by Lynn G. Coleman
Different Paths Can Lead Book Authors to Success
by Lynn G. Coleman
Jay Bonansinga became a writer because he had a "secret, illicit, deviant lust for reading." Myrna Mackenzie became a writer because she was interested in people and what brings them together. And Mary Harris and Wilma Nachsin became writers out of necessity.
In addition to their motivation, the four authors discussed techniques and tools of their craft and gave advice on the business side of publishing during the November IWPA Book Fair.
Bonansinga, who has been a successful mystery writer for 15 years, said his favorite authors made life worth living and "forced" him to become an author. He also wanted to create something new to read--something he wanted to read.
Bonansinga is the author of six thrillers: Bloodhound, Oblivion, Head Case, The Killer’s Game, Sick, and The Black Mariah. He said he knew he could be a successful author once he mastered Aristotle’s three-act paradigm: (1) a violent, tumultuous beginning; (2) a longer, dramatic middle; and (3) a tumultuous end.
In The Godfather, for example, Bonansinga said the first act introduces the characters and the problems and ends with a surprise direction, or twist. The second introduces another twist or hook at the end.
You have to learn the mechanics of writing and then forget them, Bonansinga said. "The most important thing [about writing} is having something to say."
The most important thing about the business of writing is finding an agent. Bonansinga advised prospective authors not to waste time sending out proposals, queries, etc., to publishers. He sent letters to all the agents he found listed in Writer’s Market and "glommed onto" the only one who responded to him, even though the initial response was a rejection.
Bonansinga kept revising his work until the agent finally took a chance on him. Currently, Bonansinga is adapting his supernatural thriller Oblivion for Universal Pictures, and The Killer’s Game is under production at New Line Cinema under the title Godforsaken.
His agent has been invaluable because he has a network of subagents around the world. "Mid-list authors survive on ancillary markets and foreign translations," said Bonansinga.
Writers also need researchers and fact-checkers, he said, but beware of "showing off" with excessive research. You can do too much research as easily as too little. Everyone thought Mario Puzo was connected, Bonansinga said, but Puzo finally admitted that he didn’t know one mobster; he wrote The Godfather after reading the transcripts of just two mob trials.
When research becomes detrimental to the story, it’s too much research, said romance writer Myrna Mackenzie. She starts writing and puts in XXX if she needs to research something.
Mackenzie said she wasn’t one of those people who always wanted to be a writer. In fact, she was terrified that she didn’t fit the "image." But she was interested in people and what brings them together, qualities she said are essential to becoming a romance writer. She has written nine romance novels, including The Baby Wish and The Daddy List. She is working on her 10th book, Just Pretending, as well as the Wedding Auction series for Silhouette Books.
Although Mackenzie has an agent, she said it may be more difficult to get an agent than an editor in the romance world. Her agent acts as a cheerleader and promoter, and she also receives support and critiques from members of Romance Writers of America.
Wilma Nachsin and Mary Harris, coauthors of the cookbook My Kid’s Allergic to Everything, wrote the book so other parents wouldn’t have to go through what they did in trying to deal with their own children’s food allergies. Nachsin said the book focuses on desserts and snacks, so kids with allergies can enjoy the same foods other children eat.
Finding a publisher was a "fluke," she said. They met the book distributor who ultimately published their book at a self-publishing seminar.
Nachsin and Harris also recommend finding a good agent. "The less I need to know about the business end, the better," said Harris. "If you want to creative, be creative; if you want to deal with the business end, be an agent."
"Don’t pay an agent anything until you get paid from the publisher," she said, because the agent has to believe in you. The ninth agent they contacted had kids with allergies and saw the value of the book. The agent helps in many ways, Harris said, particularly by being the "bad guy’ with the editor. And, like Mackenzie, she also advocates finding organizations for support.
Rather than just studying romance novels for ideas, Mackenzie recommends reading broadly across all literary genres to "fill the well" of creativity. She starts with a conflict in the relationship, tries to figure out what kind of people would have this problem, and then develops the characters.
She began writing when her kids were young and juggled her time between being a mom and writing. She said it’s very difficult to write when you have a full-time job, even though you generally have to keep working because the results are so iffy at first.
Many romance writers specialize in particular categories, Mackenzie said. Harlequin and Silhouette books run the gamut from historical to contemporary, believable to fantastic, suspenseful to mundane, and religious to racy.