I certainly do.

This past week I learned that there are a number of sites that compare book prices.

These 13 sites show varying results when I input the title of my debut novel as an example. I’ve put an asterisk after the five sites that produced at least five U.S. comparisons.

allbookstores.com*

alldiscountbooks.net*

bookbutler.com

bookfinder.com

booksprice.com*

cheapestbookprice.com

compareshopbooks.com

dealoz.com

fetchbook.info*

finderscheapers.com

isbns.net

source4book.com

spotcost.com*

Using one of these sites could help you save money, enabling you to s-t-r-e-t-c-h your book-buying dollars. In my book, that’s a very good thing.

• • •

Do you compare prices before making your online book purchases, or do you tend to do most of your shopping at one bookseller’s site?

image from istockphoto

Gina is “an ordinary mom, serving an extraordinary God.” She is learning and growing in her faith, parenting, and writing while trying to balance family life, which includes one workaholic husband and four high-spirited kids.

When Gina isn’t busy homeschooling, chauffeuring her kids, or avoiding housework, you can find her at Writer…Interrupted, blogging with honesty and a down-to-earth perspective on the everyday challenges of finding balance in life. For a play-by-play of her hectic life and musings on brown recluse spiders, visit her on twitter @GinaConroy.

Now that we’ve had a brief introduction, let’s learn a little more about Gina.

You say in your Twitter bio that you’re a wannabe dancer. If you had the time and money to master a certain style of dance, which would it be, and why?

I’m currently taking ballroom dancing lessons, and I especially love swing dancing and the Latin dances like Cha Cha. After going swing dancing two summers ago with Susan May Warren and NOT knowing what I was doing, I promised myself I would take lessons for my birthday. I did and was hooked. Now I search for little ways to make money to pay for my private dance lessons, like charging my kids 50¢ every time they forget to do a chore and I end up doing it. You’d be surprised how the money adds up! In between private lessons, I’ve discovered other affordable ways to learn the dance steps, including different dance parties in town where I learn as I go on the dance floor.

As to the why this obsession/addiction with dancing? It feeds my mind, body and soul. You have to be mentally alert and physically fit. When I connect with a dance and the music, there’s a feeling of accomplishment and pride! And when I don’t get a certain dance, it just makes me more determined to master it. I’ve got a long way to go at mastering any of the dances, but as I see it, I have the rest of my life to learn!

You’ve lived in some interesting places, including Italy, New York City, Nigeria as well as Washington State and Idaho. Which stands out as your favorite, and why does it hold that spot?

It’s hard to say since so many different places correspond to parts of my life story. I grew up on Long Island and love to visit the City (NYC). I spent eight months on a missions and journalism internship in Nigeria as a college student, and God used that experience to stretch my faith. I had amazing highs and lows, and the people are very dear to me. The summer before my senior year in high school I spent six weeks in Italy, three of those weeks with a group of Italian teens. It was the first time I felt like I really fit in, and I didn’t even speak the language!

So do I have a favorite? Not really, but one of my dreams is to go back to Italy and live there for a couple of years. But under the right circumstances I could say that about Nigeria and New York. All totally different cultures and experiences I’d love to experience again. But then again, there are other places to explore.

So, what are your thoughts about brown recluse spiders? Are you a friend of those eight-legged creatures, or do you find them fascinating? What’s been your most interesting or scariest encounter with an arachnid?

Before I ever saw a brown recluse spider, I was terrified of them. Growing up in New York, we didn’t have poisonous spiders roaming around. Now I live in an area that has them. In our old house, every time I saw a spider I had to examine the back. Did it have a fiddle? We lived there for 12 years, and I never saw one—until we moved into our current home that had been vacant for two years.

It was terrifying reading up on the brown recluse. (Don’t ever search the internet for photos of their bites!) How was I going to live in the same home with these creatures? Precautions, prayer, and an exterminator. The first year as we were flushing the creepers out, we had many interesting experiences. Like spiders in the shower and sink…crawling down the hall, up the wall. There even was a time a spider landed on my 8-year-old daughter’s arm. When I heard, I freaked out, but she said she simply flicked the spider off! She was definitely braver than the rest of us. For the first year, every little unidentifiable mark on my kids’ body got this charcoal paste we kept in the fridge to suck the poison out, just in case. It’s still in the fridge three years later, probably expired.

