ACFW Conference Blog

by Dineen Miller

Last week I talked about identifying your genre and/or niche so as to help you create your “mood.” (Click here to read part one.)

This week let’s talk about the one sheet. Every year I see the questions start a couple months before conference. We’re gearing up and getting ready. We want to make a great first impression on those agents and editors we’re planning to meet. We want to make our stories shine.

The one sheet is an excellent tool to do just that. You can use imagery right along with your carefully crafted words to give a first impression as well. Just like a book cover gives a potential reader an initial glimpse of what your story is about, a one sheet can do the same.

The basic elements to a one sheet are: story title, a short synopsis, author picture and bio, contact information, and one or two images that portray what your story is about, either by story line, setting, or key elements. And make sure both your story blurb and your bio are polished and ready to go. Writing it along with your layout is a bad idea. Time and energy are wasted when a layout has to be redone because of major copy changes.

Let’s start with some basic layout hints to keep your one sheet looking clean and professional.

Fonts
The temptation can be mighty strong to use some of those quirky fonts you just noticed came with your favorite software program. Resist it! A good rule of thumb is no more than two fonts to a one-page layout. Sometimes three will work if you’re careful, but keep in mind that using the bold form of a font face is almost like using an additional font.

Now that you’ve gone to all that trouble to determine the “mood” of what you write, choose fonts to match. Find a font that suits your story title and feel free to use a bold form here. If you write techno thrillers, a curly cursive font is not going to fit. Find a modern san serif font (no serifs—the little embellishments) to set off that title. If your genre is chick-lit, have a little fun and use something interesting and lively. The point is to make your title stand out, AND fit your story.

Next choose a good font for your body copy for both the story synopsis and author bio. Serif fonts such as Times New Roman are usually the best choice for readability. You can also use a san serif font like Helvetica if it’s not a large block of copy, but keep the font size to 12 point. Again, resist the temptation to use a fancier font (AND NO CAPS or italics!!!). If an editor or agent can’t read it easily, you’ve just wasted all that effort and a chance to make that great first impression.

Now use a bold form of that body font for your name and contact information. That’s critical information, which needs to be easily found and read. Keep it with your bio and make sure it’s complete. If you have an agent, that’s important to include as well.

If you have sub-titles, use either a larger and bold form of your body copy font, or choose another font that compliments your title font. Be sure not to clash here. This is when your can either make or break your one sheet. If it’s too busy, the eye will naturally resist reading. That’s the last thing you want happening when you pitch your story.

Images
If you’re a camera aficionado, feel free to use your own pictures. Otherwise, there are a multitude of image sources available online. Even Microsoft has a site for images and clip art. Another option is to use stock photos. Most sights involve fees and some are free as long as you follow their guidelines. Check these out:

StockXchange
This is a wonderful site to find free images. The photos are clearly marked as to what the photographer’s requirements are. Most are free to use as long as you’re not reselling the image or creating a logo using the image. Some photographers ask for notification of use, which can be done easily through the site and some may ask that you give them credit for the photo (either placing their name by the picture or an aterix at the bottom of the page with a “photo by…” credit line.)

MorgueFile
Like StockXchange, this is another fee free site. Again, follow the guidelines and respect the photographers’ rights.

iStockPhoto
iStock is usually my first choice for images for my clients. Using a prepurchase credit system, these images range anywhere from one or two credits to five or ten. Some run more if they’re detailed and/or high resolution. You prepurchase blocks of credit, which works out to about a $1.30 a credit. Again, there are some usage guidelines, similar to StockXchange.

Book Series One Sheets
If you want your one sheet to promote a book series, consider creating a two-sided one sheet. You can use your series title as your main header, then treat your book titles like subheads, even using a smaller version of the same font you used for the main header. Include a brief description of each book to go with the titles and put your bio on the back. This will keep your page looking uncluttered and easy to read.

Simplicity
Simplicity is always a good rule of thumb. Find an image you like best and use it to set off your story title and synopsis. Make sure your bio picture is fairly current and as professional looking as possible. Try not to crop yourself out of a last year’s blurry family photo. Use colors sparingly, especially if you’re using color photography. A busy page will deflect, not invite.

Keep it clean, keep it organized, keep it simple, and keep it professional. Remember, this is your chance to start off with a great first impression of your professionalism and your story.

Click HERE to look at one-sheet’s on my website. And feel free to leave any questions. Next week we’ll take a look at business cards and continuity in your materials. Hope to see you next week!

