Hmm.... An Editing Business... Hmm....

So I'm back from Germany, and looking around for a job, and after my rant on Facebook about the lack of basic punctuation and spelling on the web and elsewhere, it occurred to me that maybe I should hire myself out as an editor.  Okay, so everyone, even the best and most careful of writers, has a typo every now and again, and there are times we all say "damn you autocorrect!" 


But that's just my point:  everyone makes errors.  Some of them are slight; and some of them are horrible, disgusting, and degrading to the English language.  Okay, maybe not that bad, but still egregious.  I certainly make errors, and bad ones sometimes, because after hours of writing it becomes one big blur and I can't see the trees for the forest.  (Yes,  I meant to phrase it that way.)  However, I care about the quality of my writing enough to ask someone else to go over it, just in case I might have missed something.  Heck, even with more than a pair of eyes scanning the work, errors still get missed.  We're human.  It happens.


Some people don't care whether their prose comes off as being...hmm...less than good.  That's fine.  They wouldn't be my customers.  However, people who do care how they sound, look, and communicate would be, whether they write fiction or nonfiction.

My qualifications?  I've written eleven novels and four novellas for major U.S. publishing companies.  I've been a technical writer and editor over the course of fifteen years.  I've written and edited various documents in all the jobs I've held for close to thirty years.  I've edited and proofread academic papers, articles for medical journals, software documentation, structural and civil engineering documents, and environmental engineering documents and proposals and so on.


And I also know that depending on whether you go by Chicago Manual of Style, APA, or Gregg Reference,  whether you capitalize after a colon will differ.  :-)

As far as editing fiction writing goes, I've been in a critique group for longer than I've published.  I've been a judge in the national Romance Writers of America Rita contest, as well as a judge of various chapter contests.  I have also personally contacted certain contest entrants whose writing was superb and urged them to pursue publishing...and their works have become published.  I know good writing when I see it.  And I can tell you why it's good.


Most of all, I love writing.  I love the English language.  The art and craft of it is a passion for me.

Sigh....

Well, I must say when I first began writing this blog post I was feeling in a bit of a funk.  But now that I've written about the things I know and love, I have to say, I'm feeling pretty good about it.


So I think, I really do think, I might just pursue the idea of offering my editing and copy editing services as an independent contractor.  I'll see, I guess!

New Blog

So....I decided to create another blog called "Playing with Words," which will feature anything I decide to write that has to do with writing and publishing. I will probably transfer my writing entries from this blog to that one, just to have all my writing-related stuff in one place. That'll be my "official" blog, rather than the informal one I have here at the Pollyanna Files. I'll continue to write what I feel like here, but it'll be more about my travels (oh, yeah, I'm going to relocate to Germany next year--did I forget to mention that? If I did forget, more on that later), knitting/fiber arts, and foodie stuff. If you want to relax, read, and chat here, you're more than welcome. If you want to stick to writing- and publishing-related topics, go to "Playing with Words." Writing and publishing questions can be asked over there.

There now! I feel so organized....

Romance market trends

I haven't been to RWA national conference this year, and so haven't heard the market news, but that's fine...I know what they are, anyway. Which sounds arrogant, I guess, but anyone who has met me will tell you I'm not that kind of person. It's just that one of my hobbies is the study of demographics and market trends, focused mostly on publishing and in particular the romance market. I've studied it for...let's see...since 1995, ever since my vampire Regency (The Vampire Viscount) and paranormal Regency (The Devil's Bargain) first came out. Yeah, I wrote them way back before the vampire/paranormal thing was huge. I have a habit of doing that. It's tough going, because when you write ahead of the trend, most people think you're crazy. Hell, I predicted during the 2000 RWA conference that we were going to see a surge of kick-ass heroines and that paranormals were going to be huge, and gee, guess what? It happened--it was the news during that conference.

