For all those writers looking for that book deal, here is some exciting news for you. I hope Harper Collins has plenty of readers. I think they will be inundated. Good luck everyone who submits. Remember to polish your manuscript until it is beautiful and shiny, and the most important tip: KEEP WRITING
Harper CollinsPublishers ANZ is excited
to announce the launch of its new online unsolicited submission program, The
Wednesday Post, which will be going live, Wednesday 21 August
2013. Our goal is to uncover, develop and promote the most outstanding voices
writing today.
The new portal can be accessed at www.wednesdaypost.com.auand will
also link from the HarperCollins homepage (in Australia and New Zealand).
Submissions are accepted every week on Wednesday only. Aspiring authors will be
asked to present synopses of their work and the first 50 pages of a manuscript.
We are looking for writers at every stage of their career, from closet scribes
to those who have a history of publication.
Adult and YA books are the focus for this initiative, and we will be
accepting manuscripts in both fiction and non-fiction genres. We are particularly
seeking exceptional contemporary women’s fiction. The Wednesday Post will
respond to authors within three weeks if we wish to see more of their work. All
submissions will be considered for print and e-book publication as well as
digital-only publication, which is an area we will be actively growing in the
coming years through a dedicated e-only publishing model.
We are eagerly looking forward to our first intake of submissions and
encourage all hopeful authors to apply. We love a good story, and if you have
one to tell we want to hear from you.
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A CONVERSATION WITH THE MODEST, SMART, HUGELY SUCCESSFUL HUGH HOWEY, AUTHOR OF THE 'WOOL' SERIES
If he was lucky, Hugh Howey
thought his 2011 self-published science-fiction novella ‘Wool’ would sell five
hundred copies. Instead, he has sold
five hundred thousand, scored a seven-figure publishing deal, and had Twentieth
Century Fox snap up the film rights with the iconic Ridley Scott possibly to
direct.
He thought he was just
writing the sort of tale he wished already existed and he would then return to
his other novels. But theenthusiastic demand from Amazon
reviewers caused him to hurry back to his dystopian subterranean world to continue
the story. Less than six months later
he had released four more novelettes of varying lengths, the 550-page ‘Wool Omnibus’,
which has since spent considerable time in the Amazon top 100 and was a #1
Bestseller in Science Fiction, and Winner
of Kindle Book Review's ‘Best Indie Book of 2012’ Award.
A modest Howey, who is
passionate about the options available to authors through self-publishing,wants
to make it very clear that this success story is about his choice to
self-publish from the beginning. “It wasn't a matter of dealing with rejection
and finally resorting to this. It was a choice from the get-go.”
“The first thing an
industry insider will think when they hear ‘self-publishing’ is that an author
gave up on the query route. I don’t query my books. I haven’t since my first
novel was published by a small press and I decided to publish the rest of my
books on my own.”
Howey claims it took “crazy”
and “lots of guts” as opposed to “clever” to create the deal that “everyone in
the industry was saying would never happen—ever.” His “brilliant” agent Kristin Nelson walked
away from six-figure offers, and then seven-figure offers, to eventually
strike a deal with Simon and Schuster to
distribute ‘Wool’ to book retailers across the US and Canada. The deal, though,
gave Howey full rights to continue distributing ‘Wool’ online in these
territories himself. Normally, an author
signs over all their territory distribution rights, which includes the
increasingly lucrative e-book sales.
Adds Howey, “We stuck to
our convictions and we were doing well enough with foreign rights and film
sales to not worry about what we were leaving on the table. To us, the goal was
to get a different conversation going. And Simon and Schuster deserve all the
credit for stepping up to the plate.”
The deal has de-stigmatised
the self-publishing door for other new and established authors to follow suit in
taking control of their careers and their intellectual property. “Many authors are now seeing the benefit of
earning money now rather than waiting years for a dream that may never
materialize,” says Howey. “The route we
take no longer signals the quality. It makes for an interesting time to be a
writer.”
Howey suggest that
self-publishing may actually be a smart career move.“Many authors are now
skipping the years-long submission cycle and placing their stories directly in
the hands of readers (and at incredible prices). Instead of manuscripts sitting
around, they are collecting sales and building a fan base. Even a handful of
sales are more than none. And time is spent writing the next work rather than
shopping around the last one.”
