Lilith Saintcrow » Contest/Giveaway

Huh. Is There Any Money In That?

Lili — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 21:15:09 +0000

Crossposted to the Deadline Dames.

First, an announcement. Readers AleBB and Amanda N., please email me and tell me which mug/shirt you want. I have your addresses, but not the exact prizes you want.

Also, if you check out the latest (March ‘10) Romantic Times, I’m in there with Nalini Singh, Anne Rice, and Debbie Macomber (not to mention some fellow Dames, I think). We’re all talking about angels and demons, and having a great time. Plus, there are some Dame books recommended in that article!’

Now. It’s Friday. I’m supposed to do a Friday post. But what I really want to do is get back to the book that’s been bugging me. It’s a bright sunny windy day, and the itching under my skin can only be a work of fiction dying to get out. So, it’s going to be a Friday Four! I’m going to answer four common questions I get asked when I tell people I write for a living.

Seriously. These are the things I get asked/said to me most often when I tell people what I do. Enjoy!

1. Huh. Is there any money in that?

I’m very lucky that I can support myself by writing, and I do it by being pretty careful what I spend money on. (I’m helped by the fact that my priorities do not seem to be the average person’s set of priorities.) When you’re only paid twice a year and expected to live on chunks of your advances for months at a time, you have to budget pretty carefully. Also, you need to build up a safety cushion for those times when the royalty or advance payments dry up. It happens.

So yeah, there’s money…but only because I’m careful.

2. So how long does it take you to write a book?

It depends on the type of book. There’s the brute work of typing 60-100K words (and quite possibly twice that amount if there are multiple drafts, endings, and revisions). There’s the research involved, which can add hours and hours (even if it is Internet-based, which I don’t recommend…but that’s another blog post). There’s the time between revisions/drafts to let it sit and cool down. Then there’s the emotional energy and time one invests into a book.

For example, the Watcher books were relatively painless to write. They were fun and I had the structure down after the second one, so it was a matter of relaxing into the structure. I could probably write one of those every couple months, if I wasn’t doing anything else. Contrast that with the Jill Kismet books, which take a lot out of me. I need a year for each Kismet book, period. This is partly because I have other projects going at the same time, but it’s mostly because Jill’s world is a very dark place and the emotional toll of entering that world and suffering with her, as well as feeling her triumphs, is very large.

Oddly, short stories sometimes take me longer than novels, because the word count is so limited–I have to have everything just right before I draw my sword and make my cut.

So, that’s actually a very complex question. There are books that took me three years to write, books that took me a month and a half of intense effort, books that sort of dumped themselves out of my head whole. Writing a book is an incredibly complex process, with all sorts of factors affecting it. So I usually say, “From a month to three years, it depends on the book.”

3. I always wanted to write a book. How do you get published?

Persistence. Sheer dumb brute persistence. And luck, but the harder you work, the more likely you are to be lucky.

There are many ways to climb the mountain to publication^[1], as well as many ways to climb the mountain of a sustainable writing career. The bedrock all these ways rest on is not quitting and learning.

You do not have a guarantee of getting published. All you can do is maximize your chances. Plenty of people do not bother to maximize their chances and so, just clog up the pipes with slush. But I can tell you this much: if you quit, it’s CERTAIN that you will never get published. If you don’t keep producing work and submitting, of course you’ll never get there. It’s a question of whether or not this matters enough to you.

The other half of the answer is learning. I never open a finished book of mine without wincing at things I could have done better and feeling the urge to correct/revise. Never. Part of that is simply my work ethic; the other part is that I an consistently and constantly trying to learn more about language, grammar, what makes stories work, what makes writing work. I rarely read for pleasure anymore; instead, I’m “looking under the hood” and seeing how the story is put together while another part of me is searching for typos. It’s become a reflex by now.

If you aren’t wincing and thinking you could do better when you open up a story/document you wrote six months ago, it’s time to focus on some more learning. I sincerely believe this is not a finite process.

4. I’ve got this great idea for a book. Why don’t you write it and we’ll split it 50-50?

Writers sometimes joke about this, but it isn’t really a joke. People actually say this to me. The only thing that saves the top of my head from blowing off while steam shoots off my ears and I reach for something sharp is the fact that most people don’t have the faintest idea how much work it is to write a book. They know that they walk into a bookstore and see the finished product and it takes them ten minutes to buy it if the line’s super-long around Christmas.

They do not see the months or years it took to write that book, the different drafts, the revisions and proofing process, the waiting for publication schedules to line up…I could go on. It’s like people thinking a television commercial only takes thirty seconds to film because that’s how long the finished product ends up being.

