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30 Ups and Downs of Publishing a Debut YA Novel PLUS a TALON by Julie Kagawa Giveaway

by Martina Boone
Nine months ago, I was still wide-eyed, expecting the release of COMPULSION in October, and waiting anxiously for THE BIG DAY. I’ve learned a lot in that year, a lot about gratitude, expectations, friendship, writing, readers, publicity, marketing, promotion, editing, deadlines, psyching yourself out . . .  I wish I’d known a lot of it when I started writing, so here’s a half-way humorous look back! Enjoy!
1. Wait forrrrrreverrrrrrrr for your first book to be published. You’re done. You’ve arrived. You’ve achieved your dream. You’re a real, actual writer, right?

2. Walk around in a fugue-state (mostly induced by lack of sleep due to revisions and working on the second book on contract)

3. Wake up with cold sweats at least once a week, increasingly more convinced that your agent will call and shout April Fools! Why would you ever have been silly enough to think that someone would publish your book?

4. Explain to your friends and family about a thousand times a week that young adult novels are real books.

5. Decide whether to laugh or cry when your mother discovers The CW and calls to tell you that apparently YA is a THING.

6. Find out your book will be in Walmart and Target and make your arms black and blue from pinching yourself. Wake up having dreamed your book hits the best-seller lists. Feel guilty for even having had that thought. Bad writer. Baaaaad writer. Knock on every wooden surface in the house, because clearly you’ve jinxed yourself. Why would you ever have been silly enough to think that someone might buy your book?

7. Mark off the days on your calendar until publication day. Hold your book. Go to bookstores and pet it and sign it. You can’t even. But that’s it., now you’re done, right? You’ve achieved your dream. You’re arrived. You’re a really truly for-real writer. Right? Right? RIGHT?


8. Oh, wait. WAIT! Your book is out in the world. People are buying it. People are reading it. People are … gulp … reviewing it.

9. You check Amazon rankings and reviews obsessively. Obsessively. And don’t forget Goodreads. Good grief.

10. Have people say horrible things about your book. Decide you HATE being an author.

11. Have people say wonderful things about your book. Decide you LOVE being an author.

12. Learn that publication is only the beginning. And you’re behind the power curve. What’s a book festival? There are more appearances after launch?

13. Discover readers. Actual readers. People who write you or tweet at you or Facebook you to tell you that they liked/loved/lived your book. You want to adopt every one of them. Hug them and squeeze them and call them George.

14. Okay, not the last thing, but all the rest. So, so much!
Get busy and frantic and lose track of why you loved writing in the first place.

15. Oh, um. Except. You’re supposed to be finishing that second book!!?!!
Worry about sales and reviews and deadlines for the first book and realize how wonderful it was to write a first book without worrying about any of that.

16. Turn in the second book. YAY! You did it. You didn’t think you could, but you figured it out. Writing the first one wasn’t a fluke. You’re finally a real writer. Um. Probably.

17. Hold on. What if the book sucks? People are going to READ this book. Maybe. Or not. What if no one reads it? What if no one reviews it? What if no one BUYS it?

18. Hyperventilate. Die. Hyperventilate some more.

19. Get tired of explaining to your mother that you won’t have your royalty statement and really know how your book is doing for almost a year after the book was published. (Meanwhile you’re grateful, because why would you ever have been silly enough to think that someone would buy your book and isn’t it better not to know for sure that they didn’t?

20. Rediscover blogging. Reading craft books and posts. The joy of critiquing and mentoring other writers. Re-energize yourself in the process of paying it forward by helping people the way other authors helped and continue to help you.

21. Turn in the third book. OMG. Finally. Now you’re definitely a real writer. Positively. For sure. You can Do. This. Thing.

22. Except hold on. Now you’re done. What if you never have another good idea?

23. Finally put the second book to bed and fondle the Advance Reader Copy. See it listed up on Edelweiss. Hear someone say that it’s getting buzz. Hyperventilate some more. Pinch yourself because clearly it’s a dream. Or a nightmare. Or a delusion. Hyperventilate all over again.