Much has been written about
the poor quality of self-published books and whilst self-publishing is a great opportunity,
the sheer volume of releases makes it difficult for readers to find gems that
aren’t peppered with errors and novice mistakes. There is an expectation that a major
commercial publisher will provide a superior read.
Howey comments on this
assertion, “I see typos in the first printing of major releases all the time.
If you ask a reader if they’d rather have a book with two typos in it for
$12.99 or one with ten typos for $2.99, I think they’ll go with the latter.”
“All authors need to put
out their best work possible, and Indies (independent authors) are no
exception. But I do think they deserve a little more of a pass, just as an Indie
rock band might release an album with some pops and static. It reminds you that
you’re discovering something, not being handed something.”
Instead of asking ‘How’s
the writing?’ of an Indie book, Howey suggests the question should be: ‘How’s
the story?’ “Readers care less about writing and more about gripping tales with
unforgettable characters. The publishing industry is largely run by English
majors who think we should care about pristine prose. They don’t understand the
success of ‘Twilight’, Dan Brown, and E.L. James. They wish everyone was
reading and discussing literary works. This is why they often miss out on books
with wild potential.”
“If you have to lean one
way, it shouldn’t be towards the writing. And I say that, as someone who
cherishes fine prose and agonizes over every one of my sentences. But only
after I’ve crafted what I hope is an addictive story.”
‘Wool’ is indeed one of
those addictive stories. Set in a not-too-distant future, the story takes
readers into the world of a Silo, home to thousands of descendants of the
survivors of a sixty-year-prior cataclysmic disaster. Nobody remembers what happened but outside
the Silo, the world is in ruin with air too toxic to breathe.
Those living inside are
bound by strict rules. One being you must
never express the desire to go outside. Doing this, will automatically see you
sent outside in a specially made suit to participate in what is known as a ‘Cleaning’. Unwise unfortunates as well as convicted
criminals are sent to clean the one wall-screen allowing the inhabitants a view
on the desolate world. Within minutes
their suits break down and they are asphyxiated.
The Silo is tiered with two
hundred levels and maintains a systemised society of engineering, I.T.,
administration, food production and Government, all on different levels. ‘Wool’ begins the story with the Sheriff who
has lost his wife to a ‘Cleaning’. But
readers then move through the volumes to view the Silo habitat through the eyes
of various characters including Juliette, an engineer who begins to question
the values and rules of the system. Then the fun really begins.
It is a grim,
claustrophobic vision of the future and Howey admits he cannot be sure of the story’s
origins but he shares that silos were always a part of his life. “My father was
a farmer and had two large grain silos behind his barn that we played in and on
top of.”
“I also grew up in the Cold
War Era and another type of silo was the missile variety. We practiced nuclear
drills in grade school. People built bunkers. I took it as an axiom that people
would one day live underground while a wasteland raged overhead.”
The limited view of the outside
world via the wall-screen is a central component of the story. “It came from my wariness of 24-hour news,”
says Howey, “and what I fear a constant barrage of bad news does for our
perception of the world. What if it really isn’t so bad out there? What if
we’re bold enough to go see the world for ourselves?”
In his own way, Howey has
widened the perception of the self-publishing world,that outside the landscape
of traditional publishing there is a richer world than initially imagined. He believes publishing opportunities are
broadened with the two working together such as the publisher initiated idea with
the Wool U.K. edition. The book contains
the first chapter of the already e-published follow on series, ‘First Shift
Legacy’, and concludes the free chapter urging readers to immediately purchase the
already-available e-book, even though the print copy is yet to be released.
“What’s great about this,’’
adds Hugh, “is that a major publisher embraced e-book availability before the
print book was available! I’ve always thought this should be the case. It helps
make for a stronger print debut. For proof, Wool hit #8 on the ‘Sunday Times
Bestseller’ list in the U.K. upon release, almost unheard of for a debuting
author. The only reason that was possible was because of the existing fan base
and word-of-mouth generated by the e-book sales. I think publishers are doing
the opposite of what’s good for their customers, their authors, and themselves,
when they hold the e-book back in an attempt to protect hardback sales.”