The ACFW Conference is just weeks away, so I know many of you are wondering what you need or even where to start. Each Thursday for the next four weeks, I’ll be posting some basics to help you get prepared. We’ll talk about identifying your genre or brand, one sheets, business cards, and how to apply this later on to your website, blogs, and future promotions.

So let’s start at the beginning. Who are you? Every path needs a starting point and creating marketing materials start with two things:

What am I selling?

Who am I selling it to?

Now to apply this to writing, start with your product. Your stories are your product, whether you’re published or unpublished (or pre-published, if you prefer). Start by identifying if you’re “genre specific” or “niche specific.”

Genre specific identifies what kind of stories you write. Suspense, YA, historicals, etc. Even if your story is a combination of genres, decide which is the stronger element to identify your book. In the long run, this helps agents and editors to identify and place your product. Where will it fit, and how will we market it?

If your story has more to do with a culture (Camy Tang’s Sushi Series), a hobby (Rebeca Seitz Scrapbooker’s Series), or ministry (Palmer and Chapman’s The Four Seasons of a Marriage Series), then your story is niche specific and serves a very unique demographic.

And it’s possible your stories could be both genre and niche specific, which can be even more appealing. Now don’t sweat this too much. It’s not an exact science, and if you’re just starting on your writing journey, keep it simple.

Once you’ve made this distinction, identify your market. Now I’m going to take the word “market” and use the word “mood” for my purposes here. The idea is to create materials that will portray what your story is about and clearly show that to the editor and/or agent you plan to pitch it too. This is crucial to how you create your one sheets and business cards, and for published authors for your bookmarks and newsletters.

If your story is what you’d describe as a suspense or thriller, you don’t want to put cute little flowers and use bright colors on your one sheet. And if that’s your genre, you don’t want a business card that looks more like something a chick-lit writer would have. This all boils down to imagery and first impressions. This is an opportunity to communicate clearly who you are AND what you’re selling.

Next week, I’ll cover more specific ideas for designing one sheets. I’ll also have some resource links for free and affordable royalty free photographs to help create that mood we’re talking about as well as communicate your story.

Feel free to leave questions in the comment section. Hope to see you next week!

Dineen Miller

www.dineenmiller.com

dineen@dineenmiller.com

My Blog: Kittens Come From Eggs http://dineenmiller.blogspot.com/

Once Upon A Time…

in 1998 there was a semi-young woman. . .okay, a woman of 30. . .who had written a book. She knew other Christian writers existed, and even found some author web pages on the Internet. She had so many questions she wanted to ask them about writing. No one where she lived knew much about writing, unless they were a schoolteacher or a newspaper reporter. They couldn’t help her. Sure, she had friends who liked to read as much as she did. But no novelists.

Then, she heard about a very tiny on-line e-mail list of writers. At first she wasn’t sure about writing to strangers regularly, but figured it was better than no contact with writers at all. Through them, she heard of other writers. One of them was author Lynn Coleman, who hosted on-line chats. This opened up another avenue of learning.

Late in 1999, Lynn told some of the writers during one particular chat about a new group that she and a small group of other authors were forming, called American Christian Romance Writers. It was for those serious about pursuing the craft of fiction writing.

So this age 30ish writer said she would sign up, for sure! By that time, she’d written a second novel after the first one had been rejected (too similar to what was out there, she was told). But it was a positive rejection from one of the ACRW founding authors.

But it wasn’t until 2005 that she received her first fiction contract. The rest of the story continues to be written.

Of course, yes, this was me. Until ACRW, now ACFW, my only contact with other writers was strictly on-line. The American Christian Fiction Writers conference has changed and morphed over the years to become THE premier fiction conference annually. For me, an old-timer, I get wistful for the old days. But what opportunities we have now! Amazing. So for that reason, I wouldn’t go back to the old days.

NOTHING replaces the face-to-face contact with other writers. I can still remember walking into a Houston restaurant late in 2000 and seeing a table full of writers I’d only know from e-mails. I knew I had friends already. Since then, the only conference I’ve missed was 2006.

Lately I’ve been posting Money-Saving Monday tips. But today, I’m talking about investing.

I realize money is tighter for some. Gas costs more, food costs more, and unless you’ve gotten an awesome raise you’ve had to do some budget shifting.

I won’t tell you to spend money you don’t have or to go into debt to attend the conference. That would be irresponsible of me. But I can tell you this: every career requires investment. If you haven’t saved money up for the conference yet, maybe it’s too late for you to decide to go this year. And that’s okay. I’ll get to that later (see below). Back to investments.