I used to try to explain this to people, but two sentences into the explanation people’s eyes would glaze over. People largely don’t care to hear about how their conveniences or consumable entertainment actually comes into being. Listening to that is too much like work, and I suspect it drains some of the “magic” from the mental image people have of writers.

So now I just settle for taking a deep breath, reminding myself that dismemberment is frowned upon in most social situations, and say, “Sorry. I’ve got my own books to write.”

The funny thing about this is most people just nod and move on with the conversation. There is, however, a slight but definite proportion of people who are actually offended when I say that. I suspect they are some of the same people you read about here. I actually had one man say to me, “What, my ideas aren’t good enough for you?”^[2]

*snorts* So here’s what I wish I could say: “It’s not that your ideas aren’t good enough. It’s that I’d rather spend my time on the line of my ideas that’s stretching out the door and around the block. Other ideas are free to wait in line, and I’ll get the money for the actual effort put into writing them, thank you very much. Next!”

Ideas are a dime a dozen. What makes a book special is the time, care, and effort the writer puts into expressing the idea and its consequences, the effort spent revising until it’s as good as it can be, the effort the publisher puts into it from their end, and the ongoing engagement the writer cultivates with the readers. Five seconds of “hey I have an idea!” isn’t worth much when stacked against those months or years of backbreaking effort.

Anyway. So there you have it, the four most-common questions I’m asked when I tell people I write for a living. Someday, just to shake things up, I’m going to tell someone that I shave gorillas for a living.

They’ll probably say, “Huh. Is there any money in that?”

^[1] Note that when I say “publication” I mean traditional publishing with all its quality control. I do not mean self or vanity publishing.
^[2]At that point I realized I was dealing with irrationality, and took refuge in absurdity. “Yes. My cake is burning, thank you.” And I walked away.

Telecast, and Dame Anniversary Giveaways!

Lili — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 19:20:50 +0000

Before I get started, I’d like to point your attention at an HP fandom site, the Leaky Cauldron. They’re doing a Help Haiti Heal telecast tomorrow; among the prizes will be full signed sets of the Valentine and Kismet (up until Flesh Circus) series.

Also, it’s the one-year anniversary of the Deadline Dames. It’s somewhat paradoxical, because it seems like just yesterday Devon Monk asked me if I’d want to be part of a group blog; and because it feels like I’ve known the Dames forever. They’re constant strength and support, they forgive me my scatterbrain and my little foibles (including my habit of getting very freaking foulmouthed) and they are, in short, too awesome for me to tell you about all their awesomeness without renting out a skywriter or a full-page ad in some ridiculously expensive newspaper. I am proud to be a Dame. Seriously, you don’t even know.

Since I’ve just returned from my first highly unpleasant tasks of the day (everything’s gone smoothly so far) I will content myself with a giveaway and some news in lieu of a Friday writing post. Frankly, I’m tired. This has been a bushwhacking week.

So. To celebrate the anniversary of the kickass, utterly fantastic Dames, I’m doing a giveaway out of Japhrimel’s Corner. Yes, I’m giving away two coffee mugs out of the little corner of the web that honors the demon even Lucifer can’t keep down. (I really need to get some new products in there…let’s just add that to my to-do list. AUGH.)

Here’s how you win: Make a comment OVER HERE, on this Deadline Dames post^[1], before midnight on Saturday, January 23. (If you can’t think of what to write, just tell me what you love about the Dames. Hey, we like to hear that stuff!) Random.org will help me pick two winners, each will get their choice of cups from Japhrimel’s Corner mailed to them. Next week is the BIG giveaway, with T-shirts and a Special Spoiler Prize. (I think I’ll be announcing other winners next Friday too.) So stay tuned, and thanks for reading. I appreciate each and every one of you.

Viva les Dames!

^[1] Comments are closed on THIS post, you must go to the Dames site to enter. Because I’m shifty like that.

Short But Sweet

Lili — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 19:31:06 +0000

…just like my temper today. Ha ha. I got nothin’ today, so here’s a couple links:

* It’s the one-year anniversary of the Deadline Dames. Come over for giveaways, prizes, exclusive spoilers, and more!

* Plus, Philip Palmer (the coolest Welshman since Daffyd op Owen) has started a new feature: the SFF Song of the Week. Check out this week’s offering.

As for me, I’m still working away on Dru 4. Tentative title: The Blooming. The book’s taken a weird left turn, which is both terrifying and a Good Sign. Plus, today’s laundry day. The fun just never stops here at Casa Saintcrow.

Catch you later…

Introducing Flesh Circus!