24. Get edits from your agent and realize how lucky you are to have her. Hear all the questions and nuggets of wisdom from your editor in your head as you revise.

25. Get a note from your publisher and remember all over again why you love them.

26. Get a note from a reader who LOVED your second book and gets exactly what you meant to say. Someone who needed to hear that message. Someone who thanks you for writing the book.

27. Remember why you write. For readers.

28. Admit that you will probably never feel like a real writer. That every book is going to be a new adventure, its own learning curve, and that you will always be surprised and grateful for every reader. Not just, as your mother points out, because they bought your book, but because they are reading your words, allowing your characters to live and breathe, and make your worlds come alive.

29. Look up from revisions and realize the paperback reprint of your first book comes out that week and book two comes out in three months. How on earth did that happen? Freak out all over again. Just a little bit. Go back to revisions.

30. Wake up with a SHINY NEW IDEA. Send proposal to your agent. Rinse. Repeat.

Martina Boone is the author of the romantic Southern Gothic Heirs of Watson Island trilogy from Simon & Schuster/Simon Pulse, including COMPULSION, described as Romeo and Juliet meets The Raven Boys meets Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

SPECIAL GIVEAWAY

Talon
by Julie Kagawa
Hardcover
Harlequin Teen
Released 10/28/2014

Long ago, dragons were hunted to near extinction by the Order of St. George, a legendary society of dragon slayers. Hiding in human form and growing their numbers in secret, the dragons of Talon have become strong and cunning, and they’re positioned to take over the world with humans none the wiser.

Ember and Dante Hill are the only sister and brother known to dragonkind. Trained to infiltrate society, Ember wants to live the teen experience and enjoy a summer of freedom before taking her destined place in Talon. But destiny is a matter of perspective, and a rogue dragon will soon challenge everything Ember has been taught. As Ember struggles to accept her future, she and her brother are hunted by the Order of St. George.

Soldier Garret Xavier Sebastian has a mission to seek and destroy all dragons, and Talon’s newest recruits in particular. But he cannot kill unless he is certain he has found his prey: and nothing is certain about Ember Hill. Faced with Ember’s bravery, confidence and all-too-human desires, Garret begins to question everything that the Order has ingrained in him: and what he might be willing to give up to find the truth about dragons.

Purchase Talon at Amazon
Purchase Talon at IndieBound
View Talon on Goodreads

a Rafflecopter giveaway

MORE GIVEAWAYS:

Don’t forget there are lots of opportunities to win COMPULSION swag this month, plus an oak tree necklace and a chance to win a great tote back and any YA novel of your choice! Click on any of the links below. There are interviews and fun information there too!  : )

Happy reading and writing! Have a great week!

Martina

Martina Boone

Martina Boone is the award-winning author of the romantic southern gothic Heirs of Watson Island series, starting with COMPULSION from Simon & Schuster, Simon Pulse and the Celtic Legends Collection of novels set in Scotland, Cornwall, and Ireland beginning with LAKE OF DESTINY. She’s passionate about improving lives through literacy and the love of books, and she runs the Compulsion For Reading program to distribute books to underserved schools and libraries.

She lives with her husband, children, Shetland Sheepdog Phinney, and Zoey the lopsided cat, and she enjoys writing contemporary romantic fiction with a hint of magic set in small towns and beautiful places. When she isn’t writing, she’s addicted to travel, horses, skiing, chocolate flavored tea, and anything with Nutella on it.

Post © Martina Boone and/or Adventures in YA Publishing. All rights reserved.
Posted: Aug 18, 2015
Category: Imported from AYAP
Tags: Inspiration for Writers | Martina Boone | YA Fiction Giveaways

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The first slide is an animation of a science/magic room in a castle. A cartoon character of a mad-scientist looking man in in the foreground says: “Hello! Dr. Frankenstein here to say, Well Done on kid lit zombie week! I’m an expert at reviving the dead, and let me assure you, with a little spark, you can bring dead projects to life. Especially if you dig up parts from other dead things. I’ll even let you have a sneak peek at my laboratory’s store room to consider potential parts for your dead project. If you see something with a yellow glow, that means you should click it. Have fun!”

