When Do You Give Up On a Book?

Over the weekend I gave up on a book. Usually I hang on to the bitter end, but it was just so boooooooooooooring. I got a quarter of the way through and still nothing had happened. This is one of the first books I’ve given up on in a long time.

Here’s why I usually don’t give up:

1)      Out of hope. Some books redeem themselves.

2)      Out of stubbornness. I’m not going to let a book beat me.

3)      Out of respect. Someone poured their soul into their work, and an entire team of publishing professionals deemed it worthy. Even if I don’t like it personally, I try to figure out its merits.

So, what about you guys? Do you give up on books easily or stick it out?

Books I Love – I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

John Smith has just arrived in Paradise, Ohio, just another stop in a string of small towns where the 15-year-old has been hiding out from the Mogadorians. Those terrifying aliens are hellbent on destroying him and the other nine Loric children who have sought refuge on Earth. The Mogadorians are picking off the surviving kids in numerical order. The first three are dead and John's number is up. Will his Legacies, his defining super powers, develop in time for him to fight against the enemy?

I was so happy to read a book about an alien. Not just any alien, an awesome alien with weird superpowers who is just learning how to use them. Think superman with limitations other than kryptonite. In the world of YA, where vampires and angels rule, this book was very refreshing.

Number Four, aka John Smith is a great MC. He just wants to have a place where he belongs, but of course, knows he never will. He’s been running his entire life and there’s no end in sight. The secondary characters are all well developed and even the jerky jock’s actions are understandable. There’s a bit of “cheesy” romance, but a lot of YA fans like the mush and it’s not overdone. The love interest is smart, cool, and very likable.

The story progresses really well, answering questions in a well-paced way, just enough to keep you turning the pages. The two worlds (a small town on Earth and Four’s home planet of Lorien) are both believable without a ton of information being dumped on the reader. You really feel for Four, who has lost everything and is now faced with not only continuing his nearly extinct species, but also possibly saving another planet.

Pittacus Lore is a pseudonym, if you’re interested you can google who’s behind the book, but I’m actually sorry I did. It’s better to hold on to the illusion that the writer is a Lorien elder, although the book is in first person from Four’s perspective.

Anyone read this? I haven’t seen the movie, but I want to. It looks like they made the MC older and more badass.

Back on Monday!

My New Author Photo

I am extremely camera shy…I don’t like to be in photos, even as background to random tourists in Chicago snapping away. I knew I needed an author pic, but I always thought, “I’ll just wait until I get an agent,” then it was, “I’ll just wait until I get a book deal,” and with that final event come and gone, I couldn’t put it off any longer. I wanted to, but my editor needed a photo for the catalogue.

So, this is what I look like J Please be kind. And thanks to my fantastic friend Lucky for taking the photo.

What about you guys, do you already have your author photo or are you like me and putting it off until the last possible moment?

Being on Submission - The Process

I’ve been very lucky to have an extremely short submission period, and I know a lot of you are interested in what actually happens when you go on submission. Here goes:

The Pitch – It all starts with the pitch. This is very much like a query letter, but your agent will prepare it and send it out to publishers. Some agents will pitch in person, but it’s not uncommon to pitch over the phone or by email. Your agent should have editors in mind for your book when she/he signs you and will pitch to 10 to 15 editors at a time.

The Manuscript Request – Based on the initial pitch a publisher will either pass or request to read your manuscript. The response time can take less than a day to a couple of weeks, depending on your project and how swamped the editor is. If it’s a pass, it’s not necessarily because of your manuscript. The publisher may have just bought something similar or might not have the budget to make an offer. If it’s a yes, your agent will send along the manuscript, your bio, a series synopsis when relevant, and any other information they think the editor will want to know about you. Again, response times vary; a publisher can get back to you the next day or after six months. Just like with an agent, a publisher may not want to sign your work as is, and may request a rewrite.

The Offer – Hopefully, after all your hard work, you won’t stay in submission limbo for too long. If all the answers are no, it’s back to the drawing board, either with a rewrite or a new project, but there are several ways that a publisher can say yes.

1)      The Pre-empt – If an editor absolutely has to have your book, they’ll make you a pre-empt offer. Usually you’ll speak with your agent before hand about how much money you’ll consider taking for a pre-empt, but of course other factors will come into the equation, like if you connect with the editor or if you want a big or small publisher. You are never under any obligation to take a pre-empt, but they’ll want to know your answer within a couple of days. Your agent may still even negotiate a bit with them to see if they can go up. The whole point is that a publisher will throw a bunch of money at you and snag you before anyone else can.

