Author, editor, publishing professional. I help you make your writing better. #6StagesOfSelfEditing Linktr.ee/ginad129
1,373 followers 75 following 639 posts
view profile on Bluesky
“Agents can’t possibly tell if they’re gonna love the book in just the first five pages!!!” Right. But they can tell if it’s not right for them in that amount of time. Sample pages are a filtering tool, and if the agent isn’t hooked, then they’re never gonna fall in love the way they need to.
Today I told A Man what I do for a living and in the course of that conversation he laughed at the phrase “self published rapid release romances” So, in case you need some spite and rage to fuel your work today 🫡
Literary agents are paid on commission. When you receive money from a publisher, your agent takes a 15% cut. They do not charge reading fees or submission fees or maintenance fees. Do not pay for representation up front.
Well that’s a delightful new thing to worry about.
It keeps coming up with some version of “I buy SOME books so it should be okay that I only steal SOME OTHER books” and that just simply isn’t how ethics work
I don’t know why the pro-book-pirating crowd keeps popping up in my algorithm but I don’t support piracy. Use your library. Shop used. Borrow from your friends. Ask for books/bookstore gift cards as gifts. Unless you live in a place where the book is literally illegal: Don’t. Steal. Books.
It’s always a different question. Sometimes it’s about stakes, sometimes about structure, sometimes motivations. But there’s always *something* the author couldn’t see and I love helping them see it.
I’ve been doing “premise and plot” chats with authors, helping them work through stories that are giving them trouble and it has to be some of the most rewarding work I’ve done. There’s always one question that the author hadn’t thought of that unlocks the whole story. It’s like magic.
This is the truth
Prologues, but on youtube instead of tiktok this time. And they decided I was too ugly to be taken seriously at my actual job so that’s fun too 🙃
And also… they can just do a hard thing and ignore the lady on the internet!
Absolutely love when someone asks for advice and I give advice to that person and basically the advice is “that’s gonna be hard to sell and here’s why” and dudes come from all over to tell me I’m wrong because their favorite something something whatever did it forty years ago so I must be stupid
I’m a “training wheels” and “bumper pads” kind of parent so we slowly introduce elements of smart phones but when I was a teacher I was genuinely shocked by how many kids just … had the whole internet in their pocket with no supervision at all
1. Scam alert thread! 🧵 Watch out for out-of- the-blue emails from supposed marketing experts claiming they just happened on your book & are eager to promote it. This is something I'm seeing more and more of. Marketing scams aren't new, but this is a new twist.
I’m just an editor, standing in front of your manuscript, begging you to stop making your characters wink every couple pages
The medium and big publishers have huge marketing departments. Watch BookJobs.com for marketing job opportunities
The same as more than half of all vowels I say: uh. Which is also how the “a” sounds in that word
So much of it is just a bunch of unsexy business decisions and people do not want to hear about it
If you think traditional publishing doesn’t do *any* marketing, you might just not understand what marketing is. They can and should do more, especially for their marginalized authors and mid list authors. But they are never doing “nothing”.
If you start writing a new wonderfully weird idea, but you run into trouble executing that wonderfully weird idea, there are two possible causes: 1. it’s a dumb idea that won’t work 2. you’re a visionary genius & the only person who can pull it off The only way to know? Keep writing.
Woke up to lots of A.I. and… em dash discourse? If you’re a new writer getting stressed over that, please know using the beloved em dash, en dash, or just a regular ol’ dash is normal and perfectly fine. Don’t let social media twist you into knots over here.
This is what unilateral control of the federal government looks like. And it’s bad.
My ten-year-old is playing Fortnite in his Homer Simpson slippers with headphones on, singing along to Kpop Demon Hunters soundtrack at the top of his lungs and it’s the cutest thing to happen in my house in a long time
And I’m doing that. I have monthly recurring donations to a local food bank and immigrant protection group. Our jobs (the whole family) are all doing the good work. We’re involved in the community. I just feel totally helpless.
I don’t know what to do. I voted. I volunteered. I called my reps (though they all voted against it from the start). I donated. I had hard conversations, so many that I lost friends and lost contact with family. I’m raising my children to do the right thing. But I’m at a loss. What else is there?
Does anybody remember that Adam Sandler movie where he gets a remote control so he can skip over all the fun parts of his life and get back to work? No reason.
Considering the AI summary of my text messages routinely tells me the exact opposite of what the 12-word text message actually says… It’s gonna be a hard “no” from me on this. Do not ever under any circumstances trust an AI summary of your contract.
Popping in on this Friday afternoon to tell every aspiring writer on #Bluesky what a wealth of expertise @ginad129.bsky.social is. Seriously—her TikTok, Patreon, editing/pitch services are all exceptional. A treasure! #writersofbluesky #querying #WIP
Luckily I did absolutely nothing to summon them, so I can stay outta this one entirely lol
I did not summon the Star Wars guys to my comment section. I never summon Star Wars guys to my comment section. And yet they have arrived anyway.