Though I see dead brown recluse every now and then, I’m not as terrified as I was. In the spring we spray every month and sometimes I have to wonder if the poison we’re spraying is worse the brown recluse themselves. Still, I’ll take the exterminator over the eight-legged creatures any day!

You lived in Italy, and you speak Italian. I’m curious. Does that mean you love Italian food? If so, what’s your favorite Italian dish to eat? To prepare?

Yes, I love Italian food, but the carbs do not love me. We used to eat a lot of pasta. Now I only eat pasta occasionally, and I’ve found ways around the carbs. Did you ever eat spaghetti and meatballs without the spaghetti? Just add a helping of mozzarella cheese, and YUM!

My go-to Italian dish is baked ziti. It’s fast and easy. I hardly ever make lasagna because it’s too much work. A holiday favorite that I make is manicotti. The funny thing is all these dishes have the exact same ingredients, though the noodles and the amount of cheese varies. I think I have the recipes on my blog if you’d like them!

Then there’s sausage and peppers, pasta fagioli, and chicken parmagian. When I go out to eat, I love the pasta dishes with artichoke and spinach… Great, now I’m getting hungry!

Want a couple of cooking tips? Homemade Italian sauce is so easy to make and it freezes well. And never substitute cottage cheese for ricotta! Might taste good, but it’s just not Italian in my book!

If some of your fans were to spot you at one of your favorite hangouts, where would they be, and what would you be doing there?

That’s an easy one right now. It would be at swing dance on Saturday nights! I used to think I loved to write. And I do. But writing is more like a job I love. Swing dancing is a hobby that feeds my body, mind and soul. It’s hard to explain, but once it gets into your soul, you can’t get it out! I find myself putting on Pandora swing channels just to put me in a good mood and it works! Maybe I’ll take you some time to show you what I mean!

Gina’s Question for You

Besides writing, what are YOU passionate about? Do you have a secret dream you’re afraid to pursue because of time, money or insecurities? What will it take to awaken that dream?

In the beginning, I had to push myself out of my comfort zone to follow my dream of learning to ballroom dance. Sometimes we have to do what makes us uncomfortable to get what we want!

What do you want, and are you willing to do what it takes to follow your dream?

Learn About Cherry Blossom Capers.

Four townhouse neighbors encounter romance and mystery near our nation’s capital.

In “State Secrets,” White House assistant chef Tara Whitley and FBI agent Jack Courtland stop a plot to sabotage a State dinner—and find love still hidden in their hearts.

In Dying for Love,” attorneys and opponents Ciara Turner and Daniel Evans uncover love while searching for justice.

In “Coffee, Tea and Danger,” amateur sleuths Susan Holland and Vince Martinelli find love while investigating a string of mysterious accidents.

And, drum roll please, here’s a description of Gina’s novella, “Buried Deception.”

Mount Vernon archaeology intern and widow Samantha Steele wants to provide for her children without assistance from anyone. Security guard and ex-cop Nick Porter is haunted by his past and keeps his heart guarded. But when they discover an artifact at Mount Vernon is a fake, Nick and Samantha need to work together, set aside their stubbornness, and rely on each other or the results could be deadly. Will Samantha relinquish her control to a man she hardly knows? Can Nick learn to trust again? And will they both allow God to excavate their hearts so they can find new love?

• • •

Gina’s Drawing for a Copy of Cherry Blossom Capers

Gina has generously offered to give away an autographed copy of Cherry Blossom Capers.

To enter the drawing, leave a comment by Thursday January 26. (Be sure to provide your email address in the appropriate field so I can contact you if you win.)

I’ll select the winner on Friday, January 27 and post the name here and in a comment.

Congratulations to the winner, Dyanna Pelella!

No purchase necessary.
Offer void where prohibited.
Odds of winning vary due to number of entrants.

They do mine.

Because they do, I write and post reviews.

I like to reach as many potential readers as possible, so I post my reviews in six places.

As an author with a book coming out, I’m curious to know how effective books reviews are.

In order to find out what you think about book reviews, I’ve created three polls. If you have the time, I’d appreciate it if you’d take a minute to provide your answers. Thanks!

