One Year, Two Novels, and Five Rules for the Road

by Chuck Greaves

For me, the year 2012 proved a wild ride indeed, in which HUSH MONEY, my debut legal thriller, was published by Minotaur in May, followed by HARD TWISTED, a literary/historical/true-crime novelization, published by Bloomsbury in November – all while writing and editing GREEN-EYED LADY, forthcoming from Minotaur in June of 2013.   

The result was a crash course in Publishing 101 from which, employing a metaphorical Jaws of Life, I’ve prized five useful insights for those approaching or just entering the authorial highway:

1. Watch Your Speed.  Having come from a legal background, in which clients expected results yesterday, I was shocked by the slow pace of traditional publishing.  Months from deal memo to final contract?  Over a year from acquisition to publication?  Book Street is more construction zone than Autobahn, and everything takes twice as long as you think it should, so settle back and adjust your expectations accordingly.

2. Bring Toll Money.  No, they won’t be sending someone over to shoot your jacket photo, and yes, that car waiting to take you to your next book signing looks suspiciously like your own.  In other words, plan on spending some of your advance money on self-promotion – from a web site to a book tour to a few writers’ conferences – both because it’s a good investment in your future and because, in all likelihood, your publisher will expect it.

3. Anticipate Traffic.  There’s a stretch of busy roadway that begins about six weeks before your publication date, and that ends (depending on sales) around three months after, during which you’ll be driving the pace car and leading your publisher’s pack.  You’ll be reviewed, you’ll blog, you’ll do signings and media, and your in-box will fairly bulge with urgent messages from your agent, editor, and publicist.  Prepare for this time, and make the most of it while it lasts, because it won’t last forever – and thankfully so, because you have your next book to write. 

4. Keep Your Eyes on the Road.  You had the luxury of writing your first novel without (publishing-related) interruptions and demands, but not so the second.  While self-promotion becomes especially important after those phone calls from the publicist have ceased, remember our friend Narcissus.  Every minute you’re posting on Facebook or self-Googling is a minute you could, and should, be writing your next novel.  Aim to strike a healthy balance.

5. Carpool.  One of the great pleasures of publication is that you’re joining a virtual community of smart, talented, and creative individuals, all of whom are, at different speeds, traveling in your same direction.  Embrace them!  Go to conferences, and meet your writing contemporaries.  Attend signings at your local bookstore.  Blurb books when given the opportunity – and the honor.  Writing is not a zero-sum game, and all of us benefit when each of us succeeds with the book-buying public.  Enjoy the ride!

About Chuck:
Chuck Greaves won the SouthWest Writers’ Storyteller Award for his debut novel HUSH MONEY, which has been named a finalist for the New Mexico/Arizona Book Award, the Rocky Award from Left Coast Crime, and the Reviewers’ Choice Award from RT Book Reviews.  You can visit him on-line at www.chuckgreaves.com.  He’d love to hear from you.

About HARD TWISTED:

Hailed as a "gritty, gripping read" (Los Angeles Times) and a "taut and intriguing thriller" (The Sunday Times), HARD TWISTED, the noirish sophomore novel from author C. Joseph Greaves, tells the true story of 13-year-old Lucile Garrett's harrowing year on the road with her father's murderer, in which the unlikely duo traverse the Depression-era Southwest leaving a trail of bodies in their wake. 

Behind the Scenes of Writing a Back-to-Back-to-Back-to-Back Series

By Pamela Callow

As a member of the 2009/10 ITW Debut Author class, I've benefitted from the experience and generosity of the writers who belong to this incredible organization, and am honoured to be writing the first guest post of its re-launch.

I have been asked to share my experiences in writing a back-to-back-to-back series. I am currently under contract to write four books for the Kate Lange legal thriller series for MIRA Books. DAMAGED (June 2010) debuted six months ago, in which struggling lawyer Kate Lange unearths a legal conspiracy that rocks the foundations of medical research - and puts her in the path of a dementing killer.

INDEFENSIBLE (January 2011), book #2 of the Kate Lange series, released last week. In INDEFENSIBLE, the managing partner of Kate's firm is accused of domestic homicide. Held in prison for the murder of his ex-wife, Randall Barrett's defence lies in the hands of the one person who knows too well the taint of criminal scandal: Kate Lange.