Today I learned that Carla Gugino has a brother AND a father named Carl Gugino
Submit when ready!
Don’t pay anybody. The number of legitimate hybrid publishers is so vanishingly small that you should assume they’re all scams until you’re well-established in the business and have the tools to properly vet them. Don’t pay anyone a single cent to publish your work for you.
There is no such thing as “just” self publishing. Trad pub is not impossible. Both paths are difficult for different reasons, both paths can be the right path for you for different reasons.
Writing is an art. Publishing is a business. Your desire to pursue artistic expression does not require you to pursue the business of publishing. You are under no obligation to monetize your joy.
And that it’s THE key to everything 😬
If a literary agent is saying they only take clients who are easy to work with because the book-to-film adaptation process is stressful… run. That person has no idea what it means to actually be a literary agent.
There is a site obviously created by AI that is pretending to be a continuation of Pitch Wars. It is not, has nothing to do with anyone involved in #pitchwars, and looks quite scammy. Please beware & tell your friends. @brendadrake.bsky.social @kellyekell.bsky.social @authorsoniahartl.bsky.social
“As a writer who is also a reader—“ Babes. I’m gonna stop you right there because if you’re not a reader, you’re not a writer.
Called out by a Green brother wasn’t on my list of things to get done today but here we are
My kids are kind of freaking out and it doesn’t feel great to be just sort of sighing like, “yeah, this is what the GOP does…”
And he’s just one of many. I flat-out do not understand how much of the world one has to ignore in order to think “everything for adults is x-rated”
Most of the authors who use it hate it, but it’s how readers search for them. This is unfortunately the nature of the beast.
They’re not reading widely enough. They’re not paying attention to what they’re reading. They’re apparently reading stuff they don’t enjoy? They’re not even trying to get outside of the algorithm spoon feeding them stuff
If I had a dollar for every time someone said “I wish I could sell my book as adult fiction but it’s not spicy so I’m forced to sell it as YA” I would be able to stop making social media content entirely Folks. No one is gonna force you to spice up your book. Adult books can be G rated.
I genuinely meant it when I recently told a client that a darling he cut would make an excellent prequel novella someday. And frankly, this book is so good that I think a pub just might let him run away with a big, fat book as his debut.
Every day, someone will ask me some form of “what if I have too much X in my writing?” X can be dialogue, description, time jumps, scenes where nothing happens, whatever The answer is so simple that it sounds like I’m mocking you: Delete it. If you have too much, delete it.
Just crazy enough that it could work
my hottest educational take is that schools should actively, non-punitively teach students how to admit when they don't know something, aren't sure or have made a mistake, with various teaching frameworks adapted to support this ideal, because people who can't admit fault are breaking the world
Reposting with alt-text:
Does your query letter answer the following questions: Who is the protagonist? What does she want? What is standing in her way? What is she willing to do to get it? What happens if she fails? Sometimes, you might also need: Why her? What “chosen one” attribute does she bring to the table?
Same. If you’ve got enough meat in your story to have clearly defined arcs for both people, that’s gonna be a good read.
Gatsby is another super famous example.
Just because you have six POV characters does not mean you have six protagonists in this story They are all the protagonist of their own story, just not the one you’re writing right now
Semi-regular PSA for writers that “POV character” is not a synonym for “protagonist”. You can have POV characters who aren’t protagonists and (less commonly) vice versa. In fact, your POV/narrator, main character, hero, and protagonist *could* conceivably all be different people.
Look at your first scene as if it's a play. Are your characters simply standing on stage, thinking? Are they moving things around? What does it look like, visually? Is there dialogue? Visual interest, movement + change you can see make the scene feel more dynamic and alive.
Also I have completed the ritual of packing my CD binder into a box to be moved to my new home despite still not having a device on which to play all my mixed CDs
We are moving house and downsizing so I am now forced to defend my emotional support blank notebooks that are too pretty to write in
I 100% stand by this mantra
Best general writing advice: - every character is the protagonist of their own story, it’s just not this story - good stories come from stupid decisions - actually this is all life advice - you are your own protagonist and maybe you should let yourself make stupid decisions for the plot
Hey. You should be writing.
Yet again, I am telling the publishing world to ignore the voices that are making you panic, especially if they stand to profit off your panic. Publishing takes talent, hard work, perseverance, and some luck. Anyone who says a certain amount spent will shortcut the line is flat-out lying to you.
Ask a librarian or a bookseller. If you don’t have a library or indie bookstore, find them on social media.
Are you a writer pursuing publication? You need a writing group and you need to read a lot. It doesn’t matter what skills you brought with you to this endeavor. It doesn’t matter how much time you’ve already devoted. Join a writing group. Read a lot. Best ROI you could ever imagine.
