Luree & Tracy: Interview with Erin Grady

INTERVIEW WITH

ERIN GRADY

FEBRUARY 2008

Your Opinion, Please?

We are highly honored to have as our guest blogger Erin Grady the Award Winning Author of Web of Smoke, Echoes and Whispers which can be found on Amazon.com. Be looking for Erin's newest title under her pseudonym Roxanne Alcaraz, The Book of Fennore: Beneath the Ruins.

Erin is a local Arizona author, a long standing member of the RWA and a volunteer for San Diego University Writer’s Conference. Erin spent untold hours setting up the advance readings and consultation appointments with editors/agents for all of us attending in January. She deserves an award for all her efforts! Thanks Erin for taking the time to be with us today.

T&L: If you don’t mind tell us a little about yourself. When did you first know you wanted to write? How long had you been writing before the first novel was published?

Erin: I always wanted to be a writer—really since I learned how to read. I kept with it, working on stories and books all through school until I was old enough to drive—then nothing but being a wild teenager was in my head. I lost touch with my dream for many years and then—as destiny has a way of doing—I found myself applying for a job at SDSU. That job led me to working on the SDSU Writers Conference which reconnected me with my dream. (That was 20 years ago!)

T&L: What is your sage advice on agent representation? We've heard that a writer should have some sort of connection with their agent. A mutual excitement over the work. Would a friendly agent be considered a better fit for business than say an agent that seems more aggressive?

Erin: Welllll, this is the question of the hour, I think. For every writer it’s a different answer. And for every stage of your career it’s a different answer. There are very few writers who are with the agent they began with. It’s a complex relationship. I can give advice about what to look for and what not to look for, but the hard fact of the matter is, when you’re starting out the only choice you have (for most of us) is the agent who says yes. Generally you don’t have the pick of the litter—you just get whoever is willing to take you. I can say, however, that if you are in an agent relationship that isn’t working for you—get out. Often times we feel so grateful that they ever said yes that we never want to say no. But an agent who isn’t helping you isn’t helping you. Sounds like a pretty straightforward statement, but you’d be surprised how often writers stay with their agents because they don’t want to go through the agony of severing the relationship and establishing a new one. Like a bad marriage, staying for the sake of staying is rarely the right decision.

T&L: Many writers mention they made mistakes in the beginning, but never expound on the actual lessons learned. Can you share with us some common mistakes new writer’s make and how to avoid them?

Erin: The biggest mistake? Not understanding the business. I’ve published 3 books and I think I am just now starting to grasp how it works. There are so many moving pieces in the publishing machine and they are all going at the same time and in different directions. A writer thinks the most important thing they can do is write a great book. And that would be absolutely true. That IS the most important thing. However, it’s not the only thing. RWA authors will tell you promo, promo, promo comes second. I’m not convinced that that is true, though. I think you can spend a lot of money, burn a lot of calories and the only thing you get it out of it is broke and tired. Jennifer Ashley gave me some of the best advice I ever heard—the only way to sell more books is write more books. Since then, I’ve looked at the careers of successful authors and I see just how very true this is. If you have a choice between promo and writing, take writing. Get the next book written as soon as you can—and the next and the next.

T&L: How important is it for writers to attend conferences? Are there ways to have the same opportunities on a smaller budget?

Erin: Conferences are important for many reasons, depending on where you in your career. For someone starting out, the opportunity to sit across from an editor and agent and have them tell you what they do or don’t like about your ideas is invaluable. The chance to ask, “would it be better if . . .” and get an answer—again, priceless. So much of the business is dumb luck that if you have a chance to get a solid answer—good or bad—take it.

Another biggie in my personal book of reasons to go to conferences is the energy charge. With the exception of a few, every conference I’ve been too has been turbo charged with people excited about their work, opportunities, etc. Sometimes we need to step out of our solitary writing world and amp up on creative energy. I quit writing for about 5 years after my first book was published and I couldn’t sell my second (which later became multi-award winning ECHOES). I was so depressed that I just walked away. But then I met a writer at the SDSU conference who was working on her first book. She still had all the stars in her eyes and thought great things were going to happen and she convinced me to become her critique partner. For the first year, I was very resistant. I agreed to read so many pages and only if I received them in advance and on a schedule. But through mentoring, I reconnected with my love of the craft and went on to re-writing ECHOES and selling it. I might not have come back to writing if it hadn’t been for this experience.

And last but not least, for the author who has been publishing (and for those on their way) you can’t put a price tag on the advice someone higher up on the food chain might give you in the bar. The guidance of other authors who have been there done that can change your career.

T&L: Do you think entering contests is worth the time away from your actual writing projects at the moment? We've heard that it's a good way to get noticed. We've also heard that agents don't really pay any attention to awards.