Take Our Poll

Take Our Poll

Take Our Poll

One of the major reasons I chose the path I did is that I lack the knowledge or platform necessary to launch a book on my own. Sure, I could learn to format a digital book if I put my mind to it, but I don’t possess the marketing know-how or promotion savvy many self-published authors exhibit. I admire them, but at this stage in my career I don’t have what it takes to emulate them. Getting my book in front of readers would be a challenge.

I’d heard that traditional publishers are able to get our books in front of many potential readers, but I’m seeing firsthand how true that is.

Being a debut novelist eager to learn all I can about the process my book is going through, I periodically perform a search for my book’s title to see where it has made an appearance.

To my surprise and delight, I discovered that my publisher’s sales department got my book up for pre-order on the major booksellers sites over six months before its scheduled release date. It’s available on Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, and Christianbook.com.

A Bride Opens Shop in El Dorado, California has been showing up on other sites, too, among them BiggerBooks.com, The Book Depository, eCampus.com, e textbooks now.com, Overstock.com, and The Reading Warehouse.

To my amazement, readers in other countries can buy the book as well. No, my agent hasn’t sold foreign rights. The version that’s available is the same English book that will be sold here. Even so, it’s cool to see my book for sale in other countries, including Japan (Amazon.jp), the United Kingdom (Amazon.uk), and the Netherlands (Van Stockum).

And this is only the beginning. My publisher will be getting my book on other sites, in booksellers’ catalogs, in stores, and more.

Seeing my book for sale in so many places is incredible. Due to my publisher’s efforts, millions of people around the world have the opportunity to discover and order my book. Without the sales and marketing departments doing so much work, my story would not have such a reach. I’m beyond grateful to the team at Barbour Publishing!

• • •

Are you as amazed as I am by how many places a traditional publisher gets a book placed?

What do you see as the biggest advantages of a traditional publishing company?

Is traditional publishing your path of choice? Why or why not?

Murray was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and has traveled extensively throughout Canada, the United States, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Ordained as a Baptist minister in 1986, he’s served five churches in Canada and headlined numerous speaking engagements in Canada and the U.S. He recently left the pulpit to write full-time.

Murray has four novels published, as well as two sets of short stories, three non-fiction works, inclusion in two anthologies, and commentary work with Richard J. Foster. He has five more contracted books at various stages of the publishing process, including his Amish romance, Wings of Morning, that will be released by Harvest House in February. He was a contributor to the Life With God Bible, has been a finalist for The Paraclete Fiction Award, The Dartmouth Book Award, and The John Spencer Hill Literary Award, and has been shortlisted for the prestigious 2010 Kobzar Literary Award of Canada.

Now that we’ve had a brief introduction, let’s learn a little more about Murray and his writing.

The stereotypical romance writer is female, so I’m impressed when I find a man who has embraced the genre. What do you see as the challenges and benefits of being a male romance writer?

I have a mother, a sister, a wife, and a daughter, and I have worked alongside female colleagues since I was young. So as a male romance writer my challenge is to reflect what I have seen and learned of the wonderful women in my life in the female characters I portray, especially the heroine. The advantage is, as someone looking in on the female heart and spirit from the outside, I see and value and highlight things that women writers might overlook or take for granted and so not portray. Women, in their strength and depth and mind and soul, are fascinating and I want to express as much of that as I can in my writing.

A number of your stories deal with the Amish faith. What is your experience with the Amish, and what aspects of the religion do you find most appealing?

In southern Manitoba, just north of Minnesota and the Dakotas, I grew up and went to college with a lot of Mennonite youth and, for a time, was a member of a Mennonite church. Since the Amish and Mennonites share a common heritage I learned a lot about the Amish from my Mennonite friends. What is most appealing to me in the Mennonite and Amish traditions are the emphases on community, on truly taking care of one another, and their stance against solving matters with retribution or conflict. They really do turn the other cheek.

You’ve explored many parts of the world. Of all the places you’ve visited, which was your favorite, and why?

Oh, boy. Let’s divide that up into regions. If I’m in America, I love the beaches and jungles of Florida, the rugged grandeur of the southwest that includes New Mexico, Arizona, and California, and the green lushness and friendliness of the Deep South. Overseas, I love the landscape and people of the UK (the English, Irish, Scots, and Welsh), the desert and palm beauty of Israel and the spirit of the Israelis, and I am staggered by the power of the Himalayan Mountains in Nepal. I’m one of those persons that is fascinated by many cultures and climates and landforms, though I must say I rest most easily where there is an abundance of light.