Prior to April 1, Storyteller Talent Agency was OptionAvenue, a "showcase" for authors wanting to connect with Hollywood that also charged $95/mo & never publicly shared any evidence of successful acquisitions. Ditto, so far, for Storyteller's client list 5/6 storytellertalentagency.com/authors/
They’re all just in my comment section on TikTok and I block them before it turns into a fight. I don’t need the views bad enough to let them interfere with my day
This week I’ve blocked people for saying: - there is no merit in trad pub - audiobooks don’t count - agents are discriminating against straight white authors - teachers are to blame for the rise of AI usage - romantasy sucks Fights would boost engagement rates but I choose peace 😇
anyway, I always like it when people realize you can read ROMEO + JULIET as an absolutely absurd comedy and remember that "Two households, both alike in dignity" means they both can have *no dignity at all* and why am I thinking about this right now, no reason at all
Debuts often want to host a signing in their hometown, so they’ll arrange with the bookseller ahead of time, and the store will have some stock on hand to prepare for the event
The publisher sends out catalogs and markets directly to booksellers. That’s not the author’s job nor the literary agent’s job. There are conventions for this side of the business, too
If you’re selling like crazy and a tour makes financial sense, then the publisher will arrange and pay for travel. The bookstores will carry additional stock and might even require purchase for attendance
It varies, but the most common way is that the author will set this up with the bookstore directly, but the bookstore carries the stock for attendees to buy. Why would a bookstore host an event where the author brought their own stock?
A legitimate literary agent will not charge you a monthly fee for representation. A legitimate literary agent will not call a bookstore in a mall to set up your book signing and ask how many copies of the book you should bring with you for that signing. That’s not how ANY of this works.
It is raining in Phoenix on June 2nd. It also rained in Phoenix on June 1st. This is the second time in recorded history that this has happened. Last time was in 1914.
There are so many authors from Utah, especially kids authors, this is bananas lol
I LOVE being done with my day at 9am though!!! 😅
I don’t rate anything publicly, for a bunch of reasons related to my platform and editing business.
There might be legitimate problems, but I’ll be back for more in a couple weeks.
I don’t rate books publicly but my personal rating system, for my own reference and enjoyment, is: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️=I never set it down out of boredom. Absolutely would recommend. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️=I enjoyed this. Would recommend to fans of the genre. ⭐️⭐️⭐️=I enjoyed this. But it’s book Taco Bell. ⭐️⭐️=I finished this. ⭐️=DNF.
Don’t comment on strangers bodies. And, no, being visible on the internet is not actually an invitation for you to speculate about my health or personal life based on my appearance.
It’s extremely rude of my inbox to be waiting for me to return from the long weekend
Gentle reminder that Memorial Day is a tribute to those who fell in the line of duty. If you want to honor all veterans, living or dead, no matter the cause of death or lingering consequences of their service, that day is Veterans Day in November.
AI ads know their target demo, lonely losers.
We roasted it last summer but then my youngest was sad “… I actually like this 🥺” so we had to stop making fun
I’ve got a one-hour live Q&A session this afternoon for Patreon subscribers. Ask your writing, editing, publishing questions www.patreon.com/posts/129687...
Highly recommend using the 8-point plot beat sheet by @ginad129.bsky.social. Has helped me stay on task! www.patreon.com/posts/only-p... #amwriting #writer #writingresources #writingcommunity #writingtips #writertok #writingabook #publishing #writesky #amquerying
“It should be SEARCH party of four. How can you eat at a time like this? People are missing.”
If you are querying and think to yourself, “should I include my prologue?” That is the sign that you should cut the prologue completely. If the book can stand without it… let the book stand without it. If there’s any part of you that thinks the prologue doesn’t need to be there, cut it.
We have wheat AND corn allergies in this house and it is absolutely bonkers. Bonkers expensive. Bonkers hard to find stuff.
I stand by this
Yeah this guy was not on nearly enough Hear Me Out cakes
And like every time I see one of those videos I could legitimately believe the woman is anywhere from 25-50 and I wouldn’t be surprised at all
I may or may not be smart but I at least know better than to get on TikTok and ask everyone how old they think I am
If you’re writing your favorite trope but it’s just not hitting like you hoped, dig into why that trope usually works. Example: the chosen one trope hits because it means magic can come from anywhere, not “this one kid is the only worthwhile kid”. Writing it the second way will fall flat.
No actual writer wants this shit. Please stop forcing it on us.
I am so grateful that comfy shoes, visible socks, baggy shirts, low maintenance hair, and no-makeup-makeup has all come back in style when I’m in my 40s. I’m so tired. Being able to wear cushy sneakers and not put on a 30-minute face every day is a godsend.
It is not my job to know the difference between “clamber” and “clamor” It is my job to know there is a difference and to take the time to look it up (is what I tell myself every time I look it up)
This was my biggest complaint about the new Captain America. Why did every scene look like it was filmed under a blanket
