Congrats to Heather, winner of a copy of Tiffany Baker’s book The Gilly Salt Sisters!
And thanks to everyone who entered our Query Critique Contest! We will be announcing our 5 winners starting with our Monday post, and posting one winner each day. Best of luck to all!
From the 2012 Debs…
Deb Joanne – is pleased to announce she has contacted her baker and the cupcakes have been ordered for her launch party. Are you coming?
Deb Erika hopes everyone had as much fun during Submissions week as she did–and can’t wait to see our five winners queries!
Deb Molly had a big news week — she’s this month’s Hot Chicago Writer on the Chicago Sun-Times blog, and had some pretty nice reviews in Publishers Weekly and Voya!
Deb Linda supposes she ought to start thinking about stuff like launch parties and book swag. Hmm. Do you suppose swizzle sticks would make good bookmarks?
Deb Rachel is teaching at Deb Molly’s StoryStudio Chicago on Monday night. The class is Perfect Pitch: How To Sell a Non-Fiction Book. She’s so excited! [Molly adds: AND it’s sold out! Rachel, you are in high demand!]
Past Deb News
Deb Sarah Pekkanen‘s new book THESE GIRLS released this week! Congratulations, Sarah! The reviews are stellar and we are doing a big Deb dance here on the floor in your honor!
Deb Kristina Riggle will be speaking in Kentwood, Michigan at the Kentwood Library on April 18th for the Kentwood Women’s Club at 7 pm. Check here for more information!
Deb Friends
Speaking of new releases…Deb Friend Allison Winn Scotch‘s THE SONG REMAINS THE SAME also released this week! Cheers, Allison!
Deb Friend Jamie Ford will be reading at the Lithgow Public Library in Augusta, Maine, on April 18th at 6:30. Click here to learn more!
Deb Guest Sarah McCoy will be appearing on NPR’s Hash Hags on April 16th. The NPR program is hosted by Ann Leary, Laura Zigman and previous Deb Guest Julie Klam (and once featured Deb Eleanor on it too)! We can’t wait to listen in!
Deb Dish — Since we’ve been talking submissions this week, tell us what do you think is harder to write: a synopsis or a query letter?
Deb Joanne – As someone who just finished trying to write a synopsis for a book that wasn’t yet written, I will say that was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to attempt (notice I used the words trying and attempt? I couldn’t do it. My brain said NO WAY and shut down). Query letters have their own challenges in getting it just right to make sure your pitch is intriguing but yet still tells the agent what your book is about. I find a regular synopsis, (one that is written after the book is finished) isn’t quite as hard to write as that all important query because you’re just boiling your book down to plot points.
Deb Erika No question: The synopsis. I eventually felt like I got a good rhythm/template going for my query letters over the years, but every time I have to write a synopsis, it feels as hard as the first one. I think we may need to address this subject at some point–what does everyone think?
Deb Molly Definitely the synopsis, because I still have no idea what anything I write is actually about.
Deb Linda — Well, since I haven’t had to write a query in a blissfully long time, I’m going to go with synopsis. It is dang hard to compress a book down to a hundredth of its size while hitting on all the salient plot points and remaining true to the book’s “voice.” But I’ll admit that queries are generally more terrifying.
Deb Rachel Definitely a synopsis! When I’m super close to a book, it’s hard for me to sum up only the big picture items. Every little moment, every running thread, seems sooooo important, and it’s hard to choose what to leave out.
I wish I could come have some of those cupcakes at the launch party! Yes, I did mean to make that plural – cupcakes. I’m so excited about These Girls, I can hardly stand it. I love Sarah Pekkanen’s writing!
Me too, Kathy! Cupcakes and a new book from Sarah makes for a great start to any week in our book 😉
You`re welcome to come, Kathy! The more the merrier and I`m ordering a lot of cupcakes!
Thanks so much, Kathy! I want cupcakes too! (But you already knew that, didn’t you?) xoxo
Good news all around! So glad to hear about it all.
And I can’t wait to see who the winners of our Query Critique Contest are!
Deb Linda: Total, emphatic YES on the twizzle sticks as book marks. I’ve spend a few exotic vacations with alcohol from a swizzle stick dripping on my pages. It adds to the authenticity of the experience 🙂 I vote a big, fat YES on swizzle sticks as bookmarks. Order them!!
All righty! I’m thinking I may have to go with In a Fix swizzle sticks. My DD says I could call them “In a Fix Me a Drink” sticks. 😉
Ha! That, as we would say, is wicked clever!!
Agreed! Go order them, Linda! Do it!
So glad I’m not the only author who struggles with writing a synopsis! I can write a 100,000 word book, and yet a two-page synopsis gives me heartburn…
Hi Dana! Thanks so much for stopping in! You are most certainly not alone–writing a synopsis is always so tough. Fitting all the juicy parts of a 90,000 word novel into one or two pages??? It seems Herculean because it IS!