’t want your ‘next work’ to be obligated to your publisher in case you write more than one kind of fiction. Suggest the option be on your ‘next 70,000 word sensual romance’ or something like that.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. This telephone call is considered a verbal contract in most states. Make sure you understand what you are agreeing to. You may not get the information you want, but ask anyway. For example I wanted to know what my print run would be. Based on the amount of up front cash and a 6% royalty on all US sales, I’ll need to sell about 15,000 copies of my book to ‘earn out’ my advance. Brenda wouldn’t tell me the exact print run, but assured me I won’t owe Harlequin any money back.

Now comes another hard decision. If you’ve read Mr. Curtis’s book, you’ll have an idea of some of the other things that may be in your contract. Some sound like a foreign language and some sound like you’re just plain getting screwed. You need to decide what is important to you. There was one thing I really wanted and one other thing that I’d like to have, but I didn’t feel comfortable asking Brenda for them. There is no guarantee that I’ll get the Publication of Book clause reduced from 36 months to 24. And I probably don’t stand a snowball’s chance in Hell of getting the audio reproduction and motion picture rights to RED SHOES. But it was important enough to me that I chose to retain a literary attorney to try.

There are several people who have to sign off on this contract, like the Senior Editor and the Legal Department, so it will take a few weeks before it gets to me. The first half of the advance should arrive four to six weeks after I execute my contract. Who knows when I get the rest, but I’m planning to frame a copy of both checks <g> Don’t forget that about 33% of that money is going into Uncle Sam’s pocket and not toward those diamond earrings I was looking at.

That leads me to one last legal thing- get in touch with a tax specialist. I still have to do this because I don’t know whether it’s better to file separately from your spouse or just to itemize. But I have already set aside a file with my receipts and canceled checks for every office product, contest entry and bill for services. If it’s related to your job as a writer in anyway, save it and let the tax guy decide.

PART TWO - Promoting

Okay the business and legal stuff is behind you. What do you do next? First tell your Mom, your significant other and all of your friends. Tell your local booksellers, your dentist and perfect strangers in the grocery store. This is a big deal, honey, so don’t keep the great news to yourself. Get somebody to take you out to dinner [or at least make it for you], but be careful how much you spend on the celebration. Your advance check will be awhile getting to you.

If the editor asked for additional revisions during The Call [you wrote it all down, didn’t you?], then get started on them now. Don’t wait for the contract to show up. As I said before, contracted deadlines are not to be taken lightly. I’ll discuss editor changes in another article, Revision Hell 101… 102… 103 , but at the very least get someone else to look your story over with a fresh pair of eyes so you can turn in the best manuscript possible.

Members of Romance Writers of America can contact Geri Russell to add your news to the First Sale page in the Romance Writer’s Report. Geri can be reached at ggrussell@juno.com . Once you get your contract, apply for Published Author Network (PAN) status. The person to contact is Lori Pitts, lpitts@rwanational.org . Go to the Members Only section of the RWA website and apply for a link to your website if you have one.

If you haven’t done so already, get business and or promotion cards made. For RED SHOES & A DIARY, I asked Su Kopil at www.earthlycharms.com to make up some promotion cards for me to take to Denver. On the front is a single red high-heeled shoe, my website address and a short blurb about the story. On the back is my pen name, publisher and release date. I took 450 cards to Denver and came home with only 100. I gave them to everyone I met, including waiters, hotel staff and the firemen who rescued me from a stuck elevator.

One of the best promotion tools available right now is a website. As soon as you and your editor agree what name you’re going to use, do a domain name search. I strongly suggest using www.register.com because they are the easiest to work with if you ever need to change your hosting site. There are too many companies that offer web hosting services to list here- you’ll have to ask around and do some research to find one that’s in your budget range. I use www.writingcorner.com because they’re inexpensive and one of the owners is my critique partner.

Website design can either be really cheap [do it yourself on www.homestead.com] or reasonably expensive if you hire someone [www.romancedesigns.com or www.waxcreative.com ]. My site started at Homestead and when I decided I wanted a more professional look, I took a quick course in Microsoft Frontpage. Once you learn how to use this program, make a template of the page design and then save your other pages from this master.

Keep everything on your website simple to look at and simple to navigate. Dark text on a white background with a pretty border works best. The most basic site should have a Bio page, Excerpts from your book or works in progress and Contact information. You may only have one book to promote right now, so try to find a theme or something that makes your site different. Ask yourself, what do you have to offer a visitor? What do you have to say to them or what can you share with them? Update it on a regular basis to give visitors a reason to come back.