Lili — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 18:04:14 +0000

Today, ladies and gents, I am pleased and proud to announce the official release of the fourth Jill Kismet book, Flesh Circus.

The Cirque de Charnu has come.

They will clean out the demons and the suicides, and move on. As long as they stay within the rules, Jill Kismet can’t deny them entry. But she can watch–and if they step out of line, she’ll send them packing.

When Cirque performers start dying grotesquely, Kismet has to find out why, or the fragile truce won’t hold and her entire city will become a carnival of horror. She also has to play the resident hellbreed power against the Cirque to keep them in line, and find out why ordinary people are needing exorcisms. And then there’s the murdered voodoo practitioners, and the zombies.

An ancient vengeance is about to be enacted. The Cirque is about to explode. And Jill Kismet is about to find out some games are played for keeps…

Available now at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Borders, and Indiebound

I listened to a lot of circus calliope while writing this, and it shows. I am actually terrified of clowns, and slightly amazed that Jill hasn’t run across a psychotic clown in this book. Of course, what with voodoo and vengeance, not to mention Perry and trouble with Saul, her dance card is kind of full.

To celebrate a brand-spanking-new Kismet book, I’ll be giving away two signed copies here on my website and a couple more signed copies through my newsletter. Today I’ll be giving away a signed copy to a random commenter. All you have to do is go here and leave a comment about circuses (before midnight today)–do you find them creepy? Cool? Do clowns make you shiver? Tell me all about it, and I’ll pick a comment with the help of Random.org!

Wow. It’s been a busy, busy month. Thanks for reading, dear Readers. If not for you, well, this whole thing would sink. Thank you all.

More Release Madness!

Lili — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:23:44 +0000

ETA: There’s an interview with Christophe over at LiyanaLand, for all you Christophe fans!

Today I’m over at Bitten By Books to celebrate the release of Betrayals! There’s an interview with me, and I’ll be popping in there to answer questions and comments all day. There’s also a chance to win a $15 Amazon gift certificate. So, come on over and have some fun.

Right now, though, I’ve got to hit the treadmill. I’ve been on the phone all morning, what with one thing and another, and I need to get the daily run out of the way. It’s beyond me why I struggle and suffer and sweat on the treadmill while I could be eating choco, but I guess it will help me live longer so I can eat more choco. Delayed gratification, the hallmark of adulthood.

I just wish gratification wasn’t delayed so long.

Strange Angels: Betrayals!

Lili — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:08:38 +0000

That’s right! Today marks the release of the second in the Strange Angels series, Betrayals. And do I have some treats for you.

* You can go to Bitten By Books and vote for Lucifer from the Valentine series as the best villain of all. I’ll also be at BBB all day tomorrow for their big Betrayals event.

* I have a guest post over at Fantastic Book Review–Werewolves vs. Vampires. Go and tell everyone who YOU like best!

* LiyanaLand’s Betrayals week just keeps on going with an interview with your favorite loup-garou, Graves. (Christophe’s interview is tomorrow.) Go find out what he wants to be when he grows up–and find out what he thinks of Dru.

And now, ladies and gents, I give you…Betrayals!

Dru Anderson’s parents are long gone, her best friend is a werwulf, and she’s just learned that the blood flowing through her veins isn’t entirely human. (So what else is new?)

Now Dru is stuck at a secret New England Schola for other half-vampire teens like her, and there’s a big problem—she’s the only girl in the place. A school full of cute boys wouldn’t be so bad, but Dru’s killer instinct says that one of them wants her dead. And with all eyes on her, discovering a traitor within the Order could mean a lot more than social suicide.

When murderous vampires start showing up and the body count begins rising, Dru has to figure out who to trust and when to run–or tonight might be her last…

Available now at Barnes & Noble, Indiebound, Borders, & Amazon

Don’t forget, if you don’t win a signed copy this week with all the giveaways, you can easily buy one by contacting Cover to Cover Books. Their shipping rates are quite reasonable and I can sign and personalize books for them with no trouble at all.

Once again, dear Readers, thank you for reading. I can’t wait to hear what you think of Dru’s further adventures.

Bitten By Books Event

Lili — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:30:55 +0000

This Wednesday I’ll be over at Bitten By Books, pretty much all day. There’s even a contest. If you’re interested, RSVP here (it gives you extra entries into the contest) and then come by on Wednesday and check it out.

Also, there will be upcoming interviews with Graves and with Christophe Reynard at LiyanaLand this week. Stay tuned!

Now, back I dive into revisons…

Discombobulated? Why, Yes.