Going to the ACFW conference showed me that I was serious about making writing a career. It’s part-time, but most writers aren’t the primary breadwinner in their family. I have a full-time job and consider myself doubly employed.

Going to the ACFW conference showed me I wanted to be a professional. Yes, I’ve had tearful moments, and times that I wish I could take back, but in spite of myself, I’m showing up with my game face on to learn and grow.

Going to the ACFW conference gives me the face-to-face time I need. I’ve met lifetime friends who are an IM or an e-mail away. While I do get nervous in certain social situations (I so wish I didn’t!), I’d like to think I’m getting better and being less self-conscious.

Going to the ACFW conference gives me a glimpse of Heaven. We wear no denominational labels, and we sing the same song for our Creator in His Presence. You can’t beat that!

I love the smell of fear in the morning. Just kiddin’. Conference time again. I gotta tell y’all, don’t be so worried about your appointments with agents and editors. I know it’s hard to believe, but we aren’t out to get ya. Some of us are even nice. Yes, there are a few pompous people. But being pompous, they don’t take appointments, so you won’t be meeting with them.

Here’s a tip for a stress-lessened (I’m not fool enough to write ‘stress-free’) experience.

Dress for the job ya want, not the one ya have. Don’t know about you, but when I write, I slap my rear in the chair wearing sweats or comfy shorts. When I meet prospective clients, I dress nicely. No, you don’t need an expensive suit. Just wear something up-to-date (newsflash: squeaky polyester is out). Slacks or a skirt, nice blouse, jacket optional. Stick to neutral tones and add a touch of pizzazz (always in style) by way of accessories to show your personality and some color.

Save your jeans (I don’t care if they’re a dark wash) and tennis shoes (I don’t wanna hear your feet hurt) for going to the movies. Don’t show up looking like a “hobby writer.” I took some flack for saying this (One person even wrote me that I was arrogant! Imagine … me … arrogant. Nope, I can’t imagine it.), but my intention is to help, not hurt. Sure, some industry professionals don’t care what you wear, but unless you know who they are, why chance it? People, there’s a line longer than my crow’s feet waitin’ behind you to snag your spot. Wanna give it to ‘em? Take every advantage you can.

I recently went to a small conference. A young lady (to me, young is early forties, but for clarification, she’s in her twenties) showed up in a nice suit, hair neatly swept back, and acted in a professional manner. When her partial came, I noted how clean it was (mechanics-wise). This was her first effort, and she blew me away with her level of competency in that area. Buuut, the story had no hook. Instead of an outright no, I asked her to find a hook and resubmit. I’m lookin’ for authors, not manuscripts. From the way she treated her appointment with me, to the clean manuscript, I knew she’d be a great self-promoter, which I look for. If you can’t look professional for a meeting with me, how will you look when you do a book signing?

The Romance Writers of America conference is at the end of this month. Unfortunately, they didn’t ask me to give my Bleak to Chic: How to Dress for Success workshop. Sigh. Even us agents get rejected. I will be giving what’s called a “late-nite chat” at the American Christian Fiction Writers conference in September, and I hope to see some of ya there.

Remember, it’s not only about impressing someone, but impressing yourself. When you look better, you feel better. When you feel better, you exude self-confidence. When you exude self-confidence, you tell me, “Hey, I’ll make a great addition to your family!” (Hope so!)

Kelly Mortimer

www.mortimerliterary.com www.perilsofpublishing.com

This interview was originally posted on Ronie Kendig’s blog: Craving the Supernatural. It was so good, I decided we had to have it here, too. So get ready for a look at the industry from agent Steve Laube’s perspective.

—-Hey, y’all! Welcome back to Craving the Supernatural. Right now, we’re hosting my awesome and incredible agent, Steve Laube, and getting his thoughts on the ACFW Conference and conference preparedness. (This is revised from the interview Steve Laube gave us last year.)

Tell us a bit about yourself.

Lived the first 14 years of my life in Anchorage, Alaska (survived the famous ’64 earthquake) then went to high school in Honolulu (Hawaii Baptist Academy). My parents felt called to move to Hawaii after 25 years in Alaska. Went to college at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona where I still live and work.

I have three daughters ages, 26, 23, and 20 and have been married for 27 years. I teach an adult Bible class every Sunday (around 30 attend regularly). We are currently working our way through the chronological history of Israel from King David through the rebuilding of the walls by Nehemiah. Just finished the life of Saul.

