Many authors (present company included) have excellent verbal skills–at least on the page–but less native skill in business and interpersonal communication. Let’s face it: many of us write because we don’t express ourselves as well in person in the real world. Even for those with stellar skills, author-agent communications often involve a learning curve. Most debut authors have little experience working with a representative, and don’t know how to manage expectations. With that in mind, here are some tips for managing communications in the author-agent relationship. 1. When querying, follow the instructions on the agency website precisely. Literary agents receive tens of thousands of
Read moreMonth: April 2016
Kyoto’s Beloved Penguins
What’s not to love about penguins? and moult at about a year old, at which point they grow their adult feathers: …to a pile of feathers, representing the molt of a juvenile penguin becoming an adult. I’ve blogged before about the curious “march of the penguins” that takes place each afternoon, where keepers roam the exhibit carrying fish in order to ensure the penguins exercise (in a game of “follow the fish”) and to observe their general health. This emphasis on education, as well as exhibition, and clear concern for the animals’ welfare carried through the entire Kyoto Aquarium. The animals seemed happy,
Read moreGion: Kyoto’s Oldest Geisha District
During the 17th century, the Japanese shogun established special districts, called hanamachi, in which geisha (“geiko” in Kyoto dialect) were ordered to live and work. (A note: although many Westernizations use the term “geishas” as the plural form, I prefer to stick with “geisha” in the plural, because it more closely parallels Japanese.) Kyoto has five such districts, of which Gion is the oldest and most famous. (Pontocho, which features in several of my Hiro Hattori novels, is a close second.) As an official “historic preservation district,” Gion remains, in many ways, an eighteenth century town. Traditional two-story houses, called machiya, line the narrow streets. In Japan,
Read moreWhat is a Maiko?
In Kyoto, the word maiko refers to an apprentice geiko (elsewhere in Japan, these entertainers are referred to as “geisha”)–a woman who has not yet completed the necessary training and ceremonies to become a full-fledged geiko, or entertainer. Since maiko normally go to the hairdresser only once a week, they rest their necks on traditional wooden stands (known as takamakura) while sleeping. This way, the elaborate hairstyle remains in place. Traditionally, geisha (or geiko) wear a white collar (han’eri) inside the neckline of their dress kimono, while the collar of a maiko is normally red. Also by tradition, a new or debuting maiko’s collar is not only red, but unadorned. Later
Read moreThe “Birth” of Promised to the Crown
Today, please welcome my friend and fellow historical fiction author Aimie K. Runyan, whose debut historical novel Promised to the Crown releases on April 26 from Kensington Books. If creative writing classes do nothing else, they train a writer to work on a deadline and to hunt for ideas everywhere. A lot of people may scoff at trying to learn writing in a formal classroom setting, but if it weren’t for a creative writing class I took on a lark when I was in graduate school, PROMISED TO THE CROWN might not exist. I was in my last semester at Indiana University,
Read moreWhat to Look For In a Literary Agency Contract
Today, we continue the #Publishing Law for Writers series on literary agents with a look at agency contracts. When a literary agent offers a writer representation, the agent should also give the author a contract that governs that relationship. In most (if not all) U.S. states, the law requires an agency relationship of this nature to be documented in writing. Even if the law did not require a written contract, both agent and author benefit from a contract. Contracts clarify the parties’ rights, duties, and obligations, and avoid ambiguity. Sometimes, authors find contracts “scary” or “too formal”–but publishing is a business, and
Read moreMeet the Porcelain Crabs: Ripley, Small, and the Alien Queen
Although not actually “true crabs” (they’re crustaceans, but from the family Porcellanidae) porcelain crabs resemble “real” crabs to a degree that most people can’t actually tell the difference. Porcelain crabs have flat, round bodies–much like those of real crabs–which evolved over time to fit easily into crevices and under rocks–the creature’s preferred living quarters in the wild. You can find them living in almost every ocean (except the Arctic and Antarctic Oceans), but look carefully–the average porcelain crab has a body less than an inch in diameter. Some 277 species of porcelain crabs have been recorded, and fossils suggest the porcelain crab has been around since at
Read moreGeisha in Japan’s Medieval Age
Geisha (often known as “geiko” in Kyoto) are Japanese female entertainers–primarily hostesses and performers–whose origins run hundreds of years into Japan’s medieval past. Geishas normally lived in a house with other entertainers–often owned by a retired (or particularly famous) geisha, who could afford to pay for the lavish kimono and other adornments geisha wore during their evening activities. Many of these kimono were heirlooms, passed down from mother to daughter or from master to apprentice. (The price for a single geisha kimono and adornments was often more than a samurai warrior earned in a year.) Geishas passed on their knowledge by taking apprentices–either their daughters, or girls
Read moreShinobi News
I’ve been delinquent with news postings lately- something I’ll fix in the months to come. For today, on with the news! As I’ve mentioned, my mystery series, which features ninja detective Hiro Hattori and his Portuguese Jesuit partner, Father Mateo, is now published by Seventh Street Books. The change begins with book 4: The Ninja’s Daughter–but the characters haven’t changed. The first three novels–Claws of the Cat, Blade of the Samurai, and Flask of the Drunken Master are still in print and published by Minotaur Books. Moving forward, the novels will release in trade paperback and ebook formats from Seventh Street Books–whose amazing new
Read more5 Things To Watch for in Publishing Option Clauses
Most publishing contracts include not only a grant of rights to publish the work the contract governs but also an “option clause” giving the publisher rights of first refusal to consider the author’s next work(s) of fiction. Carefully tailored option clauses are beneficial to authors as well as publishers, but authors need to ensure the option doesn’t overreach or bind them inappropriately. Appropriately-drafted option clauses have three important features: 1. The option governs the author’s next book length work in the same series or next book-length work in the same genre only. 2. The option gives the publisher a right to review the work and to
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