This is the grand finalé…the last day of our 31-day book giveaway! I hope you have all enjoyed it. 🙂
If I am remembering correctly, I connected with Allison Winn Scotch after Get Known came out when was kind enough to offer to host an interview with me in her blog. Today, she is as gracious as ever, giving away copies of her three books so one lucky commenter can win big. Please help me welcome Allison.
Allison Winn Scotch is the New York Times bestselling author of three books, most recently, The One That I Want, out in paperback this June. Her new book, The Song Remains the Same, will be released in winter 2012 by Putnam. She lives in New York City with her family.
• • •
The One That I Want
Tilly Farmer is thirty-two years old and has the perfect life she always dreamed of: married to her high school sweetheart, working as a guidance counselor in her hometown, trying for a baby. Perfect.
In fact, on the surface you might never know how tough things used to be. At seventeen, Tilly lost her mother to cancer, her father drowned his grief in alcohol, and she played parent to her two younger sisters more often than being a kid herself. Still Tilly never let tragedy overtake her belief that hard work and good cheer could solve any problem. Of course she’s also spent a lifetime plastering a smile on her face and putting everyone else’s problems ahead of her own.
But that relentless happiness has served her well—her sisters are grown and content, her dad is ten years sober, and she’s helping her students achieve all their dreams while she and her husband, Tyler, start a family. A perfect life indeed.
Then one sweltering afternoon at the local fair, everything changes. Tilly wanders into the fortune teller’s tent and is greeted by an old childhood friend, now a psychic, who offers her more than just a reading. “I’m giving you the gift of clarity,” her friend says. “It’s what I always thought you needed.” And soon enough, Tilly starts seeing things: her father relapsing, staggering out of a bar with his car keys in hand; Tyler uprooting their happy, stable life, a packed U-Haul in their driveway; and even more disturbing, these visions start coming true. Suddenly Tilly’s perfect life, so meticulously mapped out, seems to be crumbling around her. And she’s not sure what’s more frightening: that she’s begun to see the future or what the future holds . . .
As Tilly furiously races to keep up with—and hopefully change—her destiny, she faces the question: Which is the life she wants? The one she’s carefully nursed for decades, or the one she never considered possible?
• • •
Time of My Life
From the outside view, Jillian Westfield has a pitch-perfect life. Her cherubic 18-month old daughter, her wildly successful investment banker husband, a four-bedroom, five-bath, lemon-scented home with landscaping and neighbors to match. But that doesn’t stop her from mulling over the past, from pushing away the “what ifs” that haunt her when she allows them to seep into her consciousness. What if she hadn’t married Henry? What if she hadn’t abandoned her job at the first sign of pregnancy? What if she’d never broken up with Jackson ? What if she answered her mother’s letter? Because underneath the shiny veneer of her life, Jill waddles around in a faltering marriage, brewing resentment, and an air of discontentedness. But after an ethereal massage in which her therapist releases her blocked chi, she wakes up to discover that she’s been whisked seven years back, back to her old life, her old self, back to the moments in which she made decisions that charted her future course. And now that she’s back, she’s faced with the same roadblocks and obstacles, only this time, armed with hindsight, she can choose a different path and finally lay to rest all of her “what ifs.”
• • •
The Department of Lost & FoundIt didn’t start out as the worst day of Natalie Miller’s life. At thirty, she is moving up the political ladder, driven by raw ambition and ruthless determination. As the top aide to New York’s powerful female senator, she works hard, stays late, and enjoys every bit of it, even if the bills she’s pushing through do little to improve the lives of the senator’s constituents. And if her boyfriend isn’t the sexiest guy alive, at least he’s a warm body to come home to.Then he announces he’s leaving. But that news is barely a blip compared to what Natalie’s doctor tells her: She has breast cancer. And she can’t cure it by merely being headstrong. Now the life Natalie must change is her own.