You describe yourself as a mountain man, which leads me to believe you like the outdoors as well as adventure. What are your favorite outdoor activities?

We have two wonderful Alaskan Malamutes and I love to run them in all kinds of weather – we see so much wildlife on our daily excursions. Hiking and camping are big deals and so is wilderness photography. Going far into the backcountry is one of the most peaceful and restoring things I know and I do it whenever I can. We live right by the Rocky Mountains so you don’t have to go far to get into true wilderness. A man can pray anywhere, but there is something about meeting Christ among the deep forests and tall peaks and fast rivers that is special.

If we were to take a peek in your garage, what would we learn about you?

Lol. If at night, you’d have to pet the Malamutes who have their bed in one corner right by the wood box – and the wood box is there because we have a stove in the living room that takes the edge off cold winter days. All the sleeping bags and camping gear would tell you we like to tent in out-of-the-way places. The gun safe would make it clear we like target shooting, black powder and western re-enactment, and the occasional hunt to feed the family. You’d see our recycling bin, the oil painting sets for out-of-doors, my workbench and tools, the flags of Canada and the USA hanging together, and our Christmas decorations and the children’s keepsakes stored in Roughneck boxes. I guess you’d learn a lot about what makes me and mine tick.

Murray’s Question for You

Outside of things like a strong Christian faith, courage, and, I suppose, good looks, what are the three qualities you most admire and want to see in your male heroes?

Learn About A Bride’s Flight from Virginia City, Montana

Join the chase as an unlikely foursome, threatened by a ruthless gang of ne’er-do-wells, strives to reach safety. Montana ranchers Zephaniah Parker and Charlotte Spence are determined to get two Amish children, who witnessed their family’s massacre, back home to relatives in Pennsylvania. Will they succumb to the plans of blood-thirsty outlaws or reach Bird-in-Hand alive?

Along the treacherous trek, Charlotte and Zephaniah’s friendship blossoms into love. Will wedding bells soon chime, or will Charlotte’s startling admission forever silence potential peals? How will God redeem outlaws and law-abiding citizens in this epic Old West adventure?

• • •

To learn more about Murray, visit his website, personal blog, and Facebook group page.

He’s also a contributing member of Amish Reader.com, sponsored by Harvest House.

Why is that?

When I see a book make an appearance at my local Walmart, I know my author friend is well on the way to earning out the book’s advance.

I did one of my jubilant jigs this past weekend when I visited Walmart and beheld the January release in Barbour Publishing’s new Destination Romances line, A Bride’s Flight from Virginia City, Montana by Murray Pura. And yes, the dance was accompanied by my customary tears of joy as well, causing the three men on the aisle at the time to give me some strange looks. Not that I cared overmuch. As I writer, I know I’m a bit strange.

The Destination Romances line from Barbour is also known as the Bride/Wedding line. In the odd months of 2012, a historical Bride book will be released. A contemporary Wedding book will be released in even months. I spotlighted the first six books of 2012 in my post, “Barbour’s Bride/Wedding Line: The Fun Begins!“

As I stood in the book aisle of my local Walmart rejoicing over seeing the first Bride book of 2012 on the shelves, I imagined myself standing in the same spot six months from now when my debut novel, A Bride Opens Shop in El Dorado, California, could very well occupy that position. Let me tell you, that was a rather heady experience, one that had me hyperventilating and reaching for my cell phone. I had to tell someone the news.

A Bride's Flight from Virginia City, Montana is on the second shelf from the top, at eye level. I raised the book for the picture so more of the cover is visible.

Because it was Saturday afternoon, people were busy. I woke my daughter from a much-needed nap (oops!), couldn’t reach my hubby who was on a bike ride, and caught a writer friend in the middle of another conversation. I pried myself away from Walmart and took my walk, but I wanted to spread my news. Thankfully I reached my mom, who let me share my excitement with her. Let me tell you, my walk had never seemed as short.

