Interview with Tara Sullivan

I'm lucky (or cunning) enough to have lured yet another successful writer over to my blog for an SAT - Successful Author Talk. SAT authors have conquered the query, slain the synopsis and attained the pinnacle of published. How'd they do it? Let's ask 'em! Today's guest for the SAT (Successful Author Talk) is fellow Class of 2k13 member Tara Sullivan. Tara's debut, GOLDEN BOY will be available from G.P. Putnam's Sons (Penguin) June, 2013.

Are you a Planner or Pantster?

Kind of a bit of both… I start with an idea and try to plan it out, but I always hit a wall I can’t figure out. It’s only when I start actually putting words on paper that the story unfolds around previously-impossible problems.

How long does it typically take you to write a novel, start to finish?

My debut, GOLDEN BOY, took me two years… though really the publication process has involved so much editing that I would count this year too.

Who is your agent and how did you get that "Yes!" out of them? 

I’m rep’d by the phenomenal Caryn Wiseman of the Andrea Brown Literary Agency. Here’s the story of how I got her interested in my work: I am a member of a writer’s group and, as such, we were able to get a grant from our local chapter of SCBWI for writer’s group development. We decided that, since we were all just starting to think about querying our work, the best use of this money would be to get an agent to talk to us. We sent a proposal to Caryn (as she expressed an interest in her online profile for work that fit the descriptions of what each of us was working on at the time) for a Skype video-conference and she agreed to talk to us about querying and the market in general. As part of the presentation she agreed to critique a query letter and 10-page submission from each of us to help us perfect our pitch. The evening was a phenomenal success: we all learned a lot about querying from an agent’s perspective, got to ask very specific questions, and heard a professional critique our submissions.

Thought it wasn’t officially a “query,” Caryn asked to see the full manuscript of GOLDEN BOY as soon as I had it ready. Luckily for me, she liked it when she got it and I have been able to benefit from her tireless, wonderful representation.

I like to tell this story to people because I think it’s a valuable lesson: think outside the box! Try to cultivate relationships with professionals in the field without asking for something back right away. Use resources available to you (especially ones that lend you professional credibility, like the SCBWI) to learn more about agents, your craft, and querying. If you don’t come through the regular channels, you never know what might happen: with a little extra careful reading, you too may get selected by your dream agent!

Any advice to aspiring writers out there on conquering query hell?

Find a way to de-couple your personal sense of self-worth from your query. This is really, really hard to do, but if you *can* find a way to not take it emotionally when someone (your writer’s group members, an agent, a well-meaning friend) critiques the way you wrote it, your query will slowly evolve into something better.

How much input do you have on cover art?

Let me first squee about my cover: Jesse Joshua Watson did a phenomenal job of putting a compelling portrait of Habo, my main character on it. Yay, Jesse!

To answer your question: some. Though I didn’t get to have much say in the overall design choices, I was actually amazed how much the people at Putnam/Penguin took my input into consideration. For example, in an early draft Habo’s face floated more and I was concerned that it didn't show clearly enough that he was albino. Jesse went back and added in the sunspots, the hair, and gave Habo that hauntingly vulnerable look. I was even allowed input into the choice of text. All in all, I feel very listened-to.

How much of your own marketing do you? 

So far, all of it! I’ve been told I will get to meet my in-house (As opposed to out-house? I’ve always wanted ask, but can’t quite find the gumption.) publicist about six months before my release date… so SOON, perhaps, I will have someone to help me with it. For now, though, you can come find me at my blog and Twitter. Also, GOLDEN BOY can be pre-ordered on Amazon & marked as to-read on Goodreads!

Cover Talk with Cat Winters

I love talking to my fellow authors. Our experiences are so similar, yet so very different, that every one of us has a new story to share. Everyone says that the moment you get your cover it really hits you - you're an author. The cover is your story - and you - packaged for the world. So the process of the cover reveal can be slightly panic inducing. Does it fit your story? Is it what you hoped? Will it sell? With this in mind I put together the CRAP (Cover Reveal Anxiety Phase) Interview.

Today’s guest is Cat Winters, author of In The Shadow of Blackbirds.

Did you have any pre-conceived notions about what you wanted your cover to look like?

There are two scenes in this book in which my main character, Mary Shelley Black, poses for a photographer who claims to capture the spirits of people’s loved ones in his pictures. I was really hoping one of those two ensuing photographs would appear on the cover—which is exactly what happened. The book’s designer, Maria T. Middleton, said that as soon as she finished reading the original manuscript, both she and my editor, Maggie Lehrman, agreed that the cover had to involve a sprit photograph. 

How far in advance from your pub date did you start talking covers with your house?