All her energy, what little of it she has left, must go into saving herself from a merciless disease. So when she’s not lying on the sofa recovering from her treatments and indulging in a curious addiction to The Price Is Right, she realizes it’s time to take a hard look at her choices. She begins by tracking down the five loves-of-her-life to assess what went wrong. Along the way, she questions her relationships with her friends, her parents, her colleagues, the one who got away, and, most important, with herself: Why is she so busy moving through life that she never stops to embrace it?
As Natalie sleuths out the answers to these questions, her journey of self-discovery takes her down new paths and to unexplored places. And she learns that sometimes when life is at its most unexpected, it’s not what you lose that makes you who you are … it’s what you find.
• • •
1. How has writing impacted your self-confidence?
Writing affects my mental health and confidence in all sorts of ways, all good ones. For one, there are few things more fulfilling than creating something from nothing, from turning a blank page into 300 pages. For two, it’s incredibly gratifying to hear from readers that something you put down on the page resonated with them and maybe changed something about their perception of the world. And three, the creative process itself is truly wonderful: being able to use my brain in such a way has certainly bolstered my confidence in everything I do.
2. What are three words that describe your creative book-writing process?
Diligent, liberating, whimsical.
3. What good has your book created in the world?
Well, that feels a little self-serving! But since you asked, I have gotten hundreds of emails from readers who have said that my books affected their lives, most often their marriages, and always for the better. Last year, with The One That I Want, I got a note from a 57-year old reader who was inspired to go back and finish college. I mean – that sort of feedback is unquantifiable – to know that something you wrote really changed someone’s life. Humbling. Makes me so grateful.
• • •
Today is the last day of the giveaway, so let’s a big question. What would it take for you to become a best selling author? Where are you now? What are the steps you would need to take to get there? Do you want to get there? Why or why not?
Answer in the comments in 50-200 words (no less and no more to qualify to win one of today’s books). Please read the complete rules at least once!
Thanks for participating in the Writer Mama Every-Day-In-May Book Giveaway! Today is our final giveaway, please come back tomorrow to see who wins and for a complete list of giveaway books and authors.
Comments on this entry are closed.
What would it take for me to become a bestselling author?
I don’t know.
You can do all the right things-tweet, facebook, blog, pray-and still achieve less-than-hoped for results.
Why? Because I am only one part of the “results” equation. On the other side of the equation are the readers–potential and realized. And I can’t control them.
So … with that in mind, I’ll do what I know to do. And I’ll learn more about what I should be doing. And I know I wrote the best novel I could–and will try to write an even better one the next time.
For me to be a
bestselling author, I first need to be an author. I call myself a writer;
author implies having published a book. The steps I’d need to complete are:
Flesh out one of my many book ideas, and write the book. Revise the book. Find
an agent. Craft a proposal for said agent to shop to a publisher. Revise the
book and/or proposal again until it’s irresistible. Get a book contract. Revise
for the editor’s specifications. Proofread the galley. Along the way, market
the heck out of the book. This could
take a couple of years.
This is what my years of reading and study tell me about becoming a published
author. But what about the “bestselling” part? That is the unknown ingredient in
this formula. Whether you consider it luck, timing, or God’s favor, it’s the
one thing the writer has zero control over.
Of course I’d love
to be a best-selling author! For now, though, I guess my goal would have to be,
uh, become an author (having actually
completed a long writing project), and then a published author.
Publishing articles has given me more confidence, but right
now, I’m having a difficult time choosing how I want to spend my time between
my blog, a job, short articles, and more creative stuff. I guess I’d have to
start segmenting my writing time more, a certain proportion for articles and
paid gigs, and a certain proportion for longer projects.
This topic reminds me, though, of Anne Lamott describing in Bird by Bird how she’d be at a bookstore
promoting her book and there’d be, like, 2 employees chatting with her politely
around an enormous, forlorn wheel of brie. I know that that’s probably a more
likely scenario than “best-selling.”
On the other hand, I do really like brie!