I gave a talk at the Emerald City RWA conference in 2006 about demographic trends, and predicted that we were going to see a social crisis in the next year or two, akin to the Great Depression (yes, there is a reason why our 401K is still okay, though it did take a hit, as everyone's did. Clue: look at the events 80 years ago). I did another workshop in a few years later on the exact same talk, and didn't change the date on my PowerPoint, to prove my point. The Seattle Chapter will vouch for me on this. :-D

Anyway, here are my predictions for the next few years:

Based on my observation of generations and demographics, plus the economic times, I figure romance and women's fiction--with an uplifting ending--are going to remain strong. As during the Great Depression, romantic comedies, stories with optimistic endings with the belief in the decency of every-day human beings. Think Ginger Rogers/Fred Astaire, such movies as "Daddy Long Legs," "Topper Takes a Trip" (romantic comedy/ paranormal), "Bringing up Baby." Comedies in general will do well--remember that Charlie Chaplin made millions during the Great Depression when movies were 25 cents per ticket.

And gee, as an aside, is it any surprise that musicals are becoming more popular with the under 30 set? The Seattle area is considered a "bellweather" region, and I'm seeing participation in musical theater and music like never before amongst the young 20's and teens. I want to emphasize the areas outside of Seattle proper--there are relatively few children and teens in Seattle, compared to most any other place in the nation except for San Francisco. If you want to watch for trends amongst teens and the early 20's, look at King County, outside of the city. Places like Kent, Auburn, Everett, Bellevue, etc.

Paranormals, and those stories with a spiritual/religious component will still be good sellers. Again, whatever gives a belief in something beyond ourselves will be popular, because in general, I think people's attitudes about society and our elected officials (on both sides of the political fence) is sort of...soured. Easier to believe in a larger abstract higher concept than individual fallible leaders.

Anything with a theme of overcoming difficulties to success/love/contentment should be popular.

In particular, I think vampires, while not as popular as before (saturation in the market) they will still be good sellers, in that these have the themes of encountering something potentially dangerous and navigating through discerning if it can be trusted or not. That reflects our times, plus the early 20-something and teen set. Anything else with that theme--encountering danger, going through a period of discernment, then triumph will be popular, because those just beginning to start their adult lives are facing the theme of a scary world in which they have to make their way. However, that theme has broadened to all generations because of the current economic and social crisis.

Also, though this theme is popular overall, for the Millennial generation (those born approximately from 1980 to 2000), stories with characters having a higher purpose and/or who are special in some way will be popular. This is why the Harry Potter books were so popular, and continue to be popular with them (aside for the fact that these books are simply danged good reading). In fact, they also had the strong, very strong spiritual/religious underpinning. No, they're not obvious to those who aren't familiar with religion (and ironically, a lot of religious people aren't familiar with their own), but trust me, they're there.

Despite the economic downturn, the Millenial generation is coming into their time of buying power. It's not as huge a buying power as the Boomers (still) have, but it's considerable simply because that population is so large compared to GenX and the Silent Generation (those who were children during the Great Depression).

And historicals..they'll keep going on. But what's missing--and wlll probably be popular when they do come about--are ones set during the American Revolution and possibly Civil War. Ditto WWII. Why? They all reflect what's we're going through/going to go through now. David McCullough hit a nerve with his books, John Adams and 1776. This is why he is both a bestseller AND a Pulitzer Prize winner (well, he's an awesome writer, so there's that).

Those are the eras the current crop of Millennials will find some common themes. The young people of those eras grew up in severely divisive times--as we do. Their elders could not come to any kind of consensus, and more time was spent squabbling and pointing out scandals than solving problems. The real concerns of the rural areas and those areas with less infrastructure (the American colonies during the Revolution, and the more rural South during the Civil War) were pitted against the concerns of the more sophisticated urban citizens (the British, and the very industrialized North, respectively). One of those crises ended up with a relatively healthy unity. The other...did not. WWII ended up with a healthy unity of purpose, and that was when we built the massive infrastructure that is now, unfortunately, aging to the point of danger to life and limb.

The current era...well, time will tell. We get to choose whether we get over our differences, find common ground, and work together, and I REALLY don't want finger pointing at the OTHER side that you just CAN'T talk to. Be the first to hold out the helping hand and open mind, people, and keep doing it. Really find out where the other side is coming from, what their fears are, and I mean their root fears, where they are suffering. Your survival depends on it. Although right now, my feeling is that either side's intention in finding out about the other side's suffering is in the interests of crushing the other side into dust. Or ignoring the other sides' suffering, period, because of course they're BAD. Yes, this Pollyanna is fighting cynicism.