2)      The Offer – If you don’t get a pre-empt, don’t freak out. You can still get an offer, usually a reasonable amount. At this point your agent will email everyone who has requested the manuscript and let them know you’ve received an offer. It’s kind of like when your agent offered you representation. As soon as other publishers know you have an editor interested, it will light a fire under their butts to read your manuscript and make their own offers. This can happen with a pre-empt too. Just be aware that other publishers will then make offers not knowing what the original publisher offered. It’s just how it’s done.

3)      The Auction – If a bunch of publishers make offers (but none large enough for you to take as a pre-empt), then your book could go to auction. This is when your agent will start the bidding at a low amount (lower than any of the offers most likely) and do a round robin bid, calling each publisher in turn. Certain publishing houses will drop out when the bidding gets to high and you’ll eventually get a final figure. Here’s the thing, you are under no obligation to take this figure. If the second highest publisher has a kick-ass editor that you’re dying to work with, take a little less money and work with them!

You’ll always be able to speak with any editor that makes an offer, it’s important to know what their vision is for your work and what edits they think your manuscript needs.

Maria over at Harper was so enthusiastic about my book, I knew she would invest a lot of effort and resources into making it successful. I feel very lucky to be working with her!

Whew! I think that’s the longest post I’ve ever written! Any questions?

It’s Official!

I'm a Harper Teen girl!

Here’s the publicity statement for Publishers Weekly that’s running today in the deals column:

Rights sold for debut author Demitria Lunetta's IN THE AFTER, the first in a post-apocalyptic YA trilogy set in a near future where Earth has been overrun by vicious, predatory creatures. Seventeen-year-old Amy thinks that she and the toddler she rescued from a desolate grocery store are the only humans left alive-until they find refuge in a survivors' colony called New Hope. But as Amy is drawn deeper into its secrets, she comes to realize that all is not what it seems. And the dark truth she uncovers about this brutal new world will change everything.

Maria Gomez of Harper Teen acquired World English, in a pre-empt, from Katherine Boyle at Veritas Agency. Author Demitria Lunetta has resigned from her job as a receptionist to write full-time.

So pick up a PW on the newsstand today and check out Rachel Deahl's column. I’m going to buy like 20 copies. J They’ll also be another statement in Publishers Lunch on Wednesday.

I’m already working with Maria on a few edits for the first book and soon I’ll start on book number two.

Back Wednesday with a post about the submission process.

Books I Love – Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves

After her father’s death, 16-year-old Hanna hitchhikes to Portero, Texas, the home of her mother, Rosalee, who abandoned her. Hanna is desperate for Rosalee to love and accept her, and Rosalee reluctantly makes a bargain: Hanna has two weeks to make friends and fit in at her school or she won't be allowed to stay. Hanna has never fit in anywhere, though. Struggling with manic depression, she hears voices and hallucinates, wears only purple dresses, and has a history of violence. Portero is no ordinary town, though, and Hanna learns that it is haunted by doors to other dimensions and plagued by dangerous creatures from those realms. Wyatt, a powerful young initiate in the Mortmaine, a demon-hunting organization, recruits Hanna, and together they struggle to deal with an ancient evil that threatens the town and Hanna’s future.

This book is majorly f***ed up…but in a good way. The main character is totally crazy cakes. Hanna’s father is dead, but still speaks to her and her mother doesn’t want anything to do with her. She also may or may not have killed her aunt when she ran away to find her mother. Um…to say she has faults is a bit of an understatement. Hanna makes decisions based on faulty reasoning…but who doesn’t? She knows she’s gorgeous and is really selfish, but is completely likeable because she is so very refreshing. There isn’t another main character like her out there.

There’s a lot going on in this book and you don’t know at first if the paranormal things are really happening or if they are a product of Hanna’s schizophrenic mind. I like this ambiguity, though it soon becomes apparent that Hanna isn’t just crazy…strange things happen to everyone in the town.

This book is for older teens, there is a lot of sex and violence, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Hanna is confident, in her looks and her body (if not in her grasp on reality) and understands the power that some women hold over men. Her mother is an extremely sexual person as is Hanna. She’s not naïve or clueless, as so many teenage girls are portrayed. Just a warning, if you like your YA PG, this is more like PG-13.

Has anyone else read it? What did you think?

Submission Update: I Took the Offer!

After careful consideration last week, I decided to take the pre-empt offer! The publisher is working on a publicity statement for Publisher’s Weekly right now. I’ll post that next week. My agent wants me to wait until that comes out to make the “official” announcement but I am very pleased with my choice and my editor.

Back Friday with a Book I Love and next week with more on the submission process, and of course, the publicity statement announcing my publisher.

Can I just say…WooooooooooooooooooooWeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

Whew, I think I needed to get that out of my system. J