I’d definitely like to become a published author who does well with my books, but I’m not sure I’d make a good best-selling author. It’s a tricky question because, of course, writers want to be successful and we know that in the publishing world success is defined by the number of books one sells in a determined period of time. But, I have a friend who won a Pulitzer Prize for his journalism and when asked what he enjoyed / didn’t enjoy about his success, he said, “I hated the pressure and writing the book after the Pulitzer.” Not that this is a reason not to be a best seller either, but I think we romanticize “best seller” our culture.
I’m from the world of academia and simply publishing a book with a reputable press is enough “success” to get tenure, but I don’t like this model either. It means you ignore the value of the audience. I think my ideal is somewhere in the mid-list, a place that used to be more meaningful, and more attainable, than it is today.
Ohhh saving the best for last? 🙂 I don’t know what it would take to become a bestselling author. Probably luck. You can write a book worthy of that label, but it all depends on how it takes off after publication. Where am I now? Very far off, but I know all I can (and want) to focus on is my story. I just want to write and I’ll have to worry about all the rest later. The only real concrete steps I feel like I can take in that direction are reading and writing as much as possible. Practice and growth are needed, just like for any goal.
To become sucessful and quit my day job, I need to reach more readers. I have the discipline, drive and desire but not enough hours in a day. I would like to find a team that works with me. I need to hire an editor who assists with story as well as critiques my third novel now in revision stage. I want an agent who believes in my work. I am building a group of authors in my genre and surrounds to act as a support group/ cheerleaders/ kick in the rear friends.
What would it take for me to become a bestselling author? In a word, revitalization. Since I was a child I have been in love with words and their ability to create pictures in the mind of the reader. I love to read nearly every genre and used to write something almost every week. When I was younger, I would stay up late getting some inspiration down on a notebook before the inspiration left me and the words that could have been written were forgotten. Two kids and 10 years of stress later, I find I have lost the belief that something beautiful can come of those words, and it has been years since I put pen to paper. What I need is to revitalize my inspiration and begin again.
Honestly, becoming a bestselling author would take more than I’m willing to give right now. I don’t have the energy or the drive to make that happen. Shoot, I don’t even have the energy right now to be a low-rated author, which probably takes even more energy in an attempt to get things really going with your writing. However, I have visions of the future which include writing more than I do now and completing longer, more satisfying projects. I’ll get there.
Ow. Ok, here goes. I have no idea what it would take in terms of
how far away I am from it now. As an
absolute beginner, I have a very long way to go. Courses and workshops would help, of
course. But, perhaps time; time to sit
down and focus without someone screaming my name because they can’t reach the
tissue that is two feet from them. Late
night typing isn’t in the scheme of things, as mamas need a certain amount of
sleep to be fractionally functional.
That being said, the workshops and courses are the biggest step right
now toward the right direction. I do
want to take them, but self-education is most cost-efficient at the moment and
stolen time is all that there is available.
I do want to become a fab author who impacted her readers, but my time
will have to come when it does. I don’t
have the conscience or the luxury to put my family on hold more than I already
do. Character flaw, I suppose.
Trying for ninth position today! Come on lucky number 9! 🙂
As of now, it would take a lot for me to become a best-selling novelist but it truly is my dream. I’m busy writing and perfecting short stories and sending them out to literary magazines, and in the meantime, I’m formulating an idea for a great novel that I will hopefully start in the near-future. I have a great plan to write a book where the story takes place in a series of linked short stories. I know that if I can make the stories work together, I can write a book that people will hopefully want to read. And once the book is complete, of course I would be more than willing to promote the heck out of it to make it a hit!!
What would it take to become a best-selling author? Well isn’t
that the million dollar question! ; )
I would have to say, Yes, I would like to get there and
intend to do so. Writing for publication and sharing my imaginary worlds in a
way that resonates with others is my heart’s greatest desire. First, of course,
would be to complete the revisions on my YA novel; find some reliable beta
readers, revise again and write a solid, catchy query to the right agent. As far as the writing goes, I feel the themes
of my novel are universal, as it deals with mother-daughter relationships,
family history, deception, abuse and standing on your own. How it is presented
– and received (platform, packaging, marketing, etc.) is another phase of getting to the NYT
list. See ya there!