Whilst many authors
complain of the deadlines imposed by their publishing contracts, Howey says, “I
was the one who dictated the release schedule and told Random House (his U.K.,
Australian publisher) when I would have each book available. I have yet to sign
a contract where someone demanded or expected a book from me at a particular
time. The pressure to release multiple books swiftly has come from indie
authors. We are making a great living off our work and enjoying the rapport
with our readers. We just want that to continue.”
With his publishing success,
Howey’s only complaint is that his wife misses him whilst he is whisked away from
his South Florida home on long book tours through Europe, the U.K. and
currently the U.S. The benefits though
have outweighed the negatives, with the author now able to enjoy more free time
at home after success saw him resign his day job as a bookshop employee. Even
with the extra work load of his new found celebrity he still maintains his
daily 2000 word-a-day count. “But it has meant some long days.”
And if he were ever
banished into a deserted silo with time on his hands, the busy author says he
would read Shakespeare’s and Edgar Alan Poe’s complete works, and ‘Ulysses’,
not because he thinks the latter is any good but he figures, “it’s the only way
I’d ever read it. It took being stranded on an island to finally read ‘War and
Peace’. No joke. I Loved it.”
So many authors quote their
indebtedness to their agents or publishers for their success but Hugh Howey, as
one of the poster-children of the new social media and self-publishing
phenomena, is adamant who is the major inspiration and support for him. It’s
his readers. In ‘Wool’s’ Amazon Book description he writes, “Thanks go out to
those reviewers who clamored for more. Without you, none of this would exist.”
It may be, in the
not-too-distant future that many successful self-published authors will leave a
similar inscription in their Amazon sales pitch, but with one added line, “If
not for Hugh Howey and his crazy courage, none of these stories would exist.” Read my review of the sensational WOOL: Click here
READ MORE ABOUT HUGH (Seriously you need to if you are a writer)
Hugh Howey is the author of Wool, a bestselling novel that has appeared in the top 5 of science fiction on Amazon. He is also the author of the award-winning Molly Fyde Saga. He lives in Boone, N.C. with his wife Amber and their dog Bella.
If
you have enjoyed this musing, do hop over and register for my very
random newsletter. Straightaway you will receive two fantastic short stories
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free books (international) and film ticket giveaways (Australia). Hop over
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So, you’ve finished writing that
book have you?It’s a hard slog.I know.I’ve written two myself and I know how time consuming, emotionally draining
it can be, and how fabulously exciting it is to type ‘The End’.
It’s like being on a big,
scary, theme park ride.You’re having a
great time, then a scary time, then a good time. If it’s one of those freaky swinging tall ones,
then you may spend the whole time wishing it was over.Then suddenly it is over.Now you’re thinking, okay I have to make my
way through the crowd to the next ride but I’m not sure where to go because
it’s a big park and I’m not getting on that whiplash scary &^#@* ride again.
No sirree.
Well, I am going to break it
to you gently. That roller coaster ride that has left you giddy whilst writing
and editing your book until it is shiny like a diamond; that, my friend, was
the easy bit.But you knew that didn’t
you?You cannot attend a writing course
or a workshop on publishing or read an article by a famous, successful author
without hearing those wearying words.“It’s almost impossible to get published.”We know that. Yep. We do.
A few years ago, I attended
a publishing workshop at a Writer’s Festival and by lunch-time most of the
initially excited participants filed out totally transformed. They trudged
towards the coffee shop, feet dragging and shoulders hunched. In huddled,
dejected groups of despair they sat, staring at their cakes as the idea they
had wasted years of their lives sank in.
And whether you are the
“I’ve been rejected too many times” author or an excited “Just finished my book
and it’s really awesome” author, there may be something that will help with the
toughest part of the job—chasing down an agent or a publisher. This is the part
of the job where you need to remain diligent and determined and work smart.
And here’s my little secret
weapon for you.Get yourself a copy of
the latest ‘WRITERS’ & ARTISTS’ YEARBOOK. The current copy is 2013.The blurb on the cover says,‘Everything you need to know about the business of being a
writer.’And they weren’t
exaggerating.