He points to the right side of the screen and a new scene slides in of a castle science/magic storage room. There are various cartoon Frankenstein body parts scattered around. Some of them have a yellow glow. If you click on them, the images below appear (I’ve added alt text to them, so I hope it works).

The Heart of your story is the main character. The protagonist is the beating core that truly brings your story to life. If your MC doesn't make kids (and their grown-ups) care within the first few pages, your story will flatline. </p> <p>Your main character needs to be:<br /> • Relatable enough for kids to see themselves<br /> • Unique enough to stand out in the slush pile<br /> • Active enough to drive the story<br /> • Memorable enough to survive multiple readings at bedtime</p> <p>Where do you find this amazing donor heart? It might be the very thing you loved so much about the manuscript you want to revive. It might be the younger sister from your shelved YA novel. Or maybe it’s the hilarious kid you blogged about meeting at a school visit. Find a character beating with potential and place it in the center of your story.<br />
The Brain of your story is the theme or central message. The theme is the big idea that controls everything else. Picture books are more than stories - they're tiny life lessons disguised with humor and heart.</p> <p>But your theme needs to be:<br /> • Subtle enough not to trigger the dreaded "didactic" rejection<br /> • Clear enough for a four-year-old to grasp<br /> • Universal enough to speak to both kids and adults<br /> • Fresh enough to prevent agents and editors from responding with "Not another sharing/bedtime/first-day story!"</p> <p>Check your other dead manuscripts to see if there is a recurring theme, something that really seems to be speaking to you. Find the bit of poetry you scribbled on the back of a receipt to see what theme inspired it. Reread the pep talk you texted your critique partner at 1am. Pick the theme that will drive your story, giving it purpose, direction, and deeper meaning.<br />
The Legs of your story is the plot. Not to be confused with a grave plot.🤪 The plot is what keeps everything upright and moving, as well as providing support for all the other elements. You have very few words to use in a picture book, so you need to do a lot with each plot point.</p> <p>In general, your plot should:<br /> • Hook readers fast<br /> • Build tension that a child can follow<br /> • Create page turns that feel natural<br /> • Wrap up in a way that satisfies</p> <p>You can borrow a plot twist (a leg) from one manuscript and the opening (the other leg) from a different manuscript. Consider if the subplot of the middle grade novel you trunked would work better as a picture book. Or maybe your Facebook post about a disastrous camping trip could become a story for kids. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other until you have your storyline.
The Arms of your story are the side characters.
The Torso of your story is the setting. Setting helps a story breathe and connects all the elements of the story. It isn't just where your story lives, it's what makes your story ALIVE. It's the difference between "this happened in a park" and "this happened in that park, the one with the twisty slide that burns your legs and the creaky swing that sounds like a baby crying.”</p> <p>Your setting should:<br /> • Make your character's world feel real<br /> • Contain your story in a way that makes sense to young readers<br /> • Connect different scenes and moments organically<br /> • Give your illustrator enough room to add visual subplots</p> <p>Half-finished manuscripts are a great place to dig up settings, since you worked out the place details before the plot petered out. Or maybe you had to cut a second fantastic location from your chapter book. You can also revisit the detailed caption from your Instagram carousel documenting your tour of that delish candy shop. Disinter a robust setting that can house all of your story's vital organs.

After you press the Click When Done circle button, the lights flash with the sound of electricity buzzing. Then the screen goes black and lightning zaps across the screen with the sound of thunder.

The screen then lights up to show the storage room, and all the Frankenstein pieces have been assembled into the whole monster. An upbeat song plays in the background. Then a speech bubble pops up with the words, “I’m alive! I’M ALIVE!” Then the screen goes to black. 

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