When I reached home, I attempted to convey to my husband why the possibility of seeing my book in Walmart had sent me into the ionosphere. (Gwynly, a science teacher, tells me that’s beyond the stratosphere, which pretty much describes where I was hovering. )

Since Gwynly is a logical kinda guy and is more impressed with a list of concrete reasons than with my emotional outpourings, I spent some time gathering information to explain my state of giddiness. Here’s the list I created:

Why I Got So Excited About The Possibility of Seeing My Book in Walmart

1. Walmart is the world’s largest retailer, with over 6,000 outlets. This means a book in Walmart will be seen by millions of potential readers.

2. Very few books actually make it into Walmart. Of the over three million books assigned ISBNs each year, only a small percentage make it into Walmart. They aren’t a bookseller. They are a retailer that sells some books.

3. Getting a book into Walmart is difficult. According to the Walmart website, each vendor of any product sold in Walmart must go through an extensive proposal process. Those selling books must contact Anderson Merchandisers, the company that stocks the book sections in Walmart stores.

4. Walmart works with established traditional publishers only, such as Barbour. Walmart clearly states on their website that “Walmart does not pursue self-published books.”

5. Of the few books that make it into Walmart, most were written by big-name, best-selling authors with a tremendous track record of sales. The noted exception is a series of books from a traditional publisher that has already gone through the process of getting approval from Anderson Merchandising. This is the only way a debut novelist can expect to see his or her book stocked in Walmart.

6. The placement of a book on the shelves at Walmart is important, too, and Murray’s book is at eye level, where it’s easy to see. I spoke with the local representative of Anderson Merchandising. She stocks the Placerville, California Walmart and a number of other Walmart stores in the area. The rep showed me the planogram she uses, which is a diagram showing the placement of each book in the section. I had no idea shelf position was dictated like that and am delighted to see Murray’s book get some prime real estate.

Once I shared this information with Gwynly, his excitement grew. Not that his level of enthusiasm matched mine, but he was suitably impressed and is quite happy for me.

• • •

Here are three posts I found that give more information about the process involved in and benefits of getting books in Walmart:

“And Now, A Word About Walmart” by Terry Cordingley, Associate Director of Marketing at Tate Publishing

“Publishing Insiders Wrap-up: Selling Your Book in Bulk and Special Sales,” a guest post at Authors Marketing Experts, Inc. by Amy Collins, owner of The Cadence Group, a sales and marketing service provider for the publishing industry

“Wal Mart, Friend to Authors: Why Writers Should Love WalMart Stores” by Barbara Doyen, Literary Agent

• • •

Do you ever purchase books from major retailers? Why or why not?

How do you react when you see a friend’s book on the shelves at a major retailer?

Did you know how difficult it can be for an “unknown” author to get a book in Walmart?

Just hearing the word causes my OC side to cringe.

No. This is not my office. I wasn't brave enough to show you the real thing.

Living amidst clutter can drive me to distraction.

And yet at present my desk is buried beneath an avalanche of papers, books, and more.

Why is that?

Despite my best intentions, there are times when I can’t keep up, and the piles proliferate.

Christmas came, our daughter visited, and my edits arrived, all in a one-week window.

The bounteous holiday greetings, glossy catalogs, and end-of-the-year financial statements began as a mound but quickly turned into Mt. McKinley.

The decorations are down, our daughter’s back at college, and I’ve returned my edits.

Now I face Operation Muck-Out-the-Office. Thankfully I’ve been exercising daily for the past two months, so I have the strength and stamina needed to mount my attack.

While you’re reading this post, I’m cranking classic 70s soft rock and digging out.

Wish me luck!

• • •

Are you so organized that Mr. Monk would feel at home in your writing area, or would he have a heart attack if he got so much as a peek into your space?

What are your tips for taming the paper tiger?

image from iStockphoto

I’ve faced this dilemma many times. In the past I toughed it out, contenting myself with sending encouraging messages to the author, tweeting about how eager I was to read the book when it hit the shelves, and admiring the cover on the booksellers’ sites.

All that changed this week. My friend and agency mate Katie Ganshert has a book coming out in May, and I want to do all I can to help her promote it. Fed up with nibbling my nails while waiting for the release, I engaged my gray matter, coupled my brainstorming with creativity and tenacity, and found 12 ways to help promote Katie’s book, Wildflowers from Winter, before the booksellers begin shipping it to eager readers.