Inside is a treasure trove
of up-to-date information.Terry Pratchett comments on the inside cover
that it is ‘Much, much better than luck.’It contains not only listings of
addresses, emails, web addresses and phone numbers of literary agents and major
publishers world-wide but also, newspapers and magazines. If your leaning is
towards film and television scripting, poetry, art and illustration and even
photography there are listings for you too.Also, there is a very helpful section of ‘Societies, prizes and festivals’and
even though this is aimed at the UK market, many competitions are open to
overseas authors.
But the real gems are the Notes
from the authors. They are small essays from successful
authors, like ‘Notes on becoming a novelist’ by William Boyd.Or ‘Notes from a successful fantasy author’
by Terry Pratchett (quite an understatement to call him merely
successful).There are dozens of these
type of essays from romance novelists to crime authors to J.K.
Rowlings‘Notes
from a successful children’s author’ (again, it’s like calling a peacock a
bird).
Then there are sections
about the publishing industry written by people in the publishing industry, that span ‘The state of
commissioning’ to ‘Understanding publishing agreements’ to ‘Marketing, publicising and
selling books’.
And haven’t you always
wanted to get inside the mind of a literary agent?Carol Blake, one of the U.K.’s foremost
literary agents with a career that spans forty-nine years tells us ‘How to make
a successful submission to a literary agent’. And we sure want to know that?Should you want to bypass
the publishers and do it yourself there is even information on indie publishingwith
articles on ‘Print on demand’ and ‘Vanity publishing’.
WRITERS' & ARTISTS'
YEARBOOK 2013 is 788 pages of information that you need to know with nearly
4,500 entries in its up-to-date directory of media contacts. You could spend a
year full-time on the web, Googling, reading blogs and news articles in an
attempt to work out how to get your work published.Or you can be smart and learn
about the publishing industry from the publishing industry.
Just sitting it on your desk
near you is a reminder that there are many avenues to publishing your work.Somewhere in this beautiful, glossy book may
be the essay that gives you the inspiration to send that umpteenth query letter
that will bring back that answer they told you wouldn’t
come.This book could be your ticket off
those whirly, scary, rejection rides and onto a smooth train ride that will
take you down the track to arrive at Station ‘Yes, we want your work’.
About
Writers' & Artists' Yearbook 2013 from the Publisher
This bestselling guide to
all areas of the media, now in its 106th edition, has been completely revised
and updated. With 100 articles written by successful authors and publishing
insiders, it advises, guides and inspires writers and artists on how to get
published.
The 2013 edition includes
new articles on, amongst other topics, memoir writing, apps, libraries and
contains a wealth of practical information on a huge range of topics including
copyright, finance, submitting a manuscript and marketing yourself and your
writing.
With nearly 4,500 entries in
its up-to-date directory of media contacts, the Yearbook is an in invaluable
companion.
New articles
for 2013 include: Electronic publishing by Philip Jones Notes from a successful romantic novelist by Katie Fforde Writing for the theatre by David Eldridge Why libraries matter by Maggie Gee Writing for magazines by Hero Brown Writing memoir by Irene Graham The laws of privacy and confidentiality by Keith Schilling
'The one-and-only, indispensable guide to the world of writing' - William
Boyd
'Everything you need to know about the business of being a writer' - Lawrence
Norfolk
'Even established writers can feel as though they're climbing a mountain.
Think of the Writers' & Artists' Yearbook as your sherpa' - Ian
Rankin
'Full of useful stuff. It answered my every question' - J.K Rowling '...much, much better than luck'Terry Pratchett
'...like a magic carpet that would carry the writer anywhere'Maeve
Binchy
'... the book which magically contains all other books... an entrance ticket
to the world you long for' - Fay Wheldon
If
you have enjoyed this musing, do hop over and register for my very
random newsletter. Straightaway you will receive two fantastic short stories
FREE. You'll also be the first to know when I have exciting news to share like
free books (international) and film ticket giveaways (Australia). Hop over
here: http://eepurl.com/3P-Wz
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