I’m a voracious reader and a enduring sports fan (Go Suns! Go Diamondbacks!). Someone asked what I did for a living. I replied, “I read.” They followed with, “Then what do you do for fun?” My answer? “I read.” We have nearly 5,000 books in our home.

Starting in May I began re-reading the Dune series originated by Frank Herbert. I’m into book seven of the twelve right now. Interspersed with those I’ve read a Clive Cussler novel I somehow missed, the new Lee Child novel, Tim Challies’ The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment, and am currently working through a fascinating book on economics called Why Popcorn Costs So Much at the Movies by Richard McKenzie.

Music is a hobby as well. I have over 15,000 songs on my computer of all genres. Everything from hard rock (I recommend the groups Red, Flyleaf, and Creed) to meditative vocals or instrumentals (I recommend Vienna Teng, Liz Story, and Natalie Merchant) to classical (I recommend Steven Sharp Nelson’s Sacred Cello and Vivaldi’s Four Seasons). All together I could play music for 38 days (24 hours a day) without repeating a single song.

Our family is very selective when it comes to movies. Of course “Star Wars” is the classic (My youngest has insisted that we watch all six films this Summer while she is home from college…two down, four to go). But I never tire of sports movies like “Remember the Titans,” “Rudy,” “We are Marshall,” or “Radio.” My wife cannot understand why I like “Galaxy Quest” so much, but I confess, it makes me laugh (she says I have to watch that one by myself). Together we have howled at multiple viewing of “Arsenic and Old Lace” and “Monsters, Inc.” We don’t keep a TV plugged in inside the home, but one Christmas I gave the family the entire DVD collection of “The Dick Van Dyke” show. We continue to laugh our way through those episodes. We have also enjoyed the DVD’s of “The Bob Newhart Show,” “The Odd Couple,” “I Love Lucy,” and “The Dog Whisperer.”

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When I first met you in February 2004, you promoted American Christian Romance Writers (now ACFW)—said if we were serious about writing, we’d join. Why do you feel it’s important for authors to be a part of an organization like this?

Continuing education is critical to the growth of a person and a writer. Tricia Goyer wrote on The Writer’s View, “I’ve attended Mt. Hermon twelve times. I don’t have a college degree. Instead I was trained by the amazing teachers and editors there.”

The friendships and networking of an organization like ACFW are for a lifetime. The editor you meet today may become your acquisitions editor of tomorrow. The author today may be the endorsement of tomorrow. Too often we try to quantify these events in dollars and cents. And don’t forget the spiritual charge from hearing great speakers and the learning from attending great classes. But one of the greatest benefits is the camaraderie with fellow dysfunctional writers, editors and agents.

I have dozens of friendships that go beyond the business that started within the business. For a professional defined by isolation the fellowship of other writers is critical to one’s sanity.
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How long have you been a part of ACFW?

Since I became an agent in 2003.
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Obviously you travel the country, attending and working at many conferences. What sets the ACFW conference apart from others?

The fiction-centric aspect of the conference is wonderfully unique. It allows the classes to go deeper than ever in their content. And I truly admire their effort to have material for the beginner as well as the advanced writer.
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What is your favorite part of the ACFW conference?

Talking with old friends and making new ones. We are a part of a tremendous ministry of changing people’s lives through the power of story. To be surrounded by amazingly creative people blesses me beyond measure.

It is also fun to connect with clients and possibly discover that new talent.
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One thing I really appreciate about you is how you make yourself available, sitting in the hotel lobby chatting (casually, not for pitches) with authors. What are some of your memories from attending one of ACFW’s national conferences?

Doing the night owl on author/agent relations with Tracey Bateman. Completely unrehearsed we had a full room of folks who laughed with our antics.
The night owl with Chip MacGregor and Janet Grant in 2007 where we evaluated one-sheets for an hour, unrehearsed. It was a bit like the ACFW version of “American Idol.” We really let down our guard and told the hard truth about what we were seeing.
Late night laughter and camaraderie each year. Don’t be afraid to hang out with the “guys and gals”. It is never an exercise of “cliques-are-us.”
Heart to heart conversation with a client who was so relieved when we agreed to take her story in a new direction that her tears were ones of joy.
A serendipitous conversation with Andy Meisenheimer from Zondervan that turned into a contract for a first time author.
Connecting officially with Cindy Woodsmall at the conference. We had talked before and I loved her manuscript (now published as When the Heart Cries), but we needed the face-to-face to make it official.
I could go on and on. And have left out too many friends, editors and authors in this brief trip down memory lane. But you can see the variety and diversity of the experience, which is my point. Everyone who attends the conference can make it something special.