1. Place a pre-order on a bookseller’s site. I chose to place my pre-order for Wildflowers from Winter on Amazon. The pre-order will help boost Katie’s sales. On the release day (or perhaps sooner), Amazon will fill all the pre-orders at one time, creating a surge in the book’s stats and moving it higher on the best sellers ranking. That can help draw attention to Katie’s book, leading to more sales, which will make Katie and her publisher happy.

2. “Like” the book on Amazon. The cute little “like” icon is found beneath the book’s title. All it takes is one click, and you’re done. The more likes there are, the more likely a person taking a peek at Katie’s book is to read the book’s blurb and place a pre-order.

3. “Tag” the book on Amazon. Tags are words that customers associate with a book and are likely to use when they perform searches. If you look at the page for Katie’s book, Wildflowers from Winter, and scroll down to the “Tags Customers Associate with This Product” section, you’ll see at least six tags. I know, because I added them.

The more people who agree with the tags that are there, the more likely it is that Katie’s book will appear when readers perform searches using those tags. It’s easy to agree with the tags that are already there. Just click the box in front of each tag. There’s a place at the bottom of the section to add additional tags if you’d like.

4. Share the book’s Amazon page with others. You will find buttons under the pre-order box on the right. There’s an envelope button. Pressing it will give you a window in which to compose an email message. Using the Facebook button enables you to post the book’s information to your wall. The Twitter button gives you an easy way to share a link to the book’s page with your followers.

5. Share the book’s Barnes and Noble page with others. On the Wildflowers from Winter page at Barnes and Noble, you will find a +1 button for Google Plus and a Facebook like button just below the title on the right hand side of the book’s page. Pressing the buttons will help you spread the word about the book on those two sites.

6. Share the book’s Christianbook.com page with others. Because Katie’s book is an inspirational romance, you can find Wildflowers from Winter on Christianbook.com. In the middle of the page below the book’s title and price information, you’ll see four buttons, which enable you to share the link to the page via email, Facebook, Twitter, or Google Plus.

7. Share the book’s Goodreads page with others. If you’re a member of Goodreads, a site where readers hang out and discuss books, visit the Goodreads’ page for Wildflowers from Winter. In the “Share This Book” section in the sidebar on the right, you’ll be able to press the buttons, which enable you to share the link to the book’s Goodreads’ page on Facebook, Twitter, or your website. You can +1 it on Google and “like” it on Facebook, too.

8. Add the book to your shelves on Goodreads. Go to the Wildflowers from Winter Goodreads page. Underneath the book’s cover, locate the “Add to My Books” button, and choose the “to-read” option. The more people who list the book as one they’re looking forward to reading, the better the chances are that others will take notice of the book and place a pre-order for it on one of the booksellers’ sites.

9. Become a fan of the author on Goodreads. Go to Katie Ganshert’s author page on Goodreads. Underneath her stunning photo, click the “Become a Fan” button. The more fans she has, the more she’ll attract the attention of potential readers.

10. “Like” the author’s Facebook group page. Search for the author’s name on Facebook and see if there is a group page. The titles of the pages will vary. Some authors use their names with Fan Page after them. Others precede or follow their names with Author. Still others use Reader Group after their names. It’s easy to tell if the author has a group page because, if so, the name will appear at the bottom of the search findings under the “Pages” heading. The name of Katie’s Facebook group page is Author, Katie Ganshert.

11. Invite the author to be your blog guest when the book releases. Contact the author and issue an invitation to be a guest on your blog. Be sure to specify what kind of post you’re offering: an interview, an article spot, etc. Authors know they have a small window in which to generate interest in their books, so they like to plan interviews for that time well in advance. While their schedules may already be full when you approach them, they’ll be grateful you did even if they haven’t any openings left.

12. Offer to serve as an influencer. It can be daunting for authors to ask people to read their books, especially a debut novel. It’s a bit like saying, “Will you agree to read my story and say nice things about it?” Receiving a request to fill an influencer spot can help take some of the pressure off. However, bear in mind that authors receive a limited number of author copies and may not be able to honor all the requests they receive.

These are some ways we can help authors with their promotion efforts as they await the release of their books, although the list is far from complete. Can you think of other ways?

image from iStockphoto

As I learned from those who gave me feedback on my early manuscripts, the overuse of a character’s proper name can become distracting. Here’s a good bad example I wrote as an illustration.

Katie strolled down the street, enjoying her day off. The tantalizing scent of peach pie drew Katie into the corner café.