To get back on track: As a result, there is a certain hunger in Millennials for hope (that is their nature), for the idea that difficulties can be worked through, that people can work together, that there is a higher purpose out there for every one. And, optimism is the very nature of romance novels, so I believe you will continue to see these novels prosper. Heroic fantasy will also do well, and fantasy in which the protagonists are fighting the powers of evil (Dresden files, is a good example).

GenX--do not dismiss this generation. This scrappy generation will help get us through the hard times. They do not hesitate to get their hands dirty and get the job done, and in hard times, that's what's needed. Think Patton. Yeah, those disaffected 1980's youth dressed in black and piercings end up being Patton, wreaking havoc amongst Hitler's armies. And they are really good consumers of paranormal stories that feature grim, realistic protagonists that wade through death and degradation to wreak destruction on predators. They are good at defending the weak and innocent while shooting off a witty quip, knowing that they will get no reward for their heroism, but that they're just here to do the job, hopefully with a small group of loyal friends or a devoted partner. (Think Buffy.)

Both GenX and the Millenials are hands-on, practical groups. GenX is a bit more gritty and pessimistic, while the Millenials are more optimistic. Both get the job done, and sooner or later become impatient with high-flying rhetoric.

I really also want to emphasize the religious/spiritual angle. When times are hard, when there is a crisis, people often turn to religion. This is why it is the most impoverished areas of the world that are the most religious; when you have very little, when your next day may bring hunger or the threat of poverty, then the only thing that often keeps you alive is hope in something higher and better, whether that would be your still-innocent children, or God, or both. In other words, these things represent hope for the future.

As a result, I expect books on religion and spirituality will stil be strong. Inspirational romances sales will probably hold steady, especially if there is some real spiritual insight there and realistic integration between some real, human life questions and religion/spirituality.

And...I expect the readership amongst men for romance novels will grow, and has been growing. Romance novels--especially those with suspense/mystery/action--will be especially appealing. Romance novels are probably one of the few fiction areas that feature men as good guys (we have heroes, after all!), and people, men need hope, too. That they have not much hope is reflected in the steep increases in male suicides, especially amongst teens and 20-somethings, in the last few decades, as much as 5 times that of females. It's also reflected in the fact that of all graduating high school seniors, 80% of girls apply to college, whereas only 20% of boys do, and that has been going on for a decades as well. That's another reason why the Harry Potter books were so popular amongst boys--these books are one of the few instances that featured a boy as a protagonist, a boy who was special, and who tried his best to do good. That's a hopeful thing for boys who are looking for a book to read.

So in essence:

• Romance will be strong, and hold steady
  
• Paranormals strong, vampires have glutted the market, but will still hold steady (and zombies as protagonists or heros--oh, please. A bump in the road. I could be wrong, but having a guy who has to keep sticking his face back on with superglue because his flesh is just a bit on the rotten side is not romantic. However, innovation does occasionally win).
• Ghosts...give those a try. Demons, ditto. However, redemption as a theme should be strong. We have a very punishing society, with almost no forgiveness unless you have money or fame. Redemption themes as a result is another source of hope for the rest of us.
  
• Romantic comedies--yes!
• Historicals will hold steady, but do give the eras of the American Revolution, the Civil War, and WWII a try, although I expect these will probably be most popular in about 5 years. If Europe, Puritans vs. the Cavaliers, and Tudor era would work. the The authors MUST do the research on those, as ever. Less costume dramas, more historical meat.
  
• Inspirationals strong, but must integrate realities and questions of life
  
• Perseverence and success in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds is always a good theme.
• Good vs. Evil, always a good theme, but make it real.
  