Fo me to become a best selling author, I think it will take focus, determination, building my platform, self-promotion, a little luck, and oh yeah – it takes actual writing! Sometimes, I think you just have to be at the right place at the right time. But usually it is more than that; it is believing in yourself and not stopping until you reach your goal. This question made me think of the Wizard of Oz, one of my all time favorite movies. It is the part near the end when the Wizard is telling the Scaregrow that there are people out there with no more brains than him, but what they have is a diploma. And he tells the Lion that there are brave people out there with no more courage than him, except that they have a medal. Perhaps we just need to write like we already have a bestseller! Believe – It’s the word of the day!
I have come to the realization that to become a best selling author, it must take massive amounts of good luck. I think you can analyze things to death, like what day of the week agents receive the fewest number of emails paralleled by what day of the week the agent is in the best mood, but honestly what it boils down to is pure luck, and maybe a tiny bit of networking thrown in there for kicks. I’m certainly closer than I’ve ever been to getting published, but no where near ready. But, honestly, I’m not sure I have what it takes to be a best selling author. Book tours, and signings, and interviews, oh my!!! I’d just be happy to see my book published. period.
I’m currently working on the last 1/3 of my book that needed to be re-written. Since this book is loosely based on my childhood I want to add more emotion and tension to it. I want the reader to feel what I and my family were feeling. It’s a challenge, but I think that will make my good book great. I need to develop the characters more, make the writing richer, and the experiences more dramatic. It’s getting there. I hope to have it done and ready to shop for agents by the end of this year!
Ay-yi-yi! It would take A LOT for me to become a best selling author! Starting with finding my motivation and actually completing a draft.
Growing up, my mom was working on a book. I was her right hand girl. I suspect I was more of a nuisance than anything, but she never made me feel that way. As a result of seeing her creative process, I starting writing and vowed to be published by 13. Obviously, that didnt happen. My mom passed away before she could finish the book, but I have it, boxed up and waiting for the “right/write” time to open it.
Over the years, Ive thought up ideas, written things, researched things. But Ive never finished any of it. Its all gone to the wayside for one reason or another.
Ive started journaling again recently, to get my creative juices flowing. Im using an actual journal. With today’s technology, the pen and paper seem to be a bit of a lost cause.
I still have the dream of being published, and hopefully with perserverance, committment, lots of hard work, and a small stroke of luck, it will happen one day!
I would love to write a top selling children’s story and am
currently studying the craft. I love children’s literature. It would be great to
see my name in print on the cover of a well-worn and much loved copy of one of my
stories, clutched in the hands of a child.
Steps to success:
Maintaining
my focus would be the key element to writing a best seller. Demands of
life, parenthood, work and volunteering require so much of my energy that
I often postpone my writing due to exhaustion. Scheduled
writing hours Turning
off the phone during scheduled writing hours
I created the document in Word and unfortunately, it did not transfer correctly onto the comments. Sorry for the sloppy format…it did not look like this originally.
Well said Laura. It is great to see you actively pursuing your writing career. You have come very far in such a short time. Happy Blog-a-thon 31 Day Success. This has certainly been your month.
What would it take to become a bestselling author? Rear in chair, coffee at hand, and pounding the keys. Then, it would need to be revised a few thousand times, passed off to my writing group, revised many more times, passed off to an editor and more revisions. THEN, I would need to find an agent that thoroughly believes in the book, who would need to find a publisher who feels the same. Meanwhile, I would have to be building a sturdy platform. Once the book was published, I would have to say a few prayers and find out whether anyone thought it was bestseller material.
Right now, I’m working on a fiction book, but my platform is in the beginning stages. I need to work my rear off with my writing and revise until I believe it’s good enough to present to an editor and continue with the above steps.
I would love to get to the bestseller list, but honestly, if I can just get a book published with enough sold to continue the process, I’d be more than happy.