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At the conference, you take dozens of appointments. What are you looking for in a new author? Is there an element in a pitch that you look for?

This a VERY difficult question. Fiction is the most subjective reading experience of any sort. So even if I like the pitch I may not like the writing. And sometimes the pitch is weak but the writing is great. And what gets me excited may make another agent’s eyes glaze over.
In the pitch I’m looking at the person as much as the writing. It is the connection made with their personality and their passion and their overall presentation of themselves. That is as much a part of the pitch as the actual words in the manuscript. It is one of the reasons why agents and editors go to a conference…to see firsthand that “snap” or “spark” which makes that person stand out. Hopefully the execution of the writing delivers as well.
Understand that I’m not saying that someone has to be a “bigger-than-life” personality. That would be a fairly shallow perspective. Instead it is reading the person behind the page. It is hard to explain and impossible to teach to someone else. But those of us on this side of the table know what I mean. The successful agents and editors have the ability to pick those few from the crowd..
So, please understand I’m not talking about a song and dance routine. But instead I’m talking of the internal fire, that God given spark, that says, “Steve? Pay attention.”

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Is there a particular genre you are wanting to add to your current list?

We cover all major genres with the wonderfully diverse clients we represent. Take a look at our list of clients on our web site. (www.stevelaube.com/authors.htm)

I am a very eclectic reader and enjoy all sorts of books. So it boils down to whether I think I can sell a particular author or story. And it is VERY tough. Usually I say to the new writer, “take what you learn at this conference and apply it to this proposal. Then after another round of hard work, send it….but know that our agency received nearly 2,000 proposals in 2007.”

So far in 2008 we have added four new fiction clients, but every one of them is a previously published author. And yet we are thrilled to say that in the last few years we have secured contracts for ten first-time novelists! So the opportunity is there if you have the right project!

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It’s been said that some editors and agents request everything pitched to them at conference. What is your take on this, and how often do you make requests?

There can be the problem of the “false positive” at a conference - by “false positive” I mean the “Send it to me” from the editor/agent only to later get a stock rejection letter. It is a problem of which there is no real solution. Editors/Agents cannot fully evaluate a project in a 15 minute meeting or over a group dinner table. Back in the office they can weigh your project against the others they are considering. But at least you are being considered! If you had not gone to the conference you would not have had that chance. I can name numerous times in my past where I contracted someone after reading the proposal in the office. Of course the majority receive the “no thank you” letter. Just because the faculty member says, “send it” doesn’t carry with it a guarantee of a sale.

It is especially difficult with fiction because the reading is more of an experience than an evaluation. I’m not afraid to say, “This needs work” to any writer and many of you reading this interview have heard those words from me. But at the same time our agency’s door is always open. We are always in the hunt for the “next best.” I can’t know if that is the “next” unless I get it reviewed and read it myself in a different context outside the conference.
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Have you ever signed an author after meeting with them at conference?

Many times. Both as an agent and back when I was an editor at Bethany House. It does happen. I could safely say that every editor or agent would agree that if they find one (only one) new talent from a conference it is considered a success. I’ve had many times where nothing specific came out of that conference but years later it bore fruit. For example, Paul Robertson attended a conference where I spoke in the late 90s. He said he sent something afterwards that I rejected. Eight years later he sent me a proposal that is now a published book (The Heir) with Bethany House. So while I didn’t necessarily see anything at the time it had results nearly 10 years later.

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What advice would you give to beginner writers about attending this conference?

Go into it with realistic expectations. The biggest mistake is thinking that it is the guaranteed method for getting a book contract. Modify those expectations. Instead see it as a learning experience and a place to listen and absorb the sights and sounds around you.

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Any parting words?

I consider it a privilege to be a small part of this wonderful industry. We are tasked to help spread the good news to a world that doesn’t read. Incredible isn’t it? Our insecurities, our frustrations, our successes (or lack thereof), are all part of the larger movement of souls who find rest in God and His salvation through the vehicle of our stories.
In the 2007 Christy banquet keynote Lauren Winner (www.laurenwinner.net) said that it was the Mitford novels by Jan Karon that showed her that faith could be worked out in daily life. That experience, through the pages of a novel, set her on the path to Faith. What could top that?

Thank you, Steve, for taking the time to answer some questions and help writers at all levels prepare for the awesome ACFW conference, held this year in Minneapolis, Minnesota, September 18-21, 2008. Check it out: http://www.acfw.com/conference/