PART THREE – Marketing

All right, now that you’ve realized if you don’t blow your own horn no one else is going to blow it for you, it’s time to think about ways to advertise your talent. One of the first things you might do is to introduce yourself to reviewers. Book reviews are an excellent way to generate word of mouth interest in your story. Many readers claim that reviews don’t influence their purchase, but a good review builds name recognition.

Some of the review sites I contacted are Romantic Times Book Club Giselle@romantictimes.com , Word Weaving editor@wordweaving.com, Escape to Romance Book Reviews Julie@escapetoromance , Romance & Friends Carla@romanceandfriends.com , The Best Reviews Kathy@thebestreviews.com, Affair de Coeur Sseven1@aol.com , Huntress Book Reviews huntress@huntress.com and The Romance Reader editor@theromancereader.com.

There are many more independent reviewers to be found by doing an Internet search or asking around. Make sure you find out what format the reviewer will accept [hard copy or electronic] and how far in advance of your release they need to have your manuscript, galley or advanced reading copy. Offer to send an autographed copy of your book when it comes out.

RWA members can go to www.rwanational.org to find out more about buying ad space in a magazine called Romance $ells. For about $175 you get a full page ad that will be seen by 6,100 booksellers and librarians, as well as over 100 editors and agents. You can also buy 1/6 to 1/2 page ads in the Romance Writers Report for between $100 and $300. I chose to go with Romance $ells because I think it’s a wiser marketing decision.

There’s a lot of debate over the value of taking an ad in www.romantictimes.com [Magazine, now Book Club]. The price is approximately $450 for a third page black and white ad, $500 for a half page b/w ad. RT has a very respectable circulation and loyal readership. Some feel that promoting their books in this magazine is a given. However, keep in mind that your book can still be reviewed, even if you don’t advertise. Those who write for Harlequin or Silhouette will have their galleys sent for review by the publisher. Authors with other publishers might see if the publisher will pay for part of the ad. You’ve got nothing to lose by asking.

Another excellent source of promotion for Harlequin/ Silhouette authors is www.eHarlequin.com. The traffic to this website is tremendous and readers can buy your titles through the virtual bookstore. Consider sending a proposal to Jenny_Bullough@Harlequin.ca for a Writing Round Robin or Online Read. It’s fast, fun and gets your book in front of a buying audience. (And by the way, you get paid for it, too).

There are specialized sites for other publisher’s authors as well, such as the Avon Ladies http://www.judithivory.com/bbs/ , Love Inspired Authors http://www.loveinspiredauthors.com/ and Arabesque Authors http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Bistro/6812/arabesque.html . I there isn’t a collective for the publisher you write for, start a website with some of your fellow authors. It’s a great way to share promotion costs and more authors will bring more site visitors.

This last marketing tool is, for most writers, the hardest part of self promotion. We tend to be shy, quiet and solitary due to the nature of our profession. But the Press Kit requires us to jump out of our comfort zone and into the public eye. A basic Press Kit can go in a regular colored folder like the ones the kids use for school. It should include your Bio; a professional looking head shot photo; a list of your current books [followed by your backlist or contracted works, if any]; a business card with your contact information, some romance industry statistics from RWA http://www.rwanational.org/statistics.stm , any good reviews of your work, cover flats if available and most importantly, a press release.

The key to the press release is determining what makes you, your book, your topic or your setting special. Authors like Carly Phillips and Tess Geritson are former professionals from very logical and scientific fields, so quitting the job at the law firm or hospital to write romance novels made for interesting news. RITA winner Fay Robinson’s first book had a hero who was a paraplegic. Bestselling author Suzanne Brockmann has a series of category and single title novels that center on a group of Navy Seals.

Even if you don’t think you’re very interesting, other people will... if you spin the information to fit the audience. The release you send to your community newspapers book section (‘Local author pens Pennsylvania page turner’) will be different from the ones you send to trade magazines (‘Former optician has an eye for romance’), libraries (‘Romance author raises cash for literacy campaign’), television stations (um, I’m not sure what example to give for this since I’ll never have the guts to try it) and bookstores (My own ad in Romance $ells has this shout line: “Former Waldens bookseller makes first sale’).

CONCLUSION- Sell it, Sister

The point I hope you’re getting from this article is that the days of publishers showcasing new authors and throwing big bucks into promotion are long over. Unless you’ve written the next Diana Gabaldon-style breakout debut novel, you’re on your own. The main thing to keep in mind is that you’re selling yourself, not just your first book. You’re promoting your writing style and creating a relationship with your reader.

So. You got The Call. Now What? Now you announce it to everybody you can in every way that you can. And hopefully you’ll see the results in your royalty checks.