Wow, for me to become a best selling author, would be first to allow others to read my work! I started a blog 2 years ago when my oldest daughter was admitted to a mental health hospital—I wrote how i felt and how it affected my other 2 daughters. I have since kept up this blog…but I have never released it to anyone! I really started it for myself, but I should share it with other mothers who are going through this difficult process, because, just last week this daughter graduated as Valedictorian of her high school class! Yes, she mentioned her therapeutic environment in her speech too.
So, to answer, I am a blog writer, but I need to let others read my work, and from there I need to find out if it is good enough to help others. I don’t care to become a best selling author actually, I would rather be a resource to other mothers whose children struggle with mental health issues.
When I wrote my 200-page “books” in elementary school, my dream was to be a best-selling author. Different life obstacles certainly set my back, and I was surrounded by people who didn’t believe in those goals for too long. After having my son, I started freelancing full-time and proved some of those doubters wrong. However, I still have yet to publish a book. I am in the process of actually finishing a manuscript, and will see how it goes. To pursue this to full fruition, I will need to dedicate myself to the book’s finish and believe in my capabilities. More importantly, I need to continue to surround myself with others who believe in me too!
A great story-line; time to develop, write and edit the story; confidence. Well, I don’t feel I’m much of anywhere as far as a fiction book. I’d have to use my imagination to unleash a fiction book and that is hard to do when I’m so focused on getting done what I need to get accomplished on a daily basis. Would I like to do it? Absolutely. Non-fiction? Yes, in process.
Finish the book!
I thought I had completed my travel memoir one year ago. I sent off my manuscript to top New York and London agents. As I waited for a call offering me a six-figure book deal I went shopping for a new outfit to wear for my interview with Oprah.
The call never came and I began to wonder if my book was finished after all.
I decided to complete a writing course where I met my fantastic editor who has taught me to cut, rewrite and edit. At first I was frightened to push the delete button, but I have learnt that a good story needs to be crafted.
It will be another year at least until my book is ‘really’ finished, especially since I have to juggle the demands of two young boys as a single mom, but I would rather take the time needed to produce a potential best seller.
I guess I have missed the boat with Oprah, but there is always Ellen!
Where am I now? Very far from it. First and foremost, I’d need to quit my day job! I would need the loving support of my husband and a good spurt of my own inner courage. I would simply need time, time, and more time! I’d need to keep up with my own reading in order to stay inspired and “wordy” as I like to say 😉 I think what it will take for me to get there is to write every day, no matter what. Perhaps blogging will help me do that. I’ve always dreamed about writing a novel (it’s never happened, not even close), but I haven’t yet put in the very hard work that it takes to get to that point. I absolutely want to get there because being able to support my family by doing something enjoyable and creative that I love would be a dream come true. I’m not a 9-5 kind of girl, although that’s where I’m stuck for now! Though I’m not sure if it will happen in the near future, it’s something I envision myself working toward when I’m a few years older and have already started a family.
Wow—Allison is so inspiring. The first word she used in describing her process is what I would say will take for me become a best seller: diligence. I write an hour every morning at six, edit every afternoon during the kids’ naptime, and read published work within my genre in the evening with my husband (fortunately, an avid reader himself!). I have to believe the diligence in my daily literary life will lead to good—otherwise it would be difficult to keep getting up before the sun!
I guess what it would take is a best-selling idea.
At this point in my writing life, my goal is simply to express myself
to the best of my ability, to be part of a writing community, and to
develop my craft. I have been extremely fortunate to have been able to
tap into a number of fine online poetry and haiku communities, including
Poetic Asides, ReadWritePoem, Big Tent Poetry, NaHaiWriMo, the Haiku
Society of America, Haiku Oregon, and The Haiku Foundation. Through
daily writing prompts and feedback, what started out as a solitary
activity has turned into writing in community with talented poets/haijin
from around the world. I recently served on a scholarship committee,
where we asked high school seniors where they saw themselves in four
years. When I ask that question of myself, a propos my writing goals, I
can only say: “… still writing.”