• Oh, and the theme of fighting or subverting an ever-encroaching totalitarian government should also be popular in science fiction/fantasy/romance. Wouldn't hurt to bring back a Matrix-like theme, although I expect that'll be more like 10 years from now.
• More can-do, decent, heroic guys. Guys need hope, too, and they're going to be looking for something to keep them working and holding on. As a result, it'd be good to defeminize the covers on the action/romance/supspense romances--not a problem, as I see they're doing much of that already. Wouldn't hurt to do that to some of the historicals that have more action/suspense, etc., too.
• Forgot to mention above: Graphic novels. Always a good thing. Will do very well in the coming decade(s) as they are very adaptable to both print and electronic media, and the concepts are easily transferred to the big (and small) screen. The more mutable a story is to differing formats, the better. If a romance novel--especially if action, suspense, and/or paranormal--can be translated to a graphic novel/manga format, perfect.
  

One more thing: Because the Millenial Generation is large in numbers but is going to be struggling for jobs, they're going to try to find their entertainment where they can, whether they make it or find it inexpensively. This means the publishing industry will have to find better ways to deliver their goods. They know this already, or should. E-books will do well, I'm sure, but if they're the same price as paper books...well, we'll see. Those who have a handle on this relatively new technology (and please, formatting!!!!), will do better than others, in the same way movie theaters that grasped the sound aspect of movies back during the Great Depression thrived rather than went out of business. It's a big initial investment, but it'll pay out in the end in both stability and profits when the economy turns up better (not right away. Expect a big downturn around 2012, and with luck it'll start rising steadily again. What mistakes this and the last administration have made will come to bear then. Invest in capital and be thrifty now, pay off what you can, then be prepared).

Even so, I don't expect paper books to disappear for a long, long, long time.

You fill a need in an economy, and you will survive as a business, and publishing is a business. Hope is a need. And in this economy, everyone needs hope pretty badly right now.

Stepping out of the boat - 2008 Romance Writers of America Conference

2008 Romance Writers of America, San Francisco – Wednesday, July 30: Day 1

It has taken me about a week to recover from the Romance Writers of America conference in San Francisco. It’s a bustling, busy conference, with workshops and events going from 8 am to 10 pm every day. You meet editors, agents, other writers, both published and unpublished, experienced and inexperienced. I’ve been in the romance community since 1988—good heavens, 20 years!—and have gone mostly to local conferences (Emerald City Writer’s Conference, especially), but the RWA conference is the biggie, the one every romance writer goes to if she (or he—we have a few male writers, too) wants to know where to sell and to whom, and to get some pointers about writing, too.

The conference offers a lot for the newbie, as well as for someone like myself who is assessing whether or not I want to do this again—write romances, write fiction in general. I’m working full time at an environmental engineering firm, making good money, and it’s helping to put my kid through college (the Alien Child works too, so it’s not like he’s riding on Mom and Dad’s beneficence). After he graduates—soon—we can make repairs on our house at last. Replace the 22-year-old dishwasher, replace the dented and peeling kitchen floor, replace the old, worn carpet, paint the walls, replaced double-paned windows whose seals no longer work, and one that has a crack in it....

Writing romances...well, it’s not considered a fount of material abundance, let’s just say that. And I have the unfortunate tendency to write things that are about two to three years ahead of the trend. Not a good thing when you want to sell a book.

Yet, there’s that pull to write again....

What do do? In my usual way when I’ut what I’m supposed to do. Actually, give me three signs, because I’m never confident about these things. In fact, the more the better.

Note, I don’t offer a favor in return. I don’t presume to know what kind of favor God’ll want, because hey, the Big Guy’s infinite, and I’m not. I’m okay with that, because infinity is sort of math-like, and I’m not into math much, despite doing quite well in college Calculus (hey, I’m not a genius, but a 3.6 is not too shabby for an English major, and I am allowing myself to take pride in that achievement). I’ll leave differential equations and infinity to God and mathematicians, thank-you-very-much. How do I discern signs? Well...

The RWA conference in San Francisco. I check in at the Victorian-era, Euro-style Mosser, the hotel across the street from the Marriott (the conference hotel), after a painful (and slow) amble through the airport, because I broke my ankle more than a month ago and am wearing a splint (hell through airport security). But, when I went to my room, I find instead of a single room with shared bath, I have a double room with a private bathroom. Surely, there must be a mistake. I go back down to the check-in desk.

The very nice desk clerk shakes her head. No, she says. They’ve had to change rooms around, and since I contacted them directly for a reservation, I got an upgrade at no extra cost. You’re meant to be there, she says. Her words give me pause, but I give myself a mental shake, smile, and thank her.

