When Subtle Won't Work
Had some face time with editors this week. (Thus my spotty blogging.) Here's something to keep in mind.
I think writing should be subtle. Heavy-handed isn't my typical choice in what I read, and it's not, I hope, what I write. I think my writing has gotten more subtle as the years go on. For instance, there is symbolism in all my books (and if you go back and search for past posts on symbolism, you'll see the discussions of that), but if the reader doesn't "get" the symbolism because it's subtle, that's okay because the book still works with or without it.
I always advocate show don't tell. That's where being subtle is important . . . the nuances and quirks and "whispers" of a character that let us know what's important.
But when it comes to pitching your book, subtle won't work. Here's why. One editor told me this week that she was amazed at how many ideas I can come up with. Different ideas. Ideas that over lunch sound like unique concepts. Not like every other book. (Example? In Freudian Slip--November '08!!--a recovering heroin addict in a coma is assigned a cosmic social worker case of a woman who is grieving as the anniversay of 9/11 approaches, and along the way the heroin addict is helped in his mission by a heavenly Albert Einstein, who has an affinity for electronics and PowerPoint . . . and God, who is a woman with an inability to handle the music of ABBA, so when angels and demons wish to carry on private discussions, they head to Greenwich Village to a certain bar where the jukebox only plays ABBA and the bar remains neutral turf . . . I could go on, but you get the idea this is off the wall . . . a love story with quirks galore.)
Another editor said, "I am so tired of the same-old, same-old." In romance or chick lit, that includes the runaway bride, the bridezilla, the woman whose had loss and must start to date all over again, the woman dating the younger man, etc. In mysteries, the cop-turned-detective. The private investigator without a license who does it because of x or y. You get the idea. When my agent has things turned down, one of the most common reasons editors give is . . . "I'm afraid though the writing is excellent, this book/character won't stand out in the overcrowded detective genre/romance genre/paranormal genre, etc.."
And you can tell yourself or tell an editor, "Mine is different BECAUSE . . ." and fill in the blank. I've seen one overconfident blogger believe HER runaway bride unsold novel is different because SHE'S a great writer and everything that's come before her has been poorly written. But in the end . . . you aren't just pitching to an agent. Or an editor. If an agent takes it on, and you are fortunate enough that an editor adores it (and we're talking both of those things being tough in and of themselves), the editor still has to pitch it to committee (another hurdle). And then, if all the stars are aligned, it has to be pitched to the marketing team and publicity departments. Then B&N and the chains so they determine how many copies to order. Then it gets reviewed and it means reviewers have to describe why your book is different in the overcrowded genre. And so on.
The reason it seems like books with a hook get published is precisely those odds.
So you gotta hook 'em.
Thoughts?
I think writing should be subtle. Heavy-handed isn't my typical choice in what I read, and it's not, I hope, what I write. I think my writing has gotten more subtle as the years go on. For instance, there is symbolism in all my books (and if you go back and search for past posts on symbolism, you'll see the discussions of that), but if the reader doesn't "get" the symbolism because it's subtle, that's okay because the book still works with or without it.
I always advocate show don't tell. That's where being subtle is important . . . the nuances and quirks and "whispers" of a character that let us know what's important.
But when it comes to pitching your book, subtle won't work. Here's why. One editor told me this week that she was amazed at how many ideas I can come up with. Different ideas. Ideas that over lunch sound like unique concepts. Not like every other book. (Example? In Freudian Slip--November '08!!--a recovering heroin addict in a coma is assigned a cosmic social worker case of a woman who is grieving as the anniversay of 9/11 approaches, and along the way the heroin addict is helped in his mission by a heavenly Albert Einstein, who has an affinity for electronics and PowerPoint . . . and God, who is a woman with an inability to handle the music of ABBA, so when angels and demons wish to carry on private discussions, they head to Greenwich Village to a certain bar where the jukebox only plays ABBA and the bar remains neutral turf . . . I could go on, but you get the idea this is off the wall . . . a love story with quirks galore.)
Another editor said, "I am so tired of the same-old, same-old." In romance or chick lit, that includes the runaway bride, the bridezilla, the woman whose had loss and must start to date all over again, the woman dating the younger man, etc. In mysteries, the cop-turned-detective. The private investigator without a license who does it because of x or y. You get the idea. When my agent has things turned down, one of the most common reasons editors give is . . . "I'm afraid though the writing is excellent, this book/character won't stand out in the overcrowded detective genre/romance genre/paranormal genre, etc.."
And you can tell yourself or tell an editor, "Mine is different BECAUSE . . ." and fill in the blank. I've seen one overconfident blogger believe HER runaway bride unsold novel is different because SHE'S a great writer and everything that's come before her has been poorly written. But in the end . . . you aren't just pitching to an agent. Or an editor. If an agent takes it on, and you are fortunate enough that an editor adores it (and we're talking both of those things being tough in and of themselves), the editor still has to pitch it to committee (another hurdle). And then, if all the stars are aligned, it has to be pitched to the marketing team and publicity departments. Then B&N and the chains so they determine how many copies to order. Then it gets reviewed and it means reviewers have to describe why your book is different in the overcrowded genre. And so on.
The reason it seems like books with a hook get published is precisely those odds.
So you gotta hook 'em.
Thoughts?
Labels: hooks
posted by Erica Orloff at 6:16 AM
7 Comments:
Erica, as a reader, I'm tired of the same plots, which is why I read less romance nowadays. One thing I hear in the Pro loop is that books are turned down by agents who say they don't know how to market them. That they want the "same but different". At a chapter meeting a couple months ago, one of the writers said publishing is like being back in high school, everyone wanting to hang with the popular girls. Or in publishing's case, the same stories.
I LOVE the idea of your heroine addict-in-a-coma book with a God who doesn't understand ABBA. When will it be out?
Hi Edie:
It's a November '08 RDI . . . I am So excited about it . . . it, to me, sort of defies description, but at its heart it's a really, really loving story. And it has my favorite romantic lead ever. Julian is a really subversive angel.
And I have to say I love the lead demon, too.
Hmm . . . same but different. There's an element to that with editors, I am sure.
E
Wow, I wish I could come up with strange ideas that easily! Every time I come up with a new hook, I turn around and found it's been done. I have the knack of picking 'em right before they land on the shelves. Which of course is too late. *sigh*
Hi Spy:
it's the old "once you spot a trend, the trend is over" thing.
E
Isn't that the truth? Btw, I meant "strange" as in "strange and wonderful," I hope you know? *sigh* That's exactly how my writing went today, LOL.
Erica, that sounds like a great read.
Just like everything else in life and marketing... you need a hook. It doesn't matter if you are job hunting, writing, or anything else. There are very few truly 'unique' entries in the world. Most of the time we are just trying to stand out from the crowd, but at the same time be just familiar enough to not scare away the masses.
For me, anything that I see or hear about that causes me to think 'I wish I had thought of that' is an instant winner.
ewoh:
Definitely. When I read about an upcoming book with a great hook, I think "how original!"--and yet people will say there's never an original new idea. But there are new ideas. You know 'em when you hear 'em.
E
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