The Heart of an Indie Author

The Heart of an Indie Author

As some of you know my name is Quinn Loftis and  I am the author of The Grey Wolves Series. I published my first book in June of 2011 and since have published 2 others. The fourth in the series will be coming out in 10 days. I am still very new to the world of Indie Authors but I have come to realize already what an amazing community it is. I have "met" so many awesome authors and heard their stories on how they came to be authors. We have shared frustrations, triumphs, fears, failures, joys, success, and our stories with one another. I have learned more about writing through these other authors than I ever did in a class room or book and I have been blessed to get to see them each be successful in their work. 

One of the things that I don't think readers understand (and I don't say this to be disrespectful) is the hard work that and Indie Author puts into one book. The hours of writing, the proofing, the cover, the publicizing, altering the website when necessary, blogging, responding to email, face book and twitter- all for the love of putting out a book that will bring a reader joy, sorrow, anger, passion, redemption, jealousy, fear, love. I can attest that there is nothing greater than finishing a book after all of the work, putting it out there and then getting positive reviews. When that happens all the hard work is more than worth it. The most amazing thing about Indie Authors is they don't resent the work, they don't hate doing all their own leg work and footing out all the money for give away's and swag and book tours. They do it because the genuinely love the art of writing.They do it because to them, to us, their is nothing more satisfying than writing a book and knowing you have invoked emotions for a reader, that you have created a world that they want to escape to and hate having to leave even if only long enough to put the clothes in the dryer.

The world of an Indie Author is exhausting no doubt. It is at times very painful when you read a harsh review. It is rewarding, but sometimes that reward is bitter sweet. Above all the world of and Indie Author is a dream come true. Thanks to the awesome invention of the internet, and then the electronic readers it is now possible for people to make their dream of being published a reality. I will not say that what I do now as an Indie Author is harder than being a nurse. But just as being a nurse had it's difficult points so does writing.
 I am so thankful to be able to share with other writers what it's like to do this day in and day out. I have a new respect when I read a book especially by and Independent Author for how much work goes into a novel and when I read a review that attacks the author I try to remember that if you have never written a book then you can't possibly understand the vulnerability and humility it takes to do so and to put it out there for the world to see. I believe Indie Authors are the future in literature. There is so much raw talent out there that gets over looked by agents and publishers who are in a hurry to find the next best seller. When you download an Indie Authors book, I hope that you will think back on these words and smile knowing that the persons heart was poured into the pages and it was done knowing they wouldn't become rich from it, they probably wouldn't become a New Your Times bestseller, they might not even sell more than a few dozen copies, but to have one person read their book. To have one person be affected by their words is enough. That is the heart of the Indie Author.

Thank you so much for your time, 

Quinn Loftis

Exciting News!

I have some exciting news. If you missed it, I've been working on a WIP titled STEEL LILY. I actually posted a short teaser from it in this post on my personal blog, so if you're curious, go check it out! :) Well, I'm excited to say that Steel Lily landed me an agent!!! ::does a happy dance::

I am officially represented by Lauren Hammond of ADA Management! ::throws confetti::

When I tweeted about it, I had a friend ask if I would blog about it. While I hadn't planned on it, it seemed like a good idea, so here we are. :)

When I started querying, I had a friend of mine go over my query with me. She helped me make it shine. When we were finished, I thought we had put together a pretty darn good query...definitely the best one I've submitted with. So, with much trepidation, I hit the "send" button to agents. But this time, unlike the others, I only queried agents I *knew* were people I liked. People I knew would be great to work with, had qualities I wanted, and that were well versed in the literary world.

I thought it'd take a while to get bites, but thankfully, I was wrong. I queried Lauren on April 12th, and got a request for the full the same day. I was beyond thrilled! I also got other requests (8 total, I believe) for fulls as well, so I was pretty excited!

Then came the first email. The agent was VERY excited about my book, but wanted some revisions. I agreed with them, so I set to doing them. I got a couple declines, and then it came.

"The Call."

I missed it, because my phone was on silent.

OH. MY. GAWD.

I checked my voicemail and there it was, Lauren Hammond telling me she wanted to talk about representing Steel Lily. I squealed. I scared my 9 month old child with my giddiness.

And I called her back. :)

We talked for quite a while, and it was great to chat and hear her vision for Steel Lily, as well as get to know her style as an agent. I got off the phone wanting to tell her yes, but wanting to give the other agents time to read, as well as sleep on the decision. (ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS give the other agents that have your MS time to read. It's just the nice thing to do. If you physically/emotionally/mentally cannot do that, then at least email them and tell them you're pulling it from consideration. Don't waste their time by having them read something they won't even be able to acquire if they do like it.)

We agreed we'd reconvene in two weeks. I notified all the agents that still had my MS. But...I started to really look into Lauren's other clients. Talked to a few of them. They were all super positive about their experiences, and Lauren's deals on Publisher's Marketplace made me confident in her abilities (ALWAYS check your agents on PM. If they're not recording deals, then will they be able to land one for you??). I talked to my husband, my writer friends, heck, even non-writer friends about it. I really liked what I was seeing, but I thought I should wait.

I made it through the weekend.

After an email came from an agent who declined, I breathed a sigh of relief. I had told my husband I was going to feel bad having to tell them no, because I wanted Lauren. He looked at me, with all his sensibility (God love him), and said, "If you know who you want, then why don't you just accept her offer?"

Made sense to me.

So I emailed the remaining agents and let them know that I was going to accept Lauren's offer. I couldn't wait. I knew who I wanted.

I called Lauren, we chatted, and I said "HECK YEAH I WANNA BE ON TEAM HAMMOND!"

Or something of that derivative. :)

So that's my story. I'm thrilled to have Lauren as an agent, and I can't wait to see what she does with Steel Lily. Hopefully in the future I'll be able to tell you that it has a home, and you'll be able to pick it up in a bookstore near you!