My third book, TATTOOED, will be released in January 2012, and a fourth book in the Kate Lange series is also scheduled for release in 2012.

I’ve had the luxury of developing my series with two two-book contracts that were back-to-back. I sold DAMAGED in January 2009, in a two-book contract to write INDEFENSIBLE, the second book in the series. When I submitted INDEFENSIBLE to my editor in December of 2009, I was asked the following week to submit two more story ideas, and was offered a contract immediately after New Year’s in 2010. Having four books under contract has given me the freedom to breathe a little. As I develop the story line for the next two books, I can play with the supporting cast, knowing that I have more books to explore character arcs, bring back favourite characters, and respond to reader feedback. I am experiencing these benefits right now as I write TATTOOED.

However, it was a different story for books #1 and #2. One of the most unnerving elements of writing a multiple-book series back-to-back, is that you can be in the situation of writing the next book in the series without knowing how readers received the previous one. When I wrote INDEFENSIBLE, the second book in the series, DAMAGED had not yet been released. True to the sophomore book syndrome, I stressed – no, agonized -- over whether my audience would enjoy the development of the characters’ story arcs, and whether the shift to a heavier psychological suspense storyline would be received positively. (My husband now admits he wasn’t sure all of me would survive the process of writing that book.) I’m happy to say that it has, and the feedback about INDEFENSIBLE has been wonderful -- but that is the dice you roll when you write a back-to-back-to-back series. It is a bit like jumping off a cliff. Closing your eyes. And hoping for the best. Fortunately, I have a fabulous editor whose excellent judgment and perceptive suggestions have parachuted me thus far to a relatively soft landing.

Another aspect of writing a back-to-back series is that your reader wants to connect with the series’ characters as much as they want the suspense ride. If you disappoint, they may not want to invest their time and money in the next book of the series. Again, you don't know if you've taken a false step in the first release when you are writing the second. However, I try to be as honest and plausible as possible with my characters' reactions. They are flawed. And so far, readers appear to be relating to them.

For example, in DAMAGED, series lead Kate Lange survives an attack of a serial killer. She is just an ordinary single thirty-something woman, with her share of bills to pay and heartbreak. How, I wondered, would she react to the trauma of her experience? In INDEFENSIBLE, which takes place four months later, Kate is privately dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of this experience – and yet to the world, she is a minor celebrity. Being able to explore the fallout of events from previous books is one of the reasons I enjoy writing back-to-back series.

From a craft perspective, I map each character’s journey within the book, and their arc over the course of the series. The timeline in each of my books spans a two week period, but I work out my characters’ entire histories, and know what has gone on in each character’s life between books.

On a final craft note, I do extensive planning before I write each book. Not only do I conduct detailed research, I write deep back story for my characters. Then I begin working in flowcharts, figuring out how events and motivations intersect. During this process, I chart timelines for plot twists and turns. By the time I reach the climax of the book, I often have the timelines plotted to the minute in terms of logistics for the action scenes.

The planning also helps me brainstorm ideas for the next book in the series. I've learned to have a few ideas up my sleeve because you never know when you might need them. For both my contracts, I was asked to provide further book ideas on very short notice. So, my closing words of advice for writing a back-to-back-to-back-to-back series are borrowed from the motto of the Girl Guides of Canada: Always be prepared.

Pamela Callow is the author of a legal thriller series for MIRA Books. DAMAGED, her debut novel, was a Levy “Need to Read” Pick for June with Top Ten Bestseller display. INDEFENSIBLE, the second book in the series, released on January 1, 2011 to a top rating by RT Book Reviews. She is currently working on the third and fourth book of the series, as well as writing a short story featuring Kate Lange that she was invited to write for ITW’s Thriller 3 Anthology.

Pamela is a member of the Nova Scotia bar and has a Master’s degree in Public Administration. Prior to making writing a career, she worked as a strategy consultant for Accenture Consulting. She has two wonderful kids, one amazing husband, and a mischievous pug. When she isn’t writing, she loves to go for walks (unlike her dog), drink coffee, and fantasize about travelling around the globe.

Hang out with Pam at all the usual internet haunts: her website, Facebook Author Page, and twitter.