Minutes later Katie sank her fork into the flaky crust, savored the sweetness of the fruity filling, and asked herself why it had taken her so long to indulge in her favorite dessert.

When read aloud, such overuse of proper nouns often becomes apparent because we hear the repetition. Training ourselves to recognize this type of redundancy on the page can be a bit more challenging, but doing makes our stories more pleasing to our readers.

Here’s the example with pronouns used in place of proper nouns whenever possible.

Katie strolled down the street, enjoying her day off. The tantalizing scent of peach pie drew her into the corner café.

Minutes later she sank her fork into the flaky crust and savored the sweetness of the fruity filling. Why had it had taken her so long to indulge in her favorite dessert?

By using pronouns in place of unnecessary proper nouns, I avoided their annoying overuse of Katie’s name. In addition, I deepened the point of view, or POV as we writers say.

Using a character’s name repeatedly lends an authorial, narrative tone to our writing. Replacing proper nouns with pronouns whenever the character being mentioned is clear serves to deepen the POV, making a reader’s connection to the character stronger.

In addition to switching proper nouns to pronouns, I eliminated one pronoun—herself—by turning a line of exposition into a question. Since we’re in Katie’s POV, I can simply have her ask herself the question rather than telling the reader she’s doing so. This technique serves to deepen the POV and eliminate telling, thus being what I think of as a two-fer, meaning a two-for-one special.

By replacing proper nouns with pronouns whenever possible, we end up with stories that flow better and keep from bugging our readers. That’s another two-fer, wouldn’t you say?

• • •

.

Thanks to Jeannie Campbell for asking me to address this subject, which she did in her comment left on a previous Copyediting with Keli vlog post, “Two Notes on Names.”

I’m curious to know if all your work in rewriting the book for your agent paid off in your editor letter. In other words, did you feel like you had less changes than average since you’d invested so much time and effort BEFORE submission?

Thanks for your question, Sarah.

Yes. The rewriting I did for my agent was a major factor, but there were more.

I wrote the story, my third, during my first year of writing when I was a fluorescent green newbie. I submitted it to an agent, who requested the full. She said the story lacked a strong enough spiritual arc, so I rewrote it and added a conversion story that was as subtle as a billboard with neon lights and sound, and received a prompt–but well deserved–rejection.

I put that story aside and wrote two more. A confidence crisis of epic proportions followed, during which time I took a year off to study craft.

At the end of that year, I took a look at my five completed manuscripts and determined that Miles and Elenora’s story showed the most promise. It needed a new beginning, so I rewrote a quarter of it–and ditched the conversion story.

After implementing Anne’s great feedback, I entered the story in several contests, which led to an offer of representation from one of my final round judges–my Dream Agent.

My agent gave me awesome feedback, pointing out a major plot problem a quarter of the way into the story. That led to the major rewrite Sarah mentioned, in which I deleted three-quarters of the story and rewrote it.

Six months later, I sent the story to Anne and my new critique partner, Jody Hedlund. They gave me excellent feedback. I rewrote half of the story because the middle sagged.

I sent the new and improved story to my agent, who said it was ready to submit. She did, and it sold six weeks later.

A year passed, and I didn’t look at the story. Not even a peek.

And then came the email saying my story had been assigned to an editor. Because I’d not read it in a year, I reacquainted myself with it and noticed a number of things that needed tweaking. I performed a self-edit and sent a cleaner copy of the story to my publisher.

My efforts paid off. My edits were minimal.

Why?

I put tonz of work into the story before my editor saw it. I’d rewritten the story multiple times, and it had been edited by my agent and my two critique partners. Plus I edited it once more myself just for good measure.

Each publishing house does things differently and each author’s experience with edits is unique. What I’ve learned is that the more work we put in before we submit, the less work we’ll have to do after. I’m a firm believer in the value of rewriting our stories and getting feedback from knowledgeable people and publishing pros.

• • •

What steps do you take to get your stories ready for submission?

Have you ever performed a major rewrite? How did it go?

Does the thought of receiving edit scare you?

Filed under: Editing Tagged: Keli Gwyn, Receiving edits from publisher, Sarah Forgrave ]]> http://keligwyn.wordpress.com/2012/01/06/working-hard-to-make-edits-easier/feed/ 20 Keli Gwyn Sarah Forgrave