Erin: Ugh, the contest question. It’s a tough call on that. I wouldn’t spend all my writing time on entering them, however there are some great perks that come with it. For example, in a business where 90% of the news is bad news, getting something good like a finalist status or a contest win can really soothe the soul. And we need that. It’s also a message to you—you’re close. You’re good. Agents and editors aren’t going to make decisions on contest wins. They won’t say, “she won the pink heart throb, let’s sign her today!” but they will say, “hmmm, okay, I’ll read more.” When you’re starting out, getting them to read more is vital.

T&L: As a published author, how have your experiences with editors played out? Any advice for unpublished writer's getting ready to work with an editor for the first time?

Erin: Editors are usually warm, friendly people. They are excited to buy your book and they like working with authors. I’ve heard stories of editors who have asked for changes on a book that the author didn’t believe were right, but I’ve never had the experience—I’ve always been lucky I guess. The best way to look at your editor/writer relationship is s/he is your favorite customer. Yes, I said customer. You are the supplier, they are your buyer. You have to make sure you deliver fresh, tasty products on time to keep them coming back for more and you have to listen to feedback and change your business plan to accommodate them. Or, you have to find a new customer who likes the product you’re selling as it is. It’s as simple as that. You wouldn’t call your customer and waste their time, bitch about other suppliers, whine because your kids are bugging you or any of that. Don’t do this with your editor (or agent) either.

T&L: Raising a family, working full time outside your home, how do you find the self discipline to write? What is your schedule like? And how do you deal with publishing deadlines?

Erin: Ah, the whole how do you do it question . . . The simple answer is I couldn’t not do it so it’s a non-issue. The more detailed answer . . . Well, I’ll tell you, it’s not easy but it can be done. The key element though is how important you think writing is. If you set down a rule that between the hours of 8-10 (or whenever) on Saturday and Sunday you are not to be disturbed and you show discipline about it, the family will learn to accept it. I wrote my first 2 books on lunch hours. Literally, because I wasn’t determined enough to make my family respect it, I had to do it in my only free time which amounted to 60 minutes Monday through Friday.

You have to give up the idea that “I can only write when ___________” (fill in the blank.) I can write WHENEVER. Really, if I have 15 minutes to write, then I write for 15 minutes. You can do whatever you say you can do. Now (and I fought for this) I have a job where I work 4 10-hour days. So I have one day a week that is mine to write. My husband it always trying to get me to run errands on those days, but I flat out refuse. I write. From the time my kids leave the house until they come home. Half the time I don’t even shower until 3:20. And I write Saturday and Sunday mornings. I have this whole routine where I light candles in my office and the kids (and hubby) know that if the candles are burning, it’s a “Keep Out” sign.

T&L: Once that first book is published, how do you keep getting published? Is there more to it than just writing that next novel?

Erin: You need to have a proposal ready to go when you sell the first book. They generally do not offer multi-book deals unless you offer multi-book ideas.

T&L: How important is a writer's ability to market themselves? Do you have any suggestions for new writer's just starting out?

Erin: Here’s the sad truth to marketing. No one knows what sells book. The only sure thing (and it’s not always sure) is to have a lot of them placed everywhere. Unfortunately, this rarely happens with authors who are unknown. Everything else—well if publishers knew what made a book a bestseller, they’d be doing it for every book. But they don’t know. No one knows. Bob Mayer gives a great workshop on numbers and selling and he says it simply: you never know who is buying your book. It could be an 80 year old grandpa or a 14 year old cheerleader. There is no rhyme or reason to why a book appeals to someone so there’s no way to bottle it and market it. You just have to try everything.

T&L: If you would, tell us about your newest projects and when we can expect to see them in the book stores?

Erin: My newest project is a trilogy centered around two mystical families and the legendary Book of Fennore. As old as the earth and sky, the Book of Fennore is a dark entity with its own consuming desires and twisted needs. Just touching the Book can give it access to the heart, mind, and very soul of those it seeks. Its call is irresistible. Its promises, unimaginable. Its price, unthinkable.
I can’t tell you a release date yet because I don’t know, but my guess is next year. J

T&L: Thanks once again for sharing with everyone your experiences and knowledge. We love talking with you and as always you are great. Keep us informed on your up coming projects.

You can visit Erin Grady at: www.eringrady.com

Be watching for our next author interview in March as we continue our theme: On the Road to Publication.

If you would like to be a guest blogger please feel free to contact us at: luree_tracy@yahoo.com or visit our website: tagates-lureevanderpool.com

Check out our book projects. Vote on your favorite title or send us a blog message with comments or questions. We are looking forward to hearing from you.

Tracy & Luree

Luree & Tracy

On The Road To Publication A blog dedicated to aspiring authors and the journey 'On the Road to Publication'

Interview with Erin Grady

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