As for any writers that may be reading who are still looking for an agent, don't give up. It only takes one yes. :)

Interview with Inara Scott

 

Hey all you readers and writers! Emma Michaels here to introduce our guest author of the day:

Inara Scott

Hello Inara and welcome to The Writers Voice!

Who reads your manuscripts before you submit them?

My husband reads everything I write. He used to be a middle school teacher, and is now a principal, so he really connects well with kids' brains, and is amazing at giving me feedback. I have a critique partner, who writes adult romance, and she is my sounding board for plotting and always one of the first to see my work. After it gets through these people, it goes to my agent.

Do you have a day job? Do you hope that writing will be your full time career in the future?

Right now, writing is my full time job!

What are you working on now?

Revising a new YA, which is a paranormal thriller. I'm also thing about the third book in my Delcroix series. I will probably be writing that next!


What’s your favorite way to procrastinate?

Twitter. Ice cream. Butterscotch chips. Biting my fingernails. (I have lots!)

Where do you do your best writing? Do you like to have certain surroundings?

I write best early in the morning when there's no distractions. A cup of coffee (lots of cream and sugar) enhances my mood. :) Sometimes I turn off my wifi to force myself off the Internet. This definitely helps my focus.

If you could live in one book for a day, what would it be?

Dragonflight, by Anne McCaffrey. I desperately wish I could imprint a dragon.

To all our readers out there, thank you for following The Writers Voice and happy reading!

My first novella!

I'm celebrating a new release this week! I'm excited about it because it brings back characters I love and also it's the first novella I've ever written.

Overtime is the continuation of the story from my book Troy High. Ever since Troy High was first published three years ago, I've gotten lots of emails from readers asking what happens after that story ends. Do the couples formed in that book stay together? Is Hunter ever able to play football again? Does Lucas ever get over Elena? Is anyone ever punished for the prank war?

So I decided to write a story that reunites the Trojans and Spartans once more and helps answer these questions. The dedication for the novella says, "To everyone who asked for more stories about Cassie, Greg, Elena, and the others--this one's for you!" And it really is a story I wrote just for my readers. Thank you to everyone who told me how much they enjoyed Troy High and asked for more to the story. I had SO much fun bringing Cassie and Greg and everyone else to life again. I have to say that Lucas was my favorite to write about in this book. He has all the best lines and he's so devious. I think the characters grow up a lot in this story and I enjoyed seeing how the events between the schools have changed them.

Here is the summary of Overtime:


Five months ago, the epic rivalry between the Trojans and Spartans ended in flames. Now the two schools exist in an uneasy ceasefire as a community event threatens to push them over the edge.

Cassie Prince just wants to focus on her new relationship. But is happiness possible in a place where loyalties run deep?

If you enjoyed Troy High, I hope you'll check out Overtime. It's available now in ebook format and is a very low price for a limited time. You can find out more and where to buy it on my website. You can also check out Troy High on my website too if you haven't read it yet and buy it either in print, ebook, or audiobook format.

Remembering Why We Write

I try to attend a writer's conference every three to six months.Writing is a lonely venture. Just me and these imaginary people who talk to me sometimes. I spend most of each day seated behind my desk, typing on my computer. It's a life I love, but I need to get out every now and again, and conferences provide that opportunity.

While the food is usually mediocre and the strange hotel beds creak in ways that wake me early, the workshops and the networking opportunities provide me with a bit of oomph. That is, I come away with  a nugget or two that will help me in either my craft or the business side of being a writer. And sometimes I come away with a bit more--with a reminder of why I write in the first place. (Hint: it's not for the book signings, lovely as they are.)

The SCBWI  Oregon spring conference I attended this past weekend was one of those that gave me "a bit more" and will no doubt be helpful the next time I question why I do this crazy art-making called novel writing.

Two different editors said things that really struck me.

First, Melissa Manlove, editor at Chronicle Books (check 'em out here) addressed her passion to create books that will resonate with young readers who have, perhaps, never experienced that magic which lies inside a book. She pointed out that it only takes one book for a non-reader to become a reader and that everything changes for the child who makes this transition. "Once you become a reader, it will change your whole life," said Manlove. Um. Wow. Yes. I might have cried a little when she said this. It's why I write. Because reading changes your life.

Next, Andrew Karre, editorial director of Carolrhoda Books, Carolrhoda Lab, and Darby Creek, issued a prescriptive for writers of young adult fiction. He insisted YA writers shouldn't write for teens. Rather, we should think of ourselves as writing about teens. Now, the difference is subtle, and may even seem to fly in the face of what I found so moving about Manlove's observation that books change lives.

As I thought through the apparent conflict between the two most moving things I heard at the conference, I began to see ways in which the two ideas co-exist. You see, a writer's job isn't to figure out how to write that book that will change someone's life. Rather, the ability of a book to affect someone (even profoundly) is an outgrowth--a side effect, if you will--of writing. The calling of a writer is to make the best art he or she can. If, each time I sat down at the keyboard, I asked myself the question: how can I change the life of a teenager through what I write, I would simply freeze. That is too weighty a calling, too large a task, and quite honestly, it's out of my control. But I can tell the kind of story I like and write it to the best of my ability; those tasks falls within the pale of "things I control."

And so, with the awareness that books can change lives and the awareness that I write about and not for teens, I'm inspired to sit down today and not rise until I've put in my 2,000 words, telling the best story I can. How about you? What inspires you to sit down and write?

Cidney Swanson is the author of the RIPPLE trilogy about a girl who turns invisible, the boy she's crushing on, and the neo-Nazi geneticist after them both. You can visit her at cidneyswanson.com and cidneyswanson.blogspot.com

read a sample here