Lili — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:38:35 +0000

When I am so discombobulated I can’t even remember how to run my coffeemaker…

…you know it’s time for Revisions Deathmarch. The blessed caffeine is going to be hitting my bloodstream during the typing of this short post, so forgive me any irregularities. Oh, and check out Marjorie Liu’s post on the five stages of decline in a writer’s career. It’s well worth reading.

Want to win a signed copy of Betrayals? LiyanaLand has her contest up for one signed copy. She’ll also have interviews with Christophe and Graves later this week. Also, tomorrow is the launch date, so I’ll be running another giveaway. And the newsletter giveaway is still upcoming too.

Right now I’ve got revisions for the third Strange Angels book, Jealousy, on my docket. After that it’s revising Heaven’s Spite into a reasonable first draft. Then I get to dive into writing again, all while keeping my NaNo wordcount up.

Dear God. Eating and washing myself may become of secondary importance if this keeps up. One good thing about it: other stuff has kept me from having the usual pre-release jitters. Still, I’ll take the jitters over personal crisis any day.

Okay. I’ve got to get this opened up and start surgery. This revision looks like it’s going to be blood and guts all over. *rubs hands together with an evil smile*

Wish me luck.

Winner, And The Kitchen Sink

Lili — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 19:25:28 +0000

ETA: I forgot to mention, there’s an interview with me up over at the Book Butterfly. Enjoy!

Yesterday was a comedy of errors, ameliorated somewhat by my friend Red Argyle and his girlfriend coming over for family bowling night. We had a lot of fun, and I tried a new recipe. It came out very well, even if I couldn’t find flank steak.

The cavalcade of errors included my kitchen sink suddenly refusing to work, despite Drano and plunging. I am proud to report that this morning I took the trap off, cleaned everything out, swore five or six times, and restored order. At least under-the-sink gets clean and now I know how to take the trap off. So, it’s all good.

And now my website is back up and working again! Huzzah! So, am announcing the winner of a copy of Betrayals–remember that? And the winner, picked with the help of Random.org, is…

…comment #12, Terry! Who said:

Throwing up in my hotel room (very bad fish from the hotel restaurant) prevented me from likely being being ensnared from what I hope was a beautiful Russian spy (lovely phone voice).

This was in Moscow during the cold war and those things did happen back then.

I have no idea if she really was a “swallow” (old spy slang term, look it up ) and I certainly was no catch but the whole meeting sounded wrong (too long to tell here) and before I could make up my mind, the fish decided to swim to freedom through my throat.

Whether it was luck, bad luck and/or a really complex (and likely weird) conspiracy by the soviets remains unknown.

Terry, if you’ll email me your snail mail address, your signed and personalized copy of Betrayals will be on its way to you! Thanks for commenting!

There will be another giveaway, and I’m working on the most current installation of the newsletter, where there will be yet another giveaway. But first, today, I have to get out to Home Despot. I need plumber’s putty, some dowels, and a snake.

Don’t ask. I just like to be prepared.

What A World, What A World…

Lili — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:07:21 +0000

At the end of this post you’ll get a chance to win a signed copy of Betrayals. I’ll just tell you that up front.

My beautiful weekend suddenly sprouted Things To Do like a wet log in the forest sprouting mushrooms. Not even the good kind of mushrooms either–not edible or, ahem, fun ones. No, these mushrooms are slimy and gunky and poisonous and…oh, yeah, some of you may be trying to eat. Sorry about that.

Well, it’s better than knocking around the house bored. And after Friday I’ll be able to get back into the swing of yoga. That will help tremendously, I suspect. The deep breathing and stretching does wonders.

The Little Prince has fallen in love with, of all things, Mozart. He has a Mozart CD that must be played during schoolwork or at bedtime. If we can’t find the Mozart CD, it is a tragedy comparable to the sinking of the Titanic. Complete with tears, teeth-gnashing, the whole nine. Funny little guy.

And now, for your chance to win a copy of Betrayals! Don’t forget, you can also win a copy over at the Deadline Dames–the Readers on Deadline event ends Wednesday Nov 12th.

But here, it’s a little different. You know I’m doing this luck experiment, right? And it seems to be working. So I want to hear about the luckiest thing that ever happened to you, dear Reader. Put it right in the comments HERE. The contest closes Saturday the 7th at midnight, and I’ll use Random.org to pick a winner from the comment numbers. Please note that I can only send prizes to US addresses. (Please do not tell me what a horrible person I am for not being able to send stuff overseas, mmmmkay?) You will get a signed, personalized copy of Betrayals. And if that ain’t cool, I don’t know what is.

See you tomorrow–the Friday post will be late, because I’m due at the airport in the morning. (Don’t ask.) But I will be around.

Now, tell me about that lucky thing.