I went up again, and my eyes lit on the room number...which add up (numerologically) to 8. The thought occurred to me that, numerologically, 8 is my life path number. I’d been discussing numerology with some writer friends online but a few days before this. I remember the desk clerk’s words. You are meant to be here. Hmm. I unload my stuff and hobble across the street in my splint to get my registration packet at the conference.

Entering the Marriott, I find the workshop rooms are at the BACK of the hotel. I eye my foot brace. I don’t like my foot brace, I decide. It chafes and hurts and the thought of going back and forth MILES AND MILES in it is depressing. Thank goodness I don’t have to sign any books at the Literacy for Life mass autographing, because I’d been told by the RWA staff that they couldn’t supply any of my books for the signing. Fine with me, I thought. I can have fun browsing books and chat with friends instead. I’ve not had a chance simply to visit and browse books in a long, long time.

But no. I see an online friend, a romance reader, who informs me that my name is on the autographing list. Dear heaven. I’m not prepared! I don’t have posters or pretty pens or anything like that. I only have some very lovely bookmarks designed by a very talented graphic artist who goes to my church. And those bookmarks are back at my hotel room.

So I hobble back, grab my bookmarks, and once again eye my stupid chafing foot splint. I now hate this splint with a passion. I’m supposed to wear it for another week, but it’’ sound.

I carefully put on my athletic shoes, not caring that this is not precisely conference professional wear. I deserve to be comfortable, dang it! And I find...well, it doesn’t hurt to put on the shoes. I can even stand all right on it. I’ll be careful, I think, it’ll be fine. I take an Aleve, just in case. I can do this.

And I do. I’m careful not to put too much weight on the foot, but though it feels odd, it doesn’t hurt, perhaps a little ache, but that's it.

I’m late to the autographing, because I keep seeing friends I’ve made through the years, and exchanging greetings and hugs is important. I don’t expect to have many books on my table, anyway, and it’s been years since I’ve written a book, who’s going to remember me?

But it turns out I do have more than a few books on my table, the Dragon Lovers anthology, which also features Jo Beverley’s, Barbara Samuel’s, and Mary Jo Putney’s stories. I can see readers wanting their autographs, because those gals are veteran writers and on the New York Times list, but though I’ve written more than a few books, I’m not in their league. I shrug. No big deal. The two ladies on either side of me have interesting books, and it doesn’t hurt to be friendly and chat. Much better than being at a booksigning by myself!

I end up buying their books (The Second Virginity of Suzy Green, by Sara Hantz, and The Prince’s Royal Dilemma, by Brenda Harlen), because they seem interesting, and they are nice, and I count it good luck to buy books from authors I’m sitting next to at a booksigning. The autographing goes much faster than I had anticipated, because friends keep dropping by to chat: Katy Cooper, Cybil Solyn of Rakehell Reviews (the first fan to contact me via e-mail, when the Internet was in its infancy!), Kathy Payne, and Jill Purinton, among others.

I don’t get to visit other authors, which is too bad, because I wanted at least to say hi to Gerri Russell, one of my critique group partners, and who has two books out now. I did want to take a picture of her with her books, especially since I consider her getting-to-publication story a triumphant one.

By the time the autographing is done, it’s about 7 pm, I’m hungry, my broken-but-healing/healed foot is feeling odd, and I’m so tired, the rest of the evening is too blurry in my memory to recall. I believe I ate dinner, but that’s all I remember, although I think dinner had to do with wine, cheese, and fruit up in Jo Beverley’s and someone else’s executive suite. I don’t even remember if I ate it alone or with someone. I do remember chatting with a couple of ladies in the literacy book-buying line, and I remember what they looked like, but my foot was beginning to throb and lack-of-estrogen brain kicked in, so remembering names is hopeless. I remember one of the gals in line was very much into writing books set during the Civil War, which I encouraged, because I really do see that this is the time to write about that era. Historical resonances and all, you see.

All I know is that I returned to my hotel room at the Mosser, noticed that the tub was very deep, and used up massive water resources by soaking in a bubble bath, and then went to bed.

End of day one.