Around June 2012, ten months before the pub date, Maggie told me I’d probably see a cover by the end of the summer. She didn’t say what would be on the cover at the time, but I knew the design was going to be in the works. In July, she sent me a behind-the-scenes peek of a photo shoot, and I went running through my house with my laptop, screaming, “They’re doing a photo shoot! They’re doing a photo shoot!” My husband worried something horrible had happened because of all the shrieking. It was absolutely surreal to see a team of talented people recreating an image that had originated inside my own head.

Maggie also sent me a link to the website of the photographer, Symon Chow, and as soon as I saw his sample photographs, which all have an eerie, vintage vibe, I knew the cover was going to be amazing. 

Did you have any input on your cover?

My agent, Barbara Poelle, put a clause into my contract saying that the publisher was required to consult with me on the cover, which they did, although I honestly didn’t have any suggested changes. I thought the photo shoot sneak peek looked perfect—the cover model shared my main character’s eye and hair color, she was dressed like my main character, down to the goggles around her neck, and she was an actual teenager, not a twenty-five-year-old woman pretending to be sixteen. I definitely gave my approval at that stage, and when I saw the sample cover treatments, I was one-hundred-percent in agreement with the cover that everyone at Amulet Books liked best.

How was your cover revealed to you?

On August 9, my editor sent me an email containing five cover treatments. All of them contained the same photograph and lettering, and only the borders and the color of the font varied in each sample. I loved three of the five options, including the design that was chosen. 

The biggest surprise for me was the font Maria used. I was expecting lettering that would be a run-of-the-mill Gothic historical font. What I got instead was bold and edgy and perfect for my 1918 time period, an era that marked the beginning of the 1920s art deco style. I believe there may have also been an American Horror Story influence.

Was there an official "cover reveal" date for your art?

No. Amulet Books doesn’t really work that way. My editor sent me the final cover on September 26 and said I was free to share it. I immediately sent out teaser tweets and Facebook posts saying I would reveal the cover the following morning at 5:00 AM Eastern Time, and I prepared a post to go live on my site at that time. When I turned on my computer the following morning at 7:45 AM Pacific, I saw nonstop tweets about the cover. Even though it was a spur-of-the moment reveal on my own website, I felt it went really well.

How far in advance of the reveal date were you aware of what your cover would look like? 

Seven weeks.

Was it hard to keep it to yourself before the official release?

Yes, definitely. I shared it with my mom and sister with emails that strictly stated, “Do not share this ANYWHERE online.” I had dinner with authors Kendare Blake, Marta Acosta, and Lisa Desrochers during their summer book tour in August and snuck them a peek at a printout of the cover. Their jaws dropped when they saw it, so I knew I’d struck gold with my designer. 

What surprised you most about the process?

How easy it was. I had heard so many awful stories about authors who hated their covers and had no say in them, plus most authors typically watch their covers undergo several alterations before everyone decides on the best design. Mine was a case of “Here are the cover samples, and here’s the one we like best,” and my agent and I were in complete agreement. We didn’t even ask for any minor tweaks. I don’t think that happens often, and I feel really, really lucky. 

Any advice to other debut authors about how to handle cover art anxiety?

Ask your agent to put a clause in your contract that allows you to have a say in the design, which will give you peace of mind when you’re waiting. And don’t read too many cover design nightmare stories. Those scenarios don’t happen to everyone.

50 Pages or A Sex Scene

That's when I make a decision, as a reader.

I've been reading since I was little. Granted, I wasn't reading books with more than 50 pages, or anything containing sex scenes, but I'm sure I had a system even then to distinguish between what I wanted, and what I didn't want. It probably related to illustrations and inclusion of, or lack of, kitty cats.

Now that I'm older I've got a handy little thing called Goodreads that I use to make my list of "to-reads." And oh my, friends, that last is long. So long that I really should consider breaking a leg or devising a bed rest of some sort here soon.

I exercise, I eat (somewhat) healthy, I've got a pretty clear family history when it comes to the really bad health words. But... I've got a nagging sensation that I won't ever be able to read all the books that I want to read before you know - I 'm dead.

That's because I work in a library, and every box I open tends to add another 4-5 books to the "to-read" list, whereas every week I chalk up at the most 2 on the "read" list. It's not a good ratio. So I'm re-instituting a rule I devised in college, when pleasure reading took a backseat (pun intended) to the meatier (pun intended) stuff.

50 Pages or A Sex Scene

That's right. If I could give less of a crap about the characters or plot in the first 50 pages OR if I get to sex scene that does absolutely nothing for me, then the book is dead to me, and it goes on the "not-to-be-read" pile. 

Granted, some books have a sex scene much quicker than others. The most memorable early sex scene I can remember was a Page Two event that really did nothing for me, but I kept going because I was intrigued by the balls it took to just throw that out there. In the end, the book was crap, but it was a lesson learned.

What's your rule? When do you decide to part ways with the not-so-awesome plot?