To become a best-selling author takes time and commitment. I’m not there yet, but plan to be in three to five years. Three steps that will get me there are:
1. Platform development. Christina is the expert at this, so I have no doubt I can conquer this step.
2. Production. A best-selling author needs a best-selling product. This step will take the most time and effort. I plan to “Get Known Before the Book Deal” by launching a nonfiction book while improving my fiction writing. Short-term goal is to finish NaNoWriMo this year so I have new raw material.
3. Promotion. Marketing will be easy. I’ll simply hire c3PR.
Being a best-selling author validates one’s talent. I feel everything I’ve written for four decades is leading up to achieving this goal. Thank you, Christina, for sponsoring this wonderful contest giving Writer Mamas the tools and motivation to realize our dreams.
For me, to become a best selling author, it all starts with
one word: WRITE. Not just the willy nilly writing that my current life allows,
but commit, work at it, and WRITE it.
Sounds so easy, no? Right now I’m fleshing out something I
wrote a few months ago and looking for the good bits. The writing was easy,
finding the real story has been the challenge.
Whether what results is best selling material
or not is yet to be determined. I just know that I am already NOT a best selling
author, I won’t be any worse off by taking a leap of faith headfirst into the
words and continuing to write.
What a great question! To write a best-seller, I need to commit to writing set hours on set days. I also need to look harder at the world around me for daily inspiration that I can weave into my writing (I tend to rely too heavily on my own creativity, which isn’t always a bad thing, but can keep me from getting to the next level or completing a project.) With more effort and some serious discipline, I think I can put pen to paper and create a solid product. But then I need to bounce my work of a critique group and be ready to revise as needed. I also need to get an agent!
Becoming a bestselling author (for me) would take childcare. A topic that dovetails perfectly with the zeitgeist. A well-chosen and hardworking agent, probably. A partnership with the right publisher wouldn’t hurt, either. As others have mentioned, you can write a great book that isn’t a bestseller because the stars just don’t align for that particular book. Do I want to get there? Sure. But, to be honest, I don’t know if I’d want my first book, or even my second book, to reach bestselling status. It takes chops to handle that level of success, and to stay on track afterward. Lots of writers have one bestseller and can’t capture the same success again. I’d rather build gradually to that level of success, instead of having 15 minutes of glory that I’m not ready for.
I think for me to become a best-seller, I’d have to work more on self-promotion and make time to write. Sometimes the day gets too busy and writing keeps getting pushed back. I think getting your name out there pre-publication is important, so I should focus on publishing more articles and work to get my name out there to start to build an audience. It can be hard for me to do since sometimes when I ask people for feedback on online articles I write, it’s like pulling teeth, but a necessary thing to do. So need to work on self-promotion.
I think for me to become a best-seller, I’d have to work more on self-promotion and make time to write. Sometimes the day gets too busy and writing keeps getting pushed back. I think getting your name out there pre-publication is important, so I should focus on publishing more articles and work to get my name out there to start to build an audience. It can be hard for me to do since sometimes when I ask people for feedback on online articles I write, it’s like pulling teeth, but a necessary thing to do. So need to work on self-promotion.
I think there are a lot of factors in becoming a bestselling author, some of which are in our control. Part of it comes down to walking the fine line between understanding the market in which our work fits, but still staying true to our vision of our work. I also think that bestselling authors tend to be very well connected among the specific writing communities in which their books are situated (the mystery community, for example, seems really tight-knit and surprisingly non-competitive, now that I’ve started wading into it a bit). For me, the work required to market myself scares me less than conquering my perfectionism and organizational issues in actually finishing a novel. Perhaps I’m a bit naive thinking that marketing will be much easier, but seeing as I’m 31 years old and have never completed a novel in 17 years of writing, that obstacle looms the largest. Once I tackle that bugaboo, the rest feels more achievable. Plus, I love having more opportunities to meet people and network.
It would take me sitting down and making my writing a priority. I’m not sure I’ll EVER by a best seller author, but I think I should be able to finish my book and get it published. I need to make the time and fight the gremlins in my head and for some reason that’s really really hard for me to do…. 🙂